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[osu61303]

This article is long, but well worth the read. Reporters embedded with various professionals that deal with this epidemic for a week. It is horrifying. Read the article, but some select stats on the final summary, this is one small region around OH/KY!


https://www.cincinnati.com/pages/interactives/seven-days-of-heroin-epidemic-cincinnati/?utm_source=STAT%20Newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=c0e2be175e-MR&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-c0e2be175e-149633045



It's almost midnight on the last day of another week, and the heroin epidemic has done its damage.

18: Deaths known or suspected to be the result of overdoses.

180: Overdoses reported to hospitals in the region. This figure underestimates the actual number of overdoses because it only includes those requiring hospital treatment.

210: Inmates in the Hamilton County Justice Center, the region's largest jail, who admitted to using heroin or other opioids. Jail officials have estimated that as many as half of all inmates, about 870 this week, have an opioid problem.

$95,550: Cost to taxpayers to house those 210 inmates for one week. If the inmate total is closer to the estimated 870, the cost would be $395,850.

15: Babies born with health problems because their mothers used heroin or other opioids.

34: Investigations opened in southwest Ohio into the well-being of a child whose parent or guardian was known or suspected of using heroin or other opioids.

102 hours, 42 minutes: Time it took first responders to tend to overdose patients. This figure is considered low by dispatch supervisors because many overdose runs are not initially called in as such.

 

[tr4nce 26]

I will definitely check this out later when I get the chance. I'm a recovered heroin addict (IV) and have been completely sober now for 15 months.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

Jesus christ. Only through Monday so far. This is horrific.

 

[osu61303]

I will definitely check this out later when I get the chance. I'm a recovered heroin addict (IV) and have been completely sober now for 15 months.

Just wanted to say that is awesome and congrats! I have been on the "family member trying to help" side, it takes a toll on everyone, from the user, those that care about the user, those that treat the user, etc. Ohio has a huge problem with it in particular, I'd wager that most of the property crimes around my neighborhood are people trying to gather funds to get the next fix. Pill mills really screwed up a lot of people around here and the solutions seem few and far between. They closed many of them down but that just drove everyone to dealers instead of shady doctors.

 

[Envelope]

Brutal read, thanks for sharing op

 

[Aaron]

If you read nothing else in the article, read the section that starts "Stephanie Gaffney is cuddling her baby...."

How opiates are still legal boggles the mind.

 

[entremet]

That's some great on the ground reporting. The opiate crisis is really undercovered.

 

[captive]

insane.

I'll never forget those on GAF trying to argue with me that Heroin/opiates arent that big of a deal and if i recall correctly, saying its safer than alcohol.

 

[Amirai]

How opiates are still legal boggles the mind.

The opiate crisis is really undercovered.

insane.

I'll never forget those on GAF trying to argue with me that Heroin/opiates arent that big of a deal and if i recall correctly, saying its safer than alcohol.

As someone with a loved one who has an uncurable health condition who depends on opioids so she isn't in terrible constant pain, hearing statements like this upsets me. A lot.

The truth of the matter is far more nuanced then the media would have you believe, and that's what's actually undercovered.

Opiates are still legal because they're the only thing that works beyond a certain level of pain:

Opioids (narcotics) are the only class of medicine to control real pain.

Addiction levels are way overblown (Edit: I mean with regards as to opioids themselves being to blame, not trying to say the number of addicts is incorrect or not a serious problem). The vast majority of patients recieving them from legitamate sources don't get addicted:

Out of 100 people taking pain medicine, only a very few, perhaps three or four, will develop an addiction.

What we're doing is having a knee-jerk reaction to those who are getting addicted and punishing everyone for it, condemning people who are not at all addicted to them but need them so they aren't in fucking agony by reducing their med levels to the point where they don't work anymore:

Restricting pain medicine in the other 97 is not good medical practice.

