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Well, there is also information asymmetry at play here. Patients could have legit pain, and then go to multiple doctors, without the others finding out. Then th

Well, there is also information asymmetry at play here. Patients could have legit pain, and then go to multiple doctors, without the others finding out. Then they could sell those to other people, or use them all themselves. On the other hand, the pharmacies might know, but that could be worked around by a motivated pill-obtainer. The pharma companies, however, definitely know that they sent 780 million painkillers to a state with only 1.8 million men, women, and children. I am not saying it is their duty to do something about this, but maybe they have some high-level information that others do not. I really don't see a way this could be fixed without giving every doctor in the US access to some huge database of every prescription of every person in the country -- which I would not be cool with, nor would anyone else, other than maybe law enforcement agencies.

nradov 10y ago
Between Surescripts providing centralized medication history, and statewide controlled substance prescription registries, doctors can no longer claim ignorance when dealing with drug-seeking patients. But those sources of information were spotty and incomplete up to a few years ago.
- nastysquar3d 10y ago
  This is exactly right. My wife is a pharmacist and our state only recently implemented the database of medication history. In the past a seeker could go to any doctor, or any pharmacist and they would have no idea of this patients medical / prescription history. So even if they denied the patient their prescription, they would just go somewhere else. When WV tightened the restrictions and limits on suboxone seekers would just leave the state to get ahold of it.
GordonS 10y ago
> Patients could have legit pain, and then go to multiple doctors, without the others finding out. Then they could sell those to other people, or use them all themselves I can't imagine many people that have real pain bad enough to need opioids are going to be selling them to other people. For people that really need them to manage pain, they can literally be a live saver.
- mhuffman 10y ago
  Opioids are worth lots on the street. Even people with "real pain" still need money right? Especially in a state like WV. So if you can get enough pills to cover your own pain management (meaning you likely can't work anyway), and you know you can get and sell more pills by going to other doctors, why not?

nradov 10y ago

Between Surescripts providing centralized medication history, and statewide controlled substance prescription registries, doctors can no longer claim ignorance when dealing with drug-seeking patients. But those sources of information were spotty and incomplete up to a few years ago.

nastysquar3d 10y ago
This is exactly right. My wife is a pharmacist and our state only recently implemented the database of medication history. In the past a seeker could go to any doctor, or any pharmacist and they would have no idea of this patients medical / prescription history. So even if they denied the patient their prescription, they would just go somewhere else. When WV tightened the restrictions and limits on suboxone seekers would just leave the state to get ahold of it.

GordonS 10y ago

> Patients could have legit pain, and then go to multiple doctors, without the others finding out. Then they could sell those to other people, or use them all themselves I can't imagine many people that have real pain bad enough to need opioids are going to be selling them to other people. For people that really need them to manage pain, they can literally be a live saver.

mhuffman 10y ago
Opioids are worth lots on the street. Even people with "real pain" still need money right? Especially in a state like WV. So if you can get enough pills to cover your own pain management (meaning you likely can't work anyway), and you know you can get and sell more pills by going to other doctors, why not?