Opioids

What The Super Bowl Constipation Didn’t Say

crossk9 Opioids, Uncategorized

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AK0Ld1SR4w

By Katelyn Cross

https://www.thefix.com/sites/default/files/styles/article/public/movantik%20ad%20mr%20opioid.jpgIntroduction

Here is a photo of a women holding her “baggage” in which it is symbolic for her constipation symptoms. Next to her, is her solution—an opioid awaiting to “cure” her constipation and release her “baggage.” This is an ad aired by the NFL, portraying a cartoon advertisement of opioids—a prescription painkiller that is currently marked as an epidemic crisis throughout our country. I am interested in researching opioids because it is a common drug prescribed when going to the doctor, and is used in medical procedures through Anastasia as well as to release high amounts of pain as mentioned. The ad was released during the 2016 Super Bowl, and gave much offense to those who suffered from the opioid epidemic. The cartoon Disney-like opioid sits and mimics to be her best friend, and the one who will help her with her constipation problem.

History

The commercial was funded by a pharmaceutical research company called AstraZeneca, who specialize in various different research studies and topics, and work alongside scientists at “leading institutions to understand disease, identify potential new drugs and accelerate drug development” (Science In Our DNA n.d). It was also helped funded by Daiichi-Sanjyo, which is a global pharmaceutical company with corporate organs in Japan. The company aims to provide products and services in more than 20 countries around the world, “with more than 100 years of scientific expertise” they claim that their “company draws upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help patients” (Who We Are n.d). Ironic how companies who claim to raise awareness and improve the health and wellness of communities, are also contributing to dangerous epidemics.

Intended Audience

Not only are these companies contributing to funding to the opioid epidemic, but they are also spreading the access to the community. This ad was first aired during the Super Bowl of 2016. According to CNN, there was an average of “111.9 million  TV viewers” (Game, T 2016). This number is extremely large, and many who watch the Super Bowl also take part into watching through all the commercials, or going back on YouTube the next day to watch them. In the picture I chose to display from the video particularly, it is targeting people with constipation—this is a common issue that affects lots of Americans, and it is safe to say many would do whatever they could to get rid of this issue (or baggage I should say).  According to the article “Why Is The NFL Airing Ads Featuring A Cartoon Opioid Capsule” “Moreover, the cartoon take on the problem lessens the dangers of prescription painkillers by turning them into a Disney-like character. As opposed to Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., the Prescription, Inc., feeling of the commercial verges on the offensive” (Lavitt 2016). The feelings may be offensive to those who have suffered from opioids or know of people who have, but for those with little awareness, this commercial could be interpreted as cute and/or comical. Overall, I think the target audience is towards anyone who is watching. The general public is the open audience for the Super Bowl so the commercial was an aim towards any viewer, as well as people who specifically suffer with constipation, or get reeled in through animations, and advertisement techniques.

Active Ingredients

Opioids are painkillers wether in natural or synthetic form. They are commonly used in clinical practice and often prescribed as a way to cope with unbearable pain, and to assist during surgeries via Anastasia. According to the article “Basic opioid pharmacology: an update” “Morphine is commonly considered to be the archetypal opioid analgesic and the agent to which all other painkillers are compared” (Pathan and Williams 2016). Morphine is one of the most common opioids prescribed. The article further explains how there is evidence that suggests that the opium poppy, was cultivated for ingredients “as long ago as 3000 BC” (Pathan and Williams 2016). There is much to say about the poppy plant and many controversies raised from this. Morphine continued to be used widely and  “In 1847 the chemical formula for morphine was deduced and this, coupled with the invention of the hypodermic needle in 1853, led to the more precise and widespread clinical use of morphine” (Pathan and Williams 2016). There are many active components that play a part in Opioid usage. There are naturally occurring alkaloids where are plant-periled amines that can be derived from it such as “morphine, codeine, papaverine, and thebaine” (Pathan and Williams 2016). However, morphine is known as the active component of the opium poppy, and chemicals can be manipulated in labs to create synthetic opioids that can be used through widespread medicine clinically, such as “diamorphine, dihydrocodeine, buprenorphine, nalbuphine, naloxone and oxycodone” (Pathan and Williams 2016). The active opioid, heroin, was once seen as safe to be prescribed even to children, however, once known of its addictive pulled from the market, people started realizing its effect and danger. According to the article “Prescription Opioid Narcotics and Heroin”  “Today, OxyContin and Percocet are two of the frequently prescribed opioids used to treat pain. Both are narcotics containing the active ingredient oxycodone” (Prescription Opioid Narcotics and Heroin n.d.). This ingredient plays a part in the effects one feels when taking opioids. This ingredient is dangerous and influences physiological and mental health. The article, “What are Opiate Derivatives” states that, “According to Palomar College, opium belongs to a class of drugs known as narcotic analgesics” (What are Opiate Derivatives 2016). The drug ad did not mention any of these components, and in fact, left out every important thing about opioids that one should know. The ad was ultimately promoting opioids, making them look like the girls “best friend.” It showed no threat of addiction or any talk in what ingredients are in it, and this is very important to know. Instead, it should have taken the approach of “A pharmaceutical company just released this drug and these are the reasons you should not take it…” An approach to give reasonings towards preventing opioids would be the best because it would show people why they should avoid taking them and educate them on how they can be safe if a doctor were to prescribe.

