The Opiod Epidemic

Rico said:
Western PA. Most of the kids that eventually passed away started messing with OCs back in the early 2000s and I'm assuming it snowballed from there (don't really run in those circles anymore so I'm not sure but I know most of them were dabbling in opiates back then so it's a logical assumption).
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Damn, PA is not that super fucked up as many states. Just imagine Kentucky or Arkansas.
 
elfeliz said:
What's most interesting to me is how people are responding to this epidemic vs how they responded to the crack epidemic. It seems now that because this epidemic is overwhelmingly affecting white communities there is a more humane approach to this problem instead of just doubling down on the war on drugs and sending all these people to jail. I know I am not the only one who can see this.
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The reaction to the crack epidemic definitely had a racist element to it, (the epidemic itself was racist, no?) but the opioid epidemic is different, and not just because white people are affected more (that gap is closing btw). For one, the consequences of our War on Drug policies are understood and, nationally, the War on Drugs has been losing popularity for years. Secondly, our understanding of addiction is better. Then there is the legitimacy component; opioids serve a legitimate medical purpose. And of course there isn't any CIA involvement. That being said, I would love to be a fly on the wall in an alternate universe to see how this unfolded if the races were reversed.
 
For those without any opiate knowledge you might find this interesting.

I love my percocets, I call them little miracles. I never go over my prescription, and split them in half so my dose is tiny enough to not cause harm, or have bad withdrawal effects should it end quickly, but it still does the trick. I have chronic pain in my elbow from playing football (throwing arm). It almost immediately takes effect in my elbow and gives me a little warm glow.. To quote Blind melon, it's like pouring warm gravy all over me lol

I love them and even if I could have an unlimited supply, I wouldn't take more than I do. Sadly, a close friend of mine has a problem and started stealing from my bottle. I always have more left over so I suspected it when I ran out a couple of times, but I had to set him up to make sure. It was a really sad thing to prove. He had a prescription for something else from two doctors and almost got arrested when it was discovered that he was double dipping. I know quite a few other people that have battled addictions, mainly with alcohol and even crack. The crack guy was so successful. He ran a great business and had a beautiful wife and kids but now he's a shell of a man, living in a halfway house.

Substances on their own aren't largely to blame, it's the person taking them. More resources should be placed into education/prevention. Addicts of every substance are either troubled, or prone to substance abuse due to their naturally low production of pleasure based chemicals.

Doctors should be very wary of who they prescribe opiates to, because they feel amazing, especially once your body acclimates and wants it. It can be a death sentence to hand them out to anyone prone to addiction. It's dangerous enough for a regular Joe. I can't believe there isn't a screening process. It should as common as checking for allergies, but a mandatory addition to medical records.

When I first started taking them, it was oxycontin and a higher dose than a regular percocet without the tylenol/caffeine added. I got mono a few months into it and couldn't stomach anything, so I stopped taking them abruptly and got mad withdrawals, it was terrifying. I periodically stop taking percocets just to make sure I'm never in that position.

Anyone else have similar experiences?
 
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Yup, was bad in my area. Still is. Oxys being switched helped, but now fentynyl is even worse.
 
panamaican said:
If you want to take me seriously then so be it.

It is not the doctors fault that someone disregards specific medical advice or resells their unused medication. That is fallacious. Even if a physician only prescribed the bare minimum, the patient could/would still abuse it. Until the doctor actually breaks a law, assign responsibility where it belongs - on the people who are abusing their medication.

This part of why I was pointing out the difference in how people are treating this "epidemic".

You type "personal responsibility" and then insist on blaming the people who aren't doing anything wrong. Unless the doctor is illegally writing the script then "personal responsibility" means that 100% of the fault lies with those abusing or reselling their opiods.

And doctors have nothing to do with heroin.
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Do doctors receive any personal benefit from writing scripts?

Ive seen a few people say they do but i can't believe it because that is an obvious conflict of interests.
 
HIMBOB said:
Do doctors receive any personal benefit from writing scripts?

Ive seen a few people say they do but i can't believe it because that is an obvious conflict of interests.
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Prescribers can see some reward when they prescribe high dollar new medications, but not when they write generic medications (which nearly every opioid is at this point).
SOME prescribers will charge a patient for their CII Rx - so a fee for the visit, and a fee for writing the Rx. Thats usually a red flag.
 
Pickle Rick said:
You guys carry EpiPens? I know some of the larger municipalities do..nypd lapd etc
Edit i meant narcan..
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We have it on station in the event that an arrest drops on you or if an officer is exposed while testing. Last week, we were serving a felony arrest warrant on a guy that was known to run and fight. We get there and see him in the kitchen and start talking to him through the window trying to get him to give up. The negotiations go on for almost an hour trying to avoid kicking in the door and fighting him. He is a known heroin addict and they are desperate, so we would rather avoid exposure to his blood, or have him do something extreme to himself or to us.

