Music the new Tylenol?

According to the National Insitute on Drug Abuse, 21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them. According to Everyday Health, music therapy "provides sensory stimulation that evokes a response in the patient," this allows music to help reduce pain and anxiety that comes with pain. Many people have been prescribed pain relievers or opioids, but what if they're prescribed music instead? So many people fall victim to drug addiction because of the use of pain relievers or opioids. Music and opioids both release the same chemical, dopamine, in your brain. So the feeling that someone gets when they're doing drugs is the same feeling you get when you're listening to music. Maybe not the same degree, but that could also be a plus of using music therapy. You still get that good feeling of dopamine in a way that does not harm your body. I believe that number of opioid addictions could decrease if, instead of prescribing opioids or pain medicine, certain people can listen to music. There would have to be specific regulations. If a patient has a severe amount of pain, they should be prescribed a pain reliever rather than music. I think it could be extremely beneficial considering the opioid crisis our country is facing. Most opioid addictions stem from the patient receiving an opioid prescription after a surgery or accident. If the medical community could potentially stop this by prescribing music to eligible patients, the high number of opioid addictions can decrease.

According to a study conducted by the British Journal of General Practice, when pain is short term, it is usually subjective. There is a psychological factor in why that person is feeling pain. In the study that was conducted by the journal, they surveyed 318 people that suffered from chronic pain. They found that the long-term effects of music therapy were better quality of life, relaxation, distraction, and enjoyment. This is very important because it shows that not only can music potentially help reduce pain, it can also improve quality of life, which is crucial for people that are at risk of developing an opioid addiction. In this study, the patients surveyed were experiencing chronic pain. Most people who are prescribed opioids are experiencing chronic pain as well. If the patients in the study were able to gain so many positive long-term effects from listening to music while experiencing chronic pain, perhaps if patients were prescribed music instead of opioids, they could potentially feel the same way.

#musictherapy #opioidcrisis #tylenol