Advertising Techniques

There was multiple advertisement techniques used in the commercial. Visual Imagery seemed to be the biggest as the animated opioid capsule was present as the woman’s best friend, comforting her through her constipation, and releasing her baggage, walking along side her throughout her time of discomfort. It also uses attention grabbers to show and make the opioid seem exciting, and being there for the woman the whole time, it aimed to keep peoples attention. It also uses statistics/facts to back up what is going on inside of the body, by showing the inside of someones stomach and having a physician demonstrate the affect and anatomy. This advertisement technique was aimed to give credibility. It also uses the power of words, such as labeling the women’s suitcase as “baggage” and the capsule “opioid” giving meaning to the objects and bringing them into context to real in viewers. It also uses lots of imagery throughout the video and even shows the woman and the capsule being painted of by an artist in a park. It also uses voice, to speak to the listener the whole time as the animation is occurring. All of these aspects play apart into reeling the viewer in and manipulating their mind through advertisement. Products and services have more credibility when backed up by facts, providing imagery to keep the audience interested, bringing objects “to life” as well as giving them meaning. The advertisement does not mention the negative affects of opioids or tries to make them seem bad, but instead, glorifies them in a way to make them look like the woman’s best friend.

Overall Opinion

My overall opinion on this drug is that it is very dangerous. If needed to take for medical purposes, such as surgery guidance via anesthesia, or strong pain killers to ease post surgery or other serious pain—one should be aware and educated of the risks involved, and the addiction that can take place if not taken under the supervision of a physician, or taken in larger quantities, or more frequently, than prescription ally recommended. According to the PBS article “CDC: Opioid painkillers shouldn’t be first choice for chronic pain” the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control states that ““Management of chronic pain is an art and a science. The science of opioids for chronic pain is clear — for the vast majority of patients, the known, serious, and too-often fatal risks far outweigh the unproven and transient benefits” (Silverman 2016). Specifically, the drugs well known negative effects and risks outweigh the little known positive benefits, at learn for long term. Overall, I would not recommend this drug to any family or friend, or anyone for that matter unless prescribed by a physician. In my opinion, opioids should not be anyones first choice to deal with pain, unless they ultimately have no other option. To put things in perspective on why Opioid drugs are an issue, The PBS article further states that, “Every day, more than 40 Americans die from overdoses of opioid painkillers, according to the CDC. And each year, 2 million people abuse or misuse the drugs” (Silverman 2016). Opioid addiction is a big problem and this explains the epidemic here in the United States—physicians are continuously prescribing patients and while sometimes this is needed, opioids should not be seen as a first choice, but instead a last.

