PLEASE READ: Frustrated opioid patients speak out: 'I now buy heroin on the street'

[libertybele]

Please, if choose to do so, I ask that you write, call, or e-mail your Congressmen to address the ramifications of the governments crackdown on opioid abuse. Yesterday, I had a prescription written by my doctor for a months supply for pain meds which my insurance refused to completely fill. They offered to give me a 7 day supply in lieu of the 30 day supply and then my doctor would have to battle with the insurance company.  However, I was more than welcome to pay for the prescription out of pocket!!! So ... even though I have insurance they will only cover either a very limited supply or none at all even though I have a doctor's prescription! 

What is happening is people who are suffering from chronic pain are unable to get their meds and are committing suicide because they cannot tolerate the relentless chronic debilitating and brutal pain!

Frustrated opioid patients speak out: 'I now buy heroin on the street'

...........One woman spoke of how her mother, at 72 years old, and in pain because of degenerative bone disease, saw only one way out after her opioids were tapered down. She committed suicide.

A husband whose wife of 50 years suffers from neurological and spinal diseases and who no longer can get a prescription for painkiller patches said, “A welcome death has become a discussion.”

Paul Wayman, a 69-year-old veteran, wrote: “The VA cut my pain meds cold turkey after over 25 years. I now buy heroin on the street.”

“You need to talk with veterans. My friend has more metal and screws in him than a robot, but no more pain meds. Suicide is the only light at the end of the battlefield," Wayman said. "I used to do a lot of volunteer work, loved doing it with my wife. Now I get high so I can walk.”............

https://www.foxnews.com/health/readers-respond-to-special-report-about-the-opioid-crisis-unintended-victims-pain-sufferers-losing-access-to-painkillers

[Sanguine]

Very disturbing.

[Frank Cannon]

So everyone is a junkie now and I'm supposed to feel sorry for them. The doctors are cutting these people off for a reason. They can still prescribe it to people they think need it.

[corbe]

   The Heroin today is not your Mom and Dad's Heroin proving once again that Darwin may have been correct.

[Wingnut]

I am a cold hearted bastard. I have no sympathy.  I have a very high tolerance for pain.  At the dentist office I refuse novocaine.  Just drill baby drill.  In college I broke a bunch of bones during a football game.  Post surgery I refused all the pain meds.   People are bleep's today.  Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Addiction last forever.

[libertybele]

So everyone is a junkie now and I'm supposed to feel sorry for them. The doctors are cutting these people off for a reason. They can still prescribe it to people they think need it.

@Amb. Frank Cannon you don't know what the heck you're talking about.  Did you even read my post or the article??  NO not everyone is a junkie and NO not everyone can get the pain meds that they need by prescription.  The insurance companies are not filling doctors prescriptions and the doctors don't want to accept responsibility for writing a prescription even IF they know full well that their patient needs opioid pain medication because of the new laws in place.

A person who has been on pain medication for long periods of time because they do indeed have chronic, severe and intolerable pain does not make them a junkie so you need to stop with the stereotypes and labels and actually  try to understand what these people are going through.

Imagine that you are in so much pain that you cannot think straight, sit still, sleep, or eat and I know of people who are in this much pain even with pain medication...and now the gov't has decided to either stop or limit the amount of medication that  they can have!

Say your prayers tonight @Amb. Frank Cannon and be thankful that you are not in that much pain and in their situation where the only meds that gave them some remote relief for a short period of time is no longer available to them.

[libertybele]

I am a cold hearted bastard. I have no sympathy.  I have a very high tolerance for pain.  At the dentist office I refuse novocaine.  Just drill baby drill.  In college I broke a bunch of bones during a football game.  Post surgery I refused all the pain meds.   People are bleep's today.  Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Addiction last forever.

Goodie for you do you want a medal?  Pain does NOT heal, nor is every pain treatable to a point where a patient can be made comfortable, yet the gov't is playing God and deciding to keep them in irretractable pain to help with the opioid crisis. They are going about this the wrong way ... they are punishing the people who truly need the meds and for many it is their only way to make it through each day.

Perhaps you didn't read the article either, but these people are in so much pain that the are committing suicide.  These aren't street addicts these are people with chronic debilitating diseases and some of these are our veterans and I'm sure by the way that they appreciate your gratitude by calling them bleep's.

Let's not only give these people back the pain meds that they need, but lets get the addict the help that they need so that they don't wind up in the morgue.

Both PAIN and ADDICTION destroy lives.  You can be a cold hearted bastard but there are some of us that actually care about others.

