The Hidden Cost of Medication

After a car or motorcycle wreck probably the most common symptom is pain.

Pain medication is pretty effective. It reduces or eliminates pain.

But in some ways it’s still a zero-sum game. You get rid of the pain. But you onboard both side-effects and long term impacts.

Sidebar: We've written before about imaging and the radiation exposure associated with x-rays and CT scan. In some senses these costs and the costs of mediation are similar.

I think about side effects as the immediate (unwanted) impacts of taking the medication. For pain medication it's things like constipation, drowsiness, memory problems, limitations on driving, etc.

Long term impacts are different. They're the accumulated impact of using the medication.

Think about Kenny Easley. The medical team at the Seahawks encouraged excessive use of ibuprofen for an ankle injury. The ibuprofen allowed Easley to be an All-Pro. But it also led to kidney failure. That forced his early retirement and led to a kidney transplant.

That's a harsh trade. It's almost like the kind of choice presented in fables or country songs. Or, if you want to throw it way back, Faust, who agrees to give up his soul in exchange for wisdom and earthly delights.

And it's the same way with medication prescribed after a wreck.

Maybe the sacrifice is controlling anxiety but having to sacrifice the upper reaches of any emotion.

Or taking a neuro-stimulant after a brain injury. The amphetamine provides greater cognitive endurance but at the cost of long-term heart health.

It reminds one of Ricky's story in 18 and Life by Skid Row:

...his veins burned gasoline

It kept his motor runnin' but it never kept him clean

Or the Ghoul from Fallout who keeps on truckin' by using inhalants (albeit at tremendous personal cost).

Medication may seem like a good deal at the time. Or it may be a deal to which the injured person can't say "no." But prioritizing short term benefits over long term considerations like health rarely leads to a happy ending.