Major pharmaceutical companies have deliberately concealed the addictive effects of strong painkillers for years. This says the Canadian province of British Columbia, which is taking the companies to court. “They launched a huge advertising campaign to spread the belief that the drug has hardly any side effects,” says general practitioner Jos van Bemmel. Meanwhile, the painkillers are increasingly used in the Netherlands.
About three or four people in British Columbia die every day from an overdose of heavy painkillers. Across Canada, nearly 4,000 people died from an overdose last year. One of the heavy painkillers that Canada is concerned about is oxycodone. And it is precisely this painkiller that is increasingly used in the Netherlands.
Addicted to oxycodone
In 2008, 94,000 people were still taking oxycodone, up from 490,000 last year – a fivefold increase. “It really works”, says general practitioner Jos van Bemmel. “The pain is much less or disappears completely.” But he is very concerned about the increase in the use of the painkiller: “It is slowly seeping through to the Netherlands. The tool is too good to be true. ”
Laura Crul became addicted to oxycodone last year. After a complicated fracture, she was prescribed the drug. When she tried to quit after three months, she developed withdrawal symptoms. “So sweating, bone pain, joint pain. If you then took such a pill, the pain was gone in an hour. All the aches and pains. Then I thought: I am addicted. ”
She did not know that the drug was so addictive: “They didn’t tell me about it in the hospital. They just said, ‘if you’re in pain, then you have to swallow it.’ If I had known it was so addictive I would never have taken it. ” Laura wants to warn as much as possible about the drug and hopes that a case like the one in Canada will follow in the Netherlands.
Heavy painkiller short and give little
Jos van Bemmel also prescribes the painkiller himself. “I was shocked when I thought about how often it is prescribed. It is mainly due to the repeat recipes: then you put your signature faster than you think. ” He calls for more attention to the side effects of oxycodone. “I started calling all my patients who are using the drug. It is fine with terminal patients and people with severe complaints. With others you have to give very briefly and little, if you do. ”
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