Sources:

Game, T. (2016, February 8). Super Bowl 50 audience is third largest in TV history. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/08/media/super-bowl-50-ratings/index.html

Lavitt, John (2016, November 11). Why Is The NFL Airing Ads Featuring A Cartoon Opioid Capsule? Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://www.thefix.com/why-nfl-airing-ads-featuring-cartoon-opioid-capsule

Pathan, H., & Williams, J. (2012, February). Basic opioid pharmacology: an update. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590096/

Science in our DNA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://www.astrazeneca.com/our-science.html

Prescription Opioid Narcotics and Heroin. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.rxreform.org/prescription-opioids/similarities-to-heroin/

Silverman, S. E. (2016, March 15). CDC: Opioid painkillers shouldn’t be first choice for chronic pain. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/cdc-opioid-painkillers-shouldnt-be-first-choice-for-chronic-pain

What are Opiate Derivatives? (2016, April 06). Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.opium.org/what-are-opiate-derivatives.html

Who We Are. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.daiichisankyo.com/about_us/who_we_are/index.html

The Secretive Sackler Family

peter310 Opioids , , ,

Our nation is in the midst of an opioid epidemic that is spiraling downwards and has been since Purdue Pharma introduced OxyContin extended-release tablets in 1996. Although this advertisement is over 20 years old, I think it has a huge impact on our current crisis. I also chose to use a video that illustrates 5 people’s lives from 1998 when they started taking OxyContin to 2008 and how their lives have been affected. I chose to use this video because in 1998 Purdue Pharma used 7 people’s experiences with the drug  in a promotional video directed at physicians that claimed OxyContin had saved these people’s lives.

Purdue Pharma is a privately owned pharmaceutical company that was founded in 1892 by two doctors John Purdue and George Frederick Bingham. In 1952 the company was sold to the Sackler Family and is still owned by this family. Based off the information found on Purdue Pharma’s website, Purdue started out as a small struggling business selling products such as Uniphyl (oral theophylline) used for asthma control, but they are known for their development of pain management medication. In particular their production of OxyContin. In 1987, they launched MS contin, in 1991 Purdue Pharma became a Limited Partnership and in 1993 they established Partners Against Pain to educate people on unnecessary suffering of chronic pain. In 1996 OxyContin extended-release was launched after the FDA approved the medication in 1995.  According to Purdue’s ‘about’ section they state that, “We are committed to improving patients’ lives in meaningful ways by providing effective therapies along with educational tools that support their proper use.” (About Purdue, 2017) The company sells prescription and over-the-counter medicines (OTC) and they focus on six medical product categories. Their prescription medication includes prescription opioids and sleeping medication and their OTC drugs are laxatives, opioid induced constipation, antiseptics and dietary supplements. (For Healthcare Professionals. n.d.). This company has remained profitable over the years and currently has a net worth of $13 billion dollars. They are also recognized since 2015 as one of the richest families in America.

Based on my research, I assume the audience for this advertisement was most likely anyone over the age of 18 who was experiencing either chronic pain or cancer-related pain.  However, I also believe the video was directed at other physicians during 1996 to influence their mindset about OxyContin and in particular that it had ‘low risk of addiction’ and that it is the ‘best’ pain medication. By marketing the product directly to doctors it would greater influence them to prescribe the medication to patients in pain. Purdue used a strong marketing campaign to gain attention of consumers and continued to use bold marketing strategies until around 2011.  according to The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Purdue used marketing data to influence doctors to prescribe. They compiled data from doctors nationwide to show prescribing patterns. With this information, Purdue was able to identify which doctors prescribed opioids most frequently but it also showed areas with large chronic-pain patients. This marketing campaign allowed Purdue to target individuals who were suffering chronic-pain. Also, in the video involving 7 individuals ‘then and now’, it shows Purdue’s efforts to market this pain medication to doctors. (Zee, A. V. (2009, February)

