Opioid Issue

[SimpleC]

I was watching the news and Sessions announces a task force to battle the opioid crisis. They are targeting Doctors and Pharmacist.

Having worked with alcoholics and drug addicts I'm keenly aware how bad it is out there with opioids on the street. I disagree with the focus of the investigation.

Given the availability and price of opioids on the street, this is not a few doctors overprescribing or pharmacist giving too much on prescriptions.

I believe this is a cartel type operation going on, groups of people are pulling opioids from the manufacturers by the pallet and truck loads.

They are going after the small fish, I think the focus should be on the manufactures and where their Semi-trailer trucks of opioids are going and follow the $$.

[ck4829]

1. The money has been followed - His name is Richard Sackler

The biggest drug lord in history... made billions off of opioids and telling the government the opioids are not addictive and that they are wonder drugs, he flashed some cash at everyone and they ate up everything Sackler had to say.

Now there's a medical treatment for opioids and he's going to profit off of that too.

https://www.ft.com/content/a3a53ae8-b1e3-11e8-8d14-6f049d06439c

There's El Chapo, there's Pablo Escobar, there's Walter White... and then there's Richard Sackler.

[smirkymonkey]

4. +1000

[2naSalit]

8. +2000!

[kentuck]

2. What has the Trump Administration done about the "opioid" crisis?

This is scary!

Does the FBI have this information?

[mucifer]

3. I worry about my hospice patients with end stage cancers and other diseases

when they are messing with doctors and pharmacists. Some people with diseases like Epidermolysis Bullosa which is a genetic disease where you have constant horrible wounds your entire life require a lot of high dosed opioids. Kids lose their fingertips, toes, earlobes, hair etc. These are kids who have dressing changes every other day that take 2-3 hours. We have lots of battles with insurance agencies and pharmacies to get what they need. I fear it will get worse.

[smirkymonkey]

6. Aren't there any alternatives for pain relief besides opioids?

It seems like there has to be a better way for people, especially patients like yours. Couldn't they do some kind of nerve block or something like that? Something that is not pharmaceutical?

[mucifer]

7. Some kids get nerve blocks. It helps some. Some get palliative radiation. But,

the cancer can't be stopped at this point. Imagine tumors growing uncontrolled in your body. Imagine being weak and being moved causing pain. Would you want to spend your final days going back and forth to radiation? Sometimes their bodies are maxed out on radiation. Sometimes they never want to be a hospital ever again for a nerve block and if you think about it the cancer is growing and growing in more places.

They usually get a few different types of pain medications. They get opioids. They get seizure medications for the neuropathic aspects of the pain. Sometimes the doctors order Clonidine which is a blood pressure medication that helps some with pain.

The best thing regarding cancer is the research has new amazing treatments and less kids are ending up in hospice.

[smirkymonkey]

9. What an awful situation.

I hope there are some better solutions soon.

[safeinOhio]

5. It is simple, try what works

http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html

The correct answer is Portugal, which in 2001 became the first European country to officially abolish all criminal penalties for personal possession of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.