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Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

vox.com

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Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#21

Post by joveian »

This seems like a particularly limited article, although a better slant than many. The NY Times just had this (also not wonderful, but with some additional information) article a few days ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/us/heroin-epidemic-increas...

While the title mentions heroin, the article at least mentions that deaths are frequently due to more deadly prescription painkillers being mixed in. One thing I wonder that I haven't seen addressed (I'm not sure if there is even data available) is how many overdose deaths are due to use of multiple drugs at the same time (alcohol for example makes many drugs more deadly).

Hopefully there will be more and better reporting on the issue. IIRC (and wikipedia agrees at least), these numbers mean that drug overdoes are now killing non-trivially more people in the US than car accidents.

Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#22

Post by anentropic »

user_0001 wrote: post #13
user_0001 wrote: post #11

What are the rates like compared to other countries? Does the US just over prescribe painkillers, meaning more flood to the blackmarket? Is it people are getting it from the Dr and accidentally ODing? Are the Drs prescribing without care, so those who want the drug for a high and no medical reason can? I never knew painkillers to be used as party drug / fun drug in the UK (outside of the heroin using demographic) nor…

I probably should have read the article ------- Since the 1990s, doctors have been under more and more pressure to treat pain as a serious medical issue. Pharmaceutical companies took advantage of this desire, marketing opioid painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin as a safe, effective solution to pain. ------ privatised health care and the profit incentive to prescribe high cost pain kills. I believe the Drs get a k…

drug companies get money from 'treating' pain

no one gets rich from preventing the causes of pain, though of course the country would save money and less people would die

Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#23

Post by maxerickson »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #19
cpfohl wrote: post #3

Knowing what I know about opioid painkillers, I don't think I'd ever accept a script for them. I'd accept them in the hospital, but never in a bottle that goes home with me...

Knowing what I know about pain and how well that opiod painkillers combat that pain, and knowing that what I've experienced isn't anywhere close to what some people have experienced, I'd absolutely accept a script for opiod painkillers if I needed one.

Having had several short term prescriptions for opioids in the past, it certainly makes sense to me to be quite thoughtful about whether they are necessary. But that's still quite a ways from absolute refusal to consider using them.

Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#25

Post by mathattack »

beamatronic wrote: post #16
krschultz wrote: post #15

I've never taken an illegal drug in my life. I've smoked a cigarette about 5 times. I drank in college but lately I've cut that out of my life as well. I had a security clearance with drug testing requirements for a while and now I just don't like the feeling of a hangover from alcohol or the risk of ingesting random plants/chemicals made by shady people. In short: I'm the most vanilla, square, anti-drug person you c…

>> insane amounts of money I think you said it yourself - not to be snarky or anything. But someone has found a way to get rich, and they use their funds to lobby to keep the current system in place.

It boggles my mind that it's somehow acceptable for the folks running prisons to be able to lobby for the 3 strikes laws.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/09/16/117661/sb1070-p...

Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#26

Post by Igglyboo »

mc32 wrote: post #2

So painkillers used against prescription kill more people than any individual illegal drug and since people demand painkillers to treat chronic pain physicians are looking to treat chronic pain with alternatives one such is using MJ as one of those alternatives because misuse doesn't result in fatal overdoses, generally. Vox, stop with the hyperbola.

Opiate pain relief is orders of magnitude better than marijuana.

Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#27

Post by Igglyboo »

cpfohl wrote: post #3

Knowing what I know about opioid painkillers, I don't think I'd ever accept a script for them. I'd accept them in the hospital, but never in a bottle that goes home with me...

No one ever got hooked with the bottle of Tylenol 3 they send you home with after you get your wisdom teeth out.

But when it's oxy or hydromorphone I'd agree, also I don't even want to think about having morphine or fentanyl patches in my possession.

Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#28

Post by disposeofnick9 »

I've lost at least two elderly, extended family members this way. Both applied both a patch and took a pill, which caused an OD.

The issue is that many opioids and non opioids gap between the therapeutic dose range and LD50% is often dangerously narrow.

Complication #0: serum bioavailable molecule assay is rarely monitored. People metabolize and clear drugs at vastly differently rates.

Complication #1: Hospital mistakes still happen quite frequently, despite many measures to prevent them, especially with inexperienced and overworked nurses/assistants.

Complication #2: cummulative dosing error or interactions, especially multiple, independent prescriptions for similar opioids with different administration routes (patches, sprays, pills, injections)

Complication #3: overprescription of opioids because they're cheap, especially to veterans, which also leads to prescription and hard drug addictions.

Solution: opiods need to be singularly controlled at home or in the hospital by an integrated, blood/interstitial fluid measuring/dispensing unit to avoid OD and push back on abuse.

Plus, anyone taking opioids should also have narcan or equivalent antidote readily available, and wear a medalert QR code bracelet which lists relevant conditions and medications should they be found unresponsive.

Finally, avoid painkillers as much as possible and take the least dose which reduces stress level.

Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#29

Post by GauntletWizard »

mathattack wrote: post #25
beamatronic wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> insane amounts of money I think you said it yourself - not to be snarky or anything. But someone has found a way to get rich, and they use their funds to lobby to keep the current system in place.

It boggles my mind that it's somehow acceptable for the folks running prisons to be able to lobby for the 3 strikes laws. http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/09/16/117661/sb1070-p...

It is built into the assumptions of the country that some people will argue in their own self interest over that of the general public. In fact, it is expected that the majority will prefer their interest over the good of the whole. It is thenjob of Congress to mediate and ignore self-serving interests, but you can't even blame them for not doing their jobs, because it's the responsibility of the people to call out their bullshit and elect individuals who will act with principles. Ultimately, the rules are pretty clear; power comes from the people, and silence is consent. Ask for better people overall, don't try to blame individuals for the lack-of-will of the masses.

Re: Painkillers now kill more Americans than any illegal drug

#30

Post by jontas »

Igglyboo wrote: post #27
cpfohl wrote: post #3

Knowing what I know about opioid painkillers, I don't think I'd ever accept a script for them. I'd accept them in the hospital, but never in a bottle that goes home with me...

No one ever got hooked with the bottle of Tylenol 3 they send you home with after you get your wisdom teeth out. But when it's oxy or hydromorphone I'd agree, also I don't even want to think about having morphine or fentanyl patches in my possession.

That is absolutely untrue.
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