Rush's Dilemma: The Truth about Oxycontin

Patriot Paradox ^

[Spyder]

Most docs are familiar with TENS. I used to give them out (as a physical therapist) quite frequently. I'd say about 25-30% got enough relief from them to make the mess and the trouble worthwhile. There's more to it than just surrounding the area with the electrodes. It can also be used on accupuncture points and with varying frequencies and width of the wave.

Still, follow-through with them on a long-term basis is probably less than 10%. Some people get fairly good relief with an implanted stimulator, but a good number of failed back syndrome patients aren't helped without a combination of therapies, including sometimes OxyContin. A chronic pain patient really needs a pain clinic, and some are better than others. I've worked with patients who were quite functional on OxyContin (large doses) on a long-term basis. Without it they would have been invalids. It does require close monitoring, of course, and most primary care doctors won't prescribe it for long either - preferring the pain clinic to handle it.

[nopardons]

Yes, and to cook Brats in as well.

[ChemistCat]

Interesting. I must have better luck than most. The neuropathy in my feet is not at all amenable to the TENS--I can't even stand to put the electrodes there--but I usually get good results when I use TENS plus heat or cold on my lower back or knees. It's not much use on the hips, or things like pleuresy. The current will tend to chose a path nearer the surface of your body if it can. Of course, TENS didn't even touch the pain from my burst C6-C7 disk. That just took a surgeon to fix.

The main thing is that becoming an invalid is a huge leap forward into the dying zone. If you aren't active, doing things you enjoy, socializing, and (very important) moving around, you are going to go downhill fast.

Rush has been playing golf, traveling, doing the stuff he enjoys and it obviously took major league pain meds to keep him on that front. My "good doctor" who is gone told me that if I ever just go to bed and lie there for days on end because of pain, which is sometimes so tempting, that I would lose my ability to walk fast and never get it back. Not exercising even a little does terrible things to your body and mind. Pain meds let me keep going.

If they take his pain meds away from Rush, they may be taking away what lets him be so functional.

Goodnight all. Maybe I can get back to sleep now.

[Dane]

Look all I was doing was disputing mv's reply #39, which was basically the Libertarian cookie cutter answer when it comes to drugs.

I.E. Opium was availiable in this country until the eraly 20th century and this country didn't have any problems, yada, yada, yada, although they always leave out that opium was becoming a bigger problem.

All I did was state that maybe he should do a google search on 19th century China and look up the opium wars and the devastation opium did to China. It is historical fact, you know.

[strela]

To boil hotdogs????? Never heard of that!

It makes em taste wonderful. We used beer to boil hot dogs when I worked a concession stand at events when I was in the Navy.

[J. L. Chamberlain]

I'm sorry, perhaps I'm not making myself clear on this point. The problems with these strong drugs is not in their use but rather in the abuse of the drug. OxyContin, Percocet and the like CAN be safely used to treat acute pain in both the short term (my case) and chronic, long term pain as well. You just have to be aware of the risks and take the appropriate measures.

Again, if one starts to use the drug for it's unintended "buzz" through chewing it or other methods of getting the drug into one's systems faster, you'll run into problems. That is undoubtedly the case with Rush and I wish him all the best. In his case, as is the case of many addicts, it became not about the “pain” but about the drug.

You and many others on this thread have insisted that the responsibility falls on Rush’s doctors and not him. Victim-hood is one of the cornerstones of liberal thinking and I’m not falling for it.

J

[NittanyLion]

FYI, I have found good medical care but not with the nitwits you defend - "traditional" doctors and their stupid, and destructive "opinions".

Uh huh. Good luck...

[A. Pole]

Ever heard of Morphine? Laudnum? (sp)

Laudanum - a working class drug

[A. Pole]

Seen photos of those guys with pipes in the opium dens?

Laudanum - the working class drug .

