Jeff Sessions’ answer to opioid crisis: Americans should opt for aspirin, ‘tough it out’

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Cut off his balls...

Then see if he wants to tough it out.

This shows exactly why people who have never suffered significant pain have NO business
setting policy for those who have.

Time to remove this senile old jackass.

I've heard he has investments in private prisons.

originally posted by: JBurns
a reply to: olaru12


Forgive my ignorance olaru, but what is a kicker?

street slang for pain killers, but usually referring to Oxycontin....

This is something I've gotten to know a lot about through personal experience. I've had back and leg pain caused by "advanced discogenic degenerative changes are present at L3-L4. Moderate multilevel
degenerative changes are noted throughout the remainder of the spine (quote from last CT Scan report)

Around six years ago the MD I had at the time prescribed me the lowest dosage of Vicodin, 2 pills a day and then 3 a day at the end to level me out. It was a weak dose so I could function to work. He quit the clinic and at the time said I'd have trouble finding an MD to prescribe now, so I decided to just learn to do without. I had no withdrawal and unlike others, I don't like the way they make me feel at all.

I've had three surgeries over the last couple of years for other problems and while in the hospital, they literally gave me my choice. Morphine every 2 1/2 hours on demand in a dose I decided or a selection of other opiods. When you check out though, no more pain meds period end of subject. Again, no withdrawal.

Due to the diagnosis I quoted above, I could have pain meds now and strong ones. I've chosen not to do that.

Nerve pain is not like pain caused by inflammation where a large dose of ibuprofen will handle it. Ibuprofen is worthless since it's an anti-inflammatory.

Even though I've chosen the no opiods route, I can easily understand how people suffering from level 7 pain and above would take them just to function. This is a thing that should be left to the doctors on a case by case basis and prosecute doctors who are not acting in their patients best interest.

It's gotten so bad one surgeon told me he would only give pain meds to terminal patients, then he gave them to me and scared the bejesus out of me. I later found out I was not expected to live, but did not know that at the time. He later asked why I was not pushing the Morphine button very often. I told him I don't' like Morphine and he just looked at me strange and walked out.

This is not something the government should have their hands in other than to prosecute the bad doctors and dealers.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

jeff sessions is an absolutely disgraceful incompetent! why is this ignoramus the chief law enforcer in the country? The only place this pos belongs is baggin' groceries.

Sessions is an idiot, full-stop.

In my case, I rarely take OTC pain meds unless I have some really serious pain that makes it nearly impossible to move or stand up. With me working a job that has me constantly on my feet for an entire 8 hour shift, that's becoming more common though.

I also have seriously debilitating migraines about once a month. Aspirin does not work. Tylenol does not work. I have to take either extra strength Advil or Motrin and often have to take 3 tablets instead of 2. And I have to take them early before the nausea hits full swing or the very act of taking the tablets just makes me sick and I'll throw them up.

I simply cannot take opioid meds at all. They depress my breathing and heart rate to dangerous levels. I rather like breathing... and living.

That's me though. I feel there are many out there that have few options when it comes to serious physical ailments that lead to bad pain. They shouldn't be locked out of something that can help them. As for my own pain, I've found out that living with chronic pain greatly degrades quality of life, so if there are those that need the opiates, then so be it. As long as their doctor is RESPONSIBLE and keeping a close eye on them. Telling people who are living with cancer or illnesses that degrade bones and joints to suck it up is pretty damned callous.

Well looks like all those "rural voters" who went for trump just screwed themselves again because not only did trumps policies gut the clinic funding for rural communities but he just wants to lock you all up too.

Trump Says He Will Focus On Opioid Law Enforcement, Not Treatment

www.npr.org... _medium=twitter

K~

While I agree with Sessions' point about some people in general needing to harden the **** up a little when it comes to tolerating relatively mild pain (and refuse to accept/take opioids) - I also think Session's is an absolute idiot for his stance on marijuana and not seeing it as a far greater alternative than opioids and other addictive painkillers.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope


Do you know why Opioids were so commonly prescribed starting in the mid-90s?

Pain became the "5th vital sign" and doctors who didn't adequately address a patients pain were disciplined.

Did you know that "pain management" was a major component of all doctor and nurses 'satisfaction scores' up until last year?

Does anyone find that acetaminophen/tylenol is the only thing that helps/cures their head aches? I've had, and been on, strong pain meds and they didn't touch my headaches but taking tylenol is the only thing that helps them. Doctors didn't believe me and said that it didn't make sense. It seems that people react differently to different medications and not everything works the same on all people - go figure. Applying the same rule to everyone is like making one size shoe and expecting everyone in the country to wear the same size! (hey, I guess that's where that saying may come from....).

2001 

New pain assessment and
management standards go into
effect January 1 for hospitals and
organizations providing
ambulatory care, assisted living,
behavioral health care and long
term care.

www.jointcommission.org...

The Joint Commission is an independent non-profit company who evaluates and standardizes in-patient/out-patient, hospital and nursing home care throughout the country. These standards are inspected on site every two or three years. In addition to their "Pain is the Fifth Vital Sign campaign (2001) they also determine who gets access to Medicare/Medicaid dollars. Doctors and organizations which do not get satisfactory scores for "pain" were not eligible for reimbursement, which is why they started pushing opioid drugs for "pain." Of course, opioids are lousy for anything except breakthrough (immediate fracture) pain and deep surgical pain.

People believe Opioids work for lower back pain/chronic pain because they can no longer differentiate between "pain" and "not being high." It's not a moral issue, it's a learned response to unpleasant stimuli.

Retarded comment from someone who has never seen a family member in agony before.

If you're in chronic pain, it don't matter if you're addicted. Not if your condition is lifelong or long lasting.

