Use Of Prescription Painkillers Has Been Steadily Increasing

It has been seen that the use of opioid analgesics in the treatment of pain has been steadily increasing in the US over the past decades. Between the period of 1999 and 2010, the use of prescription painkillers has almost grown four times, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Mortality and Morbidity Report.

Opioid analgesics have been use for providing relief from acute and chronic pain, right from the time of Ancient Greeks. Opioid is originally derived from the latex of the immature seed capsules of the poppy flower. Although there are many different types of analgesics for pain relief, opioid analgesics are considered to be the most effective. They are used by millions of patients worldwide. According to a recent survey which has been published in the journal Pain, opioid medications are used by almost 4.3 million adults in the US on a routine basis.

Opioid painkillers activate the opioid receptors present in the brain. These receptors, in turn, stimulate the release of a neurotransmitter called as dopamine. The latter chemical is responsible for a sense of well-being and happiness. It also dulls the pain signals perceived by the brain. Because of this reason, opioids are frequently abused. The commonly abused prescription painkillers include morphine, hydrocodone and oxycodone.

Apart from long term abuse of prescription painkillers, many other conditions can lead to erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is a condition in which men either do not achieve an erection at all or are unable to sustain it. Although the condition can arise at any age, it is commonly seen in elderly people. About 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70 years suffer from erectile dysfunction. The condition steadily increases with the advancing age and around seven of ten men above the age of 70 suffer from this problem.

In most of the men, erectile dysfunction is a transient condition resulting from too much of stress, sleep deprivation or too many drinks. However, sometimes, there may be an underlying pathology. Conditions which lead to erectile dysfunction include:

• Diseases affecting the blood vessels of the penis- Any condition which leads to narrowing of blood vessels of the penis may lead to impaired blood flow resulting in erectile dysfunction. The common culprits include hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. This problem is common in men above the age of 40.
• Diseases affecting the nerve supply of the penis- This type of erectile dysfunction is commonly seen in patients of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or stroke.
• Diseases that affect both the blood vessels and nerve supply of the penis- Men suffering from diabetes commonly have erectile dysfunction because of the affliction of both the blood vessels and the nerves supplying the penis.
• Testosterone deficiency- Testosterone deficiency as seen with advancing age may lead to erectile dysfunction. Any head injury which damages the pituitary gland may lead to a decrease in testosterone stimulating hormone which, in turn, leads to impaired production of testosterone from the testes.
• As a side effect of various medicines- Many medicines have been incriminated for causing erectile dysfunction. Some of the common medicines which can cause this condition as a side effect include antidepressants and beta blockers like atenolol, etc. Certain diuretics and antacids like cimetidine are also known to cause erectile dysfunction. And now, based on the results of the latest research, we can say that long term abuse of prescription painkillers may also lead to erectile dysfunction.

Researchers have cautioned that physicians prescribing opioid analgesics for backache and pain relief at other sites should be aware of this side effect.