The real problem is addiction itself and street drugs. Not all opioids are the same. They don't even always produce a high! One type is a hundred times stronger than others, and sometimes gets a little mixed in to the illegal variants. If someone doesn't know it's there, it's way easier to overdose without knowing. Perscription opioids don't have this problem, and as such don't carry that same risk. In addition, people who overdose commonly mix opioids with things they shouldn't:

Well-meaning people confuse the doctor’s prescribing with the increased opioid (narcotic) death rate by thinking prescription drugs lead to heroin. This is not true. They may be both involved but causation has not been shown in carefully designed studies. Deaths from narcotic overdoses usually involve multiple, non-prescribed, street drugs, not pain medicines prescribed by caring doctors.

And those who are overdosing rarely get them from doctors:

Studies have shown that addiction patients rarely find what they need by using prescriptions from their doctors. We need to start putting real numbers and percentages to the problem – not combining all narcotics under the umbrella of the buzz word “opioids.” The narcotics or opioids killing people are not from our prescription pads.

One of the reasons heroin use has been increasing is because one of the major opioid types was reformulated to make it resistant to abuse. So why are we clamping down on the abuse resistant drug too? Restricting access of the legal stuff doesn't even work, the addicts just turn to illegal drugs, which are more dangerous and as we all know, the war on drugs is a complete failure. We can't stop them.

Reducing supply stimulates the criminal supply chains. Studies have shown the CRD drug seeking behaviors usually bypasses the typical doctor’s office. Seeking patients will find.

The opioid crisis is mainly hysteria fuelled by shoddy reporting. The lack of rigorous standards in reporting on this stuff is fucking appalling and is causing millions of people who depend on them and aren't addicted to suffer terribly and even kill themselves from having meds across the board taken away.

An estimated 20,000 people in the U. S. die each year have opioids in their system when they overdose, but the details aren't being paid attention to. The number would be far smaller if we sorted out all the people with legitamate perscriptions.

If you want to get angry about the devastating impact of drugs, rally against tobacco. It kills almost a half million people in the US every year. That's twenty times more, and millions more people around the world.

Please stop perpetuating the myths. They cause real suffering.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article145348794.html#storylink=cpy

 

[captive]

As someone with a loved one who has an uncurable health condition who depends on opioids so she isn't in terrible constant pain, hearing statements like this upsets me. A lot.

The truth of the matter is far more nuanced then the media would have you believe, and that's what's actually undercovered.

Opiates are still legal because they're the only thing that works beyond a certain level of pain:



Addiction levels are way overblown. The vast majority of patients recieving them from legitamate sources don't get addicted:



What we're doing is having a knee-jerk reaction to those who are getting addicted and punishing everyone for it, condemning people who are not at all addicted to them but need them so they aren't in fucking agony by reducing their med levels to the point where they don't don't work anymore:



The real problem is addiction itself and street drugs. Not all opioids are the same. They don't even always produce a high! One type is a hundred times stronger than others, and sometimes gets a little mixed in to the illegal variants. If someone doesn't know it's there, it's way easier to overdose without knowing. Perscription opioids don't have this problem, and as such don't carry that same risk. In addition, people who overdose commonly mix opioids with things they shouldn't:



And those who are overdosing rarely get them from doctors:



One of the reasons heroin use has been increasing is because one of the major opioid types was reformulated to make it resistant to abuse. Sowhy are we clamping down on the abuse resistant drug too? Restricting access of the legal stuff doesn't even work, the addicts just turn to illegal drugs, which are more dangerous and as we all know, the war on drugs is a complete failure. We can't stop them.



The opioid crisis is mainly hysteria fuelled by shoddy reporting. The lack of rigorous standards is fucking appalling and in causing millions of people who depend on them and aren't addicted to suffer terribly and even kill themselves from having meds across the board taken away.

An estimated 20,000 people in the U. S. die each year have opioids in their system when they overdose, but the details aren't being paid attention to. The number would be far smaller if we sorted out all the people with legitamate perscriptions.

If you want to get angry about the devastating impact of drugs, rally against tobacco. It kills almost a half million people in the US every year. That's twenty times more, and millions more people around the world.

Please stop perpetuating the myths. They cause real suffering.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article145348794.html#storylink=cpy

well first of all my post never said they should be illegal.

Secondly you don't think:

- nearly 200 overdoses (number underestimated because how many people ODed but didnt go to the hospital?)

