What Happens When People Can’t Get The #1 Most Prescribed Drug
Imagine this…
If it hits the fan in a big way – a major collapse – long term SHTF:
Many people will be in an extreme world of hurt due to their dependencies upon their prescription drugs. They could will become difficult or impossible to get.
What will the Users do, and how will that affect the rest who are not dependent?
Most Prescribed Drug
According to data research, currently the single most prescribed drug in the world is Hydrocodone (Vicodin).
It’s a ‘pain killer’, used for ‘pain’ (and abused…).
From a national survey done by the consulting firm IMS Health (report from 2015), there are more than 130 million prescriptions in the United States for Hydrocodone (Vicodin). That’s ‘Million’ with an ‘M’…
The question is, what will the affects be if and when ‘Users’ can’t get access to their addictive drug after a wide-scale SHTF collapse?
Hydrocodone (or it’s brand name, ‘Vicodin’) is a addictive pain killer.
Individuals who abuse Hydrocodone do so because they enjoy the opiate effect the drug has on the system. The thing is, more often than not, the euphoria caused by the drug slips away after prolonged use. And all that’s left is the addiction.
Hydrocodone changes the way the brain functions. It makes itself the number one priority. That makes it very hard for an individual to quit.
The drug tricks the brain into stopping the productive of positive feelings. So if the individual were to stop taking the drug, the negative feelings of withdrawal would feel overwhelming.
It’s at this point that the individual begins to turn more heavily to the drug in order to avoid bad feelings.
Once addicted to Hydrocodone, individuals have been known to steal, lie to doctors, and fake illnesses in order to obtain the drug. They may resort to nearly any means to get it.
Chronic Addicts
Further to the problems of addicts not getting their drugs are the millions in the United States who are addicted to heroin and methamphetamine.
Between just those two drugs it is estimated that approximately 3 million people are chronic addicts in the US – not counting those who are recreational users. Although even recreational use will liekly rapidly lead to addiction.
I have also read estimates that approximately 30 million people in the United States are on antidepressant drugs. What happens if they cannot get their drugs?
When you start researching for facts on the number of people who are on prescription drugs, the numbers are stunning.
In a true SHTF collapse, their might be great difficulty for many people who not only need certain medications to survive, but for those who have become addicted to their drugs will be in a world of hurt. And it may affect you and I one way or another as a result…
Chances are that post-collapse this will GREATLY increase crime – especially during the first month or two of the collapse. After that, they will have either passed or will have made it through their addiction.
For the preparedness minded, this will an additional issue to be aware of.
Given that there are apparently more than 130 million prescriptions of Hydrocodone in the United States today, and that many are addicted users, and given that there are probably many more similar but unreported ‘prescriptions’ filled in the underground market due to potentially tens of millions of drug addictions, chances are that it’s going to be a big problem…
Desperate people will do desperate things. Be aware, be prepared, and be secure…
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