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About 20 years ago, in the immediate wake of the heavy drug use of the Love Generation and a nationwide terror of allowing anyone to get addicted, it was extremely difficult to get painkillers prescribed when you needed them, no matter what the medical necessity was. Everyone knew a horror story about some friend or relative who died in agony in a hospital or nursing home without access to painkillers because the doc didn't approve, or someone who had 3 weeks to live because of galloping cancer, and the doc wouldn't prescribe any opiates "because the patient might get addicted." This was considered somethign to be avoided at ALL COSTS, even if the patient had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.
The pendulum sure has swung to the other extreme now! All I hear about now is every American's right to be totally pain-free at al times. I recently tried to Google for over-treating pain, for overmedicating patients, anything along those lines, and there's NOTHING. Not a single hit on the entire Internet.
This is scary to me because A) the new gateway drug in our country is Vicodin, a prescription opiate painkiller. There is an atrocious heroin epidemic in my state, and client after client tells me they got started because of leftover painkillers they stole from people's medicine cabinets or because of a doctor who gave the stuff out like they were Skittles. Marijuana? Don't make me laugh.
This is scary to me because B) I have had experience with this myself. Small example: I once went to my doctor because I could no longer stand the pain in my lower right abdomen. It had been going on for two weeks and sometimes it was so bad I was bent over double. The guy didn't examine me, order any tests or ask a single question to find out what was wrong with me. He just wrote a prescription for Vicodin. I tore it up when the nurse told me I couldn't drive if I had it in my system. The pain finally went away after another week, but what if it had been a rupturing appendix or something? I could have been dead!!!!
This is scary to me because C) I have had several other experiences with this, like a recent minor surgery. The doc told me to expect 1 day of pain. What did he prescribe? 12 tablets of Vicodin, 750 mg each -- at LEAST a 12-day supply. If he had bothered to discuss it with me, he would have known that Vicodin is much too strong for me. I had a much, much bigger surgery a few years ago, with MUCH more pain for MUCH longer, and was given SIX 500-mg tabs of Vicodin. I still had three of them left at the time of the second surgery because I only took half a tab at a time, which was enough to render me unconscious for 6 hours, and I didn't need them at all after 3 days. So WTF was up with this guy giving me so much opiate?
This is scary to me because D) I just heard that they are putting legislation in place to make people take their leftover opiates back to the pharmacy to be disposed of safely. Why? Because there is so much Vicodin, Percocet, Darvon, Norco, Lortab and Oxycontin going into the sewers that IT'S KILLING THE FISH. At the same time, there is STILL so much opiate sitting unattended in people's cupboards that we are putting people into detox centers all day, every day at my job.
Meh. Don't want the drugs, don't take them. Be a responsible adult and ask your doctor questions rather than just meekly accepting whatever they give you.
Meh. Don't want the drugs, don't take them. Be a responsible adult and ask your doctor questions rather than just meekly accepting whatever they give you.
You're not getting my point here. I DON'T take what I don't want.
I don't think anyone should ever be in unnecessary pain. EVER. If that means there will be a druggie or two - too bad, they should take personal responsibility. I wouldn't want someone truly in pain to suffer.
Doctors lose their licenses for overprescribing - and it is monitored.
Cliffie, I find myself quite skeptical of your being a "shrink".
Be that as it may,
I believe that the information came out that medicines were in the water due to urination and there being no way to remove them in the water treatment plants.
google "painkillers new gateway drug". That was 128,000 hits.
"vicodin new gateway drug" gets 303,000 hits.
"over prescribing painkillers" gets 1,710,000 hits.
Last edited by Pandamonium; 02-25-2009 at 12:19 PM..
People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue.
This is scary to me because C) I have had several other experiences with this, like a recent minor surgery. The doc told me to expect 1 day of pain. What did he prescribe? 12 tablets of Vicodin, 750 mg each -- at LEAST a 12-day supply.
On what planet are 12 vicodens a 12 day supply? If they are for you, you are highly unusual.
It seems to me the pendulum has swung to the point where you have to be in excrutiating chronic pain to get anything cuz docs are so scared to get questioned about it.
I've had several very painful but minor sports injuries in recent years; I'd love to be able to get 5-10 painkillers to fend off the distraction... but I don't even ask... I wonder if I did they might write it on my med record that I'm exhibiting "drug-seeking behavior."
I guess it's the abuses of many that ruin it for responsible folks.
And is it any wonder marijuana is soooo popular?! It helps with any pain and is easier to get then a script from a doctor.
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