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Even though you don't drink, imagine you get into a minor accident on the way home from work today. You seem alright but your knee hurts the next morning, so yo

Even though you don't drink, imagine you get into a minor accident on the way home from work today. You seem alright but your knee hurts the next morning, so you go to the doctor just to get it checked out. There's a strong chance that in the event of a minor injury you'd be (over-)prescribed oxycontin, percocet or another opiate. Doctors have been handing them out like candy in the US thanks to heavy promotion by pharma companies & pressure to get patients processed as quickly as possible (easier to give pills than really get to know a patient). The doctor says it's safe and it's a medical prescription so it's fine, right. Your pain is gone and you're able to function normally. After a few weeks your supply runs out and the doctor refuses to renew your prescription despite your injury still causing you pain. The doctor provides no after-care or advice to avoid addiction, writes on your chart that you've exhibited "drug seeking behavior" and tells you to leave. Your buddy says he has a friend, who hooks you up with a few Oxies (at least you think they're Oxy, the writing is in Chinese), and you're back to feeling "normal" again. After a while you run out of money, but your friend can supply you heroin at a lower price. Congrats you're a junkie, despite being a tee-totaler just a few months before. Kinda condensed and I'm sure many people on HN will say "but that wouldn't be me". But it is the slope for many, many people in this country.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
syshum 9y ago
WOW there is a lot of incorrect crap in your comment. Yes the US proscribes opiate based pain killers at a higher level then Socialized Medicine nations, mainly because American Patients do not accept the "live with the pain" treatment you get from Government run care where they refuse to provide pain killers unless you are screaming in pain, and even then they give you a Advil and tell you to "suck it up butter cup" Screw that. There are all kinds of people that cant not get the medication they have a legitimate medical need for because the these new crack downs on Opiate based pain killers, now these people are having to live with chronic pain because the doctor fear being sent to prison by the DEA, because the DEA knows more about medicine than a doctor does clearly In your Hypothetical from Prescription to Heroin you blame the doctor, I blame the DEA. The artificial limits and constraints the DEA is placing on medical professionals is interfering with patient care, and causing some patients to turn on street drugs instead of proper medication Contrary to what the DEA thinks, combating Drug abuse is not a police matter, it is a medical matter and should be left in the hand of medical doctors not the legal system
- DanBC 9y ago
  You've made a few mistakes in this post. The first, and perhaps most important, is that you think opioids are a suitable treatment for long term pain. They aren't. There is little evidence of efficacy of opioids for treatment of long term pain. Your suggestion - that we treat pain using opioids - i) doesn't treat pain, and ii) creates addicts. More information here: https://www.fpm.ac.uk/faculty-of-pain-medicine/opioids-aware https://www.fpm.ac.uk/faculty-of-pain-medicine/opioids-aware > "live with the pain" treatment you get from Government run care where they refuse to provide pain killers unless you are screaming in pain Quite clearly nonsense. > The artificial limits No, these are evidence based restrictions.
  - syshum 9y ago
    Umm, Number 1 in your link contradicts number 2, first they claim it is not helpful for long term relief, then go on to say it is helpful for long term relief. Further in typical UK practice they claim it is not helpful but offer no alternative treatments, claiming it should be discontinued even if there are no alternative. basically what I said "Suck it up buttercup" but they state it in a more PC and nanny government terminology >Quite clearly nonsense. hmmm http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Pain/Pages/Longtermpain.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Pain/Pages/Longtermpain.aspx "You may also be referred for complementary therapy to see if that helps with the pain. You should be offered advice on how to better manage your pain on a day-to-day basis, such as by using self-help techniques." Again, No pain Killer, just walk it off or deal with it. That is the UK policy on long term chronic Pain. Suck it up and learn to live with it. >No, these are evidence based restrictions. No infact they are not, not in the case of the DEA/US Drug Control Policy anyway There is not a single drug control policy in the US that is "evidence based" most of is not even about the actual drugs, it is about power, control, money, and about 100 other things but not public safety or drugs
    - DanBC 9y ago
      > Further in typical UK practice they claim it is not helpful but offer no alternative treatments, claiming it should be discontinued even if there are no alternative. Untrue. https://www.nice.org.uk/search?q=pain https://www.nice.org.uk/search?q=pain
tabeth 9y ago
I don't buy this. Why are most of these people men then?

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

syshum 9y ago

WOW there is a lot of incorrect crap in your comment. Yes the US proscribes opiate based pain killers at a higher level then Socialized Medicine nations, mainly because American Patients do not accept the "live with the pain" treatment you get from Government run care where they refuse to provide pain killers unless you are screaming in pain, and even then they give you a Advil and tell you to "suck it up butter cup" Screw that. There are all kinds of people that cant not get the medication they have a legitimate medical need for because the these new crack downs on Opiate based pain killers, now these people are having to live with chronic pain because the doctor fear being sent to prison by the DEA, because the DEA knows more about medicine than a doctor does clearly In your Hypothetical from Prescription to Heroin you blame the doctor, I blame the DEA. The artificial limits and constraints the DEA is placing on medical professionals is interfering with patient care, and causing some patients to turn on street drugs instead of proper medication Contrary to what the DEA thinks, combating Drug abuse is not a police matter, it is a medical matter and should be left in the hand of medical doctors not the legal system

DanBC 9y ago
You've made a few mistakes in this post. The first, and perhaps most important, is that you think opioids are a suitable treatment for long term pain. They aren't. There is little evidence of efficacy of opioids for treatment of long term pain. Your suggestion - that we treat pain using opioids - i) doesn't treat pain, and ii) creates addicts. More information here: https://www.fpm.ac.uk/faculty-of-pain-medicine/opioids-aware https://www.fpm.ac.uk/faculty-of-pain-medicine/opioids-aware > "live with the pain" treatment you get from Government run care where they refuse to provide pain killers unless you are screaming in pain Quite clearly nonsense. > The artificial limits No, these are evidence based restrictions.
- syshum 9y ago
  Umm, Number 1 in your link contradicts number 2, first they claim it is not helpful for long term relief, then go on to say it is helpful for long term relief. Further in typical UK practice they claim it is not helpful but offer no alternative treatments, claiming it should be discontinued even if there are no alternative. basically what I said "Suck it up buttercup" but they state it in a more PC and nanny government terminology >Quite clearly nonsense. hmmm http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Pain/Pages/Longtermpain.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Pain/Pages/Longtermpain.aspx "You may also be referred for complementary therapy to see if that helps with the pain. You should be offered advice on how to better manage your pain on a day-to-day basis, such as by using self-help techniques." Again, No pain Killer, just walk it off or deal with it. That is the UK policy on long term chronic Pain. Suck it up and learn to live with it. >No, these are evidence based restrictions. No infact they are not, not in the case of the DEA/US Drug Control Policy anyway There is not a single drug control policy in the US that is "evidence based" most of is not even about the actual drugs, it is about power, control, money, and about 100 other things but not public safety or drugs
  - DanBC 9y ago
    > Further in typical UK practice they claim it is not helpful but offer no alternative treatments, claiming it should be discontinued even if there are no alternative. Untrue. https://www.nice.org.uk/search?q=pain https://www.nice.org.uk/search?q=pain

tabeth 9y ago

I don't buy this. Why are most of these people men then?