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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

#121

Post by insane_dreamer »

diamondap wrote: post #44

A few years ago, I talked to three retired federal law enforcement agents who had each spent 20+ years fighting the cartels that were bringing drugs into the US from Mexico and South America. All three felt betrayed by the US government. They said, essentially, "We put our lives on the line many times to try to stop the flow of drugs. Then the government turned around and basically gave the pharmaceuticals license to…

sounds like the only difference between the Columbian Drug Cartels (cocaine producers and street pushers distribution network) and the American Drug Cartels (Big Pharma and pill mill distribution network) is the latter paid taxes

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

#122

Post by amanaplanacanal »

rayiner wrote: post #82
kibwen wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's not a solution, or a possibility for a lot of folks. Then we need to work to make it a solution and a possibility, because I don't know what the alternative is. I'm from Appalachia, though my former oil-town retains a meager amount of relevance via the nearby industrial dairy farm. The owner of the only grocery store retired and nobody was interested in taking over, so the storefront laid empty until the gov…

[flagged]

To a small extent you are correct, but a larger factor is automaton. It doesn't take that many people to grow food or extract resources anymore. The people that don't exist don't need grocery stores, bars, restaurants, or barbers either.

We would still be in this situation even without immigration or overseas trade.

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

#123

Post by malfist »

jmyeet wrote: post #56

Every part of this is made worse by capitalism. We start with over-prescription of opioids. Pharma companies make money selling them. Doctors may even make money in kickbacks (a practice that should be illegal). The disastrous War on Drugs that made opioids cheaper and easier to obtain (eg black tar heroin) than cannabis. Those who became addicts from a legal prescription turn to illegal products. Illegal pills are e…

Just FYI, kickbacks to doctors are illegal. Currently the most pharma can do is send reps to "educate" doctors and include a lunch under a certain price point.

This hasn't always been the case but it is now.

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

#124

Post by devilbunny »

meepmorp wrote: post #102
devilbunny wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t live in your skin, but I had all of my wisdom teeth extracted under local anesthetics without sedation. And I never even needed an NSAID. Maybe it hurt you that bad, but it’s not par for the course.

> I don’t live in your skin You should have stopped there.

When someone claims they need two weeks of opioids for postoperative pain, it is relevant to point out that it is abnormal.

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

#125

Post by insane_dreamer »

giantg2 wrote: post #39

I'm glad this article is highlighting the environment that this happened in. The lack of hope is what is at the root of the issue for many. If you have no decent job prospects and multiple issues in your life, you won't care about what a drug will do to you as long as you get to forget those problems for a while. Pretty similar for alcohol too. They blame the coal barrons for not leaving anything behind. They certain…

The biggest problem is/was the quest for greater corporate profits, which drives consolidation, cost-cutting, offshore outsourcing, reducing the power of the unions, product enshittification, etc.). When the mission of a company is to deliver value to its shareholders -- the mantra of capitalism -- this is the end result, and it's highly destructive. We saw it at the end of the 19th century, and we're seeing it again from the end of the 20thC until now.

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

#126

Post by lotsofpulp »

fifteen1506 wrote: post #101
lotsofpulp wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any evidence to show the blame lies somewhere in the middle? As far as I can tell, a retail pharmacy’s role is to dispense medication per a prescription, while avoiding errors caused by mixing medicines and advising people how to take medicine. A retail pharmacy’s role is not to be the de facto front line workers for the DEA. So when our government collects fines from businesses for not policing their cus…

Well yes, because OxyContin was oversold and the company's behaviour was unethical. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/health/purdue-opioids-oxy...

I cannot read the article. What is the pharmacy’s role? OxyContin requires a prescription, so did the pharmacy sell without prescriptions?

Bottom line is, do you want pharmacies to be making non medical judgment calls on which prescriptions to fill and not fill? If so, then don’t complain when they exercise judgment.

I, for one, would rather not deputize everyone I interact with.

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

#127

Post by devilbunny »

aaomidi wrote: post #91
devilbunny wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t live in your skin, but I had all of my wisdom teeth extracted under local anesthetics without sedation. And I never even needed an NSAID. Maybe it hurt you that bad, but it’s not par for the course.

You don’t and your judgement of someone else’s pain is not relevant to this thread or respectful and is the exact line of thinking that leads to people’s pain not being taken seriously.

And if we take pain “seriously” and give opioids for what should be minimal pain, we are facilitating addiction. I’m not judging the pain, only the response of giving a prescription off the bat.

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

#128

Post by devilbunny »

BytesAndGears wrote: post #111
devilbunny wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t live in your skin, but I had all of my wisdom teeth extracted under local anesthetics without sedation. And I never even needed an NSAID. Maybe it hurt you that bad, but it’s not par for the course.

That’s great for you. My partner was also not given anything when her wisdom teeth were removed. As the dentists anesthetic wore off, on the drive home, she started crying, then screaming as we pulled into the driveway. I got her in bed and gave her Tylenol (dentists recommendation), but she was crying, curled up in a ball, unable to move and barely talk, couldn’t drink water, just grasping her legs and suffering wit…

That is well out of the norm and should be treated as such. Some people will need it, but that’s no reason to spew opioids on anyone who has a small procedure.

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

#130

Post by insane_dreamer »

misiti3780 wrote: post #112

Why is there no opioid crisis in Europe ?

An analysis of this question here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6...

A lot has to do with the availability of health care in Europe (universal health care), and specifically addiction care.

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