In the last couple of weeks, 750 NFL players and former players have joined a lawsuit against the league, charging the league with misusing prescription drugs so they could keep players on the field. As a result of improper prescribing practices, players suffered worse injuries than they otherwise would have and some suffered from addiction to the painkillers and other drugs that were handed out.
In the latest article I read on this action, players charged that painkillers like Percodan, Percocet and Vicodan and sleep aids like Ambien were handed out “like candy at Halloween” and often combined in “cocktails.”
The lawsuit claims that the trainers and team physicians routinely and often illegally provided narcotics and other controlled substances instead of caring for the players and ensuring their injuries healed. (A controlled substance is one that has the potential to be abused or to become addictive, so the prescribing and dispensing of this drug is subject to strict controls.)
There will be a fair amount of publicity as this lawsuit progresses and as it moves along, the public will get an education on the overuse of these drugs. Perhaps we will even learn about alternative kinds of treatment that will help people cope with pain without relying so heavily on opiate painkillers that can be so addictive. Think about the millions of people who follow football. That’s a big audience for these lessons in avoiding addiction to painkillers.
If there is a settlement, it may help those who suffered permanent injuries as a result of these activities. And it might help provide treatment for those who left the league addicted to painkillers or other drugs given to them by trainers and team doctors. That would help them put their lives back together again.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2014/06/06/331256.htm
