Legal, prescribed painkillers can be as addictive as heroin

Contra Costa Times ^ | Mon, Oct. 20, 2003 | Jeff Donn - AP

[JohnGalt]

[DallasMike]

Made even more popular by the dopey movie "28 Days", patients continue to enter into treatment hoping for success after 28-30 days.

Dopey, yes; but pretty funny. Plus it starred my girlfriend Sandra Bullock. Yeah, that's the ticket -- she's my girlfriend!

[ellery]

I would like to see the medical profession held more accountable for dishing out the drugs. Personally, I have seen two family members get hooked on scripts and the docs do nothing but keep extending them regardless of the signs that something was up.

I'm sorry to hear about your family members' trouble. My worry is that as doctors continue to be scrutinized for prescribing these drugs, they will simply stop giving them to patients who need the drugs for severe pain. I respectfully submit that patients needs to be advised of addiction dangers and symptoms, and advised to consult their doctor if said symptoms show up. It's a personal responsibility issue.

[ellery]

Yeah, like being in EXCRUCIATING PAIN without it. If anything doctors are too reluctant to prescribe pain meds. If the DEA doesn't come after them and ban them from medicine for life, then the patents are likely to sue them for getting them addicted. It's much harder to sue for not prescibing enough drugs and letting the paitient live in agony.

Exactly. Then people are left with two alternatives: live with debilitating pain, try to mitigate it via less successful means, or get drugs on the street. It's a horrible situation.

[ellery]

My dad was addicted to hydrocodone and morphine. This was by far the lesser of two evils, the other being excruciating pain from multiple myeloma. Thankfully his doctor did not knuckle under to the DEA about 'sending the wrong message'. Addiction is the least of many people's worries.

I'm glad your dad was able to find relief. I've been wondering about this: should we stop the knee-jerk reaction to the word addiction in the case of people whose pain would leave them less functional if they didn't have the drugs? After all, Rush has seemed to function pretty well during the time that he admitted he was addicted. Obviously the best case scenario is a healthy, drug free life...but some people don't have that option.

[Saundra Duffy]

Why are doctors letting this happen? Quacks!

[luckodeirish]

Yeah, that's the ticket -- she's my girlfriend!

Uh, and she knows that, right? :)

[Don Joe]

I'm stunned at the reaction of some Freepers to this situation. I actually had someone on another thread say that doctors shouldn't be allowed to prescribe these drugs because someone MIGHT become addicted. Hydrocodone and oxycodone are incredibly effective in treating pain and to in any way limit the access would be terrible.

I take Hydrocodone, Propoxyphene, Fentanyl, and Chlorzoxazone. Literally enough to kill you -- but, I don't feel any high, except for those rare occasions when the dosage increases (last time was almost a year ago). The "high" lasts about a day, and then it's gone, forever.

That's fine with me, since I don't like it. The last time I got bumped up to a higher dose it scared the crap out of me. I felt like I was dying. Almost called 911. In fact, the only reason I grit my teeth and forced myself to stay awake was because I didn't want to have "hospitalized for narcotic overdose" on my medical record.

I don't understand why anyone would take this stuff for "recreation". It's about as much "fun" as spinning around in circles for ten minutes as fast as you can, then sitting down on a wobbly chair to force-feed yourself warm custard.

Unfortunately, enough people do enjoy that kind of insanity so that the doctors are all paranoid about prescribing this stuff to people who do need it.

In my case, even though I'm taking a lethal dose, I still have near-constant pain, at the level that I used to take over the counter Motrin, Naproxin, and Ketoprofen by the handfull (way in excess of the label) to try to make it through the bad days.

You get used to a certain amount of pain after a while. I hate it, but I'm at least functional for several hours a day. With the current state of my skeleton, if not for the narcotics, I'd be screaming, drooling, writhing in pain, and my life would not really be worth living.

[Milligan]

After the 30 days, he will have to go through aftercare. He will still be treated but as a outpatient. It could be six months to one year depending on the problem. That's pretty normal for drug or alcohol rehabilitation.

[Milligan]

And your right! Most health insurance will pay 30 days inhouse treatment. Then it's outpatient aftercare which might last six months or up to a year.

[tacticalogic]

I don't understand why anyone would take this stuff for "recreation". It's about as much "fun" as spinning around in circles for ten minutes as fast as you can, then sitting down on a wobbly chair to force-feed yourself warm custard.

Except after spinning around and eating custard, you can still poop.

[freedomtrail]

Anywhere from 24 to 72 hrs.

[Porterville]

Nah s*!+ why do you'all think the federal government prevents private citizens from selling??? Because Big Medicine is more efficient and better tax payers.

[Senator Pardek]

Another home run from Reason.

What next? "You started using that dialysis machine, and you'll be hooked for the rest of your life!"

[JohnGalt]

Kudos.

I am going to steal that one!

[Senator Pardek]

It's yours.

[tdadams]

The FoxNews website had a very eye-opening article on the OxyContin hysteria and how the real story isn't necessarily being told. OxyContin abuse has been a big-government leftist's dream - trial lawyers and government regulators up against a big, greedy pharmaceutical company. It's a must read for the people on this thread who are posting knee-jerk opinions against OxyContin.

Scare-Mongering Over 'Hillybilly Heroin' Deprives the Rest of Us

[TKDietz]

An Oxycontin overdose killed a friend of mine's eighteen year old daughter last summer. She was a beautiful, bright girl who would have started college in the fall.

I've watched that drug take hold in my town and I have to say, there is nothing leftist about being concerned about Oxycontin. It is a dangerous, extremely addictive drug that like many dangerous drugs is overprescribed. There are doctors I know of who will write scripts for drugs like Oxycontin, Soma, hydrocodone, Xanax and so on to just about anyone smart enough to say the "right" things when the go to the doctor. My drug addict clients who prefer this type of drug can all tell you exactly which doctors to go to. Once hooked it is not at all uncommon to see people forging scripts or otherwise obtaining these drugs fraudulently or through illegal channels and it is not uncommon for people to steal to get the money for these drugs. We had an ex narcotics detective rob a drug store and make off with a bottle of over a thousand Oxy's last year. That's all he wanted, the Oxycontin, he didn't even ask for money or anything else.

There is more than just unwarranted hysteria under all the buzz you are hearing about Oxycontin. There's some fire under all that smoke.

[tdadams]

Sorry, but anecdotes never do anything to persuade me. You know how many kids get killed by plastic bags? That doesn't mean I'm going to ask the feds to ban them.

Any accidental death is tragic. Exploiting someone's death for political gain is sleazy.

[TKDietz]

Are you accusing me of exploiting someone's death for political gain? I have nothing political to gain. I'm just some guy who has seen what a dangerous and addictive drug Oxycontin is. I am not a politician, nor am I a lobbyist. I am not seeking to have the laws changed as they relate to Oxycontin. I'm just pointing out that it is dangerous stuff and that there are doctors who are too quick to prescribe it.

I'm a criminal defense attorney in a small town. My father is a brain doctor here. All I have is anecdotal evidence. All I can do is pass on what I've seen happen here, and what I've heard about from trusted sources.

If that's not enough for you, fine. Believe whatever you want to believe. I could care less.