OxyContin also known as Oxy or Oxycotton comes in forms of 10mg, 15mg, 20mg, 30mg, 40mg, 60mg, and 80mg and are supposed to taken orally. When used properly, it can help relieve pain associated with cancer and chronic pain. However, this drug is commonly misused and oftentimes abused, in which it is crushed and snorted or mixed with water and injected. If OxyContin is consumed in either of these ways it eliminates the ‘time-release’ factor and it allows the drug to rush directly into the body. According to the Rxlist website, the active ingredient found in OxyContin is Oxycodone, which “is a white, odorless crystalline powder derived from the opium alkaloid, thebaine.” (OxyContin: Side Effects, Interactions, Warning, Dosage & Uses. n.d.) The inactive ingredients found are butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), hypromellose, polyethylene glycol 400, polyethylene oxide, magnesium stearate and titanium dioxide. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, of the six opium alkaloids “Thebaine is the most poisonous opium alkaloid and is scarcely used medically.” (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. n.d.) Thebaine is 10 times stronger than morphine and is roughly 10 times as lethal, high doses can result in convulsions and psychological and physical dependence. (Thebaine. n.d.) This advertisement does not tell consumers that OxyContin is highly addictive, or that it is expensive and not all health insurance plans cover it, it does not inform consumers of what happens when they stop taking the drug or how to ween yourself off the painkillers. Overall, they do not inform the audience of any negative effects or attributes that come along with the use of OxyContin. According the the investigation and research done by the LA times, if there are gaps between pills, people can experience body aches, nausea and other withdrawal symptoms. (‘You want a description of hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-hour problem n.d.)

As stated by the World Health Organization, direct-to-consumer advertising has been legal since 1985, it was not until 1997 that these advertisements started to bombard society. Direct-to-consumer advertising under fire. n.d.) According to Hanson, G. R., Venturelli, P. J., & Fleckenstein, A. E. (2015), the total spending on advertisement increased from $11.4 billion to $29.9 billion from 1996 to 2005. (Page 110) In the Purdue advertisement provided, Alan Spanos M.D. claims that the risk of addiction among patients treated for pain is less than 1%, and continues to claim that this Oxycontin should be used much more often because it is the best, strongest pain medication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Opioids (prescription, heroin and fentanyl) accounted for more than 33,000 deaths in 2015, they also claim that around half of opioid overdoses are from prescriptions. (Opioid Overdose. (2017, October 23). Based off the press release in 1996 following the launch of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma claimed that “OxyContin Tablets are taken every 12 hours, providing smooth and sustained pain control all day and all night.” (OxyContin Press Release, 1996.) In 2016, The LA Times investigated Purdue Pharma and found that, before OxyContin went into market, clinical trials showed that many people were not feeling relief for 12 hours as it claimed. Purdue strives to remain profitable and without their 12 hour relief claim, they have very little competitive advantage over other painkillers. Despite the fact that the higher the potency the higher the risk, the company continues to market this product as a 12-hour relief, instead of offering lower doses more frequently. Theodore J. Cicero, a neuropharmacologist, says that OxyContin 12-hour interval has potential to be the “perfect recipe for addiction”.  (‘You want a description of hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-hour problem n.d.) The fact that there is evidence showing Purdue Pharma was aware that their pills did not extend a full 12 hours and still marketed them at this shows they were concerned with the well being of the patients but rather concerned with the money they would make. The lives of the 5 individuals from the ‘then and now’ video all vary, however their lives have all significantly changed because of their use of OxyContin. Johnny Sullivan originally took OxyContin for chronic back pain, but his addiction grew too big and he ended up falling asleep at the wheel and dying. His wife Mary Lou discusses that she essentially had to look after Johnny as she would a 2 or 3 year old because he was so out of it from taking the OxyContin. Lauren says she ‘would never again’ take OxyContin. Ira Pitchal took OxyContin for fibromyalgia and claimed it helped him workout. However, a few years after Ira at 62 years old was found dead and his cause of death was due to high blood pressure and heart disease but the police report also claims he was abusing narcotics. Most of the individuals had negative results in the long term from the use of OxyContin. Susan on the other hand, who has suffered rheumatoid arthritis since 25 feel that because the drug is so often misused and abused that she, someone with a lot of real chronic pain is the one who will suffer from the opioid problems if they are prohibited from sale.

