The article seems to suggest (but doesn't outright state) that undergoing withdrawal accelerates the development of addiction. Is that a known effect with opiates?
OxyContin's 12-hour problem
281–290 of 376 posts
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#282Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Being addicted, by itself, is not a big deal." - As someone with an en extensive amount of first-hand knowledge, I disagree very very much. It is in fact so big of a deal that it becomes your one and only deal. The worst part is, if you use opiates for a long period of time consistently - you WILL become reliant upon them. Your body will be chained to them, physically dependent, and I don't care who you are, where y…
Well I guess we have two different sets of people and experience then. I've seen people do rather successfully in business, all while using opiates on the side. (I've seen a few people die too, but that was pretty much caused by illegal supply and lack of regulation/QC.) The actual addiction part, without supply constraints, becomes very, very simple logistics.
Those logistics are not as simple as it may seem. 2 bags of dope/pills/caps/doses a day becomes 3, 4, 6, 8 twice a day + 9 on Sundays. Happens to everyone given a long enough usage period. There's that proverbial slippery slope there, and once you're over the hump it's checkmate. Wait until something happens to these successful folks - and it will. there's a weak link somewhere in the chain and when it breaks they will act like every other junky.
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#283Earlier quoted context omitted.
> addiction-prone (low-income Are low-income people more likely to become addicted? I'd like to see some statistics. A few thoughts: * There are many more low-income people than wealthy people, so low-income addicts may be greater in sheer numbers but not in rate. * I expect that addition tends to reduce income, so people who started wealthier may become low-income * Prescription opiods are by reputation the wealthy…
At the some time, income is inversely correlated with impulsiveness, which is correlated with being addiction prone. (The old one/two marshmallow experiment.)
> income is inversely correlated with impulsiveness, which is correlated with being addiction prone
I'm sure many people think this, but do we know if it's actually true? Is there any research or data?
For example, as a completely speculative alternative hypothesis, people with more money could be more impulsive because they can afford it.
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#284Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Being addicted, by itself, is not a big deal." - As someone with an en extensive amount of first-hand knowledge, I disagree very very much. It is in fact so big of a deal that it becomes your one and only deal. The worst part is, if you use opiates for a long period of time consistently - you WILL become reliant upon them. Your body will be chained to them, physically dependent, and I don't care who you are, where y…
I am 100% reliant upon, chained to, and physically dependent on both water and oxygen. But since they are cheaply and abundantly available, I can live a full happy life anyway.
I'm sorry I don't understand your point?
I mean, heroin is cheap and abundantly available.
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#285Earlier quoted context omitted.
* Make it illegal to advertise or market any drug that requires a prescription.
Hell yah. It's not a coincidence that America is the only country that allows direct to consumer advertising of medication. Here's another one: ban all forms of compensation from drug companies to doctors. No more bribes^Wconference trips.
False, there are three (western?) countries that allow it: USA, New Zealand, and Brazil [1]. Here in NZ, there are not very many ads on TV for prescription mediation. "Ask your doctor" is a common phrase, but I get the impression that the large majority of advertised drugs are non-prescription. (But I watch little TV and I certainly avoid watching TV ads)
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-to-consumer_advertising
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#286Earlier quoted context omitted.
* Make it illegal to advertise or market any drug that requires a prescription.
The argument for these ads is that many conditions are very undermedicated. People don't know they have treatable conditions and suffer needlessly.
People are not qualified to judge. If they are suffering they should see a doctor, who is qualified to determine if they have a treatable condition.
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#287Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't get this mentality at all. I would guess a majority of adults in the US have had Vicodin or similar and I don't know anyone personally who ever got addicted. In some it causes nausea. You don't like it, fine. But I don't understand how people can be so pro marijuana on one hand, and so anti-opiates on the other. It's pain. It's not noble to suffer needlessly. It's complete BS that it's harder for a dentist to…
You might want to have a look at the first couple of graphs here: https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/o... I'm not saying we should ban opioids. I have found them useful on occasion too. But to suggest there's no problem with people abusing them is not a helpful stance either.
I don't mean to suggest people abusing them isn't something to address. I just don't think the answer is to make it difficult or inconvenient for people who don't have that issue.
I suppose in the same way I think having to pick up Sudafed from the pharmacy these days is silly.
I'm not a libertarian by any stretch but for me this is a sort of sacrificing freedom for security issue. Assumption of guilt and pre-crime is bad and I don't see any reason why people should be forced to suffer needlessly after a medical procedure, even if it's only temporary, and even if someone else found the pain tolerable.
But I think I've beat this horse to death. ;-)
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#288Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hell yah. It's not a coincidence that America is the only country that allows direct to consumer advertising of medication. Here's another one: ban all forms of compensation from drug companies to doctors. No more bribes^Wconference trips.
False, there are three (western?) countries that allow it: USA, New Zealand, and Brazil [1]. Here in NZ, there are not very many ads on TV for prescription mediation. "Ask your doctor" is a common phrase, but I get the impression that the large majority of advertised drugs are non-prescription. (But I watch little TV and I certainly avoid watching TV ads) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-to-consumer_advertisi…
I didn't know about NZ. Also, I think the Brazil info is out of date.
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#289Earlier quoted context omitted.
Isn't NA mandated by courts? Even for pot sometimes? A growing group could easily just mean a change in law enforcement or sentencing.
Which is a terrible intrusion upon people voluntarily there for actual support and help.
Sort of - we don't really mind if people come to get their court thingies signed after the meeting. The thing is, most people who don't want to be there quickly realize that they can just have anyone sign them. There's no way for a court to verify that people are going to meetings.
Re: OxyContin's 12-hour problem
#290Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, it's an opioid. That's not the point. The point is that it's made from an inexpensive generic opioid feedstock: oxycodone. The supposed value-add isn't the painkiller, it's the timed-release agent. Unless these reporters are simply lying, there's evidence of great variability in the effectiveness of that timed-release agent. But the company's market position depends on the 12-hour dose. If the drug's needed eve…
Isn't NA mandated by courts? Even for pot sometimes? A growing group could easily just mean a change in law enforcement or sentencing.
The emergence of drug courts in many parts of the country has actually led to a sharp decrease in people attending NA and AA meetings because a court ordered them to.
I'm very active in the recovery community in Madison Wisconsin, and holy smokes, it's all junkies these days! Not complaining, the experience is similar enough to mine as an old fashioned booze hound with occasional forays into meth addiction that I can help them, but man - it's never been like this before!