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It’s a very long in-depth article. Some states and doctors are cutting their patients off opioids pain medication. The goal is to combat opioid addiction. Problem is it’s hurting those who are truly in constant severe pain. In one patient’s words he felt he had three choices: take illegal drugs, live in crippling pain, or end it all. He and many others have chosen the last.
This topic is personal because of my wife. She has multiple spinal problems and arthritis so severe that at age 49 her doctor told her she’s going to need both knees fully replaced. Some days her knees hurt worse than her back. She still tries to do things around the house. Last week she decided to change the bed sheets without me. Putting fresh sheets on the bed put her in so much pain she was laid out that day and the next. There are times when she’s in bed watching TV I’ll check on her and ask if she needs anything while I’m up and her response varies from “a new body” or “a gun to end it all”. In public she puts on a smile. At home the smile fades. She tries to go as long as possible without taking her pain medication. Our state, Louisiana, has made medical marijuana legal but it’s not yet available. We do plan on trying it for her when it does become available. But until then she’s dependent upon these medications just to be able to walk and do the simplest things we take for granted.
I agree something needs to be done to stop the addicts who abuse the drugs. But those who have a validated condition should not be punished in the process. Work to find alternative medications or continue to allos the patient the opioid medications.
That has been a common theme with people in chronic pain, all through history.
It is nothing new, except in todays world, there is a good chance the pain can be controlled. Sometimes not.
The main problem is, the percentage of people who abuse these drugs is very very low, compared to everyone that takes them, it was not such a 'BIG HUGE PROBLEM' as media and law enforcement were depicting it.
Ultimately the DEA did this, because the pharma companies were becoming a threat to the drug cartels, addicts were getting their fix from doctors and pharmacies, instead of the local drug dealer.
I used and abused pain pills, when they were cut off due to these laws, I saw first hand, how much heroin was suddenly available (and for CHEAP)...this was planned out well ahead of time, Drug dealers were having huge amounts of heroin pushed on them, to get rid of...the cartels knew all these pill addicts would be looking for an alternative and they had cash to spend, the DEA just facilitated this and ensured the cartels were the sole supplier.
This is a so much larger and deeper conspiracy than the Trump/Russia connection...this is a federal Govt agency colluding with a criminal organization that had led to 10s of 1000s of American deaths and lives ruined!! The DEA needs to be held accountable imo!!
The main problem is, the percentage of people who abuse these drugs is very very low, compared to everyone that takes them, it was not such a 'BIG HUGE PROBLEM' as media and law enforcement were depicting it.
Ultimately the DEA did this, because the pharma companies were becoming a threat to the drug cartels, addicts were getting their fix from doctors and pharmacies, instead of the local drug dealer.
I used and abused pain pills, when they were cut off due to these laws, I saw first hand, how much heroin was suddenly available (and for CHEAP)...this was planned out well ahead of time, Drug dealers were having huge amounts of heroin pushed on them, to get rid of...the cartels knew all these pill addicts would be looking for an alternative and they had cash to spend, the DEA just facilitated this and ensured the cartels were the sole supplier.
This is a so much larger and deeper conspiracy than the Trump/Russia connection...this is a federal Govt agency colluding with a criminal organization that had led to 10s of 1000s of American deaths and lives ruined!! The DEA needs to be held accountable imo!!
Well now some states are bringing the tax money back to themselves by legalizing marijuana.
Recreational marijuana was voted for and made legal in my state in 2016. Medical weed was already approved.
Our elected leaders see a windfall in tax money and cite that the drug dealers will be out of business when people have a choice to buy a quality product legally. Well time will tell with that one.
If people are feeling poorly enough most will do whatever it takes to feel better and that includes drug use and sadly suicide as a final solution.
The main problem is, the percentage of people who abuse these drugs is very very low, compared to everyone that takes them, it was not such a 'BIG HUGE PROBLEM' as media and law enforcement were depicting it.
Ultimately the DEA did this, because the pharma companies were becoming a threat to the drug cartels, addicts were getting their fix from doctors and pharmacies, instead of the local drug dealer.
I used and abused pain pills, when they were cut off due to these laws, I saw first hand, how much heroin was suddenly available (and for CHEAP)...this was planned out well ahead of time, Drug dealers were having huge amounts of heroin pushed on them, to get rid of...the cartels knew all these pill addicts would be looking for an alternative and they had cash to spend, the DEA just facilitated this and ensured the cartels were the sole supplier.
This is a so much larger and deeper conspiracy than the Trump/Russia connection...this is a federal Govt agency colluding with a criminal organization that had led to 10s of 1000s of American deaths and lives ruined!! The DEA needs to be held accountable imo!!
I'm not sure it was a conspiracy. High schools in my area were flooded with pain pills 10 years ago. You had a lot of people becoming addicts who never would have before solely because heroin was in pill form. The push to ramp back on prescription pain meds came from people who had addicted loved ones, not from the drug cartels. Heroin started rising during that time as a cheap alternative, it didn't just appear after the government cracked down.