Overall, I would not recommend that anyone of my friends or family members take OxyContin. I think there are healthier alternatives for pain relief among chronic-pain patients such as using electric shock methods such as TENS units, accupuncture, physical therapy, exercise and stretching, or even the use of CBD products, derived from the cannabis plant,  in replace of painkillers. However, in the circumstance of last resort, I would not rule out OxyContin as an option for someone who desperately needed pain-relief, as long as it was a low dosage for a very short period of time. Opioids free you from the unbearable but slowly increase your body’s resistance to the drug which results in the need of higher doses. The longer they are used, the higher the dose needed which leads to an increased chance of addiction. The rate of addiction and overdose continue to rise as do the prescriptions. After any surgery or major pain related incident, doctors are always first to prescribe pain medication that may or may not be needed for the existing situation. Doctors are known for prescribing pain medication so now patients almost expect to receive some sort of pain medication. In the early years of Purdue’s OxyContin sales, they offered ‘free one-time OxyContin prescriptions to doctors that they would then give to patients and 34,000 were redeemed. Many people became addicted to Opioids and when they were unable to afford it or get a prescription for it, some of them turned to synthetic forms such as heroin. It has become so easy to acquire pain medication because there is no true measure of pain in the doctor’s office. The definition of pain is all relative to the individual and it is easy to lie about the severity of pain one is feeling. When in the hands of addicts, they will take something just to get high, and the only way to prevent these drugs from getting in their hands is to tighten the protocol and not make them so easily accessible. This has become a public-health crisis that is all across America and the Sackler family is sitting pretty making billions of dollars off people’s addiction and death.

 

Citations

About Purdue. (2017). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from http://www.purduepharma.com/about/

Direct-to-consumer advertising under fire. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2017, from http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/8/09-040809/en

For Healthcare Professionals. (n.d.). Retrieved November, 2017, from http://www.purduepharma.com/healthcare-professionals/products/

Hanson, G. R., Venturelli, P. J., & Fleckenstein, A. E. (2015). Drugs and Society. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Opioid Overdose. (2017, October 23). Retrieved November 13, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html

OxyContin Press Release, 1996. Retrieved November 9, 2017, from http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2815975-Pressreleaseversionone.html

Oxycontin: Side Effects, Interactions, Warning, Dosage & Uses. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2017, from https://www.rxlist.com/oxycontin-drug.htm
“OxyContin Patients, Then and Now.” YouTube, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8 Sept. 2012, https://youtu.be/pkeQifzvSNE

“Purdue Pharma OxyContin Commercial.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Sept. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er78Dj5hyeI.

Thebaine. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2017, from http://www.eopiates.com/thebaine/

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2017, from https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/bulletin/bulletin_1953-01-01_3_page015.html

‘You want a description of hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-hour problem (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2017, from http://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/

Zee, A. V. (2009, February). The Promotion and Marketing of OxyContin: Commercial Triumph, Public Health Tragedy. Retrieved November 8, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622774/

Opioid Outbreak

mallull Opioids , , , ,

Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, and many others. (DA.gov) Opioids are commonly used as pain relievers and are most commonly prescribed post surgery, significant injury or use in cancer treatment.  Opioids have become extremely common in our society; this has led to companies not needing to advertise opioids today because they are already widely known and used.  However, in the early 2000’s with the recent release of OxyContin, ads were prominently aired on TV and found in magazines.  This is one ad that aired in 1998 for OxyContin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er78Dj5hyeI

It is clearly portrayed throughout the ad that OxyContin is the “best” drugs on the market. They quickly debunk the idea that opioids are addictive by saying only 1% of users become addicted to the drugs they are prescribed.  This is blatantly a lie and misdirection of the issues at hand with opioid epidemic in America just taking off at the time.  This is shown throughout the extensive number of people who became addicted and who abuse opioids after they are finished with their prescribed dosages.  This is the reason I chose to take a closer look at opioids, their addictive potential alone warrants a deeper investigation.  Also, I picked this ad in specific because of the harm that these ads caused the American people by exacerbating the epidemic.

The company that is makes and markets OxyContin is Perdue Pharma, they are a private pharmaceutical company which first started over 60 years ago.  With their global partners they produce, develop, and research prescription and over the counter drugs.  Purdue Pharma is a well established company in the healthcare industry and continues to develop new pharmaceuticals to this day as a leader in their industry.  Their mission, as stated on their website, is “Purdue Pharma, a private company founded by physicians, is committed to advancing the medical care of patients with quality pharmaceutical products. We are known for our pioneering research in pain, a principal cause of human suffering. Today, we work with new partners on innovative healthcare solutions in many therapeutic areas.”  Purdue Pharma seems like a well established company with good intentions for its consumers.  However, they lied about the addiction potential in their ad blurring the line if their mission is genuine.

