C-Section Patients Given Double the Necessary Dose of Opiates

As we sit here in the midst of the opiate crisis and see all the wreckage and chaos created by the over-prescription of painkillers, you would think society would start learning a lesson and try to dial back on the amount of painkillers being prescribed to patients. There are reports of the number of prescriptions being down in relation to previous years, but realistically, the problem is still really, really bad. There are still quite a few people who are prescribed absurd amounts of opiates when it really isn’t necessary. And it’s those unnecessary amounts of pills that really needs to be addressed.

According to a recent study, women who give birth via cesarean section are some of the most commonly over-prescribed patients when it comes to painkillers. A study was published this month in Obstetrics & Gynecology and reported these women are not only prescribed double the amount of necessary painkillers but they’re also not likely to properly dispose of the medication and instead, leave it lingering in a bathroom or medicine cabinet where just about anyone who wanted to, could get their hands on it. The report claimed most women receive about 40 painkillers, post-op, but usually only take about half of them. Additionally, the report stated the number of pills prescribed to a patient altered the amount they took once they got home.

Study co-author and chief of the obstetric anesthesia division at Massachusetts General Hospital, told The Huffington Post, “some of our work has shown that the greater the number of pills people have at home, the greater the number of pills they take. There’s no basis that they have more pain.” Additionally, 95.3% of women who were prescribed opiates after having a C-section failed to properly get rid of the medication after they stopped taking it.

This study has highlighted an important step that needs to be taken to curb addiction and that’s the doctor having a conversation with their patient regarding pain management, proper medication disposal practices, and of course, the possibility of addiction. The fact of the matter is a lot of women don’t require opiates after having a cesarean section. While some do, there are others who can handle their pain with over-the-counter medications like Tylenol or Ibuprofen. This is just yet another case of physicians prescribing in excess of the necessary amount of painkillers for a given situation or condition. There are many, many times when doctors prescribe opiates when they’re not even necessary. I had a family member who went to the doctor a few years back for a cough and left with a prescription for Vicodin! What is that all about? Apparently opiates have an anti-tussive effect and that was the doctor’s reasoning behind writing the prescription. To me, that’s insane.

We really need an entire shift in prescribing practices because, honestly, there are a lot of doctors out there who are still completely naïve to opiate addiction and dependence. We need to get all practicing physicians retrained on responsible prescribing practices and educated on addiction. Maybe then, we’ll see fewer prescriptions written by fewer doctors and make painkillers not as ridiculously easy to obtain as they are right now.

Sources Used:

https://www.thefix.com/do-women-receive-too-many-opioids-after-c-sections