Posted on 05/07/2015 2:58:26 AM PDT by markomalley
The last time I went to the emergency room (8 years ago) was when I feel on my bike and broke my collarbone. I was glad for the opiates I was prescribed. Pain sucks.
And I didn’t become a junkie.
17% of people going to the emergency room getting some Vicodin does not seem out of order.
BTDT, but when I went to the ER, they just sewed up the gash in my elbow. They missed the broken collarbone completely.
Obama knows best. Opium is a real crowd pleaser.
It can be hard to tell whether the patient is actually hurt or an opioid addict, said St. Peter, who is also vice president of medical affairs for Pacira Pharmaceuticals, which markets a non-opioid painkiller for surgeries.<<
St. Peter is a VP of Medical Affairs?
One of the problems we had in WA and was exposed by a newspaper was a major increase in the use of Methodone for back pain...it was cheap addictive and responsible for a major uptick in patient death, but it was a public program and VERY cost effect! It took a public report to stop the practice. One wonders about other practices that are not so obvious.
DK
People with legitimate opiod dependence will deliberately harm themselves to get more pain killers. My brother was an addict for years, now 3 years clean, and the stuff he used to do to get opiods would make you cringe.
My wife’s late ex-husband was an addict and would get high as a kite, get in his car, drive like a maniac, get into an accident, and refuse to leave the ER until he was given pain medication.
The addiction to pain medication is like nothing I’ve ever seen.
“It’s not as easy as they make it sound..”
No, it isn’t. I think if a person is truly addicted, ten pills at most will last what? A day or two? For what it is worth, many ER’s won’t prescribe pain pills for teens and young adults EVEN if they would with an older person. I had two experiences with that.. when my son broke his foot and when he was stabbed in the leg (long story.. and it doesn’t involve anything bad). They wouldn’t give him one codeine and told me it was because of his age. I asked if I had the same injury, would I get pain medication. The answer was yes. ER’s also have medical records they pull on patients.. and that would show if the person is a constant visitor.
Makes me wonder whether Freddie Grey was on this stuff.
Given the distribution of the issue, I would say there’s a good chance.
My understanding is that he was slinging heroin. If that’s the case, he would’ve been a fool to dip into his own product, but then anyone who would run from cops probably doesn’t rank in the lower ranges of MENSA-smart.
It’s not just satisfaction surveys. The JCAHO,
(Joint Commission) a peer review organization for all aspects of healthcare delivery, has made a hot button issue of each person admitted into a health system recieving a comprehensive pain assessment. “Frequent flyers” will keep going until they get what they want
I have never heard of that and our ED docs, while they do not prescribe large amounts, frequently prescribe more than 10 tablets. Where is this or where do you get your info?
ERs have records, pharmacies too. That’s where you can really get tripped up. They keep good records on this kind of thing. The Shop Rite pharmacy I go to is always on the ball. Not that I’m on Oxycotin mind you! But for the meds my wife and I need if I’m not sure of when the last time I had a prescription filled or whatever or an insurance card hassle(hate those things) they can pull the info right up on the computer. And that’s another way you can get smoked out. Insurances companies along with pharmacies keep an eye out if you’re trying to get an opiate med refilled too early. They ain’t dumb. And doctors and clinics network. They’re always on the lookout for ‘’doctor shoppers’’, people who go running from one doctor to another looking for opiate drugs and they will refuse you and ‘’flag ‘’ you. Some will even call the cops on you. This is not a very well researched article.
St. Peter is in health care! Who knew? What, St. Luke gave up his practice? OY!
I guess the new “opiate of the masses” is... opiates.
On two trips to the ER, I was prescribed Vicodin and Oxycontin and received more than 10 pills. The first trip was for a broken ankle and the second for kidney stones.
I have all of them and always take one bottle with me when I travel. Kidney stone recurrence in a remote location would be problematic
But didn’t Obama say “just give them the pain pill”? They are just following orders!
You can’t get it like ordering pizza, but I have never heard of the 10 pill limit. It must be the policy at your local hospital, but certainly is not law.
When I discharge people from the hospital, there is no limit to the amount of narcotics I can write for, and I write for what I feel is appropriate
I am actually kind of surprised only 17% of ER visits leave with an opiate prescription. Most people go to the ER for injuries, kidney stones and other painful conditions. I would think the majority leave with a prescription for pain meds
That being said, we are pretty good at picking up people who are scamming us. There is also a state data base of all narcotic prescriptions filled, and it is fairly easy to look someone up and see how many narcotics they have been prescribed. Those folks get non narcotic treatment and sent out with no prescriptions.
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