Over-prescription of opioids leading to addiction and alternatives

There are still diseases in our current society such as pain in which the diagnosis is heavily reliant on the information that is given by the patient. With that much trust in just the patient, there is a possibility of the patients not being able to describe the symptoms properly or leaving information out from their history leading to an incorrect diagnosis. The most common form of treatment for pain is prescribing opioids, a schedule II controlled substance. In this essay, opioid mechanisms, guidelines for prescribing opioids and addiction as a result will be discussed. The current prescribing federal and state laws will be evaluated. In this thesis, I will argue that in order for patients suffering from pain to lead a healthier and safer life not only should prescribing laws be altered in which alternatives to opioids are heavily considered, multiple doctors should be consulted before a the prescription is written and a better patient monitoring/screening system should be in place.