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I act like these people don't matter? Ummm, you're not likely to find someone more sympathetic to people who are medically dependent, for whatever reason, and been chopped off at the knees cold turkey than me. I'm on the inside of chronic pain control. I am dependent on pain medication. The people I'm ticked at, who don't matter to me , are the crooked doctors who write Rx's for people with non existent conditions who then divert the meds to dealers.
It's this that has put ALL doctors under the microscope and chronic pain patients with legitimate conditions wind up paying the price for the slingers. I've described in detail what the process for legitimate chronic pain treatment is here. because of the reason you bolded, patients who are in real pain for conditions that won't get any better I not seeing where it is you feel we have some sort of disagreement. But whatever.
I was cut off cold turkey on my meds once because of an insurance issue. Another common belief is that withdrawal from opiates does not become life threatening. Well, it can be, and does become so. And because of all the new laws and regs many doctors have gotten to the point where they just don't care about chronic pain patients. They'll cut a patient off cold turkey that they've been prescribing for for years, as you say, and just leave them to twist. A referral to a pain specialist can easily take 90 days to get pushed through.
It doesn't matter what the condition is that's being treated either. And this sort of thing happens all the time. I'm also not getting where it is you believe I said any person who is addicted deserves to die. I personally know the face of opiate dependency all to well. I may have less sympathy for someone who is addicted because they take pain medications to cop a high than I do for someone who has a painful degenerative disease and is dependent so they can function like a human being somewhat and has been cut off at the knees. But I wouldn't wish death on anyone regardless of why they are hooked.
I fought the pain from the bone disease I have for over 20 years before I HAD to go to a pain specialist. And I wound up in the trauma ward, had to have three emergency surgeries and spent two months in the hospital before I was referred to a pain specialist. Oh, I know the face of addiction today quite well. I wound up in the hospital when that insurance issue cut me off. 90 days for a referral to a new doctor to go through? I made it about four before the dehydration from the nausea and diharea had me so dehydrated I was in renal failure.
I was totally honest and up front with the ER doctor about why I was in that shape. I spent three days inpatient on massive IV fluids and getting my meds and had an apt with the new pain doctor waiting the day after I was discharged. The particular medications I have to take are NOT something you can get cold turkeyed off of. Many cancer and other patients with similar conditions have this happen to them as well all the time. I'd be interested to know exactly how many people who get treated this way actually die from the withdrawal symptoms compounded by their actual medical condition, and are written off as OD's.
Personal accountability? Sure. Doctors and the frigging government and insurance companies could use a dose of that themselves. And these self righteous, ignorant people who would lay all the blame for conditions of addiction at the feet of those who are addicted, label them as weak willed, just looking for a recreational high, worthless junkies could use a reality check. We hear from them all the time. Those courageous and Herculean souls who got through post surgery, a broken bone or whatever on Tylenol and iron will. I wonder how iron their will would be if their bones were just falling apart from the inside out or malignant cancer were eating away their renal or digestive systems. Pain that isn't going to ever go away. That won't be better in a couple weeks.
Like I said in an earlier post, what does a patient with pancreatic cancer or some other horribly painful and degenerative condition who gets cut off their pain control because of some stupid DEA reg or insurance company policy have to lose by just going to heroin? If doctors won't even try to help for fear of losing their medical license, and just shrug these people off what are their options? One is go to the hospital and pray they can get you some help. Barring that, what else is there?
Yes, the face of addiction has changed from what it was back in the 60's 70's 80's and well into the 90's. My pain management doctor classifies addiction and dependency as two different things. Addicts use the drugs/medications for the sake of using them, with no other reason than the high. And seek ever increasing doses to try and get that high. Dependents, people like me, use regulated and managed doses to control the pain of a condition that has no hope of getting better. Oh, it's still addiction. A turd by any other name. What rankles me is how the latter people are categorized the same as recreational abusers by so many people. It's nothing more than blatant, self righteous ignorance of the reality of things. When a chronic, degenerative patient enters a pain management program and goes under the care of such a specialist there's no surprises about the addictive nature of the drugs that will be prescribed. Such patients are closely monitored and must agree to a very detailed and binding contract.