[MistyCA]

Yes, very good point. I do not, however, hold Rush or anyone else blameless for their use/abuse of a chosen drug. I do think that it is up to the medical community to make sure the best avenues for pain management are followed and the risks explained. I honestly do not think doctors do that enough. I know this from personal experience in caring for several relatives who have been terminally or chronically ill, as well as those with short term problems. I also happen to strongly believe that doctors have "chosen" drugs that seem to go through cycles. Evidence of this is the fact that for a period of time in our town, almost everyone I know was prescribed mood altering medications. Few opted to take them, but it seemed to be the first thing offered regardless of what the problem was. Prozac was a biggy. Just as there was once a period of time when antibiotics were given too freely. And just as there are some doctors who opt for surgery as the first choice in various illnesses. I am a person who has lost a lot of confidence in the medical community because of things I have seen done that were not necessarily in the best interest of a patient. Part of that seems to be due to the failure now days of doctors to be able to really "doctor". They are now confined by "rules" established by monetary concerns rather than patient's individual needs.

There is plenty of responsibility to go around. I remember not all that long ago when the doctors we were able to go to were "real" doctors. And only doctors were allowed to prescribe medications. That is no longer true. Maybe it depends where you live, but I happen to be very upset about the fact that Physician's assistants are prescribing medications and dosages. From my own personal experience with relatives in my care, I know that drugs are given that create conflict with other drugs and sometimes the doctors don't check those conflicts out until you stand over the top of them and watch them do it.

Case in point...my brother recently died because of a severe heart ailment. He was in the hospital and a doctor was assigned to him who had only been practicing for 1 week! That doctor had my brother on a course of treatment that severely dehydrated him until my sister called in a senior doctor who reversed the treatment to try to restore his health. When you go into a hospital in our particular town, you are assigned a doctor who you have probably never met. Your own physician is not allowed to interfere, a fact in itself that I find alarming. It was under that circumstance that my husband failed to wake up after an abdominal surgery for three days. There was a medicine conflict and he was overdosed as a result. I could go on and on about this subject. The fact is, however, that a book of rules is only so good when you are dealing with individuals. Not everyone can be expected to react the same way or need the same treatment under the very same conditions. So, while I hold an individual responsible for their choices, I also hold those people who are in charge of the prescription pad responsible for their actions.

[bart99]

Forgive my typos -

I think that the posts here of people with their own experiences with pain and medication, or those they've known well, are so much more insightful and valuable than generalizing about drugs. Sorta like going to a group therapy and sharing and knowing you aren't alone in your challenge to seal with pain. Thanks for your sharing.

I think your statements about the personal physician being 'locked out' when someone enters the hospital is so on target. The ONE person I trust most in dealing with my medical problems is my personal physician - probably because over the years each get to know and understand the other, can be direct and forthright, and can arrive at decisions based on a somewhat shared (but different) set of responsibilities for that decision.

You are right. There is a responsibility on both sides. One does not simply DO what a physician says and a physician should not simply TELL a patient what to do, as it sometimes seems the medical establishment thinks is the appropriate approach.. Chronic and severe debilitating pain isn't something with a cookie-cutter solution. Options need to be examined. I feel fortunate to have been seeing the same physician for so many years that we can do this in a measured way and come to decsions about treatment that we both feel might be the best one - knowing that monitoring is always necessary.

[bart99]

"The problems with these strong drugs is not in their use but rather in the abuse of the drug. OxyContin, Percocet and the like CAN be safely used to treat acute pain in both the short term (my case) and chronic, long term pain as well. You just have to be aware of the risks and take the appropriate measures.

Again, if one starts to use the drug for it's unintended "buzz" through chewing it or other methods of getting the drug into one's systems faster, you'll run into problems"

---

Excellent point and well said. Totally agree with you.

Drug abusers will probably abuse......... people wanting relief to be able to live a 'normal' life are grateful there is something to help them.

[MistyCA]

You are very lucky to still have the same doctor. In our town the old doctors who we learned to trust either retired or were forced out. Literally. In there place we now have doctor's offices that resemble clinics and we are lucky to ever get to see a real doctor. It depends how quickly you want an appointment. My daughters (3 of them) are all pregnant. One is considered high risk and has been able to see the same doctor on each visit, but another one sees a different doctor each time she goes. This is supposed to be so that whatever doctor winds up delivering her baby will have met her at least one time! I really object to the fact we are treated like cattle in the medical community now days, and it will only get worse, imo. Socialism is not pretty no matter who is trying to orchestrate it.

[J. L. Chamberlain]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Yes, there are "bad" doctors who thoughtlessly prescribe improper medications but there are also sheep-like patients that refuse to inform themselves of their options. And yes, the medical community has been harmed by the race for profits. I personally saw this crisis coming and intentionally avoided the HMO craze, sticking strictly to traditional insurance plans and dedicated savings accounts so I could control any given situation.

