What if the USA is so full of twitchy tweekers that if the ban were lifted, it would turn into an absolute chaos of junkies in the streets?
I know, that’s a facetious comment.
Here’s what I do know. (I study this shit, like for real, dogg. Peer-reviewed papers, statistical analysis and everything, ya know. Got one coming out later this year, and a couple more in the pipe, so to speak.)
• Any form of alternative care/integrative health is beneficial to people wired up on opioids
• Most major health info sites and medical centers are now actively talking about Integrative Health and alternatives to opioids:
another:
& a thousand more angles on this issue. For me, I knew it was vital to use the opioids during my time of crisis from a neck injury. But I knew also that I had to get away from them as soon as I could. I’m still in some pain and have a bottle of pills waiting for me in case I need them. But I do everything else and just try to manage it all by any other means that I can. Honestly, smoking a bunch of weed when my pain was at its zenith was an absolute godsend. I don’t smoke weed otherwise. No need to.
This. Stage IV goddamn pancreatic cancer and every time this one nurse hands me a painkiller prescription she says “Here’s your goodies.” Up yours. /bitter cancer rant
You know I remember seeing an article on an awards event for drug marketing professionals - black tie gala awards. And I remember wondering what exactly separates those fine lovely people from some black kids in the ghettos who are pushing crack and H. Ultimately the only answer I could come up with is a prescription issued by a credentialed medic, which may or may not be medical best practice, and a beautiful wing of Met.
That said I dont have much of an answer to drug pushing by drug companies. Other than more regulation and not allowing the regulators to switch sides to the regulated.
Since the very first thing that pops in my mind when I hear or see the word ‘Oxycontin’ is Rush Limbaugh, it does not seem like a very cuddly name now.
Yeah, I’ve spent several thousand dollars on all that (this year alone, after insurance) just so physicians wouldn’t have to prescribe me a safe effective 59¢ pill that’s available over the counter in civilized countries. It wouldn’t surprise me to find I’ve taken liver and kidney damage from all the useless crap I’ve been prescribed. The latest thing is they want to inject botulinum toxin into my head. Because “opioid crisis” means I can’t get less than 30 painkillers a year.
Thank God for sumatriptan succinate, at least the prison lobby hasn’t managed to get that banned. Yet…,
Just about 500 miles. I’m on the mid-Atlantic coast, so Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal are all roughly the same distance away. I’ve been thinking of taking a short vacation up there, maybe look into emigrating. I hear there are jobs for law abiding, highly technical people that the USA doesn’t want.
My personal experience backs up your post. I had a very severe injury and my orthopedic doctor pumped me to the gills on opioids while i was in traction and through two follow up surgeries. However, before the pain was completely gone, he tapered me off over my strenuous objections. He was very frank that the reason was addiction avoidance, which killed any ideas I might have had about doctor shopping.
Good doctor. And I don’t think he’s in the minority.
Did you do other things to get well and reduce pain? I imagine lots of PT and time in the traction devices there. But besides that… like chiro, or massage, or acupuncture, or meditation, or yoga, or anything else not-strictly-western? Did it “work”? How do you feel about it, one way or the other? Waste of money?
Glad you got through it. I was in nowhere near as much pain as you, because my injury was less severe. And I was BLEEPIN MISERABLE for at least a month. Basically, I cannot remember March 2017. It’s gone. All I remember is that I was in so much pain that I couldn’t function.
Just curious to hear more about other stuff you tried, and if it worked.
Fortunately, traction was only a few days in hospital, and none at home.
I wish I could say more than I punished my liver with huge amounts of acetaminophen and read a lot of books for distraction. I was poor (couldn’t work) and flat on my back with no real way to investigate alternate therapies. When you’re in pain, everything is harder including finding pain management strategies.
I remember needing to pee, and standing there (because I couldn’t sit down) and trying to for like 5 minutes, bladder full, and finally, doing it but can’t look down because that hurt my neck, and making a mess. My wife was fed up, but didn’t say anything. I apologized many times for being such a pain in the ass.
