4 ms·

A significant amount of addictions came from those who were overprescribed and instructed to take, by their doctors (who were instructed and given bogus studies

by s5300 5y ago

A significant amount of addictions came from those who were overprescribed and instructed to take, by their doctors (who were instructed and given bogus studies by the Pharma reps) after surgeries, which led to chemical dependence and addiction. Perhaps you could like, read before you post incorrect statements, or so that your attempts at trolling won't be so easily shot down.

rcurry 5y ago
One of the things I enjoy about HN is the fact that we try to steer away from personal attacks. It’s one of the last places on the net where I enjoy taking part in conversations, because even people who disagree completely with me make an effort to keep their arguments civil. Please help us keep it that way.
Gunax 5y ago
Yes, there are thousands of people who got addicted without any history of co-morbidity of addiction. But as a portion of people who were prescribed, they are small. Remember we are talking about a drug that had 245 million prescriptions in the US in 2014. Also, 30% of Americans are living with chronic pain. [2] If anything, we may be under-prescribing these drugs. 1. The narrative is that some poor guy took pain meds for a legitimate reason then ended up addicted. While this does occur, it's actually not very common. > Among people who are prescribed opioids, addiction is relatively uncommon. The percentage of patients who become addicted after taking opioids for chronic pain is measured in the single digits; studies show an incidence from less than 1 percent to 8 percent. Most of the estimates are skewed toward the low end of this range, when those at risk (due to a history of substance abuse or, to a lesser but meaningful extent, a concurrent mental illness) are removed from the sample. 2. Most addicts had a history of drug abuse. > People who abuse pills are rarely new to drugs. The federal government’s 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, for example, revealed that more than three-fourths of misusers had used non-prescribed benzodiazepines, such as Valium or Xanax, or inhalants. A study of Oxycontin users in treatment found that they “were not naive individuals with accidental addictions who were introduced to painkillers by their physicians as reported by the media … [Instead they had] extensive drug use histories.” It's hard to bring this up without straying into classism or victim blaming. The reality is that most people without comorbidities and abuse history are quite safe, and these are drugs we need. [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/what-america-got-wrong-about-opioid-crisis/595090/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/what-ameri... [2] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1507771 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1507771 My claims are actually backed by published research (cited within the Atlantic article if you want to check)... Maybe you could like read before you get shot down.

by s5300 5y ago

rcurry 5y ago

One of the things I enjoy about HN is the fact that we try to steer away from personal attacks. It’s one of the last places on the net where I enjoy taking part in conversations, because even people who disagree completely with me make an effort to keep their arguments civil. Please help us keep it that way.

Gunax 5y ago

Yes, there are thousands of people who got addicted without any history of co-morbidity of addiction. But as a portion of people who were prescribed, they are small. Remember we are talking about a drug that had 245 million prescriptions in the US in 2014. Also, 30% of Americans are living with chronic pain. [2] If anything, we may be under-prescribing these drugs. 1. The narrative is that some poor guy took pain meds for a legitimate reason then ended up addicted. While this does occur, it's actually not very common. > Among people who are prescribed opioids, addiction is relatively uncommon. The percentage of patients who become addicted after taking opioids for chronic pain is measured in the single digits; studies show an incidence from less than 1 percent to 8 percent. Most of the estimates are skewed toward the low end of this range, when those at risk (due to a history of substance abuse or, to a lesser but meaningful extent, a concurrent mental illness) are removed from the sample. 2. Most addicts had a history of drug abuse. > People who abuse pills are rarely new to drugs. The federal government’s 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, for example, revealed that more than three-fourths of misusers had used non-prescribed benzodiazepines, such as Valium or Xanax, or inhalants. A study of Oxycontin users in treatment found that they “were not naive individuals with accidental addictions who were introduced to painkillers by their physicians as reported by the media … [Instead they had] extensive drug use histories.” It's hard to bring this up without straying into classism or victim blaming. The reality is that most people without comorbidities and abuse history are quite safe, and these are drugs we need. [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/what-america-got-wrong-about-opioid-crisis/595090/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/what-ameri... [2] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1507771 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1507771 My claims are actually backed by published research (cited within the Atlantic article if you want to check)... Maybe you could like read before you get shot down.