- 18 deaths in a week all in Cincinatti which has the approximate population of 300k

isn't a big deal and is over blown, im not sure what to tell you.

I understand the issue is personal for you as you have loved onces in pain, but to claim its over blown is not accurate.


furthermore I am not someone that believes in prohibition. I believe in decriminalization and treatment. The War and Drugs has failed, miserably and only served to be used to put minorities in jail. Stop having cops deal with this and support open needle exchanges, treatment centers, addiction therapy etc.

 

[Condom]

Heroin and other opiates cover up any troubles you might have in life, it's no wonder people use them even after their medical issues are gone.

The problem isn't if they are healthy or not, opiates don't affect your health. It does affect your life though because see the first sentence.

That's also why a reply like Amirai's is so naive, it's only when you have personally experienced the deep effects of recreational/therapeutic use yourself (or with family/friends) that you see how not only it plays with the psyche but also fuses well with economically right-wing and individualist society.

All the warmth and love I missed from the world I could get from that little bit of brown powder.

 

[Amirai]

well first of all my post never said they should be illegal.

Secondly you don't think:

- nearly 200 overdoses (number underestimated because how many people ODed but didnt go to the hospital?)

- 18 deaths in a week all in Cincinatti which has the approximate population of 300k

isn't a big deal and is over blown, im not sure what to tell you.

I understand the issue is personal for you as you have loved onces in pain, but to claim its over blown is not accurate.


furthermore I am not someone that believes in prohibition. I believe in decriminalization and treatment. The War and Drugs has failed, miserably and only served to be used to put minorities in jail. Stop having cops deal with this and support open needle exchanges, treatment centers, addiction therapy etc.

I was replying to multiple people, I wasn't claiming that you said they should all be illegal, someone else did.

I think the point of my post wasn't clear. People overdosing is absolutely a problem. But the hysteria is causing people to miss the details. For many, many people, taking prescribed opioids IS perfectly safe. The prerson I know doesn't get high. She exhibits no symptoms or behaviors of addiction, and the vast majority of people prescribed opioids are taking them safely too, but reporting misses this information.

Heroin and other opiates cover up any troubles you might have in life, it's no wonder people use them even after their medical issues are gone.

The problem isn't if they are healthy or not, opiates don't affect your health. It does affect your life though because see the first sentence.

That's also why a reply like Amirai's is so naive, it's only when you have personally experienced the deep effects of recreational/therapeutic use yourself (or with family/friends) that you see how not only it plays with the psyche but also fuses well with economically right-wing and individualist society.

All the warmth and love I missed from the world I could get from that little bit of brown powder.

My post isn't naive at all. I wasn't trying to say addiction isn't a problem (I recognize now I should have made that point clear). I was trying to say that opioids have legitimate uses and shouldn't all be made illegal, the vast majority of people taking them are doing it responsibly and aren't addicted, and the reporting on the 'opioid epidemic' is garbage because it's fueling public hysteria to blame all opioids and opioid users when only a small fraction of opioid users who get the vast majority of them from illegal sources are the problem, and the hysteria is causing us to restrict legitimate meds which is causing people to suffer for no reason.

Opioids are not addictive 100% of the time. For those who are addicted, it is absolutely a problem that I'm not trying to dismiss, but we need to address the problem properly, not by taking meds away from those who need them for pain relief, which is what is currently happening.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

My post isn't naive at all. I wasn't trying to say addiction isn't a problem (I recognize now I should have made that point clear). I was trying to say that opioids have legitimate uses and shouldn't all be made illegal, the vast majority of people taking them are doing it responsibly and aren't addicted, and the reporting on the 'opioid epidemic' is garbage because it's fueling public hysteria to blame all opioids and opioid users when only a small fraction of opioid users who get the vast majority of them from illegal sources are the problem, and the hysteria is causing us to restrict legitimate meds which is causing people to suffer for no reason.

Opioids are not addictive 100% of the time. For those who are addicted, it is absolutely a problem that I'm not trying to dismiss, but we need to address the problem properly, not by taking meds away from those who need them for pain relief, which is what is currently happening.

