Yes. Blame the physicians. The same physicians that were ordered by the government and Joint Commission to treat pain or else suffer financial consequences for not treating pain. And then, using Press Ganey scores to assess a level of satisfaction with a provider and tying “how well was your pain treated” to those same reimbursements, you get a mix. I work in medicine, and this was predicted 20 years ago when JCAHO (now the Joint Commission) and the American Pain Society pushed it.
The drug companies have their part to play in this as well. No drug is immune to abuse despite what the manufacturers state.
Add to that the public’s – i.e. the patient’s – demand to be pain free while recovering from any injury. Tylenol and ibuprofen are extremely effective pain management modalities when properly dosed.
I had a surgery within the past 2 years. Got 60 5mg oxycodone tablets as I walked out of the pharmacy.
It is a mess that has many to blame. But you cannot blame everyone without taking a bit of the blame onto yourself personally. In this case it is just one of those things that everyone takes a bite of responsibility for.
And now we have a push to legalize marijuana for everything when there is little to no sound supporting research in many cases. And then the link with marijuana and other drug usage, or link with marijuana with mental health disorders (especially schizophrenia) which then increase the risk for substance abuse. It’s not as bad/good as everyone thinks that it is and needs MUCH more studying
Then let’s put the crap that the drug dealers (who ought to be publicly hanged in the square and left for the birds to pick apart) cut the heroin which is far more pure than it was 20, 30, or 40 years ago with other drugs that they chemically make, it is killing so many. Regardless of race, creed, social standing, or whatever.
ME, you are absolutely correct. I had neck surgery back in 2015, and was given 30 pills each of two different pain meds – one of which was an opioid. I only needed them of one or two days, and then was able to mange with OTC stuff.
I work in an industry that deals with opiate addiction and believe me it’s the doctors who are making this an epidemic. They will give and continue to write scripts to keep people medicated until either their insurance runs out or their office gets closed due to patient abuse. Then instead of going to treatment and taking steps to get the substance out of the body, they then run to medications like methadone and suboxone which are just as addictive and give you withdrawals when you stop using.
@JOEL.BROWN There are other non addictive ways to help with chronic pains. And as other people have mentioned marijuana is one of them I fully support. Realistically if you continue to take medication for pain every day of every year isn’t that an addiction. If you NEED to have something on which there is an alternative than that’s what an addiction is.
Little factoid from my past. In the Vietnam time, I was working in addiction research. We found that the majority of those coming back from ’Nam, who were opioid-addicted as tested by a withdrawal test, a year later were no longer testing positive, in many cases without medical intervention. Until we recognize that addictions are not good candidates for regulation as criminal events but rather public health events, we are asking for more trouble and more ruined lives (and more criminal involvement in providing such substances).
Simpy put, all the opioid drugs can directly KILL YOU! Cannabis simply can NOT! An “overdose” of cannibis you can sleep off. An overdose of opioids, is a trip to the morgue.
braindead Premium Member over 6 years ago
Gee, Bob, maybe we oughtta declare War On Drugs.
That’ll fix things, right?
J Short over 6 years ago
Brought to you by the AMA.
cdward over 6 years ago
Brought to you by the pharmaceutical industry which pushes it on us.
"It's the End of the World!!!" Premium Member over 6 years ago
Yes. Blame the physicians. The same physicians that were ordered by the government and Joint Commission to treat pain or else suffer financial consequences for not treating pain. And then, using Press Ganey scores to assess a level of satisfaction with a provider and tying “how well was your pain treated” to those same reimbursements, you get a mix. I work in medicine, and this was predicted 20 years ago when JCAHO (now the Joint Commission) and the American Pain Society pushed it.
http://www.mdedge.com/ccjm/article/109138/drug-therapy/fifth-vital-sign-complex-story-politics-and-patient-care
The drug companies have their part to play in this as well. No drug is immune to abuse despite what the manufacturers state.
Add to that the public’s – i.e. the patient’s – demand to be pain free while recovering from any injury. Tylenol and ibuprofen are extremely effective pain management modalities when properly dosed.
I had a surgery within the past 2 years. Got 60 5mg oxycodone tablets as I walked out of the pharmacy.
It is a mess that has many to blame. But you cannot blame everyone without taking a bit of the blame onto yourself personally. In this case it is just one of those things that everyone takes a bite of responsibility for.
And now we have a push to legalize marijuana for everything when there is little to no sound supporting research in many cases. And then the link with marijuana and other drug usage, or link with marijuana with mental health disorders (especially schizophrenia) which then increase the risk for substance abuse. It’s not as bad/good as everyone thinks that it is and needs MUCH more studying
Then let’s put the crap that the drug dealers (who ought to be publicly hanged in the square and left for the birds to pick apart) cut the heroin which is far more pure than it was 20, 30, or 40 years ago with other drugs that they chemically make, it is killing so many. Regardless of race, creed, social standing, or whatever.
Dani Rice over 6 years ago
ME, you are absolutely correct. I had neck surgery back in 2015, and was given 30 pills each of two different pain meds – one of which was an opioid. I only needed them of one or two days, and then was able to mange with OTC stuff.
WaitingMan over 6 years ago
Used to be a law and order issue. Then white people started dying. Funny how that works.
Odon Premium Member over 6 years ago
Many chronic pains are alleviated via marijuana, which could be an inexpensive aid.
Radish the wordsmith over 6 years ago
Marijuana, non addictive, not deadly.
sofartotheleftimright over 6 years ago
I work in an industry that deals with opiate addiction and believe me it’s the doctors who are making this an epidemic. They will give and continue to write scripts to keep people medicated until either their insurance runs out or their office gets closed due to patient abuse. Then instead of going to treatment and taking steps to get the substance out of the body, they then run to medications like methadone and suboxone which are just as addictive and give you withdrawals when you stop using.
@JOEL.BROWN There are other non addictive ways to help with chronic pains. And as other people have mentioned marijuana is one of them I fully support. Realistically if you continue to take medication for pain every day of every year isn’t that an addiction. If you NEED to have something on which there is an alternative than that’s what an addiction is.
martens over 6 years ago
Little factoid from my past. In the Vietnam time, I was working in addiction research. We found that the majority of those coming back from ’Nam, who were opioid-addicted as tested by a withdrawal test, a year later were no longer testing positive, in many cases without medical intervention. Until we recognize that addictions are not good candidates for regulation as criminal events but rather public health events, we are asking for more trouble and more ruined lives (and more criminal involvement in providing such substances).
Mr. Blawt over 6 years ago
Opiods may kill, but the current administration is making too much off of those deaths to change anything.
Dtroutma over 6 years ago
Simpy put, all the opioid drugs can directly KILL YOU! Cannabis simply can NOT! An “overdose” of cannibis you can sleep off. An overdose of opioids, is a trip to the morgue.
Zaristerex over 6 years ago
Spelling??? It’s “opioids,” not “opiods,” Mr. Gorrell.