A Nationwide Epidemic of Opioid Overdoses and Deaths
Across the U.S., cities and communities of all sizes are struggling to manage opioid addiction and overdoses caused by over-prescription of these highly addictive substances. Many opioid-based prescription medications are involved in this epidemic, including:
- Fentanyl
- Hydrocodone
- Oxycodone
- Hydromorphone
Some of the biggest drug companies in the world manufacture and distribute these drugs under a variety of brand names. For years, those companies hid or understated the risks posed by opioid painkillers, while promoting them to doctors and other healthcare providers with false information.
If you or someone you love took an opioid-based medication and suffered health problems or complications, the Baton Rouge drug injury attorneys at Dudley DeBosier want to help you hold the manufacturer accountable for the physical, emotional, and financial devastation you and your family suffered.
What Are the Risks Associated with Opioid Medications?
Opioids are extremely powerful painkillers. Although they’re supposed to be prescribed to patients recovering from surgeries and serious health conditions like cancer, nearly 200 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in the U.S. in 2017. That means many patients are prescribed opioids for relatively minor ailments.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that as many as 1 in 4 patients who take opioids long-term become addicted to them. Once patients become addicted, it’s difficult for them to stop taking the medications. In 2016, more than 11.5 million Americans reported misusing prescription opioid medications in the past year.
In addition to the risk of addiction, opioids also pose other serious health risks, including:
- Elevated tolerance — requiring larger dosages to achieve pain relief
- Constipation
- Nausea, vomiting, and dry mouth
- Sleepiness and dizziness
- Confusion
- Depression
- Fatal overdose
- Respiratory complications that can result in death
Lawyers Holding Opioid Manufacturers Accountable
At Dudley DeBosier, our Louisiana drug injury lawyers have seen firsthand how devastating opioid medications can be on individuals, families, communities, and even entire states and regions of the U.S.
If your state, city, or county is struggling to keep up with the costs of opioid-related addiction, overdoses, and deaths, contact us now. We want to help you receive compensation for healthcare and addiction services. We’re ready to go to work for you, and you won’t owe us anything unless we win your claim. Call today.