Maybe I'm misreading this, but it kind of reads like you're denying this is an epidemic. Opiates have their place, but there is totally an epidemic of opioid abuse. In many cases fueled by doctors who were handing the shit out like candy. I mean look at the numbers in this article, those aren't national numbers. These are the numbers of an average week in one small region in the US.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Recently lost a family member who got addicted to heroin after being pulled off pain killers (Oxycontin, I believe). In the space of about two years he destroyed himself and all of his relationships and ended up dead.

Going to read through this later, but street opiods are absolutely no joke. I only got a small glimpse of the world he became a part of and it was fucking grim. People on disabilities trading prescription drugs for another dose of heroin and robbing people when they run out. Most of them seem to use it alongside meth at one point or another, too.

 

[embalm]

I live in Cincinnati and one of the stories took place in my neighborhood. Right as I was swelling with pride that the young mother was about to make her escape from the hell that drug addiction can be, the article ends by announcing her death ten days later. It hits home hard because it is my home.

Thanks for sharing this article.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I live in Cincinnati and one of the stories took place in my neighborhood. Right as I was swelling with pride that the young mother was about to make her escape from the hell that drug addiction can be, the article ends by announcing her death ten days later. It hits home hard because it is my home.

Thanks for sharing this article.

I don't have statistics, but this seems to be the almost universal end scenario for heroin addicts.

One day you see a happy Facebook post from them announcing that they are finally going clean or getting into rehab and excited to get their lives back on track after a dark period of addiction. They get hundreds of likes and positive words of encouragement from friends and family with whom they have probably already destroyed their relationship once. A week or two later you learn that they are dead.

 

[Sulik2]

Raising the minimum wage would have more of an effect on the epidemic then anything aimed at actually directly combating the flood of illegal opiates on the market. Remove one of the major sources of despondency that lead to drug use, major financial problems,,and you can start addressing the root causes of drug use. Not trying to bandage over them. Universal healthcare and proper mental health care in this country would help immensely too. Legalize marijuana so people who want to use drugs have a cheaper legal alternative that is less dangerous would be big too.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

I could only make it through Monday. Jesus christ that is a soul crushing article.

 

[tr4nce 26]

Just wanted to say that is awesome and congrats! I have been on the "family member trying to help" side, it takes a toll on everyone, from the user, those that care about the user, those that treat the user, etc. Ohio has a huge problem with it in particular, I'd wager that most of the property crimes around my neighborhood are people trying to gather funds to get the next fix. Pill mills really screwed up a lot of people around here and the solutions seem few and far between. They closed many of them down but that just drove everyone to dealers instead of shady doctors.

Thank you. I give all credit to the one who transformed my heart, and that is God.

 

[Amirai]

Maybe I'm misreading this, but it kind of reads like you're denying this is an epidemic. Opiates have their place, but there is totally an epidemic of opioid abuse. In many cases fueled by doctors who were handing the shit out like candy. I mean look at the numbers in this article, those aren't national numbers. These are the numbers of an average week in one small region in the US.

I'm not trying to deny that there's an epidemic of opioid abusers at all and apologize for making it seem that way. I'm trying to point out that reducing the problem to a simple phrase like 'opioid epidemic' is TOO simple. It's like this: a small percentage of the population drive at very unsafe speeds. Imagine if the US decided that the proper response to that was to reduce the speed limit to 10 miles an hour. Maximum. Everywhere. That's basically what's happening with opioids and very few people in the media are looking at the real source of the problem.

And sorry, but you're fueling one of the sources of hysteria too: yes, there are some problem doctors, but the vast majority of doctors do not give out opioids 'like candy.' Most are actually hyper paranoid of giving them out even within the new boundaries they're given. Even some pharmacies themselves are starting to refuse giving out legal prescriptions.

So my point is that there IS a real problem with a small minority of doctors overprescribing, but our reaction as a nation is currently punishing everyone even though only an estimated 4.5 percent of people getting prescriptions are abusing them. It's causing non-addicts to suffer in agony because of a minority of doctors and addicts who are getting most of their fix from illegal sources, i.e. not doctors. We should stop the doctors who are overprescribing but leave the others – the majority – alone and stop telling people false information that opioids are the real source of the problem themselves.

