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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

#31

Post by swayvil »

impossiblefork wrote: post #24
swayvil wrote: post #7

Just make high quality opioids easy to get already. It should be as common as beer. The present system is deranged.

It's a bad idea. Opioids are incredibly addictive. At one point something like 25% of the male population of China 'regularly consumed' opium, i.e. they were addicted to it, and China has always been a country with at least a certain sense of order. Opium is also special, even among other dangerous drugs. It takes over your brain's reward system and makes things you previously regarded as pleasurable as uninteresting…

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.

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

#32

Post by JohnMakin »

The flip side of this and something that is barely ever talked about, is that for patients with severe chronic pain, access to medicine for relief has become nearly impossible. Often even if you get a legitimate prescription pharmacies will not fill it due to fear/quotas being enforced.

This fear was so pervasive they had my terminally ill father on stupidly high doses of methadone which nearly killed him, simply because they were too afraid of prescribing more traditional opioids.

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

#33

Post by TylerE »

jb1991 wrote: post #12
pierat wrote: post #2

[flagged]

Believe it or not, this concept of having strong pain killers available to the public is somewhat American-centric. Much of Europe does not consider the need for strong pain killers available in society, and pain tolerance is quite different in, for example Germany or the Netherlands, where it has been nearly impossible to get anything strong for pain for many decades.

That’s somewhat easier to stomach when you can pop down to the doctor, even ER, for breakthrough pain without being out a weeks salary.

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

#34

Post by JohnMakin »

mdorazio wrote: post #28

It ends with an effective, non-addictive alternative to opioids for pain management + more funding and care for rehab (including the drugs to wean opioid users off them, like methadone) to current addicts. [1] explains why the first part is difficult. The second part is difficult because many opioid addicts are already in marginalized areas or groups (ex. rural Appalachia) that don't get much of any support. [1] http…

Methadone is far more habit forming and difficult to quit than any other opioid out there. It has a dose-independent severe withdrawal that can last for months compared to “traditional” opioids that last maybe a week or two at most. If you are on it for any length of time it’s extremely improbable you are getting off of it, and it comes with many of the same dangers as traditional opioids do.

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

#35

Post by Gustomaximus »

nicepplonly wrote: post #14

[flagged]

The world is both great and fucked up.

Right now it is likely the best its been for the most people ever. And not by a small way. And yes, for so many its also horrible right now. Made more depressing cause we see so much via the internet which tends to focus on the negative and we see this misery in 1920px 24/7.... its horrible.

I'm not the best to talk about these things...so would suggest talking to a professional if your this down, but for what its worth I do know there is a great world out there. I feel what you talk about sometimes and realise people need to shut of the global noise and do what you can to make your local patch a little better. The worlds always a mess, it always will be, and there's nothing you or I can do at that scale. But you can help out at a homeless shelter, or an old folk home etc and make a real different for many people. That and sadly, ignorance is bliss, get outta the depressing news cycle and limit yourself there a little to spend more time with family and/or friends if you can.

I truly hope things can brighten a little for you as there is also so much great around us!

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

#36

Post by fifteen1506 »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #21
fifteen1506 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget pharmacy chains use a mathematic naive formula to stop selling opioids. As seen in HN a few months ago, if one kind HNer can add the link here.

That is what happens when the government hits them with nebulous liability for political points. Government leaders do not want to clearly define the rules, but still want to pin the problem on others. If the government makes the rules clear, and the policies result in failure, then they get blamed. If the government outsources the policing, then the government leaders can point fingers and satisfy public outrage, at…

[flagged]

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

#37

Post by TylerE »

swayvil wrote: post #31
impossiblefork wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a bad idea. Opioids are incredibly addictive. At one point something like 25% of the male population of China 'regularly consumed' opium, i.e. they were addicted to it, and China has always been a country with at least a certain sense of order. Opium is also special, even among other dangerous drugs. It takes over your brain's reward system and makes things you previously regarded as pleasurable as uninteresting…

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.

Honestly I think much of the harm has been from overreaction to the first wave. People who could have been stable on a dose of OxyContin or some other moderate strength opioid, and instead are getting whatever on the street.

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

#38

Post by Workaccount2 »

swayvil wrote: post #13
lom wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does that stop OD?

Here's how. If you have good opioids in hand then there's no need to buy opioids of uncertain strength from dubious sources. Thus your dosage is more controllable. If your supply is reliable then there is no seesaw of deprivation when you're out and overindulgence when you're flush. For further data, apply the same logic that keeps people from oding on alchohol.

I think clinics with pills are the best compromise here. It would be insane to have otc access to opioids. It's not like addicts live normal lives and OD'ing is the only danger.

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

#39

Post by giantg2 »

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 certainly had some problems, but many of those were handled a generation before the closures, especially for the union mines. The problem was more systemic than just coal barrons leaving nothing there. You had multiple entire industries essentially die off. Mines closed, steel mills closed, many factories closed (a lot of shoe, textile, and home goods). Part of that was consolidation from local and regional brands into national ones. Another large part of it was globalization and outsourcing manufacturing to cheaper markets. So what were these barrons expected to leave behind if there were no jobs to create? It seems to me the blame lies more with the CEOs of the national brands and the sectors that replaced manufacturing. We don't see any real tech presence in the smaller Appalachian cities (aside from some pork barrel defense firms in a couple). Instead, we have a vicious cycle of population concentration and all the problems that come with that.

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