Pain Medication: Keep Chilled - Why would a legitimate doctor worry about the DEA?

Reason ^ | July 18, 2007 | Jacob Sullum

[PAR35]

Brinkema, Leonie M.

Born 1944 in Teaneck, NJ

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Nominated by William J. Clinton on August 6, 1993

Wexler, Leonard D.

Born 1924 in Brooklyn, NY

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Nominated by Ronald Reagan on May 11, 1983

[Califreak]

“When inadequate treatment is the usual course of professional practice, doctors must be brave simply to prescribe the pain medication their patients need to function.”

A stash of Vicodin is nice to have around in case you get hurt really bad and can’t get to the doc right away, don’t want to go to ER, or you’re just in so much pain you can’t even function. I can make 100 pills last almost a year, and I do have pain issues.

It’s a shame the docs are all so paranoid about this that they treat everyone who needs pain relief as a potential junkie. Sometimes I get headaches so bad, I could eat motrin all day(which is far worse for you than vicodin, BTW), but 1/2 a vicodin will finally stop it in it’s tracks. If I can get it, it’s gold, and I ration it out very carefully.

I think it should be OTC with restrictions like sudafed, or iodine, which should have no restrictions, but do.

[FormerACLUmember]

Thanks to the DEA and the Hurvitz atrocity, most doctors are terrified of treating legitimate chronic pain patients.

[Jeff Chandler]

I’m no anti WOD Freeper, but if a certain percentage of pain killers go to the wrong people in the process of helping legitimate sufferers, so be it. People in pain need to be helped.

[Califreak]

Agreed.

The wrong people will go to any lengths to get what they’re not supposed to have, no matter what the government does to try and control it.

As an example, let me point to the abysmal reality of gun control, which does not even belong on this thread-my apologies.

[goldstategop]

Do you really want a bureaucrat who doesn't know your medical condition to decide how much pain relief you're entitled to have? The DEA has decided its too hard to go after the international drug cartels so its going after American doctors instead.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[neverdem]

Thanks to the DEA and the Hurvitz atrocity, most doctors are terrified of treating legitimate chronic pain patients.

I've tried to follow this case. I was hoping that at most it would have been limited to time already served. IIRC, he can't practice medicine any more.

[Jeff Chandler]

gun control, which does not even belong on this thread-my apologies.

As long as you don't bring up immigration.

[neverdem]

As an example, let me point to the abysmal reality of gun control, which does not even belong on this thread-my apologies.

It's not as unrelated as you might think.

Connecting the War on Guns & Drugs [my title]

The war on guns: Joel Miller explains how drug cops are killing 2nd Amendment

Oldies, but goodies, anyone who hasn't read those articles should read them.

[dsc]

This is positively Orwellian.

The DEA is an utter failure at suppressing the trade in illegal drugs, so they’re turning on innocent men like rabid pit bulls on steroids.
\
They need to be shut down altogether, and their personnel barred from government employment.

[freekitty]

I can empathize with you. My headaches can get so bad; I have to go to the hospital and get knocked out.

[freekitty]

They are not after the drug cartels or dealers. And they are not going after them anytime soon. There is a lot of money to be had and some politicians and probably government employees don’t much care as long as they get part of the pie.

[jsh3180]

As a General Contractor in the Florida Keys, I can tell you for a fact that likely 50% or better of the skilled carpenters, concrete finishers, etc. that are over 50 years old, are taking some form of hydrocodone daily to work through the pain that comes with a lifetime of work in these professions. They aren’t taking it to get high....they are taking it to cope with physical stress and aging.

[John Valentine]

...most doctors are terrified of treating legitimate chronic pain patients.

Hopefully, this will help someday in the not too distant future: http://www.metabolic.com.au/files/PTU5OO4V89/ASX_ACV1ClinicalTrialsUpdate_November2006.pdf The first Phase 2 trial discussed above (on sciatica) has now ended and results due to be made public in a couple weeks or less. Still, this drug remains a few years away from the market though, even if everything continues to go well.

[John Valentine]

...most doctors are terrified of treating legitimate chronic pain patients.

Hopefully, this will help someday in the not too distant future:

ACV1 Phase 2a Human Trial

The first Phase 2 trial discussed above (on sciatica) has now ended and results due to be made public in a couple weeks or less. Still, this drug remains a few years away from the market though, even if everything continues to go well.

[John Valentine]

Not only did I screw up the formatting, I posted the wrong link. Here goes again.

ACV1 Article

[em2vn]

You just described managed health care, or what was formerly known as medical insurance.

[libertyhoundusnr]

I am still trying to figure out how someone who has spent about 3 months at some typical police academy is now qualified to practice medicine. The DEA has used legitimate pharmaceuticals as just one more way to increase their budget. Since they are losing the war on drugs did they create this “crisis” just to show than can whup somebody or something? Stationary targets are pretty easy to hit. Another waste of taxpayer money.

[CDHart]

"Do you really want a bureaucrat who doesn't know your medical condition to decide how much pain relief you're entitled to have?"

Absolutely not. But they decide most everything else for us, so why not this?

Carolyn