[Wingnut]

Goodie for you do you want a medal?  Pain does NOT heal, nor is every pain treatable to a point where a patient can be made comfortable, yet the gov't is playing God and deciding to keep them in irretractable pain to help with the opioid crisis. They are going about this the wrong way ... they are punishing the people who truly need the meds and for many it is their only way to make it through each day.

Perhaps you didn't read the article either, but these people are in so much pain that the are committing suicide.  These aren't street addicts these are people with chronic debilitating diseases and some of these are our veterans and I'm sure by the way that they appreciate your gratitude by calling them bleep's.

Let's not only give these people back the pain meds that they need, but lets get the addict the help that they need so that they don't wind up in the morgue.

Both PAIN and ADDICTION destroy lives.  You can be a cold hearted bastard but there are some of us that actually care about others.

If a person needs to be doped up just to get out of bed and take a breath every stinking day for the rest of iheir miserable life, then maybe suicide is an answer.  After all suicide is painless.

[corbe]

   The VA was mailing me 120 Hydrocodone's a month and cut me off cold turkey 9 months into obummers first term.  My PA at the VA (in a wheelchair) told me that I need to work through my pain (multiple surgeries/rods and screws throughout my back) I threw the 2 year old Field and Stream at him and told him to go F himself.  Never went back cause he wrote that I needed an Anger Management Class, he may have been right.  Anyway I never considered Heroin because the street was full of little ol ladies selling their stuff besides I survived Heroin in the 60's, never looking back.  What this article indicates is TRUE, the high is similar and it's cheap why wouldn't these idiots consider it.  SAD.

[libertybele]

   The VA was mailing me 120 Hydrocodone's a month and cut me off cold turkey 9 months into obummers first term.  My PA at the VA (in a wheelchair) told me that I need to work through my pain (multiple surgeries/rods and screws throughout my back) I threw the 2 year old Field and Stream at him and told him to go F himself.  Never went back cause he wrote that I needed an Anger Management Class, he may have been right.  Anyway I never considered Heroin because the street was full of little ol ladies selling their stuff besides I survived Heroin in the 60's, never looking back.  What this article indicates is TRUE, the high is similar and it's cheap why wouldn't these idiots consider it.  SAD.

Umm... because its illegal.  Some patients are now resorting to heroin which is exactly the problem that the gov't is trying to fix.  IOW the gov't has created a bigger problem than the original problem.  Surprise.  By the way, Jeffy Sessions advised people to take another aspirin.  We can thank that useless idiot for this cluster!

P.S.  I am so glad to hear that you told the PA to go F himself ... IMHO, that was probably a good dose of alternative medicine for you.   

[corbe]

   Most of these people don't care about the illegality of their situation, I know I didn't back then.  You are correct @libertybele the Govt has contributed to this problem and the more 'fixes' they come up with just seems to exacerbate it.   McConnell's state of Kentucky is one of the worse so that there tells me they have no interest in solving this problem.

[truth_seeker]

Opioid pain meds:

--mind altering

--addictive

After 30 days on strong Norco, I called my ortho surgeon, and said I wanted off the pills. The PS said okay, we'll give you a prescription for half strength, if you need them while tapering off.

I filled the half strength supply, but instead got off the narcotics cold turkey. Took Tylenol instead per doctors advice.

One-time discomfort only.

It is the 2nd best thing I ever did. The best was quitting drinking nearly 25 years ago.

[Frank Cannon]

@Amb. Frank Cannon you don't know what the heck you're talking about.  Did you even read my post or the article??  NO not everyone is a junkie and NO not everyone can get the pain meds that they need by prescription.  The insurance companies are not filling doctors prescriptions and the doctors don't want to accept responsibility for writing a prescription even IF they know full well that their patient needs opioid pain medication because of the new laws in place.

A person who has been on pain medication for long periods of time because they do indeed have chronic, severe and intolerable pain does not make them a junkie so you need to stop with the stereotypes and labels and actually  try to understand what these people are going through.

Imagine that you are in so much pain that you cannot think straight, sit still, sleep, or eat and I know of people who are in this much pain even with pain medication...and now the gov't has decided to either stop or limit the amount of medication that  they can have!

Say your prayers tonight @Amb. Frank Cannon and be thankful that you are not in that much pain and in their situation where the only meds that gave them some remote relief for a short period of time is no longer available to them.

Bullshit. Purdue invented and introduced Oxy in 1996. Where were all these people in "Constant unlivable pain" prior to that? They weren't around. The reason all these people think they need this shit is because they are junkies and they are addicted to it.

