6 ms·

Easy for you to say when you don't live with chronic pain. Morphine makes life bearable and allows me to work and contribute to society. I would otherwise be

Easy for you to say when you don't live with chronic pain. Morphine makes life bearable and allows me to work and contribute to society. I would otherwise be in bed all day from the chronic pain. Having chronic pain is like being under water. And pain relief is like coming up for air. These laws have made it so I can literally only get a maximum of 90mg of morphine daily when I really need 200mg, what I used to be on. It's terrible that those of us who actually use these drugs responsible are being screwed over, and average joes like yourself demonize opioids when they have medicinal value. I will agree that synthetics are bad and I specifically ask for morphine versus Oxycodone or Hydrocodone. The synthetics are pretty much just a way to make more money and they are way more addictive.

refurb 7y ago
You had me until the end. There is nothing about the synthetic opioids that make them more addictive.
- socialist_coder 7y ago
  Not 100% true, the extended release version of Oxycontin was actually more addictive than other variants.
  - refurb 7y ago
    OxyContin became popular because it was commonly prescribed and you could crush up the pills to get the entire dose at once, instead of over 8 hours.
- Gibbon1 7y ago
  Friends of my that are ex-addicts say Oxycodone is the shizzle. Also Oxycontin was marketed as having a 12 hour dosing schedule. But the half life is about 2/3rds if that. That sets up a yoyo dosing schedule that's known to be highly addictive.
  - ceejayoz 7y ago
    Purdue knew this, too - as early as the clinical trials! https://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/ https://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/ > Purdue’s researchers, meanwhile, were conducting at least a half dozen clinical trials, according to the company’s FDA application. In study after study, many patients given OxyContin every 12 hours would ask for more medication before their next scheduled dose. > For example, in one study of 164 cancer patients, one third of those given OxyContin dropped out because they found the treatment “ineffective,” according to an FDA analysis of the study. Researchers then changed the rules of the study to allow patients to take supplemental painkillers, known as “rescue medication,” in between 12-hour doses of OxyContin.
    - refurb 7y ago
      For someone who knows how the drug industry works, that LA Times article is pretty ridiculous. The every 12 hour dosing was approved by the FDA which looked at the clinical trial data and approved 12 hour dosing. After it was launched, the company kept promoting 12 hours because if they didn't, the FDA would sanction them. As a drug manufacture you can't just change the FDA approved dosing wily nilly. And if you're Purdue, you have every incentive to lower the dosing interval because you can charge more. You make more money with every 8 hour dosing (which is still better than most drugs) than every 12 hours.
      - Gibbon1 7y ago
        > you have every incentive to lower the dosing interval because you can charge more If they lowered the dosing schedule they'd be competing directly with generic opiates.
        refurb 7y ago
        Generic opioids are doses at 4 h. Even if they dropped OxyContin to 8 hrs, they have double the duration. More than enough to compete and win.
      - 7y ago
- goldenkey 7y ago
  First of all, I've taken them, so I know anecdotally. Secondly, the bond strength is what makes them much more addictive. It's why Heroin is more addictive than Morphine. Why Fentanyl is more addictive than Heroin. And so on. Weaker drugs, one may need to take higher mg doses but tend to be less addictive.

refurb 7y ago

You had me until the end. There is nothing about the synthetic opioids that make them more addictive.

socialist_coder 7y ago
Not 100% true, the extended release version of Oxycontin was actually more addictive than other variants.
- refurb 7y ago
  OxyContin became popular because it was commonly prescribed and you could crush up the pills to get the entire dose at once, instead of over 8 hours.
Gibbon1 7y ago
Friends of my that are ex-addicts say Oxycodone is the shizzle. Also Oxycontin was marketed as having a 12 hour dosing schedule. But the half life is about 2/3rds if that. That sets up a yoyo dosing schedule that's known to be highly addictive.
- ceejayoz 7y ago
  Purdue knew this, too - as early as the clinical trials! https://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/ https://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/ > Purdue’s researchers, meanwhile, were conducting at least a half dozen clinical trials, according to the company’s FDA application. In study after study, many patients given OxyContin every 12 hours would ask for more medication before their next scheduled dose. > For example, in one study of 164 cancer patients, one third of those given OxyContin dropped out because they found the treatment “ineffective,” according to an FDA analysis of the study. Researchers then changed the rules of the study to allow patients to take supplemental painkillers, known as “rescue medication,” in between 12-hour doses of OxyContin.
  - refurb 7y ago
    For someone who knows how the drug industry works, that LA Times article is pretty ridiculous. The every 12 hour dosing was approved by the FDA which looked at the clinical trial data and approved 12 hour dosing. After it was launched, the company kept promoting 12 hours because if they didn't, the FDA would sanction them. As a drug manufacture you can't just change the FDA approved dosing wily nilly. And if you're Purdue, you have every incentive to lower the dosing interval because you can charge more. You make more money with every 8 hour dosing (which is still better than most drugs) than every 12 hours.
    - Gibbon1 7y ago
      > you have every incentive to lower the dosing interval because you can charge more If they lowered the dosing schedule they'd be competing directly with generic opiates.
      - refurb 7y ago
        Generic opioids are doses at 4 h. Even if they dropped OxyContin to 8 hrs, they have double the duration. More than enough to compete and win.
    - 7y ago
goldenkey 7y ago
First of all, I've taken them, so I know anecdotally. Secondly, the bond strength is what makes them much more addictive. It's why Heroin is more addictive than Morphine. Why Fentanyl is more addictive than Heroin. And so on. Weaker drugs, one may need to take higher mg doses but tend to be less addictive.