Raising the minimum wage would have more of an effect on the epidemic then anything aimed at actually directly combating the flood of illegal opiates on the market. Remove one of the major sources of despondency that lead to drug use, major financial problems,,and you can start addressing the root causes of drug use. Not trying to bandage over them. Universal healthcare and proper mental health care in this country would help immensely too. Legalize marijuana so people who want to use drugs have a cheaper legal alternative that is less dangerous would be big too.

This. The reasons people turn to drugs in the first place is the real problem. But addressing that would mean raising people out of poverty when the system is designed to do the opposite, because of greed and the obsession with profit from the corporations and rich.

Addiction is the problem, not prescribed opioids. If it's not one drug, it's another.

 

[dbztrk]

I will definitely check this out later when I get the chance. I'm a recovered heroin addict (IV) and have been completely sober now for 15 months.

Congrats man!

 

[Chococat]

Addiction levels are way overblown (Edit: I mean with regards as to opioids themselves being to blame, not trying to say the number of addicts is incorrect or not a serious problem). The vast majority of patients recieving them from legitamate sources don't get addicted

Where are you getting your stats? I just heard the other day that 1-4 patients on prescribed opiods get addicted. It not a moral failing, it a genetic thing like alcoholism that some people are predisposed to it. Many move on to heroin once their supple of legal means dries up because it is cheaper.

The problem isn't the drugs themselves when they are regulated. It that doctors, who are afraid of being sued for under treating pain, over prescribed them for decades. Also drug companies who gave them to doctors with promises of the drugs are not addictive.The should be only used for those with chronic pain, or for very short times after surgery. I've had doctors offer me 30-90 day supplies of various opoids for pain that I manage with ibuprofen for a week.

Too often, it is the patients themselves that push for prescriptions that they don't need. May times it is a catch-22 for patients. They need the time off to heal, but can't afford to, so they demand pain killers to stay on the job. Then they get addicted and lose everything. People suggesting raising the minute wage is a start. But we need better healthcare, worker protection, and safety nets for injured people so they can heal and return to the workforce.

 

[Jimothy]

Pulitzer worthy

 

[Philly40]

People don't die from diamorphine, people die from street heroin.

Portugal cut H deaths close to zero,

we're still suffering from1970's DEA fuckery

 

[naib]

Fucking heartbreaking.

Started reading and was glad I'm not reading at work. Realizing I can't read the rest around anyone.

Will check it out later.

 

[Schucky Ducky]

Really powerful reporting. Reading these stories of addiction break my heart.

 

[Amirai]

Where are you getting your stats? I just heard the other day that 1-4 patients on prescribed opiods get addicted. It not a moral failing, it a genetic thing like alcoholism that some people are predisposed to it. Many move on to heroin once their supple of legal means dries up because it is cheaper.

The problem isn't the drugs themselves when they are regulated. It that doctors, who are afraid of being sued for under treating pain, over prescribed them for decades. Also drug companies who gave them to doctors with promises of the drugs are not addictive.The should be only used for those with chronic pain, or for very short times after surgery. I've had doctors offer me 30-90 day supplies of various opoids for pain that I manage with ibuprofen for a week.

As I understand it, there are multiple reasons for people to fall into addiction that need to be addressed (trauma can cause it even without a genetic disposition for addiction), and we really need to increase awareness of the dangers of the street versions as well as mixing them with other drugs.

And yes, the pharmacutical companies are far from blameless by telling everyone they had no risk of addiction at all, leading doctors to give them out easier than they should have, but now we're swinging way too far in the opposite direction, exaggerating the risks wildly because of misinformation and oversimplification as not all opioids are the same and the street versions can be very dangerous because of that.

As for the statistics, every one of them I've read puts the number of people abusing legitamate prescriptions in the small minority: http://reason.com/archives/2016/05/18/opioid-epidemic-myths

Some snippets:

Despite the decline in use, opioid-related deaths reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continued to rise through 2014, when there were 29,467, a record number. An overwhelming majority of such deaths—more than nine out of 10, according to data from New York City—involve mixtures of opioids with other drugs rather than straightforward overdoses.

