Posted on 08/14/2011 4:37:30 PM PDT by DBCJR
We are facing a tsunami of painkiller addiction that will flood our criminal justice, health care, behavioral health, and social services resources. Illicit online pharmacies have made prescriptions cheap and easy to acquire, fueling a massive wave of addi...ction that we actually have not seen yet. SAMHSA estimates that over 5% of the nations population, 12 years and older, are using painkillers, nowhere more prevalent than the heartland with Oklahoma leading the nation at 6.7%.
Opioid addiction used to be thought of as primarily heroin addiction, but that is changing rapidly. The masses currently addicted to prescription painkillers have conveniently been able to manage their addiction and manage other aspects of their lives like job and family. However, the Senate passed the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Act and the DEA is closing down those cheap and easy suppliers of prescription drugs.
When that happens this mass of addiction will suddenly become sick and desperate, and a foreseeable progression of consequences will follow. That means increased criminal activity, loss of jobs, which leads to loss of housing, which leads to the break-up of families and increased utilization of social services. 5.5% to 6.7% of the population 12 years and older may be headed toward this foreseeable progression of consequences.
Traditional approaches to substance abuse treatment have proven ineffective in treating opioid addiction, with high relapse rates. These approaches start with inpatient detox. In Oklahoma, according to ODMHSAS, there is a waiting list of 1,000-1,300 for residential substance abuse treatment. Detox and residential treatment are huge bottlenecks to an ineffective approach. Is there anything to stop this tidal wave of destruction?
SAMHSA has identified the evidence-based best practice, Medication Assisted Treatment, Treatment Improvement Protocol 43, as having the best outcomes for opioid addicts. Even better, in most cases, active opioid abusers can be taken directly into outpatient treatment, skipping inpatient detox and preserving jobs, housing, and families. While new generation drugs have been developed, they are very expensive and are not covered by Medicaid and Medicare, and many private health plans.
Even though I agree with you about painkillers and the unfortunate way some suffer with chronic pain, I don’t think it’s appropriate to wish others to suffer. Do you really want DBCJR to suffer on his or her deathbed? I hope not.
Divisive topic. For those who have trouble getting pain meds, and wonder how this could be....do not under-estimate the power of a combination of questionable doctors, disability fraud, and street sales of oxy. I don’t think this article is about genuine chronic pain sufferers (who have spoken up on this thread), instead its plain old drug abuse by the liesure class.
And after bleeding out and suffering on a deathbed made of granite, anyone croaking in a hospital has it pretty easy. IMHO.
/johnny
Yes, Johnny.
Yup. And add in tinnitus that is louder than people speak. Just have to tough it up!
Col. Mc.Crea would have given me some relief, as he was able. But his science was weak, given the times.
We have better science today.
And I'm not going back to herbals unless required by circumstances.
/johnny
You are correct. There is one here who has an axe to grind. He is not really angry at me. Just because he has chronic pain does not mean that he is not also an addict. His behavior and a couple of facts he disclosed causes me to think that might be the case. God help him.
Suck it up.
The younger generation gets their due measure. Scorn for those hurt on their behalf won't be pleasant.
I remember drinking from that cup.
/johnny
“Mammels is mammels”
Not as much as you would think, a good drug for man may be poison to an animal and vice versa. Be careful out there.
And I agree about the narcs, my doc thinks I need them, but I like to think and be able to empty my bowels.
” People approaching the end of their lives should have whatever relief they want. “
Your comment is so true! Denying people relief at the end of their lives,,,, is disgraceful.. What good reason is behind this? Do I need to connect to a heroin dealer? What an awful thought!
He is not really angry with me, just angry. I’m talking about addiction and he is getting defensive about pain management. What does that tell you? He tells us his doc limits him to 10 days of pain meds. Any ideas why? And he tells us he is NOT bitter. Denial is a major symptom of addiction. To be fair, it is symptomatic of a number of behavioral disorders. But the evidence is starting to mount up. Not likely we can reason with Johnny. I don’t take it personnaly.
I'm very careful with the catz. I read that part of the book carefully. Never asprin, and they are 'obligate eaters' or their livers go south. Something about vitamen K.
But what? I'm gonna care? It's going to hurt worse?
Nyet, tovarich.
I'll just carry on.
/johnny
I don't have a doctor. I don't get medical care or doctors.
Someone else is restricted to 10 days of meds.
It works better to take the high moral ground when you can get the facts correct.
Just sayin...
/johnny
I did nothing to anger you. Your rants and curses are unfounded. You need help. Please get it.
Really, really.
But you can't honestly answer my point that you conflated some folks....
I don't have a doctor. I'm not subject to any presciptions. I don't get any drugs. Ever.
And I'm not angry. I'm just pointing out your position for what it is.
Nothing but love. And God's Will be done.
/johnny
How do you know that he is a full-blown addict? I have been proscribed Hydrocodone for almost ten years now. I have been prescribed a 3 months supply for all that time and have only a couple of times used all of them in the period prescribed. I almost always have lots of them left over and refill my prescription only when finished with them. You see, unlike what you think, not everyone who takes these pills is addicted to them. I go weeks, sometimes more than a month without taking them.
A normal day in my life is painful, very much so. However, I only take the pills on days that the pain level is tear inducing. I grew up working on commercial fishing boats and have always been a tough person, but the kind of pain we’re talking here is constant and overwhelming.
You really have no perspective from which to make your accusations and claims.
i have a real bad back pains
slam the chair against the wall pain
i tried cobroxin
its made from cobra toxin its
over the counter or get it online
and more and more stores are getting
it its as strong as opiates but no high
its amazing stuff
and cobroxin has its own facebook page
However, I still have problems getting the strong enough dosage. Some of the stories told me is that the VA docs don't have authority to prescribe higher doses and that what they prescribe is only 25% effective. I read that to say that the VA is only willing to prescribe 25% of what I actually need.
When I was being treated by Florida hospital, I was on 120 mg Oxycontin plus Percocet for breakthrough pain. When I first started with the VA they put me on worthless Darvon which has now been withdrawn from the market as being too dangerous.
After a few months on that ineffective medication, and after much complaining my primary care provider (PCP)finally sent me to the pain clinic who recognized my need and finally gave me a effective prescription.
Now after being a few years on Morphine and Oxycodone for breakthrough pain, I need a higher dosage and once again my PCP is sending me to the pain clinic to get it done claiming that he didn't have the authority needed to raise my prescription.
My current PCP is not my original PCP, he is my third one. My first one decided that he no longer wanted to handle me after I asked him to increase my dosage. The first time I asked, he completely dropped the ball and didn't even renew my current prescription.
He was so scared of increasing it he transferred me to my second PCP who reinstated the current prescription but also assigned me to monthly testing to ensure that I was actually taking the meds. He retired after three months and now I am on my third PCP who is also scared of increasing my dosage without approval from the pain clinic which will trigger another round of monthly testing.
It is a very sad state of affairs when even our wounded vets some of which have devastating injuries can't get the proper medication.
Anyone going on long tern Opiate pain killers should expect to remain on them for the rest of their lives. They should only be used for short term (a week or less) or terminal usage.
The main problem with any pain medication is that the body develops less sensitivity to them over time requiring ever larger dosages. The body compensates for the Opiates by developing more pain receptors to make up for the ones which are temporarily blocked by the medication.
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