People need to stop allowing this abuse of power. Their job isn't about power for themselves, its to serve and protect the people, uphold their freedoms and their empowerment, and happiness.

Anything else is satanic, demonic and pure evil.

I think a better point to be made is that people suffering from chronic pain really should be doing more to treat the cause of the pain and not just continually mask the pain itself. Obviously this isn't always possible depending on the nature of the ailment - however I'm quite certain a good percentage of cases are a result of something specific that can be easily remedied (nutrition, the right type of exercise, more sun, allergies, etc).

Obviously doctors and the medical establishment in general need to get their act together when it comes to this (insistence to treat the symptoms and not the cause) - however at the end of the day if your doctor isn't willing to do so then it's up to you to find one that does, and at the least be pro-active enough in accumulating your own knowledge on the matter to make better decisions for yourself.

The point is, in a society where the pharmaceutical companies don't necessarily prioritize your best interests ahead of their profit margins, more personal responsibility is needed in ensuring you get the best preventative and diagnostic/treatment available for whatever ails you.

Well, he is half right. This actually works for me for some types of pain. www.health-science-spirit.com...

Copper supplements are pretty cheap, and only one aspirin is needed with it. It lasts about four hours or so. It does not work for all pain and there are some people who cannot take a copper supplement..

A calcium deficiency can also cause some muscle pains and so can a deficiency in magnesium or potassium. You do not need to take potassium pills, potato chips or potatoes work better and are safer.

originally posted by: Ursushorribilis
He might have a point on toughing it out a little. I have extreme back pain and I don't even take Tylenol. However, Sessions stance on "alternative" and natural pain relief doesn't sit well with me.

My husband broke his back -- shattered a vertebrae and came away from it with an implant for the door prize. He won't take opioids for the constant pain not because he fears the addiction risk, he won't take them because they make him physically sick. He doesn't tolerate them very well. On the massive upside, my husband had a near-inhuman level of pain tolerance, so this IS something Tylenol can take care of to a sufficient degree for him. I envy TF out of him...

He'd still like to break Sessions' back and see how HE likes being told to just take aspirin & suck it up, though.

a reply to: Nyiah

I have a bone spur that pinches a nerve in my neck. I've been through frozen shoulder. I have chronic migraine.

For the frozen shoulder it was "suck it up." If you've never had it, then I will say it was 6 months some of the of the worst agony I've lived through. Heat, ice, a cortisone shot, and naproxen were all I had against it until I went to the doc in tears and got a non-addictive sleep-aid to ease me through a couple weeks that were really rough.

Sometimes, you have to be told no. There were times I would have killed for a painkiller with that shoulder. I am still getting my mobility back and it still hurts some. But sometimes, you have to be told no.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Nyiah

I have a bone spur that pinches a nerve in my neck. I've been through frozen shoulder. I have chronic migraine.

For the frozen shoulder it was "suck it up." If you've never had it, then I will say it was 6 months some of the of the worst agony I've lived through. Heat, ice, a cortisone shot, and naproxen were all I had against it until I went to the doc in tears and got a non-addictive sleep-aid to ease me through a couple weeks that were really rough.

Sometimes, you have to be told no. There were times I would have killed for a painkiller with that shoulder. I am still getting my mobility back and it still hurts some. But sometimes, you have to be told no.

I don't think your bone spur was cause by a parachute collapsing a few hundred feet up and landing square on your ass, though. It's kind of a whole different ball of pain wax. Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt you were in serious pain, but literally falling out of the sky is NOT "suck it up, cupcake" territory.

originally posted by: 0zzymand0s
a reply to: LesMisanthrope


Do you know why Opioids were so commonly prescribed starting in the mid-90s?

Pain became the "5th vital sign" and doctors who didn't adequately address a patients pain were disciplined.

Did you know that "pain management" was a major component of all doctor and nurses 'satisfaction scores' up until last year?

I know nothing about it. All I know is a minor sentence from a 25 minute speech is being used as an excuse to hate someone and wish them pain.

He will sing a different tune for himself if he has surgery. What a jackass. Hell I bet hes taken opioid meds before.

Opioid addiction is certainly a problem and so is heroin / oxy abuse, but damn.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

No at this point they're actually ridiculously UNDERPRESCRIBED which is we have an OPIOD CRISIS!

It's absolutely hilarious that a thread started to mock Sessions for being the moron that he is INSTANTLY turned into you guys spouting the exact same holier than thou BS!!!

Hey congrats your brains pain and natural pain killing systems are in balance or you just haven't really experienced real grinding day after day month after month year after year pain yet, good for you!!

Guess what though?

Millions upon millions of people don't have these LUXURIES and live every day in a hell of disappointment missed opportunities and constant agony!

So good on you for being just as stupid as Sessions!

Except at least hr has the excuse of being a doddering old fool blinded by a flawed ideological standpoint....

BTW

Super awesome to see all of you NOT DOCTORS and the DEA who are also NOT DOCTORS making proclamations on what's necessary right and good on a subject that should by right be between a patient and an ACTUAL DOCTOR.

It makes me feel so much better to know you all feel that these meds are over prescribed with your complete lack of medical training and constant indoctrination by an MSM that pounds this message nonstop day in and day out and has been doing so for a decade...

A decade in which an OPIOD CRISIS just so happens to have roared to life which as of last year now kills more Americans per year than the number of Americans killed in the ENTIRE VIETNAM WAR.

This smug superiority and the old moral failing / people can't be allowed to make important decisions about their own lives for themselves chestnuts are killing tens of thousands of your fellow Americans a year and you guys are still talking about these things being over prescribed?

GMAFB

what a joke