There are a ton of alternatives to this highly addictive drug. Why aren't they being considered by these people? Oh yeah. They're effing junkies.

[libertybele]

Bullshit. Purdue invented and introduced Oxy in 1996. Where were all these people in "Constant unlivable pain" prior to that? They weren't around. The reason all these people think they need this shit is because they are junkies and they are addicted to it.

There are a ton of alternatives to this highly addictive drug. Why aren't they being considered by these people? Oh yeah. They're effing junkies.

How do you know that people in pain weren't around Frank??  You're talking up the ying yang and don't have a freakin' clue.  Sad.  There may be tons of alternatives, but if the alternatives worked Frank, people wouldn't be committing suicide because they are in so much pain. 

I hope you never encounter the kind of pain that these people experience and if you do, hopefully, no one will turn around and call you a junkie when you're just trying to find a way to tolerate your excruciating pain that never eases up regardless of what you take.

[Frank Cannon]

How do you know that people in pain weren't around Frank??  You're talking up the ying yang and don't have a freakin' clue.  Sad.  There may be tons of alternatives, but if the alternatives worked Frank, people wouldn't be committing suicide because they are in so much pain. 

I hope you never encounter the kind of pain that these people experience and if you do, hopefully, no one will turn around and call you a junkie when you're just trying to find a way to tolerate your excruciating pain that never eases up regardless of what you take.

I know this because I lived prior to 1996 and there were not people everywhere bitching about this pain and that pain. People didn't rattle as they walked because of all the prescriptions being passed around like water. People weren't 86ing themselves because they had pains that couldn't be diagnosed but the doctor gave them pills anyway. Stores didn't need to pass out motorized scooters for pieces of shit to buy groceries. This whole thing is a pity party scam I refuse to buy into. People need to learn to suck it up and deal with life. Not turn on, tune in and drop out.

BTW just because I have this low opinion of degenerate drug addicts, I do not believe the gov't should be involved in any of this. If people want to be junkies, I do not give a shit because I do not give a shit enough about them to care.

[libertybele]

Opioid pain meds:

--mind altering

--addictive

After 30 days on strong Norco, I called my ortho surgeon, and said I wanted off the pills. The PS said okay, we'll give you a prescription for half strength, if you need them while tapering off.

I filled the half strength supply, but instead got off the narcotics cold turkey. Took Tylenol instead per doctors advice.

One-time discomfort only.

It is the 2nd best thing I ever did. The best was quitting drinking nearly 25 years ago.

That's your situation.  I'm not talking about the kind of pain that someone suffers after they break their arm, or they get a tooth pulled and the pain eventually would go away on its own anyways. 

I'm talking about pain that is due to chronic illnesses and diseases for which there is no cure and only treatments.  The treatments may work awhile but then the illness and disease progresses and gets worse and along with it the pain progressively gets worse.  Pain meds that once worked, no longer work and others meds work for awhile and then the disease progresses and that pain med doesn't work.  So eventually the pain meds only take the edge off of the pain and gives some relief if only for a short period of time.  Then imagine one day, you are no longer able to get that relief and have to just bear the excruciating pain day in and day out because the gov't has decided that your doctor can no longer prescribe the one med that made your life somewhat bearable.

It's not a matter of weaning off medicine, as the excruciating pain is ALWAYS there because there is no cure and the illness and the disease continues to progress.

[libertybele]

I know this because I lived prior to 1996 and there were not people everywhere bitching about this pain and that pain. People didn't rattle as they walked because of all the prescriptions being passed around like water. People weren't 86ing themselves because they had pains that couldn't be diagnosed but the doctor gave them pills anyway. Stores didn't need to pass out motorized scooters for pieces of shit to buy groceries. This whole thing is a pity party scam I refuse to buy into. People need to learn to suck it up and deal with life. Not turn on, tune in and drop out.

BTW just because I have this low opinion of degenerate drug addicts, I do not believe the gov't should be involved in any of this. If people want to be junkies, I do not give a shit because I do not give a shit enough about them to care.

B.S. Frank.  You don't know crap.

Look up Tarlov cyst disease; symptoms, treatments, and the pain that they can cause.  Then look up how many doctors in the world treat them and how they are treated.  You might actually learn something.

I don't know why I even give a shit trying to educate someone like you who doesn't give a shit.  Maybe by others reading my post, it might somehow help someone else.

[Frank Cannon]

B.S. Frank.  You don't know crap.

