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Expert sounds alarm on new wave of US opioids crisis

theguardian.com

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Re: Expert sounds alarm on new wave of US opioids crisis

#61

Post by Der_Einzige »

bloopernova wrote: post #23

I was in the care of a pain clinic when the fire hose was abruptly shut off. I wasn't being given oxycontin, but I still suffered from the sudden change. I went from sustainable maintenance to a drug that gave me serious side effects, but the doctors refused to listen. Even when a sleep study objectively showed the damage the buprenorphine was doing, I was told it's that or nothing. The doctors were terrified of new…

The harm to society of people who need them not getting pain drugs far outweighs the pain to society of those who don’t need them abusing them.

I’ve had similar experiences with them not giving me proper painmeds are having all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. They gave me 2 weeks of Tylenol #3 and some homeopathic bullshit and expected that to be good enough. Luckily my stepdad is a serious medical patient with lots of the good stuff, but it’s bad when I’m raiding my own parents pill closet to get any sort of relief after that many wisdom teeth came out all at once.

Re: Expert sounds alarm on new wave of US opioids crisis

#62

Post by matwood »

devjab wrote: post #43
nobodyandproud wrote: post #10

I see this as analogous to the Dust Bowl, where the politicians and coastal elite ignored or dismissed the growing problem until it was too big to ignore. - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1000-mile-long-sto... - https://mallhistory.org/items/show/274 100 years and more information than ever, yet we have’t figured out this out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem.

As a Scandinavian I find this an odd take on the situation. To me it seems like the US has a very, very, broken healthcare system that you’ve chosen to have by electing politicians who aren’t going to reform it into something reasonable. My wife and I presently had twins, and we spent 7 days living in the hospital with a lot of help from nurses and so on, and it cost us $130. Which was me paying for 3 days of living…

Healthcare has to be fixed at the state and national level. There's not much that can be done at a lower level. There are a lot of rules around what states can do to regulate interstate commerce. There's also the situation we're in with pot, where it's legal in many state, but still illegal at the federal level.

The other big issue, is like a lot of things in the US, if someone has money healthcare is great. It's probably the best in the world. Those who get elected have money and don't personally feel the healthcare issue. Heck, politicians at the federal level have their own healthcare system making them even further removed.

One of the biggest voting blocks is seniors, and they have already have access to what many say could be a step towards universal healthcare if opened to everyone. So they are also not inclined to think about it too much.

All in all, it's complicated.

Re: Expert sounds alarm on new wave of US opioids crisis

#64

Post by chasil »

devjab wrote: post #43
nobodyandproud wrote: post #10

I see this as analogous to the Dust Bowl, where the politicians and coastal elite ignored or dismissed the growing problem until it was too big to ignore. - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1000-mile-long-sto... - https://mallhistory.org/items/show/274 100 years and more information than ever, yet we have’t figured out this out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem.

As a Scandinavian I find this an odd take on the situation. To me it seems like the US has a very, very, broken healthcare system that you’ve chosen to have by electing politicians who aren’t going to reform it into something reasonable. My wife and I presently had twins, and we spent 7 days living in the hospital with a lot of help from nurses and so on, and it cost us $130. Which was me paying for 3 days of living…

Yes, our country is a mess. I don't think that the states currently have the power to oppose and reverse the directives of the FDA. That will shortly come to a head with the abortion drugs.

Fun fact... many people know that Coca-Cola originally included cocaine as an ingredient, but fewer are aware that 7-Up was originally made with lithium.

"The product, originally named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda", was launched two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug, until 1948... Its name was later shortened to "7 Up Lithiated Lemon Soda" before being further shortened to just "7 Up" by 1936."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Up

Re: Expert sounds alarm on new wave of US opioids crisis

#66

Post by swayvil »

impossiblefork wrote: post #55
swayvil wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consider that 10% of the population is on antidepressants. And the world hasn't blown up. Given the choice between antidepressants and opioids, I'll take opioids.

Opioids are almost certainly worse than antidepressants, and I don't see why you appear to believe that they are alternatives to each other. Any entity participating in an endeavour which as part of its activities distributes, markets or which through propaganda or political action defends the use of opioids must be destroyed, because opioids are a chemical weapon. They aren't 'illegal drugs'. They're a means to dest…

How are opioids worse than antidepressants ?

Re: Expert sounds alarm on new wave of US opioids crisis

#68

Post by stevenAthompson »

prepend wrote: post #27
pierat wrote: post #2

[flagged]

I don’t think it’s puritanical at all as narcotics for painkillers are dangerous. Imagine if handguns were really good at treating pain, but had like a 30% chance of killing the patient. Would it be puritanical to not prescribe handguns to everyone with pain? And if patients who thought they would not ruin their lives were upset about not being able to get handguns and complained about engaging in “handgun seeking be…

>Pain protocols now feature OTC stuff even though they result in more pain in patients because they are equally effective but have no chance of death or life ruining addiction.

If they were "as effective" they would not result in more pain.

Additionally, pain ruins more lives than opioids and has been doing so for thousands of years. Ever tried to hold a job when you're in agony and have only slept a few hours that week?

People with untreated or untreatable pain tend to just kill themselves. That is NOT a better outcome than addiction.

Re: Expert sounds alarm on new wave of US opioids crisis

#69

Post by impossiblefork »

pierat wrote: post #2

[flagged]

I don't think people should be free of pain.

At present removing pain from people requires highly addictive substances that I consider to be chemical weapons or tools for destroying a person. Without a breakthrough-- some kind of non-opioid non-brain affecting painkiller, there's no way to achieve pain reduction without destroying the person.

It might be puritanical, but puritanism worked. A society with opioids doesn't.

Re: Expert sounds alarm on new wave of US opioids crisis

#70

Post by impossiblefork »

swayvil wrote: post #66
impossiblefork wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Opioids are almost certainly worse than antidepressants, and I don't see why you appear to believe that they are alternatives to each other. Any entity participating in an endeavour which as part of its activities distributes, markets or which through propaganda or political action defends the use of opioids must be destroyed, because opioids are a chemical weapon. They aren't 'illegal drugs'. They're a means to dest…

How are opioids worse than antidepressants ?

Do antidepressants hijack people's reward systems so that they no longer enjoy things other than antidepressants?
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