However, overall I agree the criminalization aspect of it is not working. If you allowed people to go to a facility and get a maintenance dose of OXY instead of just cutting them off, that's a far better scenario than what is going on now.
It’s a very long in-depth article. Some states and doctors are cutting their patients off opioids pain medication. The goal is to combat opioid addiction. Problem is it’s hurting those who are truly in constant severe pain. In one patient’s words he felt he had three choices: take illegal drugs, live in crippling pain, or end it all. He and many others have chosen the last.
This topic is personal because of my wife. She has multiple spinal problems and arthritis so severe that at age 49 her doctor told her she’s going to need both knees fully replaced. Some days her knees hurt worse than her back. She still tries to do things around the house. Last week she decided to change the bed sheets without me. Putting fresh sheets on the bed put her in so much pain she was laid out that day and the next. There are times when she’s in bed watching TV I’ll check on her and ask if she needs anything while I’m up and her response varies from “a new body” or “a gun to end it all”. In public she puts on a smile. At home the smile fades. She tries to go as long as possible without taking her pain medication. Our state, Louisiana, has made medical marijuana legal but it’s not yet available. We do plan on trying it for her when it does become available. But until then she’s dependent upon these medications just to be able to walk and do the simplest things we take for granted.
I agree something needs to be done to stop the addicts who abuse the drugs. But those who have a validated condition should not be punished in the process. Work to find alternative medications or continue to allos the patient the opioid medications.
I wouldn't count on weed to take care of that type of pain, might take the edge off but it depends. Knee replacements are tough but so many people get great relief from them. I hope she can get her pain meds as long as she needs them and that she has successful surgery.
I wouldn't count on weed to take care of that type of pain, might take the edge off but it depends. Knee replacements are tough but so many people get great relief from them. I hope she can get her pain meds as long as she needs them and that she has successful surgery.
We know she can get relief from knee surgery. Won’t do a thing for her spine. She has S-curve scoliosis (rod remover when she was 16 and her spine has been curving ever since), spinal stenosis, nerve damage, and other conditions I can’t spell nor pronounce. I can’t massage her back because parts of it feels like a leg that’s fallen asleep and the feeling is just starting to come back. I can’t help her out of bed nor the chair because if I pull or lift a certain way it can cause increased pain. No sex since 2007 because of the spasms it causes for days afterwards. The most intimate we can be together is a gentle hug and occasionally rubbing lotion on her back. Last time she tried to walk our 6 pound chihuahua she fell and had to get checked out at the hospital. Our dog is now paper trained. As much as she enjoys shopping I’ve been the primary grocery shopper for many months now. Last week was the first time she went grocery shopping in months. Even using a motorized shopping cart when available only reduces the pain caused by the shopping trip.
Well now some states are bringing the tax money back to themselves by legalizing marijuana.
Recreational marijuana was voted for and made legal in my state in 2016. Medical weed was already approved.
Our elected leaders see a windfall in tax money and cite that the drug dealers will be out of business when people have a choice to buy a quality product legally. Well time will tell with that one.
If people are feeling poorly enough most will do whatever it takes to feel better and that includes drug use and sadly suicide as a final solution.
maybe it is time to revisit assisted suicide?
For someone whose condition is painful, but far from terminal, and whose wish is not for death, but only for that pain to end? No. There has to be a better way, and we must make finding it a priority.
OP, your story broke my heart. Three times in my life, I have had pain so severe that I needed prescription meds to combat it. All were of brief duration, and I cannot imagine living with chronic pain without going mad.
I agree that addiction is a serious problem, and one that needs to be addressed, but I also agree with you: to withhold these meds, while doing nothing at all to develop a safe, effective, and non-addictive alternative is the height of cruelty.
Pain management is a tough area of medicine. Truth is we do not have a good tools to manage patients pain and until that changes I doubt we will see any improvement in our ability to manage pain in the near future.
I'm not sure it was a conspiracy. High schools in my area were flooded with pain pills 10 years ago. You had a lot of people becoming addicts who never would have before solely because heroin was in pill form. The push to ramp back on prescription pain meds came from people who had addicted loved ones, not from the drug cartels. Heroin started rising during that time as a cheap alternative, it didn't just appear after the government cracked down.
However, overall I agree the criminalization aspect of it is not working. If you allowed people to go to a facility and get a maintenance dose of OXY instead of just cutting them off, that's a far better scenario than what is going on now.
Heroin was not nearly as popular or big when everyone was pushing pain pills, it was always available, but not like it was once these new laws took effect.
I knew about 10-12 drug dealers from my time using, there was a significant rise in the supply coming in around the time these prescription drug laws took effect...that takes planning to move that kind of product, to reach every city and state!
Plus the heroin was crazy cheap in those days, a gram was around $50-60. today, a gram is $150-180 (more valuable than gold).
***btw, heroin in pill form, would be useless, injesting heroin orally would be the same as taking a vicodin 5mg, or something equally weak. Its when heroin is cooked and inject does it convert into 6MAM, a MUCH MUCH stronger method of delivery, taking heroin orally would be a waste of money.
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