Look up Tarlov cyst disease; symptoms, treatments, and the pain that they can cause.  Then look up how many doctors in the world treat them and how they are treated.  You might actually learn something.

I don't know why I even give a shit trying to educate someone like you who doesn't give a shit.  Maybe by others reading my post, it might somehow help someone else.

LOL. That's a laugh. How many people have Tarlovs? Oh yeah. Hardly any because it's on the Rare Diseases list. I'm sure this accounts for the flood of Oxi hitting the streets these days.

BTW there are definitive non surgical and surgical treatments for this disease. Can't find where doctors are recommending doping the shit out of yourself with Oxi as a remedy.

[libertybele]

LOL. That's a laugh. How many people have Tarlovs? Oh yeah. Hardly any because it's on the Rare Diseases list. I'm sure this accounts for the flood of Oxi hitting the streets these days.

BTW there are definitive non surgical and surgical treatments for this disease. Can't find where doctors are recommending doping the shit out of yourself with Oxi as a remedy.

You missed my point.  I was giving you only one example Frank.  You are trying to convince me that there aren't people who are in excruciating pain and I declared b.s.

Hey, if you want to go around calling our vets and others with a legitimate prescription junkies, go for it Amb. Frank!

Bottom line is the gov't made a bigger cluster of a bad situation.

[Frank Cannon]

You missed my point.  I was giving you only one example Frank.  You are trying to convince me that there aren't people who are in excruciating pain and I declared b.s.

Hey, if you want to go around calling our vets and others with a legitimate prescription junkies, go for it Amb. Frank!

Bottom line is the gov't made a bigger cluster of a bad situation.

There are people who might need this medication, but not enough to cause this massive upswing in straight up drug abuse. I grew up around Nam Vets. These guys were mentally and physically messed up. They would get up everyday and go to work without sucking on a bottle of codeine or smoking opium. Now I have to read this lame ass bullshit story whining about all the people in pain that are in so much pain (that isn't even cited in the story) that without this one single highly addictive pill they will kill themselves. It doesn't add up one single bit. 

[Sanguine]

I remember the good old days too.  When chronic, unremitting, severe pain was dealt with by being taught to live with it.  Medical people were aware that it wasn't a very good solution to a painful problem.

[Frank Cannon]

I remember the good old days too.  When chronic, unremitting, severe pain was dealt with by being taught to live with it.  Medical people were aware that it wasn't a very good solution to a painful problem.

Yeah. Things are so much better now that the country is flooded with narcotics. Now people with tennis elbow can make it through the day.

[Sanguine]

Yeah. Things are so much better now that the country is flooded with narcotics. Now people with tennis elbow can make it through the day.

BS, Frank. People don't get opioids for tennis elbow.  You're trying to equate pain management with addiction.  There is some of that, but in the grand scheme of things not that much.  And, if grandpa is 92 and addicted to his pain meds, so what? 

Most of the opioid "epidemic" that we see are people using street drugs.  Not drugs that have been prescribed to them. 

[Applewood]

  I generally think I can handle pain, but then again, I don't believe I've ever had a serious debilitating affliction that causes excruciating pain.  The worst pain I've ever had was a really bad gout attack.  But I imagine there are others who are in far worse pain than I ever was.  I can't look down my nose at someone who says they are in such pain, they want to die.  I don't really know what that feels like.  I don't believe there are tests or other methods of gauging pain.  Seems that doctors have to take the patient at his or her word on how bad the pain is. 

Instead of spending millions and billions of our tax dollars on this "opioid crisis," why doesn't our government put its resources toward the discovery of newer and better, non-addictive methods of combatting pain?  Every time government tries to combat illicit drugs, it flushes our tax dollars down the drain with no appreciable progress toward solving the actual problem.  Perhaps if we tried to eliminate pain through non-drug means, we could eliminate the need for opioids. 

[Frank Cannon]

BS, Frank. People don't get opioids for tennis elbow.  You're trying to equate pain management with addiction.  There is some of that, but in the grand scheme of things not that much.  And, if grandpa is 92 and addicted to his pain meds, so what? 

Most of the opioid "epidemic" that we see are people using street drugs.  Not drugs that have been prescribed to them.

Even doctors are admitting they are over prescribing this shit. That means that people with tennis elbow are the ones we are discussing now. These are the types of people killing themselves when they are cut off. Of all the people that are being talked about in this article, maybe 5% actually need Oxi. The rest have been convinced they need it because their doctor has been giving it to them.

Once again I ask. Why is it everyone is on this drug today when 30 years ago no one was and everything was fine?