The OPIOID EPIDEMIC -- Seeking Your Thoughts.

I have had chronic pain for over 25 years after serving in the first Gulf War. I have used Hydrocodone for 17 of those years. It was the main medication, in the many I take, which gave me back SOME OF MY LIFE. I FOUND THE MEDICATION CAN MAKE YOU FORGETFUL IN THE SENSE OF WHEN YOU TOOK THE LAST DOSE. I carry an old dead pocket watch, I turn it to the time I took my last dose. If any question, I do not take the medication but all in all I have been regular and have had no problem. This war on opioids has caused me some problems with the Veterans Hospital. An effort to remove Veterans from this pain medication has caused some care persons to become ridiculous. It is like they wish to gain the Kudos from how many Vets they can kick of the med, rather then what they are putting the Veteran through.
Let us remember the Doctor is suppose to be a medical professional. They are suppose to be able to assess an individuals health needs and through several forms of treatment, including medication, provide a course which will give the highest probability for some degree of quality of life.
Politicians do not have that skill. Administrators do not have that skill. Insurance companies do not have it either. Doctors have that knowledge and expertise....
Opioids are just a tool in the doctors tool box. If someone abuses it, then they would abuse anything, frankly I cannot find anything desirable about the drug, other then it helps. I don't get high, I don't get a buzz and I take a fairly high dose. If somehow it shortens my life, well, I wouldn't have much a life without it.
I hope you can see my perspective


reply to: carewemust

originally posted by: vonclod
a reply to: iWontGiveUP

What the f#ck is your problem??
Around here is Vancouver.

Clearly you did not read the OP

Maybe it's due to the current push to reform America's Medical Insurance system, but I'm hearing more and more on the news about an OPIOID addiction problem in America. In fact, some media and politicians are calling it an Opioid EPIDEMIC and even a CRISIS.

DARE
Drug Awareness Resistance Education

Fastest swimmer in the world ever likes his gas mask bong rips

Don't share your organic with MPhelps

You mite earn more gold medals than anyone ever, BUT
But refer madness and

originally posted by: vonclod
a reply to: carewemust

He might of been but in his case he was dealing with something terrible, it was the proper use of the drug in any case..very sorry for your loss

Dad was 98 years old...and pain-free right up to the last breath. We were all thankful for that...especially him!

a reply to: Gatexan

Same for me pretty much(did not want to live in a prison of sorts), no treatment though, hit rock bottom pretty much lost everything important to me except my family..god bless em, and had a moment of clarity and decided there were better happier things in life to look forward to.
I weened myself off.

a reply to: carewemust

Sounds like he lived a good long life..we should all be so lucky..other than the end part. I'm happy he did not suffer.

originally posted by: dreamingawake

originally posted by: ThirdBlindMouse
a reply to: dreamingawake

"Everett sues OxyContin maker for allowing opioid to flood black market"

Big pharma making a killing at this. This is where the war on drugs needs to focus.

Yup and am sure it will be a challenge someone is probably paid off somewhere to keep quite as the money pours in.

What needs to happen to make enough Americans DEMAND medication reform? Not only the over-prescribing of it, but the insanely high costs? This item is always quite a ways down the priority list, in national polls.

a reply to: Umberto


Exactly, they do need help.

Cannabis legalization is challenge Big Pharmas opioid pushing now. Which if great. If someone doesn't want to use Cannabis or even non high CBD versions, there are alternatives to these opioid medications that are non narcotic.

originally posted by: vonclod
a reply to: carewemust

Sounds like he lived a good long life..we should all be so lucky..other than the end part. I'm happy he did not suffer.

I always felt that Dr. Kevorkian's assisted-suicide "treatment" was appropriate, on a case-by-case basis, of course.

In my area the Drs are throwing massive amounts of people off these meds. With no rehab support structure available. These same addicted people are turning to street Heroin, so now we have a huge Heroin, and crime problem. Our small town has a higher crime rate than Oakland.

a reply to: carewemust

I agree, the courts here recently ruled in favour of assisted suicide.
www.justice.gc.ca...

originally posted by: carewemust
I read somewhere that when a state legalizes Marijuana, Opioid related problems in the state's population decrease...or something like that. Anyone else read or hear this?