OxyContin, in this ad, is being mass marketed through T.V. to an audience of chronic pain sufferers and anyone seeking relief of existing pains.  They mainly market to anyone who has undergone a major surgery, are undergoing cancer treatment, or have chronic pain.  They use an M.D., Alan Spanos, to make the statements seem more valid and much more believable.  They keep the ad formal and don’t show anyone or anything besides Spanos, this formal style helps Spanos seem credible. It doesn’t distract from Spanos so the center of attention is always on him, he is their clear selling point.  Also, in the ad Spanos discredits the addictive potential of OxyContin; although we know it’s blatantly not true, because he’s an M.D. we are led on to trust him and automatically believe what he says. They trick the viewer through a simple argumentum ad verecundiam which lets them avoid facts and statistics and still be perceived well by the general audience.

OxyContin is composed of some fillers depending on dose but the main active ingredient in it is Oxycodone. Oxycodone is a semi synthetic opioid derived from poppies, mainly the Persian poppy.  Oxycodone, like many opioids, causes an uplifted and euphoric effect as well as providing a numbing feeling to the entire body.  In addition, oxycodone has an extremely high potential for abuse and is one of the most abused drugs in the opioid epidemic.  The American Society of

Addiction Medicine (AMSA) posted an article in 2016 saying “Of the 20.5 million Americans 12 or older that had a substance use disorder in 2015, 2 million had a substance use disorder involving prescription pain relievers and 591,000 had a substance use disorder involving heroin.”  Clearly more than 1% of users get addicted to OxyContin; furthermore, oxycodone acts as a gateway drug and many users seek a fix after their prescriptions end. Often thes users turn to heroin because it’s cheaper, more potent, and provides a similar effect.  Although these figures are new statistics, it was significantly easier to get OxyContin at the time and its potency hasn’t changed since then, making it just as addictive then as it is now.  Therefore this was a clear misdirection by Perdue to make sure they still made sales on OxyContin no matter the risk.  With the opioid epidemic taking over in America

it’s clear to see why it erupted in the first place.  Easy access to OxyContin and drugs like it at the time as well as advertising making these drugs seem nearly harmless led to an overall great perception of these opioids.  This normalized what society thought of the drugs and quickly made it acceptable to be on these opioids and inevitably led to over use and addiction to opioids. It seems almost asinine to warp statistics like Perdue did, especially when they are so highly esteemed considering it has led to ruining so many lives.  After misinforming their viewers on OxyContins extremely high addictive potential, Spanos goes on about how OxyContin is the “best” drug on the market for pain relief.  He glorifies the drug an make it seem like a super cure to every issue, Spanos makes s

ure to emphasize that it’s the best drug more than once throughout the ad.  Likewise, he increases his volume and tone when saying “best” to ensure that the audience understands how great OxyContin is.

After looking into OxyContin and oxycodone extensively it’s hard to understand what extent of pain someone would need to be in to need this drug.  With the current opioid epidemic at hand it seems like a poor choice for someone to use OxyContin or any related drug at all.  Due to a lack of public education as

well I believe that these opioids are still well received by the general populous. However, I do have personal experience with OxyContin because my twin was prescribed it and I witnessed firsthand its effects.  He tore his PCL and had to have surgery to fix it, after the surgery he was prescribed OxyContin and Hydrocodone, a slightly less potent semi-synthetic opioid.  He was in an excruciating amount of pain after and was confined to a recliner for over a month. The Oxy and Hydros were extremely effective in managing his pain; however, they also did get him somewhat high.  This was apparent through his speech and general attitude.  After about a month of using them to manage his pain he decided under his own fruition that he wanted to stop taking them.  Although they helped him cope we could tell he was becoming addicted.  He began to have trouble sleeping when not on them, not due to pain, and also began to crave them most of the time he wasn’t on them and even rarely when he was at the end of his dose.  After stopping taking them he began to go through withdrawals, he was constantly craving them for the first two weeks off and immediately became irritable.  Also, he continued to struggle with insomnia due to the withdrawal, when he did get sleep he would have night sweats.  It was difficult seeing my brother go through this and it was clear that they were both extremely addictive drugs.  Even though my brother stopped taking his prescription early, in about half the time he was prescribed, he still struggled with withdrawal.  Clearly these opioids have an extremely high potential for addiction.  I think it’s imperative that people understand the consequences that can occur from taking any form of opioid.

