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Should People Share Painkiller Medication?

Painkillers are highly addictive opioids and are prescribed by a physician to an individual for pain management. Prescription medication should never be shared with other people including family or friends. Sharing your pain medication with other people is illegal. Giving someone else your medication can be fatal, and you would be responsible. When a physician prescribes painkillers to a person, the medication needs to be taken as directed.

Opioid abuse has dramatically increased and resulted in a national opioid crisis. Opioid abuse is causing many overdoses and deaths nationwide. The use of painkillers is greater than ever and causes people to develop a dependency or addiction when misused. Many people with addictions to potent opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, or morphine started their dependency by abusing painkiller medications.

Heroin, fentanyl, and morphine are powerful opioids that can be cheaper, more intense, and more available on the street than painkiller medications, which need a prescription from a physician. People will go to the extent of stealing painkillers for their own use or sell them. A person with an opioid addiction can go through intense withdrawal symptoms when he or she discontinues using the drug. This discomfort and pain influences him or her to relieve the withdrawals and get their fix.

A person should never share his or her painkiller medication. The alarming rise in opioid-related overdoses and deaths is fueled by painkiller abuse. People sharing painkiller medication are unintentionally contributing to the national opioid crisis. People who do not have a prescription for the opioid medication can easily become dependent on the drug for their own use or sell the drug to get more intense drugs.

If you give a person your painkillers, repeated use can lead to his or her death and other health complications. When a person takes your painkillers, the medication could interact negatively with his or her physical or mental condition. Also, if he or she is taking other medications, the use of painkillers can react in a harmful way. The pain medication is prescribed specifically for your condition. Giving someone else the medication can have adverse effects on their health or be the wrong dose for them.

Someone else who takes your painkillers may be getting more from other people. He or she can accidentally overdose, increase harmful health conditions, or die. A medical professional should always monitor pain medication. With the rise in opioid addiction, you can save someone’s life by not sharing your painkiller medication.

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