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Argumentative Essay: Opiate Overdoses

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When instructed to take medicines prescribed by doctors, there is rarely any second thought put in before taking those pills. Knowing the side effects of your medications and knowing proper dosages is something that should be done religiously. Opiate overdoses have become one of the leading causes of death in America, this is largely due to doctors not following policy and prescribing addictive narcotics for inappropriate ailments, which leads to addiction, and can destroy the lives of those around them. Patients should be able to trust doctors and know that they are in safe hands, however it now seems as this is not always the case. Doctors are overprescribing addictive medicines and failing to follow proper policy for prescribing those medicines. With social media and thousands of other news outlets, it’s no surprise that overdoses are a real and prevalent part of our society. If it is the doctor’s responsibility to make sure that their patients are healthy, then why are they prescribing addictive and harmful painkillers for chronic pain? As stated by Carey Wedler, “A new survey by the National Safety Council concludes 99 percent of doctors over prescribe prescription opiates to patients. According to the nonprofit’s analysis, nearly …show more content…

Canadian columnist Heather Mallick said ¨It is faster to prescribe a pill to treat the side effects than to find the source of the problem"(Mallick). Prescription painkillers being over prescribed is an issue that needs to be resolved immediately. Hundreds of people die yearly due to overdoses which could be prevented if a uniform protocol and procedure was created. Whether in professional athletics or in a neighborhood physician's office prescription painkillers can be a silent but lethal

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