I generally wouldn’t recommend OxyContin or any derivative of it to anyone I knew.  Being such a powerful drug the use of it would come down to how much pain the person was in.  With such a high addictive potential I would only recommend an opioid to someone who was in an extreme amount of pain and needed something to cope.  I believe that there is an array other options for pain relief before an opioid should be used.  Any opioid has high abuse potential and is a double edged sword, it’s crucial to be educated and aware about drug use so be careful when taking any form of opioid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er78Dj5hyeI

Abuse, N. I. (n.d.). Opioids. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids

Addiction Medicine, A. O. (2016). Opioid Addiction 2016 Facts and Figures. Retrieved November 05, 2017, from https://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioid-addiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf

Is Purdue Pharma Responsible for Starting the Opioid Crisis?

aloofa Opioids

  • I have picked the OxyContin ad from the manufacture Purdue Pharma from 1996 as my drug debunk advertisement. Even though this ad is rather dated I feel that it provides relevant insight as to how our opioid crisis may have initially started.
  • Purdue Pharma is the company responsible for producing and distributing OxyContin. The company is also responsible for advertising that OxyContin was safe for long term use and that OxyContin would give people, struggling with pain, their lives back. According to Purdue “We are committed to improving patients’ lives in meaningful ways by providing effective therapies along with educational tools that support their proper use.” Purdue also says “At Purdue Pharma, we embrace our mission to find, develop, and introduce innovative medicines that meet the evolving needs of healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers.” (Purdue Pharma, 2017)
  • Purdue has been around since 1892. The company started out developing medicines for earwax treatment laxatives and arthritis pain. In 1972 Purdue developed a product called Contin, extended release morphine, it wasn’t released until 1987. In 1996 Purdue released OxyContin extended release tablets. Since 1996 the company has been releasing new opioid painkillers for medical use. The most recently released opioid pain killer by Purdue was Hysingla, also known as, hydrocodone bitartrate extended release tablets, it was released in 2015.
  • After watching the ad for OxyContin I feel that the intended audience of this ad was for middle aged adults experiencing chronic pain. This ad was intended for television viewing during a commercial break. This ad featured a doctor that specialized in pain management. The ad also featured real patients that had been taking the drug. The patients in the ad were middle aged men and women who expressed how thrilled they were to have their chronic pain gone. The slogan for OxyContin that was started by the patients was “I got my life back!” To show that the drug was safe for long term use, Purdue made a second advertisement video featuring the same patients from the first advertisement video after 2 years of taking OxyContin. The original patients were still very happy with OxyContin and expressed their happiness in the second video as well.
  • OxyContin is an Opioid. The opium alkaloid, thebaine, is the active ingredient in OxyContin. (National Institute of Health, 2017) An alkaloid is a naturally occurring chemical compound. Opium is considered to be extremely addictive and dangerous. Opium is considered to be a psychoactive drug that impairs vision, cognitive, and motor functions. Opium will affect mental and physiological health by causing extreme mental and physical dependency. Opium acts on the dopamine center of the brain. It causes the brain to flood with dopamine creating a pleasurable sensation. The use of opium also leads to paranoia, anxiety, and depression all of which are mental health disorders. Opium affects physiological health by affecting the lungs, heart, kidney, and liver. The ad for OxyContin by Purdue Pharma did not inform the user of severe risks and side effects of the drug. An example of a severe risk of taking OxyContin is death from overdose. Other side effects of the drug OxyContin are Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation, dizziness, drowsiness and mood changes, headache, sweating and flushing of the skin. The ad for OxyContin doesn’t just not list the side effects of the drug, but it actually claims that there are no side effects to taking OxyContin.
  • The advertising techniques used by Purdue Pharma for advertising the drug OxyContin were misleading, used real people, and presentation of incorrect information. Purdue lead the general public to believe that OxyContin was safe for use. They did this by saying in their drug advertisement video that OxyContin has no side effects. Purdue did acknowledge that opium has many adverse side effects, but claimed that OxyContin was safe for daily extended use for pain patients. To prove that their drug was safe and great, Purdue put real patients that were taking OxyContin for chronic pain in their drug advertisement video. Initially, the patients said that OxyContin was great and that it gave them their lives back. After two years of the drug being on the market the original patients from the first video agreed to make a follow up video because they were still feeling like they were benefiting from the drug. After the second video was made the original patients started having problems. One patient lost her medical insurance and found out about the severe withdrawals and dependency that came with prolong use of OxyContin. This patient was not aware that she was going to be addicted to OxyContin or rather addicted to the active ingredient, opium, when she initially started taking the drug. Another patient was driving under the influence of OxyContin and fell asleep while driving multiple times. The final time that the patient fell asleep while driving under the influence of OxyContin the patient lost his life in a car crash. Yes, the techniques used for advertising OxyContin were deceptive. The techniques were deceptive because people were led to believe that OxyContin was safe for long term extended use for chronic pain management when it really wasn’t. The original release of OxyContin has led to an opium based drug abuse crisis now almost 20 years later.
  • I would not recommend the use of OxyContin to a friend or family member for management of chronic pain. “Chronic pain” means that the pain is going to be long term. After almost 20 years it is clear that OxyContin is not for daily long term use. The patients from the Purdue Pharma ad for OxyContin, one was addicted when her insurance ran out. Addiction to opioid pain medicine tends to lead to illegal opium drug abuse, such as abuse of heroin. Another patient from the Purdue Pharma drug ad lost his life from a side effect of using OxyContin. The side effect that caused him to lose his life was drowsiness. The patient fell asleep while driving, resulting in a fatal car crash. I think OxyContin and other opioid pain medicines have a place in modern medicine and patient recovery. I think said opioid pain medicines are for short term use only and there needs to be extreme regulation of how much a patient is prescribed. Also, better identification of when patients have become addicted to pain medicine and need help getting off the drug.