Opioid-related deaths are rare even for patients who take narcotics every day for years. The CDC cites "a recent study of patients aged 15–64 years receiving opioids for chronic noncancer pain" who were followed for up to 13 years. The researchers found that "one in 550 patients died from opioid-related overdose," which is a risk of less than 0.2 percent.

A recent study by Castlight Health estimated that 4.5 percent of people who have received opioid prescriptions qualify as "abusers," and its definition, based on the amount prescribed and the number of prescribers, probably captures some legitimate patients as well.

And of the people who are abusing them, only a quarter of them get them from doctors:

According to NSDUH, only a quarter of people who take opioids for nonmedical reasons get them by obtaining a doctor's prescription. Hence the sequence that many people imagine—a patient takes narcotics for pain, gets hooked, and eventually dies of an overdose—is far from typical of opioid-related deaths.

 

[osu61303]

people die from street heroin.


we're still suffering from1970's DEA fuckery

I think this is key here. The heroin today is laced with way worse shit than the 70s too. Fentanyl specifically

 

[Autumn Wind]

I will definitely check this out later when I get the chance. I'm a recovered heroin addict (IV) and have been completely sober now for 15 months.

Keep fighting the good fight. A friend of mine has lost several friends and family to heroin addiction.

 

[GameAddict411]

Drugs are common where I live as well. I have never done drugs or even indulged into alcohol which makes my experience very limited when it comes to understanding how these drugs keep on spreading. But are people using them as a coping mechanisms? Something to dull the pain? Or to separate from the world that we live in?

 

[Bobnob]

Thank you. I give all credit to the one who transformed my heart, and that is God.

Brilliant

 

[shira]

Opioids are not addictive 100% of the time. For those who are addicted, it is absolutely a problem that I'm not trying to dismiss, but we need to address the problem properly, not by taking meds away from those who need them for pain relief, which is what is currently happening.

I would say that we need to figure out better ways to deal with pain that involve no drugs.

The stage of addressing the problem has failed and these drugs are just too cheap and too easy to abuse even with a doctors help.

 

[Snowybreak]

People don't die from diamorphine, people die from street heroin.

Portugal cut H deaths close to zero,

we're still suffering from1970's DEA fuckery

Pretty much. And the rise in saturation of Fentanyl-laced heroin is fucking scary. If we're going to strike anywhere, trace it back and find the source of that shit.

 

[Earthbound64]

Heroin and other opiates cover up any troubles you might have in life

I've been on them (legally and legitimately prescribed, pain controlled before finishing the prescription, properly disposed of the rest) 3 different times. They managed the pain (so I wasn't waking up every hour in terrible pain). While they did that, they did absolutely nothing for "any other troubles might have in life," that's absurd hyperbole (to use in absolutes like that. For some people, perhaps they do. Certainly not for everyone, though).

 

[yuoke]

I have a cousin that is a recovering/recovered(for now) addict. He has been in prison multiple times now, but is currently out and trying to make it as a streamer.

 

[SodiumBenzoate]

Please stop perpetuating the myths. They cause real suffering.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article145348794.html#storylink=cpy

"Please stop perpetuating the myths" links to op-ed that can't even spell "opioid" correctly in the page title, by a Doctor of Geriatrics speaking about an issue that affects mostly people under age 40.

https://twitter.com/thomasklinemd This guy's on a crusade.

Seriously, he takes that "three or four" out of 100 statistic right out of his ass. No citation. I google that line and THIS THREAD is the third result on google.

 

[captive]

"Please stop perpetuating the myths" links to op-ed that can't even spell "opioid" correctly in the page title, by a Doctor of Geriatrics speaking about an issue that affects mostly people under age 40.

https://twitter.com/thomasklinemd This guy's on a crusade.

Seriously Amirai is not doing any favors to his argument.

 

[shira]

Pretty much. And the rise in saturation of Fentanyl-laced heroin is fucking scary. If we're going to strike anywhere, trace it back and find the source of that shit.

