[Tyrannosaur]

Millions of people need this drug to lead normal lives free from unbearable pain. I can't believe anyone would consider doing anything that might keep this drug from those who need it. We should be going after those who abuse this drug, not those who depend on it. To punish pain patients because a few drug addicts abuse OxyContin is unforgivable.

[catonsville]

There was unbelivably sad story of an old woman who was dying from very painful bone cancer who could not understand why her Oxycontin tablets were not working.

The doctor found that the woman's daughter was substituting aspirin for the narcotic and taking the pain killers herself.

[RobbyS]

To punish pain patients because a few drug addicts abuse OxyContin is unforgivable. The carry nation mentality still prevails in public policy toward drugs. The whole right-to-die thing arises out of the refusal to let doctors treat pain effectively.

[hobbes1]

No one would argue in favor of banning all drugs because of their potential for abuse. And even if society took such an absurd step, it would do nothing about the problem of drug abuse. If simply banning a drug kept it out of the hands of abusers, no one in America would be abusing heroin, cocaine or marijuana.
Alen J. Salerian, M.D., is medical director of the Washington Psychiatric Center and teaches at the George Washington University School of Medicine.

Hmmmmm....One wonders what the good doctors position on Gun Control is....

Just Curious.

[strela]

Unless the author can cite the statute number and/or law that makes it a "crime" not to make a particular medication
universally available to anyone who asks for it, the title of this piece is misleading and ridiculous. Yes, some people
endure pain, and pain sucks. But to pillory the maker of a particular medication in the court of public opinion
for cooperating with authorities who are trying to keep the product from being abused by druggies is wrong-headed.

[harpseal]

To punish pain patients because a few drug addicts abuse OxyContin is unforgivable.

Having cared for a couple of cancer patients in my lifetime where even a full grain of MS sub cutaneous failed to ease the pain of breathing for any period of time I find the thought of forcing people to endure pain for the sake of some misguided anti-drug abiuse campaign abhorent. Doctors are reluctant to prescribe sufficient pain medications to many patients and the suffering many go through is unspeakable. All of this is due to the war on drugs. No I do not use drugs other than nicotene and alcohol but that is my decision.

I only hope that those who sould restrict the use of drugs to alleviate pain in order to make it more difficult for drug abusers to get ahold of drugs may suffer the agony that many patients do without sufficient pain killers.

Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown

[Lurker]

Before my first wifes death she was a chronic pain patient.

What pain patients are put through to get medication strong enough to control (net end, just control) pain is unbelievable.

I can't count the number of times I was hassled at pharmacies, told "We don't carry that because we don't want the hassle from the Government." (DEA)

A few months before her death, she finally located a pain clinic which had it's own pharmacy. Fortunately for her, it was only 120 miles, yes 120 miles one way from home.

So, twice a month (they couldn't prescribe more than two weeks worth of her meds, rules you know) she had to bundle up our son for a 240 mile round trip to the clinic.

If she was having a particularly bad day and neeeded to increase her dosage, well it was just tough beans when she ran short. The only solution was to make a trip to the ER and have them contact her primary doctor so he could beg for some morphine or dilaudid.

To the people who do these kinds of things to pain patients I wish a long slow case of bone cancer, the really painful kind.

L

[Scully]

Some years ago, a young patient of mine was dying of brain cancer. Her physician withdrew her morphine because it was "addicting". She died a few weeks later in terrible pain. My contempt for any individual or system that withholds analgesics from terminal patients is boundless.

Of course, I'm a card-carrying member of the compassionate lunatic fringe who thinks heroin should be included in the US version of Brompton's Cocktail, so my opinion really doesn't count.

[Blade]

You have to be one sick SOB to deny medication people in horrible pain because of abuse by a handful of drugged out losers.

[texasreb]

Thorugh my physical problems I recieved while in the Army, I was given Oxy-Codone (sp?). When VA was ordered to stop giving this medication, I was given Morphine, which works of course, but which I don't like because of side effects. Oxy-Codone at least doesn't give me problems that Morphine does. The "Company" ( our Government) knows I don't abuse this stuff but all the Vets I talk with that are in the same spot, feel the same way. I do have pain meds that work, which I am very grateful for, but----. P.S. I hope the people that do the asprin commercials and tell how well they control pain, I hope have nothing but asprin to help them with their pain.(I don't really but I hate those adds.)God Bless y'all for the rest of this year and for the New Year that hopefully will see us and our country turn more to Him and His direction and less to the worldly garbage we are told is so necessary for our happiness. KennyBob

[Kevin Curry]

Creating new victim groups: a liberal and libertarian specialty.

[Matchett-PI]

A BTTT from the FR archives!