Opioid FAQ
What are Opioids?
How do Opioids work?
What’s the problem with Opioids?
What are pill mills?
Which drugs are Opioids?
Why are Opiates dangerous?
What else should I know about the Opioid epidemic?
What damages could I be entitled to?
Do I qualify to file a claim?
What are Opioids?
Opioids medications are derived from the opium poppy, which has been used for thousands of years by human cultures to relieve pain. Common opiate drugs include morphine, heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone. And just as long as opioids have been in use by humans, men and women have also abused, become addicted to and overdosed on them, though the current rates are skyrocketing to levels never seen before.
How do Opioids work?
Opioids work by impersonating brain chemicals known as endorphins. These hormones are secreted within the brain and nervous system, having a number of physiological functions including triggering a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine.
What’s the problem with Opioids?
The intense pleasure that opioids produce means that some people may want to try them again after first using them. As these people continue to use the substances, a tolerance grows until the user requires the drug just to feel normal.
What are pill mills?
“Pill mill’ is a term used to describe a doctor, clinic or pharmacy that is prescribing or dispensing powerful narcotics inappropriately or for non-medical reasons. This compounds the problem of addiction, with readily available drugs always close by, the addict finds it even harder to break free from the prison of addiction.
Which drugs are Opioids?
Opioid properties can be found in dozens of prescription and non-prescription medications. Some of the most popular include:
- Codeine (generic form only)
- Fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora, Abstral, Onsolis)
- Hydrocodone (Hysingla ER, Zohydro ER)
- Hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Vicodin)
- Hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo)
- Meperidine (Demerol)
- Methadone (Dolophine, Methadose)
- Morphine (Kadian, MS Contin, Morphabond)
- Oxycodone (OxyContin, Oxaydo)
- Oxycodone and acetaminophen (Percocet, Roxicet)
- Oxycodone and naloxone
Why are Opiates dangerous?
Our bodies begin to build a tolerance for opioids, meaning we have to take more to get the same effect. People taking opioids for chronic pain are especially at risk because tolerance continues to grow even after the maximum dose has been reached. Drug tolerance may lead to physical dependence, addiction, abuse, and overdose.
What else should I know about the Opioid epidemic?
A few statistics that help grasp the true nature of the problem:
- In 2012 alone, nearly 260 million prescriptions were written for opioid medicines – enough to give each and every adult in the U.S. their own bottle.
- The U.S. consumes roughly 80% of the global opioid supply. Are Americans really in that much more pain than the rest of the world, or do we have another problem?
- Approximately 62,500 people died from opioid overdose in 2015 alone – that’s more than the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War, and that lasted nearly 20 years.
What damages could I be entitled to?
If our lawyers determine that you have a valid case, you may be eligible to receive compensation to assist with rehabilitation costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, in addition to punitive damages, if the jury finds that the defendant’s behavior was particularly egregious.
Do I qualify to file a claim?
To be eligible to join an opioid lawsuit, you or the lost loved one must have been prescribed opioids at the time of the overdose or hospitalization. Suits are only covering victims with prescriptions of the actual opioid they overdosed on.