China.

Fentanyl is just so cheap to produce, dealers are just cutting it into regular drugs

 

[MrMephistoX]

I will definitely check this out later when I get the chance. I'm a recovered heroin addict (IV) and have been completely sober now for 15 months.

Good on you man...I lost my cousin last year and he left behind two awesome kids. It's fucking scary. One silver lining is that my older cousin got scared shitless and has been sober for over a year now...his younger brother kept giving him the shit.

 

[Durask]

It seems that the scientific evidence we have so far is that opiates do not work well for chronic pain.

Google "opioid-induced hyperalgesia".

Also, it seems that a 10-day supply of opioids, 1 in 5 become long-term users.

https://arstechnica.com/science/201...ply-of-opioids-1-in-5-become-long-term-users/

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

Red this aloud to my wife this evening.

She's a social worker that has in the past been very close to this epidemic, and I work supporting mental health and substance abuse clinics that deal with this problem every day. We both are familiar with addiction at a personal level, too.

This is some VERY powerful reporting. Thank you for sharing, OP - probably one of the best research-based community articles I've read in a few years. The notification that the improving mother died just ten days after her daughter was given a check-up isn't heart-breaking... it's damn near soul-crushing.

 

[Conor_Fool]

I will definitely check this out later when I get the chance. I'm a recovered heroin addict (IV) and have been completely sober now for 15 months.

Good for you dude!!! Keep it up!

I'll definitely check out the OP when I don't have to wake up for work in 6 hours >.<

 

[Ronabo]

I live in one of the worst cities (Middletown) for heroin ODs right now. Every time I go to a Speedway for gas or a drink I see someone in a car that's definitely on something.Thanks for sharing the article.

 

[Amirai]

I would say that we need to figure out better ways to deal with pain that involve no drugs.

The stage of addressing the problem has failed and these drugs are just too cheap and too easy to abuse even with a doctors help.

People commonly *do* take steps that don't involve drugs, like physical therapy, but there are many conditions where that isn't even remotely close to sufficient for adequate pain relief. Seriously, as I keep trying to point out, for the vast majority of people it's not actually all that dangerous to be on legal opioid prescriptions, even long-term. The vast majority of doctors are quite careful about it.

"Please stop perpetuating the myths" links to op-ed that can't even spell "opioid" correctly in the page title, by a Doctor of Geriatrics speaking about an issue that affects mostly people under age 40.

https://twitter.com/thomasklinemd This guy's on a crusade.

Seriously, he takes that "three or four" out of 100 statistic right out of his ass. No citation. I google that line and THIS THREAD is the third result on google.

His being in geriatics doesn't mean he has no understanding of the problem. The elderly need pain meds too.

...Where's the spelling mistake? It looks like it's spelled correctly? I'm not finding it.

Even if there is a spelling mistake, it doesn't make his claims false. The guy claims to be a doctor with a PhD. If that's true, he has a good chance of knowing his stuff. Yes, it would help if he linked to sources, but just because he didn't and your googling of his exact phrase didn't come up with anything doesn't mean it's something he just made It up, either. The three to four out of a hundred claim is very close to the other link I posted earlier which references an actual study that found the amount of people abusing prescription opioids at 4.5% of people who get them from doctors, which is very close to his claim, which could be within the margin of error for one study vs another.

A recent study by Castlight Health estimated that 4.5 percent of people who have received opioid prescriptions qualify as "abusers," and its definition, based on the amount prescribed and the number of prescribers, probably captures some legitimate patients as well.

And why are you dismissing his efforts by saying he's on a crusade? If he was fighting for the rights of some other minority would it appeal to you more? Because he's fighting for the people who are already being pushed insanely hard just coping with their daily pain which makes it harder for them to fight against the medical system, the media, public opinion and political points for policians when fighting any one of those alone is incredibly difficult already. These people need all the allies they can get. That doesn't sound like something you should easily dismiss, it sounds noble.

It's not as though the government hasn't been wildly incorrect about its reactions to drugs before, either. It has many times (alcohol, weed, tobacco for examples)

It seems that the scientific evidence we have so far is that opiates do not work well for chronic pain.