 

Additional Information:

I feel that even though the Purdue Pharma advertisement for the release of OxyContin is rather dated, the information that I have gathered from this drug ad is relevant to today because there is such a major opioid drug abuse problem currently going on. All over the United States citizens are addicted to their pain medication. The addiction to pain medication tends to escalated into illegal use of heroin because heroin produces the same or similar feelings as pain medication. The opioid crisis is particularly bad in, the nearby, city of Everett, WA. The crisis is so bad in Everett that in January 2017, Everett filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma. (City of Everett, 2017) City of Everett is suing Purdue Pharma to hold them responsible for the opioid crisis now almost 20 years later. Everett is asking Purdue to take financial responsibility and help resolve the ever growing opioid crisis that is raging on in Everett, WA.

On September 25, 2017 the majority of Everett’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma was allowed to move forward. Link to the Amended Complaint Filed against Purdue Pharma by the City of Everett, WA on October 25, 2017:

https://everettwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12238

Citations:

Purdue Pharma. (2017). About Purdue. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from http://www.purduepharma.com/about/

National Institute of Health. (2017). OXYCONTIN® (OXYCODONE HCl CONTROLLED-RELEASE) TABLETS CII10 mg 15 mg 20 mg 30 mg 40 mg 60 mg* 80 mg* 160 mg*. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/archives/fdaDrugInfo.cfm?archiveid=15783

City of Everett. (2017). City of Everett’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma | Everett, WA – Official Website. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from https://everettwa.gov/1681/Purdue-Lawsuit

  1. (2012, September 09). OxyContin Poster Children 15 Years Later. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwtSvHb_PRk&t=422s

Purdue Pharma. (2016, September 22). Purdue Pharma OxyContin Commercial. Retrieved November 09, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er78Dj5hyeI