Philer
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Another kind of opioid crisis
Which would you prefer? To become addicted to a narcotic or to not have one when you really, really need it to fight pain?
Much of the world experiences the latter situation and people suffer horribly when there is no need for them to. Narcotics are powerful and effective pain relievers. They need to be widely available worldwide.
They are not evil drugs. Just the opposite. They are among the most beneficial drugs humans ever developed.
quote:
But while the US tries to deal with its over-use of these powerful medicines, millions of people in other parts of the world are dying in agony because they can't get hold of them.
"I remember waking up from my mastectomy in Mexico City. The pain was so severe that I couldn't breathe," says Felicia Knaul, who had her left breast removed several years ago.
"It took about 10 minutes before the physicians could come and adjust my pain medication. [It was] not only the agony, but the fear of not wanting to breathe because of the pain."
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-42871641
Opioid pain relief in different countries
US gets 30 times more opioid pain relief medication than it needs
Mexico gets only 36% of what it needs
China gets about 16% of what it needs
India gets 4% of what it needs
Nigeria gets just 0.2% of what it needs
Source: The Lancet Commission on Global Access to Palliative Care and Pain Relief
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3/20/2018, 7:27 pm
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Noserose
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Re: Another kind of opioid crisis
Many drugs are a battle between good and bad. Take a certain amount it can be beneficial. Take more it can kill you. Sometimes it can cut pain but harm your liver. Its up to medical professionals to tell you the good and bad and how much you can safely take. Some countries don't have the medical professionals to advice people what to do and not do. They need help. Thus "Doctors without borders" and other organizations who do great work around the world.
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"libido sciendi"..... the passion to know.
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3/20/2018, 8:54 pm
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Philer
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Re: Another kind of opioid crisis
quote:
Noserose wrote:
Many drugs are a battle between good and bad. Take a certain amount it can be beneficial. Take more it can kill you. Sometimes it can cut pain but harm your liver. Its up to medical professionals to tell you the good and bad and how much you can safely take. Some countries don't have the medical professionals to advice people what to do and not do. They need help. Thus "Doctors without borders" and other organizations who do great work around the world.
I'd rather live in a free world where I get to decide what drug and what level of drug I take rather than some government or even a doctor. I can easily read about a drug and find out what the safe doses are. So can people in other countries.
The safety levels of narcotics are well known. As long as you're a responsible adult who can read about narcotics you can easily safely use them. It's always up to you as long as you're not getting them from a black market.
The popular notion that governments and doctors have the right to decide for you what narcotic to take or whether you will get any narcotic at all or not for your pain is no more true than the notion that some doofus in a grocery store should get to decide that you're too fat and it's time to not allow you to buy any more steaks or pork chops.
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3/20/2018, 9:09 pm
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katie5445
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Re: Another kind of opioid crisis
You don't have to be addicted to opioids as there is a difference between addiction and dependence for chronic pain. I know far more that have used them correctly for many years, that does not make them an addict. I did not have my hip replacement for over a year and my MD provided me with vicodin and when those didnt' work percocet. I had not one issue getting off, was I dependent, hell yes.
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3/20/2018, 9:32 pm
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Philer
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Re: Another kind of opioid crisis
quote:
katie5445 wrote:
You don't have to be addicted to opioids as there is a difference between addiction and dependence for chronic pain. I know far more that have used them correctly for many years, that does not make them an addict. I did not have my hip replacement for over a year and my MD provided me with vicodin and when those didnt' work percocet. I had not one issue getting off, was I dependent, hell yes.
Good point. There is a difference between simply needing them and using them to fight severe pain for awhile and being addicted. And most people handle using them well with no problem, something which the mass media in this country does not talk much about. They are too busy talking about the "epidemic."
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3/20/2018, 10:03 pm
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katie5445
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Re: Another kind of opioid crisis
It's freaked out doctors and pharmacists, people that aren't addicts aren't getting their Rx's filled and a lot of pharmacies are ordering them as patients come in so they have to wait 3-4 days and that is post op patients as well. I was under treated after my hip surgery and I'll never go back to them, thank goodness I have a great internist who knows my history. That is another issue, 25% of addicts are said to get their drugs legally, the rest is off the street. When I was still working the pharmacies were already electronic, I could find anyone who had doctor, ER, or urgent care "hopped" in the state of OR. and now most facilities records are tied in as well in my city. Then need to center on those pain clinics(around 3 have been closed here) and these one doctor office pain mills and doctors need to chill out and treat their patients pain as needed.
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3/20/2018, 10:24 pm
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Philer
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Re: Another kind of opioid crisis
You're right, katie. I just hope that the continual barrage of media bullshit about the opioid "epidemic" doesn't result in many more doctors running scared and neglecting to provide patients what they need or any more counterproductive action being taken by our government.
The mass media has found something it can run with and it's like a dog with a bone. It won't unleash a continual load of blabber about the gun "epidemic" because it knows that wouldn't be nearly so popular.
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3/20/2018, 10:37 pm
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katie5445
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Re: Another kind of opioid crisis
I'm thinking it's a combination of the medical profession, politicians and the media. It is also reminiscent at least for me over decades this country sees something that needs addressing which is good but the problem is they make a right turn and go off a cliff, effecting the majority of the population in a negative way.
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3/21/2018, 1:56 am
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