Michigan has more annual opioid prescriptions than people

M Live ^ | 6/26/17 | Julie Mack

[Keyhopper]

Thank goodness we saved those Afghan poppy fields

[Sequoyah101]

ACA sponsored drug addiction for his people.

[MarkL]

The headline and first sentence are perfect examples of the combination of ignorance and disregard for the truth that I've come to expect from the media.

"There are more prescriptions per year than people." Thanks to federal law, there is no such thing as a refill for a Vicodin prescription. Every 60 tablet Rx I get requires a visit to the doctor for a new written prescription that needs to be taken to the pharmacy. I live with chronic pain, and take opioids VERY sparingly, but I still go through 5 or 6 prescriptions a year. As you can see, the article's premise is fallacious from the start.

My greatest fear is that the hysteria will make legal pain killers even harder to get for those who don't abuse, but NEED them to live a normal, or even close to normal life.

Mark

[Reddy]

Amen. What is going on is that the bad guys are making it untenable for the good guys.

Kind of like how the criminals who use guns make it difficult for the responsible gun owners.

[MarkL]

Just because someone is addicted to the legal stuff, does not mean they are not a junkie.

I've known 4 addicts, 3 of whom became addicted while under the "care" of the VA. Another friend, who's a Navy veteran (she was a plane captain for an S3 Viking) and an alcoholic, and does her best to avoid opioids, had gall-bladder problems. She had 2 pre-surgery visits to the VA ER, in a 2 week period, and in each of those visits, she left with a RX for percocet, then another percocet RX after her surgery. She refused 2 of the 3 RX, and she is not addicted.

BTW, while the VA care for the veterans got them addicted for injuries related to their service, all 3 had to find and pay for their treatment to get over their addictions.

Mark

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Yep.

There are no refills on any of the scripts so you have to get a new one every single time.

I like this sentence.

While the U.S. has about 5% of the world's population, it consumes about 80% of the global supply of prescription opioids.

Mmmm guys? That would be because most of the world does not make you get a prescription for the minor opioids, just the heavy ones.

Also cough syrup with codeine is included under "opioid".

[Timpanagos1]

“BTW, while the VA care for the veterans got them addicted for injuries related to their service, all 3 had to find and pay for their treatment to get over their addictions.”

And when they had to go to treatment, did the doctors tell them that there was a major difference between one that was addicted to legal stuff and a person that was addicted to that exact same thing which just happens to be illegal?

[eyedigress]

I took some pretty good Hydro-codones 15 years ago after my appendix surgery. It was discovered that I was also suffering from UC. I probably had 2 months worth.

I never got hooked and the pain was unbearable without it.

[MarkL]

And when they had to go to treatment, did the doctors tell them that there was a major difference between one that was addicted to legal stuff and a person that was addicted to that exact same thing which just happens to be illegal?

No, there is no difference. But the VA was willing to continue to supply them with the drugs. All 3 wanted to get off the drugs, but the VA refused to help them.

Don't forget it was Barky who once said something along the lines of, "maybe you'll need to take a pill, rather than get that surgery."

Mark