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And yet opiates are both approved by the FDA, and widely prescribed by doctors. As far as I know they carry a much higher addiction risk and increase mortality

by Tiksi 12y ago

And yet opiates are both approved by the FDA, and widely prescribed by doctors. As far as I know they carry a much higher addiction risk and increase mortality quite a bit more than alcohol does. Benzos, amphetamines, SSRIs, etc etc. There are plenty of pills both approved and prescribed that have a worse effect and/or affect a higher percentage of people.

jnbiche 12y ago
Opiates, benzos, and amphetamines are all highly controlled substances -- and most physicians only prescribe them long-term under very rare circumstances. And actually, long-term opiate abuse is much less likely to result in organ failure and other chronic health conditions than alcohol is. That's not the case with benzos or amphetamines, but I don't see anyone this side of Hunter S. Thomson arguing that more people should take amphetamines. Finally, can you explain what you mean by "and/or affect a higher percentage of people"? You mean more people take SSRIs than abuse alcohol? I don't understand what you're suggesting.
- Spooky23 12y ago
  Opiate abuse doesn't, but the bundled acetaminophen kills livers. I think the previous posters' point was that becoming dependent on opiates happens more often than dependency on alcohol. I agree -- except in cases where there is genetic predisposition to alcoholism.
- Tiksi 12y ago
  Opioid[1] and Amphetamine[2] over-prescription is certainly not rare. Anecdotally, I know plenty of people that got sent home with a bottle of hydrocodone after dental surgery, which is not a rare case. There is an entire market based on prescribing these "highly controlled" substances to people who don't actually need them.[3][4][5] While long term use of opiates isn't in itself harmful, long term abuse carries a high risk of overdose due to tolerance. By "and/or affect a higher percentage of people", I mean that a higher percentage of people who take certain prescribed substances (like amphetamines or opioids) are at risk for addiction to those substances than those who drink alcohol.[6] Edit: All of which is ultimately irrelevant, as your argument was "Do you think the FDA would approve that pill? Do you think any sane doctor would prescribe that pill to his/her patients?" and we both seem to agree that pills that have fewer benefits and just as bad if not worse consequences that your hypothetical drug are both approved by the FDA and prescribed by doctors. [1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22786464 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22786464 [2] http://www.gwlr.org/2014/02/03/cohen-2/ http://www.gwlr.org/2014/02/03/cohen-2/ [3] http://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-pill-mills-cashing-in-on-painkiller-addiction-1.749667 http://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-pill-mills-cash... [4] http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/after-pill-mill-crackdown-heroin-fills-a-void/2180122 http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/after-pil... [5] http://fox8.com/2013/04/18/doctor-pleads-guilty-to-running-pill-mill/ http://fox8.com/2013/04/18/doctor-pleads-guilty-to-running-p... [6] http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rational_scale_to_assess_the_harm_of_drugs_%28mean_physical_harm_and_mean_dependence%29.svg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rational_scale_to_ass...

by Tiksi 12y ago

jnbiche 12y ago

Opiates, benzos, and amphetamines are all highly controlled substances -- and most physicians only prescribe them long-term under very rare circumstances. And actually, long-term opiate abuse is much less likely to result in organ failure and other chronic health conditions than alcohol is. That's not the case with benzos or amphetamines, but I don't see anyone this side of Hunter S. Thomson arguing that more people should take amphetamines. Finally, can you explain what you mean by "and/or affect a higher percentage of people"? You mean more people take SSRIs than abuse alcohol? I don't understand what you're suggesting.

Spooky23 12y ago
Opiate abuse doesn't, but the bundled acetaminophen kills livers. I think the previous posters' point was that becoming dependent on opiates happens more often than dependency on alcohol. I agree -- except in cases where there is genetic predisposition to alcoholism.
Tiksi 12y ago
Opioid[1] and Amphetamine[2] over-prescription is certainly not rare. Anecdotally, I know plenty of people that got sent home with a bottle of hydrocodone after dental surgery, which is not a rare case. There is an entire market based on prescribing these "highly controlled" substances to people who don't actually need them.[3][4][5] While long term use of opiates isn't in itself harmful, long term abuse carries a high risk of overdose due to tolerance. By "and/or affect a higher percentage of people", I mean that a higher percentage of people who take certain prescribed substances (like amphetamines or opioids) are at risk for addiction to those substances than those who drink alcohol.[6] Edit: All of which is ultimately irrelevant, as your argument was "Do you think the FDA would approve that pill? Do you think any sane doctor would prescribe that pill to his/her patients?" and we both seem to agree that pills that have fewer benefits and just as bad if not worse consequences that your hypothetical drug are both approved by the FDA and prescribed by doctors. [1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22786464 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22786464 [2] http://www.gwlr.org/2014/02/03/cohen-2/ http://www.gwlr.org/2014/02/03/cohen-2/ [3] http://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-pill-mills-cashing-in-on-painkiller-addiction-1.749667 http://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-pill-mills-cash... [4] http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/after-pill-mill-crackdown-heroin-fills-a-void/2180122 http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/after-pil... [5] http://fox8.com/2013/04/18/doctor-pleads-guilty-to-running-pill-mill/ http://fox8.com/2013/04/18/doctor-pleads-guilty-to-running-p... [6] http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rational_scale_to_assess_the_harm_of_drugs_%28mean_physical_harm_and_mean_dependence%29.svg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rational_scale_to_ass...