The opiod epidemic....

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by berettafan

the medicinal portion of cannabis is something like .000xx of the chemicals found within. How is it drug companies are not already able to produce these in some fashion? and if they were truly so effective do we really believe they have just been ignored? or do we believe drug co's have just been unable to convince Congress to allow them to generate these chemicals?

I've seen the inside of the pot business and the term 'medical' is a crock of ****. it is NOT based on helping people. this is just what politicians use for cover when they support it while they actually are just thinking about tax revenues.

Then why does the US government hold the patent on the medical use of pot?
Answer below
https://www.**********.com/2016/08/28/what-is-marijuana-patent-6630507/

As to working on cancer, as I have stated before, my sister is living proof, fact is, before she started the oil, she was given less than 6 months to live, weighed less than 80lbs and when she told us at Christmas, she didn't look like she would make it to New Years eve.

A friend of mine, who suffers panacea as well, has been in constant pain, had been on opioids, doctor prescribed. He got his pot card, and got off the opioids without any problems, and is feeling much better.
Real world results.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

My question is, WHY DO WE SAVE THESE PEOPLE ?

Because they're people.

[RSBob]

Well said Noah.

Too many people suffering from chronic pain due to accidents, injuries or surgeries gone wrong have become addicted to opioids which have been cut off. Having no recourse they are forced to go to illegal substances for relief and end up getting in trouble. The real crime is that the company which pushed OxyContin lied to their sales reps that their drug was far less addictive then other opioids.

I would love to see the CEO, and executive mangment placed in a huge cell for the rest of their miserable lives surrounded by the thousands of corpses they helped create.

[Noah930]

There are plenty of.people who don't have chronic (physical) pain, who are druggies as well. But they're still brothers and sisters and sons and daughters and parents. We try to save them because they're still valued as human beings, even if they might not even think so of themselves.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Because they're people.

...and because we're people, regular people, and they are our family and friends...for far too many of us. Sometimes you win....

[ckelly78z]

Originally Posted by KC911

...and because we're people, regular people, and they are our family and friends...for far too many of us. Sometimes you win....

OK, I can understand that, but why do I have to pay for thier intervention, and why aren't they charged (criminally, and monetarily) for other people's efforts ?

Free NARCAN for anyone who wants it from the governemnt ? Someone has to pay the $140 for a kit (2 doses) !

[SiberianDVM]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

OK, I can understand that, but why do I have to pay for thier intervention, and why aren't they charged (criminally, and monetarily) for other people's efforts ?

Free NARCAN for anyone who wants it from the governemnt ? Someone has to pay the $140 for a kit (2 doses) !

Which is another example of big pharma ripping people off. This drug was patented in 1961 and costs less than $1 a dose to manufacture. No profit in that, so "kits" were developed.

[asphaltgambler]

^^^^ Wow! - I did not know that^^^^^^

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by KC911

Watched an hour long documentary last night...what big pharma has done to this country in the quest for profits is no different than the herion cartels.....neither one gives a damn about anything but $

Now ya know ....

[wdfifteen]

I’m having my right foot operated on tomorrow. Had surgery on my left foot a year ago and again in October. The first time I was given Norco and told to start taking them right away even if you don’t hurt - get ahead of the pain they said. Due to the side effects I told them not to bother to give me any after the second surgery. The doc gave me Tramadol anyway. Never touched it. It’ll be the same story tomorrow.
Docs are used to people who are terrified of pain, so their approach is, “Take this so you’ll never have pain.” Instead of “Take this only if the pain keeps you awake.”
Just my 2 cents worth.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Docs are used to people who are terrified of pain, so their approach is, “Take this so you’ll never have pain.” Instead of “Take this only if the pain keeps you awake.”
Just my 2 cents worth.

Last surgery I had, the nurse kept wanting me to take IV morphine.
"I'm okay"...
"I'm okay.... I really don't like morphine"
"I'm fine"
Finally, I told her, "I'm okay, but if it will make YOU feel better, then go ahead and hit the drip."

So she did.
Didn't kill the pain at all, just made me feel loopy, and I was not complaining of the pain. The subsequent double billing of insurance and having to straighten that out was what caused me the most pain.

Next time I will tell her I don't want any due to my religious preference. That should work.

[Sooner or later]

Originally Posted by SiberianDVM

Which is another example of big pharma ripping people off. This drug was patented in 1961 and costs less than $1 a dose to manufacture. No profit in that, so "kits" were developed.

There is a generic that costs far less.

[Tobra]

Good luck getting a bottle of nickle a piece Colchicine, it is all about the couple of bucks per for Colcryst

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

Didn't kill the pain at all, just made me feel loopy

That is how narcotics work. Not so much it doesn't hurt, you just don't care about it as much.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Docs are used to people who are terrified of pain, so their approach is, “Take this so you’ll never have pain.” Instead of “Take this only if the pain keeps you awake.”
Just my 2 cents worth.

That's off by a fair bit. The spectrum on which people experience pain is wide and people writing scripts don't have a crystal ball. Getting calls from the ED for post-op patients in uncontrolled pain is unsatisfying for everyone involved. People need a starting point for instructions. Take a walk through a hospital or big-box and let us know what percentage of those folks you think capable of successfully free-styling anything much less pain meds.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Good luck getting a bottle of nickle a piece Colchicine, it is all about the couple of bucks per for Colcryst


That is how narcotics work. Not so much it doesn't hurt, you just don't care about it as much.

I know. That's why I originally told her no. I just got tired of getting hassled!