Regular urinalysis to check that the prescribed meds are being used as prescribed and nothing that's not supposed to be there is present. That includes alcohol. And the condition for which the meds are being prescribed for must be verified and documented. Recreational addicts are not getting their drugs from doctors in this state. And personally, I keep my meds secure. Nobody but the VERY few people who need to know even have any idea I am a pain patient. People who are on chronic pain control that let that be public knowledge are just begging to get robbed.
If you get your pain meds stolen, that's no twinky matter. The police have to get involved, and everyone you know is going to be investigated. And many doctors won't replace stolen meds, even with a police investigation and all the paperwork done in quadruplicate. You're SOL till you're due for your next refill. There are plenty of laws, rules, methods of recording and managing prescriptions, and invasive government monitoring in place for chronic pain control patients. And despite all that the abusers don't ever seem to run shy of sources. It's legitimate patients who get jammed up more than abusers. Yep, the face of addiction these days has more than one countenance. And it's the face that is honest and legitimate that is the one that is getting slapped the hardest.
it always seems so unfair...always the real true victims of all this and other issues, are the ones in need...
It is so saddening, so unfair and humbling...
you put laws in place, and it always seems like the real true victims are the law abiding ones....ones in true need of help.
Wow, I wish you would really think deeply about what you just wrote. It just begs one to think about solutions other than laws...
Raddio, if there are already laws in place, solutions won't make a difference, especially if they have imposed more laws, which clearly effects those who are in cronic pain and need pain meds.
so the people out there who are abusing drugs (recreational drugs) have spoiled it for those who are in real need of pain medications.
There is nothing one has to think about any deeper, bottom line is, the recreational drug users are getting the drugs, and the people who are law abiding citizens, in need of pain meds, have to go thru this whole long drawn out process to obtain some semblance of relief from pain.
That stinks...and is so unfair....so they suffer b/c of drug addicts abusing drugs for recreational purposes and then cry b/c they're all hooked on them, but want to blame doctors, the pharms, and everyone else, b/c they chose to do such a stupid thing.?
I know you do. I would normally call that closed minded, but then I would be accused of name calling. We've come full circle.
Don't you see? You said it yourself: "especially if they have imposed more laws, which clearly effects those who are in cronic pain and need pain meds".
In other words, more laws are making it worse! Why can't you even barely open your eyes in the other direction?
I know you do. I would normally call that closed minded, but then I would be accused of name calling. We've come full circle.
Don't you see? You said it yourself: "especially if they have imposed more laws, which clearly effects those who are in cronic pain and need pain meds".
In other words, more laws are making it worse! Why can't you even barely open your eyes in the other direction?
If I'm closed minded about you wanting to legalize all drugs....so be it, than we agree to disagree....
People don't beat their addictions on the first try, sometimes it takes five or six times for them to beat it. Smokers, dieters, gamblers, etc...
Now for a serious addiction of opiates: The brain receptors are ACTUALLY damaged and the host (human), requires suboxone or methadone, to get stable and maybe well (receptors get healed), eventually. It's like a cast or crutch on a foot.
People can get dope sick pretty fast yet others can ride it out, before their brain receptors are damaged further.
Lecturing one's child about this won't do any good unless you also discuss methods and plans out of peer pressure.
People don't beat their addictions on the first try, sometimes it takes five or six times for them to beat it. Smokers, dieters, gamblers, etc...
Now for a serious addiction of opiates: The brain receptors are ACTUALLY damaged and the host (human), requires suboxone or methadone, to get stable and maybe well (receptors get healed), eventually. It's like a cast or crutch on a foot.
