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The Problem with Painkillers for Workplace Injuries

When you are injured at work, you expect to get compensation and benefits. Research in Charlotte, North Carolina shows that sometimes the biggest costs associated with a work related accident are the prescription medications. According to a research study, workers insurance companies spend about $1.4 billion dollars each year on narcotic painkillers. Sometimes these strong medicines can eventually drive up associated disability payouts and medical expenses because they keep the employees from returning to work. The painkillers are strong, but they're also debilitating, so if the employee feels dependent on them and still needs to take them he or she cannot return to work.

On study shows that workers who take narcotic painkillers for injuries like back strain are out of work three times longer than those who used other methods to recover. A 2010 analysis by Accident Fund Holdings found that the cost of a workplace injury is 9 times higher when an addictive painkiller is involved. Because strong painkiller drugs tend to prolong a person's recovery period, some worker's insurance companies are trying to steer clear. Drugs like OxyContin, Duragesic, and Percocet are highly addictive and don't provide long term benefits. Instead, the person who takes them becomes drowsy, lethargic and addicted. There are often serious side effects to taking too many of these drugs, including the possibility of a fatal overdose. Often doctors proscribe these strong drugs for conditions that could have been fixed other ways. Maybe a person could have taken a lighter medicine to get better, or attended physical therapy.

Still, when you are hurt in a work-related accident, you have the duty to notify your employers. They need to give you the worker's compensation benefits you deserve to allow you a swift and speedy recovery. When you are hurt at work, you need to contact a Florida personal injury attorney to discuss your issues. You may be able to sue your company or the location where the injury occurred. If you live in Florida, then we are the firm for you. Talk to someone at Negroni Law Group right away to get the service you need work towards winning your case!