As we are talking to him, he starts getting real dope sick. Shaking, spitting, having panic attacks, begging to just let him get to the heroin he just bought, then he will give up. Then he says he will come out, he just wants to get his “shoes” which he is wearing-just making up any excuse to go to the back room.


Anyway, after negotiating for an hour in 10 degree weather, we are getting ready to go in. He makes the decision real easy when he suddenly runs to the back room. We kick in the door and go after him, tackling him, which sends a cloud of heroin into the air. I order my guys out of the house. They want to gather the drug paraphernalia and remaining heroin. I tell them to get the fuck out of the house. They think their old lieutenant has lost his shit, not realizing that getting a small amount of dope is not worth the risk of inhaling some of that shit and getting a nose full of narcan for their trouble.
 
Gregolian said:
Hard drug use in general, not just opioid is a huge issue, even in small towns like where I live.


I would argue Marijuana is a gate way drug but not the way DARE tries to push it and shit.

It's a gateway in the sense that alcohol can be a gateway to other shit. IE, you start using it if it's illegal in your area then you're buying pot from a dude that also hawks other shit and pressures you into trying shitty, well, shit.

It's not the classical BS "they can't get high on pot so they try heroin" it's the "hey, I have some of this other stuff, wanna try it?" sorta gateway shit.
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Absolutely, which is what makes it kind of crazy that it hasn't been legalized. If you don't have to go to that guy for your pot, problem solved.
 
Anung Un Rama said:
Prescribers can see some reward when they prescribe high dollar new medications, but not when they write generic medications (which nearly every opioid is at this point).
SOME prescribers will charge a patient for their CII Rx - so a fee for the visit, and a fee for writing the Rx. Thats usually a red flag.
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What an awful system!!

Can you think of why it is justified for a doctor to ever receive a commission for prescribing something?
 
Makani said:
Absolutely, which is what makes it kind of crazy that it hasn't been legalized. If you don't have to go to that guy for your pot, problem solved.
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It would seem pain killers are a real gateway drug.
 
HIMBOB said:
It would seem pain killers are a real gateway drug.
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Definitely. My dad died from an overdose, so I'm biased, but they're killers when misused, and it's so easy. I'd say a large and growing number of heroin users are pill addicts whose presciptions ran out, not that it's too hard to get a new one.
 
Anung Un Rama said:
Its not an official kickback system; but it happens. This is a decent overview: https://www.npr.org/sections/health...ayments-mirror-doctors-brand-name-prescribing

The charging the patient for an Rx is legal, its up to the practitioner, but like I said, its a red flag.
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Last bit first that's clearly a problem and i syill can't see any reason for it. Numerous against but not a single one for it.

First bit. Fucking wow. If America wants to cut health care costs look no further.

I work in finance and if I did that i would be in jail. And i mean they have locked up white collar guys for taking commissions of a smaller scale than those in the article.

My suggestion is either straight out ban this clearly conflicted remuneration or just disclose it on every script.
Ie "in 2017 dr smith received $5,056 from the manufacturer of the drug he has prescribed you".

In my experience whenever fees, commissions or costs are hidden they rise, when they are disclosed they drop.
 
GtehMVP said:
I love my percocets, I call them little miracles. I never go over my prescription, and split them in half so my dose is tiny enough to not cause harm, or have bad withdrawal effects should it end quickly, but it still does the trick. I have chronic pain in my elbow from playing football (throwing arm). It almost immediately takes effect in my elbow and gives me a little warm glow.. To quote Blind melon, it's like pouring warm gravy all over me lol

When I first started taking them, it was oxycontin and a higher dose than a regular percocet without the tylenol/caffeine added. I got mono a few months into it and couldn't stomach anything, so I stopped taking them abruptly and got mad withdrawals, it was terrifying. I periodically stop taking percocets just to make sure I'm never in that position.
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That doesn't seem dangerous at all.

I only took a couple of codeine pills after a small surgery, it relieved the pain a little, I didn't really feel any pleasure. I don't intend in ever using that stuff anymore.
 
TribalDrumz said:
Yes it's a problem especially in depressing no sun places like Maine,North East small towns. Also Pacific Northwest aka Seattle, Portland have been overtake with Tweakers, Junkies, Bums.

Survival of the Fittest in my opinion. Population control. If someone chooses to get doped out and die that's just Darwin coming around.
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You dummy, opioids are routinely (over)prescribed by doctors.

You don't understand Darwinism.
 
The Diplomat said:
Are there any modern rappers that use clear vocabulary and actually have a message?

Hopsin was pretty good before actually got popular.
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Kendrick Lamar from the top of my head
 
Pretty bad here in Brooklyn. People I went to school with are dropping like flies.
 
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