People can get dope sick pretty fast yet others can ride it out, before their brain receptors are damaged further.
Lecturing one's child about this won't do any good unless you also discuss methods and plans out of peer pressure.
I'm sure it takes a lot of strength and determination to quit drugs....
thank you for your post, however, how is it that some people as myself, and friends were against drugs, and very vocal about it...when we discussed the issue?
I don't want to be addicted to anything, I didn't even like being drunk...hated it...and won't drink to that point...
During my childhood, I remember people talking about drugs, my sister is 6 years older than myself, so also got a lot of credible information from her and was interested in adult conversation at my young age...so, no one really lectured me, but I did discuss the issue on more than one occasion with my son and his friends...
I knew about chemicals and the adverse effect they had on people and made up my mind at a very young age, that I wouldn't induce them into my body unless I really needed them...but I will say, as a children, many of us had very strong personal constitutions, and still do. And there are many out there who feel like I do....who have discussed this same topic with their kids...if not, then how is it, that so many kids don't bother touching drugs?
Kids need people to not only talk with them but listen to them, they need to know and hear from parents and role models and friends that drugs are not to be experimented with, it's not worth the chance.
bottom line is, when you know or suspect, that something might ruin your life, and also hurt everyone who loves you, why would you experiment with something that lethal...? I cannot wrap my head around it...
I'm sure it takes a lot of strength and determination to quit drugs....
thank you for your post, however, how is it that some people as myself, and friends were against drugs, and very vocal about it...when we discussed the issue?
I don't want to be addicted to anything, I didn't even like being drunk...hated it...and won't drink to that point...
During my childhood, I remember people talking about drugs, my sister is 6 years older than myself, so also got a lot of credible information from her and was interested in adult conversation at my young age...so, no one really lectured me, but I did discuss the issue on more than one occasion with my son and his friends...
I knew about chemicals and the adverse effect they had on people and made up my mind at a very young age, that I wouldn't induce them into my body unless I really needed them...but I will say, as a children, many of us had very strong personal constitutions, and still do. And there are many out there who feel like I do....who have discussed this same topic with their kids...if not, then how is it, that so many kids don't bother touching drugs?
Kids need people to not only talk with them but listen to them, they need to know and hear from parents and role models and friends that drugs are not to be experimented with, it's not worth the chance.
bottom line is, when you know or suspect, that something might ruin your life, and also hurt everyone who loves you, why would you experiment with something that lethal...? I cannot wrap my head around it...
You will never be able to wrap your head around it. Some have tried to on this thread but you keep regurgitating the same thing. You are stronger than those people. You are smarter than those people. You have more willpower than those people. Clap clap clap. Those people are weak and pathetic. We get it. Your mind is made up and you don't understand it. Hundreds of thousands of people get addicted to some form of drug but that is on them. Shame on them. Correct?
<>I had two very serious surgeries, within the past 10 years....and I don't care what amount of pills the doctor gave me for pain, I surely researched them and started weening myself off of them much earlier....
<>No doctor is forcing pills down their throats....
I had a scrip for oxycontin following dental surgery many years ago. The scrip included way more pills that I needed after the dental work.
I began to realize that not only did the drug take away the pain, but I FELT REALLY GOOD!!! Happy, comfortable, got along with my peers and family and all that sort of thing. Life was goooood.
I instantly recognized the signs, threw away the remainder, and waited for society to go to hell when the general druggie population found this stuff.
And here we are . . .
Everyone gets a trophy, if you aren't happy take a pill. And we wonder why they grow up to be quivering adults who can't cope with life.
Thanks for this Liberals.
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Ummm, you're not likely to find someone more sympathetic to people who are medically dependent, for whatever reason, and been chopped off at the knees cold turkey than me. I'm on the inside of chronic pain control. I am dependent on pain medication. The people I'm ticked at, who don't matter to me , are the crooked doctors who write Rx's for people with non existent conditions who then divert the meds to dealers. 
