More Pain from the Federal Gov't

[roo_ster]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-plans-aim-to-tame-painkiller-abuse/

Saw at instapundit:
http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/182802/

New Plans Aim to Tame Painkiller Abuse



Yes, I am willing to see more drug addicts die so that folks who need pain meds can get them easily.

My wife is already seeing some of this play out at her hospital.  The control of Oxy and some other opiates has been tightened up and less is getting to non-addict folks in real pain.  Addicts will continue to claim a "10" and get their opiates.

[lupinus]

My wife is already seeing some of this play out at her hospital.  The control of Oxy and some other opiates has been tightened up and less is getting to non-addict folks in real pain.  Addicts will continue to claim a "10" and get their opiates.

Yep. My mother has been on pain management since she she was about 20 and the only things strong enough are the stuff dumbasses like to OD on. Fun times abound when she needs a new doctor, finding one that will see her and/or not insist on massively cutting the doses is a challenge. She's a good sport with a new doctor that wants to try and whittle it down a bit or try something a bit different, but she's had them insist on cutting it down so far she'd be unable to do much but make it to the bathroom. I about got thrown out the last time she was in the hospital and the nurse thought it'd be a good idea to get smart about her needing her pain medicine on time.

And all this has been multiplied several times over the last few years. She had little to no problem when I was younger and was on even more meds, over the last few years though everyone needing heavy duty pain meds seems to be treated like a damned addict or drug dealer.

[Tallpine]

Doesn't it just make you proud to be an american where at least you know you're "free" ?   

[Northwoods]

The last few times I have been to the doc for something painful they always offer Vicodin, Percocet, etc, and are always surprised when I refuse the scrip.  I don't tolerate opioids well at all.  Which means I'm screwed if I ever really need them, regardless of the laws.

[dogmush]

At least Boyd Crowder can still get the pills he needs.


I live in semi rural Florida.  It would be easier (and cheaper) to buy oxy illegally near my house then get and fill a scrip if I was in pain.  I can *literally* buy it outside the gas station a couple miles from my house.

Something's wrong with our plan.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Oxy not cheap

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

[dogmush]

Oxy not cheap

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

Guy at the gas station offered me some for $3 a pill.

Last time the wife got an opioid scrip for her teeth the co-pay was $45 for 9. (3 a day for 3 days).  I guess economy of scale kicks in with the insurance company because a bigger scrip would have the same Copay.  but still.

[Firethorn]

Yes, I am willing to see more drug addicts die so that folks who need pain meds can get them easily.

Exactly.  Heck, legalize even recreational use and you don't need good samaritan laws.  Opiate addiction is a medical issue and is a habit that can be kept up for extended periods of times without losing productivity. 

Today the illegality of the drugs will tend to affect your job performance/employability faster than the drugs themselves.

[RevDisk]

So basically NASPER is another "fund various foreign drug cartels" law. Great, because they don't have enough money and power. I'd prefer addicts get stuff from a lab, rather than illiterate peasants in the hills of Columbia or Afghanistan under the guns of the local warlord.

"You have to live with the pain, die screaming, to hopefully prevent some unspecified number of addicts scoring safely manufactured drugs instead of unsafely manufactured drugs."

Seriously, what is wrong with people that push this crap? They HAVE to know it isn't working. I could understand if the politicians were on the take from private prisons, DEA employee union, the cartels, etc. But why would anyone NOT on the take support this? It demonstratively is not working, and it's hideously expensive. Sounds like Afghani heroin purchased from a shady drug dealer is going to be my generation's only solution for real pain killers for real medical purposes by the time I get old.

[MillCreek]

It gets old getting those calls on Monday morning from the county Medical Examiner telling me that one of our patients was found dead over the weekend, and the presumptive cause is opiate overdose.

[RevDisk]

It gets old getting those calls on Monday morning from the county Medical Examiner telling me that one of our patients was found dead over the weekend, and the presumptive cause is opiate overdose.

What's the breakdown on intentional suicide, accidental OD or stupidly using opiates to get high?

