Combating the Opioid Crisis [Video]

More than 100,000 Americans die from drug overdoses annually. “The opioid crisis is the worst drug crisis we’ve ever had and it’s due to the influx of fentanyl. Fentanyl is so easy to put in pill form,” said Addiction Medicine Physician Dr. Robert Limbaugh.

A congressional report found overdose deaths have quadrupled among Americans over 65 in the last 20 years. “It knows no social economic barriers. It can affect young people, old people, poor people, rich people, people of every ethnicity,” said Dr. Limbaugh. Opioid addiction often starts with prescription misuse. “And once you become addicted to it, you have a physical need for the drug or you’ll get sick. And so these people who can’t either afford to or don’t have a doctor to get it from, they go to the black market. They get on the fentanyl, and they develop a tolerance for it and keep doing more and more until they take too much an overdose.”

Lee Health addiction medicine offers a multidisciplinary approach in a non-stigmatized environment to help those struggling with addiction. “When you need help, come see us, period. Being addicted to opioids is not something to be ashamed of. It’s a disease process, and we can help you with that disease,” said Dr. Limbaugh. “We get you off them without getting sick. We get you to a position where you can function without them and live a normal life.” You can learn more by searching for addiction medicine on leehealth.org.

Here is a link to the full report:
https://www.aging.senate.gov/press-releases/braun-sounds-alarm-on-surge-of-fentanyl-deaths-among-older-americans-in-new-aging-report

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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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