[Sooner or later]

Here is a read on drug pricing. I have read similar reports so I think this hits pretry close to the truth


https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/11/26/why-prescription-drug-prices-have-skyrocketed/?utm_term=.f08ef2a876bb

....Here is how our current system works. It starts with a structure that looks healthy on the surface. Health plans pay their PBMs based on the extent of the discount that a PBM can negotiate with individual drug companies. In theory, this should encourage the PBM to drive prices down. After all, entities should bargain hard when their pay is tied to how much of a discount they can negotiate.

The problem? Drug companies raised their prices so they could give a greater discount. This increases how much of a “discount” the PBM can claim to have negotiated, and the payout to the PBM. It is a little like a department store raising prices right before a sale so the sale discount looks more appealing.

All of this might not be so bad if no one paid the high list price. But many people do. Many plans make patients pay full drug costs until they meet their deductible, and other plans require coinsurance — both of which are based on the list price. Many people still do not have coverage for prescription drugs, even if they have health insurance. Thus, people are forced to pay the full price at various times. Worse yet, the entire structure encourages drug companies to compete not by cutting prices but by offering higher prices...

...When the FDA approved a new drug in the dry-eye market, the company offered a plan in which attractive deals in the glaucoma market would be available for those who also gave favorable treatment to the company’s dry-eye medication. According to one Medicare plan administrator quoted in the complaint, given Allergan’s bundling scheme, a competitor could give the new drug away free and the numbers still wouldn’t work.

What does all of this mean? Patents and exclusivities are intended to incentivize innovation in the drug industry, providing a time-limited monopoly to recoup costs followed by vigorous competition to bring the price down to competitive levels. Instead, drug companies are manipulating the system, often recycling and repurposing drugs rather than inventing new ones. In fact, 78 percent of the drugs associated with new patents were not new drugs coming on the market but existing ones. The cycle of innovation, reward, then competition is being distorted into a system of innovation, reward, then more reward....

...At the end of the day, drug companies are able to use financial incentives to ensure that as lower-priced alternatives enter the market, they cannot gain much of a foothold. The companies have simply found a way to operate within the system to their own greatest advantage. Can one really expect anything different from profit-making enterprises?...

[tcar]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

...A friend of mine, who suffers panacea as well,...

What is 'panacea'....???

[GH85Carrera]

When I was recovering from hip replacement surgery I was hooked up to the "dial a smile" morphine pump. If the pain was high, I pushed the button. It would only pump if it had been long enough since the last pump. It did relieve pain and let me sleep. But damn did it cause constipation. If I ever get another hookup to a dial a smile, I will be demanding laxatives on a constant basis.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Here is a good read that explores the situation I alluded to above:

https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/11/05/who-telling-truth-about-prescription-opioid-deaths-dea-cdc-neither-13569

Great article, looks like some think the spike in deaths is a result of adding in deaths from over the counter drug abuses into the tally- intentional or not.

Who Is Telling The Truth About Prescription Opioid Deaths? DEA? CDC? Neither?
By Josh Bloom — November 5, 2018
https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/11/05/who-telling-truth-about-prescription-opioid-deaths-dea-cdc-neither-13569

Ain't that something? The medications, which sure are killing a lot of people as shown in Figure 2, are not opioids, or restricted prescription drugs or even unrestricted drugs. They are ALL drugs. Including OTC (Advil, Aleve) and prescription (indomethacin, diclofenac) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Although estimates of annual deaths from NSAIDs vary widely they are significant: 3,000-16,000 deaths per year.

Were OTC medications included in order to skew the results? The CDC and PROP have used this trick over and over again; it works. I don't know about the DEA, but feel free to ask Uttam Dhillon, Acting Administrator Drug Enforcement Administration. He signed the report.

Reminds me of another topic.

Modern vs. Vintage: Horsepower through the years
https://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/15/modern-vs-vintage-horsepower-through-the-years/

For one thing, there's the issue of the actual rating process. Before 1971, engines were factory rated using a process defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers as 'Gross' horsepower. This figure was calculated on a test stand with no intake, exhaust or power-robbing accessories attached. After 1971, power levels dropped as manufacturers re-rated engines using the SAE's 'Net' process, which added intake and exhaust restrictions and the load of engine accessories, like the alternator and power-steering pump.

Back on topic, an earlier Josh Bloom article on the subject.


The Opioid Epidemic in 6 Charts Designed To Deceive You
By Josh Bloom — October 12, 2017
https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/10/12/opioid-epidemic-6-charts-designed-deceive-you-11935

Trick #1: Manipulative and misleading statistics.

Trick #2: Telling a half-truth.

Trick #4: Blame the drug companies.

Trick #5: Twist the truth

Trick #6: Ignore what doctors are saying.

The first reader comment from the link above.

Mr. Bloom, thank you for being a such a clear and cogent voice on this topic. With this piece, you cut through the PR nightmare created by those creating the so-called "epidemic" narrative. This article is exemplary and will very likely become one of the seminal works on this topic. It should be sent to every policy-maker in America to help them understand the immense suffering this fake "epidemic" has caused to hundreds of thousands of intractable pain patients, most of whom have suffered the loss of their physicians and their life-saving medications.

Having the ability to relieve pain and suffering with simple medications, but choosing not to do so, is akin to torture. Why would American lawmakers and physicians subject patients with intractable pain syndromes to lives of suffering and suicide, and leave them untreated, when simple solutions exist? Hopefully, your work here will make this clear.

Thank you again. Fantastic work.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by tcar

What is 'panacea'....???

an appropriate word for this topic. that's for sure!