[MillCreek]

What's the breakdown on intentional suicide, accidental OD or stupidly using opiates to get high?

The majority of them are accidental overdoses.  Sometimes mixed with alcohol. 

[RevDisk]

The majority of them are accidental overdoses.  Sometimes mixed with alcohol. 

Buddy of mine had an interesting OD. He took enough pills to lower his blood pressure to dangerous levels. He'd black out, and his body would shove what oxygen it could to the brain. Rest of the organs didn't get enough and started necrosis. Dude's internal organs essentially died and rotted while he was still alive. We were impressed, and wary that he technically might qualify as a zombie. The ICU nurses stared at us when we discussed whether to put him down if he zombied, or let him run wild to jumpstart the zombie apocalypse.

Kids, this is why you don't use painkillers as antidepressants. Only reason why he didn't die from the OD was because he had a high tolerance. Pills were from back surgery, and he had pre-existing depression issues.

[roo_ster]

"You have to live with the pain, die screaming, to hopefully prevent some unspecified number of addicts scoring safely manufactured drugs instead of unsafely manufactured drugs."

Seriously, what is wrong with people that push this crap? They HAVE to know it isn't working. I could understand if the politicians were on the take from private prisons, DEA employee union, the cartels, etc. But why would anyone NOT on the take support this? It demonstratively is not working, and it's hideously expensive. Sounds like Afghani heroin purchased from a shady drug dealer is going to be my generation's only solution for real pain killers for real medical purposes by the time I get old.

A while back you claimed the DEA was just plain evil and provided supporting data.  You were pretty convincing.  IME, "They're just plain evil" has as much explanatory power as any other argument.

The majority of them are accidental overdoses.  Sometimes mixed with alcohol. 

'Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid.'
----John Wayne

But, sometimes, it is mercifully shorter.  Those patients can now consider themselves fired for abusing Rx meds and misusing your doc shop.

Tell me again why some family member of mine should be in great(er) pain because stupid people do stupid things and off themselves?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Guy at the gas station offered me some for $3 a pill.

Last time the wife got an opioid scrip for her teeth the co-pay was $45 for 9. (3 a day for 3 days).  I guess economy of scale kicks in with the insurance company because a bigger scrip would have the same Copay.  but still.

They can go for as much as 30 per here

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

[Cliffh]

Lovely.

DW & I spent well over a year after moving here trying to find a doc willing to write a script for our pain meds.  Her doc is ~75 miles west of here, mine is ~75 miles east.

[RoadKingLarry]

Seriously, what is wrong with people that push this crap? They HAVE to know it isn't working.

Some of them do know it isn't working and don't care it isn't their goal*. Some are idiots that think they just need to try harder.


*Power, money and control.

[Sergeant Bob]

So basically NASPER is another "fund various foreign drug cartels" law. Great, because they don't have enough money and power. I'd prefer addicts get stuff from a lab, rather than illiterate peasants in the hills of Columbia or Afghanistan under the guns of the local warlord.

"You have to live with the pain, die screaming, to hopefully prevent some unspecified number of addicts scoring safely manufactured drugs instead of unsafely manufactured drugs."

Seriously, what is wrong with people that push this crap? They HAVE to know it isn't working. I could understand if the politicians were on the take from private prisons, DEA employee union, the cartels, etc. But why would anyone NOT on the take support this? It demonstratively is not working, and it's hideously expensive. Sounds like Afghani heroin purchased from a shady drug dealer is going to be my generation's only solution for real pain killers for real medical purposes by the time I get old.

Perzactly! (to borrow a word from Nash Bridges, a series I really enjoyed!)

The "War on Drugs" has killed a lot more people than the drugs themselves (IMNSHO)!

[dogmush]

They can go for as much as 30 per here

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

Closer to the source=cheaper.

  Economics seems to work best in black markets with no .gov controls.  Probably a lesson in there somewhere. 

[zahc]

"Experts now advise physicians to..."

Wait, I thought the physicians were the experts? Who are these experts that advise the physicians, and who advises them? I guess it's experts all the way down.