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Sybil's avatar

All of this can throw me into a rage. It happened with my daughter. Because of legal opiates, she was lost to us (and her child) for 12 years. It was a nightmare.

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DC Reade's avatar

The problem isn't that opioids are "legal." They're legal, but doctors are supposed to have respect for their dangers, and use their prescription powers wisely.

The problem is that Sackler propagandized physicians into believing that they didn't have to think twice about prescribing 2-week supplies of them, even for minor acute pain.

Opioids are still the most commonly prescribed medicine for pain, and they always have been, because in most cases they're a more effective pain releiver than anything else. They aren't going anywhere. Severe pain is a very common problem- hydrocodone prescriptions are up there with statins and ulcer meds in terms of frequency of prescription. I had a case of shingles a while back, at I time when I needed to be up and functioning- I had bags to pack and a plane to catch. My shingles case was like being stung by a hive of bees for days on end. Without hydrocodone, I would have been helpless. It was the difference between functioning and not functioning. But I refuse to use those drugs to party with, because doing that might derail my life. It also sends the wrong message to other people.

I sympathize with your family difficulties, and I'm glad she got out of the trap. I have a family member who's fallen into fentanyl addiction. Frankly, I'd rather have them on a legal opioid maintenance program than that scary situation. What I really wish is that he'd get enough of a grip to get out of the quicksand and clean up. But if he was an addiction maintenance patient, at least he'd have enough supervision to get the opportunity to stabilize his life situation. The street world of illegal opioids is not an improvement.

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Kathleen Lowrey's avatar

I am sorry and glad she was not lost forever.

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