Research: Opioid Deaths Down As Much As 25 Percent In States Where Medical Marijuana Is Legal

“I’ve had patients that since they’ve been using their vaporizers with cannabis they’ve decreased their use of Ambien, of clonazepam, of Percocet,” said Dr. Rossotti Vazquez.

video and article

Legalized Marijuana Could Help Curb the Opioid Epidemic, Study Finds

In states that legalized medical marijuana, U.S. hospitals failed to see a predicted influx of pot smokers, but in an unexpected twist, they treated far fewer opioid users, a new study shows.

Hospitalization rates for opioid painkiller dependence and abuse dropped on average 23 percent in states after marijuana was permitted for medicinal purposes, the analysis found. Hospitalization rates for opioid overdoses dropped 13 percent on average.

Source

As it's being studied looks like this may be the case that it's helping curd addiction.

a reply to: Umberto


Umberto, thank-you for that clearly worded and formatted post. I didn't know doctors write pain prescriptions just because someone asked for it.

If doctors can't regulate themselves, they should be fined by the government, with the proceeds redistributed back to those who were abused by the doctor.

originally posted by: carewemust

originally posted by: dreamingawake

originally posted by: ThirdBlindMouse
a reply to: dreamingawake

"Everett sues OxyContin maker for allowing opioid to flood black market"

Big pharma making a killing at this. This is where the war on drugs needs to focus.

Yup and am sure it will be a challenge someone is probably paid off somewhere to keep quite as the money pours in.

What needs to happen to make enough Americans DEMAND medication reform? Not only the over-prescribing of it, but the insanely high costs? This item is always quite a ways down the priority list, in national polls.

That or reform Big Pharma.

originally posted by: misskat1
In my area the Drs are throwing massive amounts of people off these meds. With no rehab support structure available. These same addicted people are turning to street Heroin, so now we have a huge Heroin, and crime problem. Our small town has a higher crime rate than Oakland.

Are these folks working? Is that how they can afford the Heroin? I hear that these addictions are common amongst even the most skilled, highly-paid employees.

a reply to: dreamingawake

Bingo, Big Pharma pretty much pushed this to happen, they created a monster.

originally posted by: carewemust

originally posted by: misskat1
In my area the Drs are throwing massive amounts of people off these meds. With no rehab support structure available. These same addicted people are turning to street Heroin, so now we have a huge Heroin, and crime problem. Our small town has a higher crime rate than Oakland.

Are these folks working? Is that how they can afford the Heroin? I hear that these addictions are common amongst even the most skilled, highly-paid employees.

From what I've heard, can see some of the articles on parents passing out in their cars while waiting for their kid's school to be over, it's hitting the East Coast middle class like crazy.

originally posted by: dreamingawake

originally posted by: carewemust

originally posted by: dreamingawake

originally posted by: ThirdBlindMouse
a reply to: dreamingawake

"Everett sues OxyContin maker for allowing opioid to flood black market"

Big pharma making a killing at this. This is where the war on drugs needs to focus.

Yup and am sure it will be a challenge someone is probably paid off somewhere to keep quite as the money pours in.

What needs to happen to make enough Americans DEMAND medication reform? Not only the over-prescribing of it, but the insanely high costs? This item is always quite a ways down the priority list, in national polls.

That or reform Big Pharma.

As I posted in my "Reducing Medical Costs" thread yesterday. The drug ABILIFY is $720 here for a month's supply. In the United Kingdom, it's $12 for a month's supply. Whatever the reason for this huge gap, it needs to be eliminated.

a reply to: carewemust

No they are not employed. That is why our crime rate is staggering. Really its higher than Oakland.

a reply to: carewemust

Having taken morphine pills for an abscessed tooth from emergency, (which was a life saver) I can say that wow, it took me a month and a half for my bodily functions overall to return to mostly normal.

Best drug ever at the time, appears to work by misfiring things in the brain and gut especially , an interesting experience.

I would hate to recover from a longer stint of injectable form.

Many street people who are hooked on drugs told me not to take the 6 pills I had left, as it swims in the brain for months.

a reply to: carewemust

The American health system is insane. 50 thousand for a bed for one week?