Google "opioid-induced hyperalgesia".

Also, it seems that a 10-day supply of opioids, 1 in 5 become long-term users.

https://arstechnica.com/science/201...ply-of-opioids-1-in-5-become-long-term-users/

I've got to get to sleep so I can't research everything you just posted right now. I don't know all the details of the differences between opiates and opioids, but I want to make sure you're not mixing them up either. Even if opiates aren't suitable for chronic pain (and I don't know that they aren't), opioids are absolutely are, and in fact in many cases they're the only thing that works.

The arstechnica article doesn't seem to present enough details, like so much reporting on the subject. What people are getting their meds for matters. Of course some conditions are going to cause people to be on them longer, and doctors know that when giving an initial dose.

Also, that opioid-induced hyperalgesia thing? Might want to look at wikipedia's criticism section.

In examining the published studies on opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH), Reznikov et al criticize the methodologies employed on both humans and animals as being far-removed from the typical regimen and dosages of pain patients in the real world.[11] They also note that some OIH studies were performed on drug addicts in methadone rehabilitation programs, and that such results are very difficult to generalize and apply to medical patients in chronic pain. In contrast, a study of 224 chronic pain patients receiving 'commonly-used' doses of oral opioids, in more typical clinical scenarios, found that the opioid-treated patients actually experienced no difference in pain sensitivity when compared to patients on non-opioid treatments. The authors conclude that opioid-induced hyperalgesia may not be an issue of any significance for normal, medically-treated chronic pain patients at all.[11]

Opioid-induced hyperalgesia has also been criticized as overdiagnosed among chronic pain patients, due to poor differential practice in distinguishing it from the much more common phenomenon of opioid tolerance.[12] The misdiagnosis of common opioid tolerance (OT) as opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) can be problematic as the clinical actions suggested by each condition can be contrary to each other. Patients misdiagnosed with OIH may have their opioid dose mistakenly decreased (in the attempt to counter OIH) at times when it is actually appropriate for their dose to be increased or rotated (as a counter to opioid tolerance).[12]

The suggestion that chronic pain patients who are diagnosed as experiencing opioid-induced hyperalgesia ought to be completely withdrawn from opioid therapy has also been met with criticism. This is not only because of the uncertainties surrounding the diagnosis of OIH in the first place,[11] but because of the viability of rotating the patient between different opioid analgesics over time. Opioid rotation is considered a valid alternative to the reduction or cessation of opioid therapy,[13] and multiple studies demonstrate the rotation of opioids to be a safe and effective protocol.[14][15][16]

 

[Stumpokapow]

Heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanyl account for a 9/11 worth of American dead every few weeks. This goes so far beyond a public health emergency it isn't even funny. The magnitude of the problem in the affected areas is cataclysmic. It is shocking how many people I meet, no matter their class, education, intelligence, who either themselves use opiates or who have family members. And the stories are heartbreaking; loss of employment, loss of marriages, stealing, the end of family relationships, kids being taken away, overdoses, failed rehab, whatever. To me, the fact that this isn't the #1 thing being discussed by politicians and bureaucrats of all stripes at all levels all the time, is insane.

 

[osu61303]

I live in one of the worst cities (Middletown) for heroin ODs right now. Every time I go to a Speedway for gas or a drink I see someone in a car that's definitely on something.Thanks for sharing the article.

You are welcome! I travel all around Ohio (wife loves antiquing), and I have seen precisely what you describe in Middletown, and pretty much all over where I live in Columbus/Pataskala area.

 

[Various Artists]

Jesus this hit and hurt out of nowhere.

Spoiler

(Ten days later, Gaffney is dead from a heroin overdose.

 

[Hippopuncher12]

I live in one of the worst cities (Middletown) for heroin ODs right now. Every time I go to a Speedway for gas or a drink I see someone in a car that's definitely on something.Thanks for sharing the article.

Yep, I drive from Cincinnati to Dayton and back everyday for work, and I stopped going for gas in Middletown long ago because of this shit. It's pretty bad everywhere in this area though.