My own experiences have been quite different from yours and my doctors have kept this old wind bag above ground much longer than I probably deserve. My recommendation to you would be to pick your physicians carefully, become an informed patient and pay close attention to which facility you and your loved ones go to.

J

[Froggie]

That is not for the best if you are the one with the chronic severe disabling pain!

[MistyCA]

I would like to know if the people who take this drug are warned against crushing it or chewing it up? There are many people who don't swallow medications easily and might inadvertently crush the tabs without realizing the effect of doing so.

And regarding Rush Limbaugh...ok, so he goes into rehab and gets off the meds he has been taking. Then what? Does he get back on the same viscious cycle because he can't deal with the pain?

Speaking of med...I knew someone who was under the care of a physician and had an apparently unmonitored prescription from Vicadin. She popped that stuff like it were candy, even to settle her nerves. Then there was a change in insurance and she had to go to a new doctor who would not refill her prescription. So she went doctor shopping to get more drugs! This is pathetic, but her personal choice to abuse that drug was coupled with a physician's willingness to allow it. I want to believe in doctors, but I have a ton of reasons why I don't.

[nmh]

Me:FYI, I have found good medical care but not with the nitwits you defend - "traditional" doctors and their stupid, and destructive "opinions".

You: Uh huh. Good luck...

"Luck" is what you will find with "traditional" doctors. Actually I should be wishing you "good luck" :) and hope for the best since they are egotistical primadonnas with nothing to be so arrogant about.

[bart99]

I can't speak for anyone but myself obviously, but with my doctor we talked about the pros and cons of switching to OXY for a year, and yes, he talked about the addictive quality and the problems of abuse, including the results of crushing the tablets for the buzz (which is how the majority of abusers do it). I also researched the drug on web sites, including the FDA and read a mess of horror stories about it. But........ I don't plan on crushing. I plan on finding the appropriate dosage that controls the chronic pain, and just stay there. The reason I switched to it, as I mentioned earlier, was I was on a slow road to TYLENOL induced problems, and that was something I didn't want.

Good docs should inform their patients of addictive and abusive treatment of any medication. Guess I'm lucky to have a good doc.

We don't really know the addiction problem Rush had.... and why. I suspect he'll be forthright with us all in due time. I Imagine that if he's got chronic, severe pain, he's gonna have to do something about it. What I have no idea. As you and others have mentioned there are alternatives to pills for pain control (TENS, accupuncture, physical therapy, etc.) and perhaps he'll pursue some of that through a pain management program if he needs to.

I sympathise somewhat with the lady that had to doctor shop..... only in that she had an addiction that she wasn't aware of and if the doctor that refused to refill her prescription was a good, strong doc, he might have convinced her of her need to 'change' her approach to her pill-popping ways. Oh well....... we are all unique.

[MistyCA]

Thank you. We left California and are quite happy right now with the care we are receiving. We have a very expensive insurance plan that gives us control of our options. Many people can not afford that, particularly elderly who are on fixed incomes. And many don't have the option to just pack up and head for something better. California use to have some of the best medical care in the world, in our town. That is no longer true. I was also prepared for it to happen because my friends were doctors and they warned me long ago.

Many people who are not of the age to use a lot of medical treatment prefer the HMO's because they are cheaper. What they don't realize is they are feeding a rotten system that is one day going to come back to bite them. It is generally the elderly and the truly sick who are taking the brunt of some of this. And unfortunately, many of them have no advocate and can't speak up for themselves. Sorry I am so negative about what I see happening. But I could tell you some stories that would stand your hair on end.

[OldPossum]

Are you suggesting that they not prescribe it because people misuse it?

Yes, I think that this is what the author and the multitude of other writers on the subject are trying to say.

This is the same line of reasoning that liberals use to justify banning guns.

As to the ruined lives, well, they had to use illegal means to get it, so they must have had a clue that something was wrong about taking it when you're not ill.

OxyContin serves a very useful role in treating people with chronic, intractable pain and it just irritates me that people use the abuse of it (and other opiates) to write sensationalist articles. From what I have read, only about 1 to 2 percent of those using it under a doctor's care and direction, become addicted.