Re:The making of an opioid epidemic
by freedomben on Thursday November 08, 2018 @11:31PM
(#18412333)
It may surprise you to learn that very few (about 2%) of people who use prescription opioids end up abusing them [1]. Also, there is also no correlation (let alone causation) between lower prescribing rates and lower overdose rates [2].
[1] https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/21/the-myth-...
[2] https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2018/10/30/overdoses...
There were similar observations after the Vietnam war. Many soldiers were opiate addicts over there but the vast majority quit when they returned home and were no longer in the hell of combat.
Any level of scrutiny is going to leave some untreated who need it and some people getting it frivolously and perhaps getting addicted. The question is the role of individual responsibility and where the balance lies.
Re:The making of an opioid epidemic
by BaronVonSteuben on Thursday November 08, 2018 @11:49PM
(#18412395)
I totally agree with, "It seems 'non-compassionate' to me to reduce all of life-crippling addiction to 'making a bad decision or lacking self-control'." But I disagree that being prescribed opioids is a primary factor here. Many people with addiction issues, particularly homeless, are suffering from other mental health issues as well. They often abuse many substance both legal and illegal.
I think it's perfectly reasonable and appropriate for doctors to screen for these sorts of things before prescribing. However I also think making treatment for addiction more available and affordable is a better remediation strategy than having law enforcement monitor and scrutinize every act to the point where doctors are afraid to prescribe, even to patients in need.
Please understand, and maybe I didn't make this terribly clear, but I am not saying I'm against people taking painkillers when needed. Obviously if you have crippling pain of course you should get pills. "Monitoring Doctors More" does not equate to "ban opiodes" any more than saying saying "regulating business" equates to "no business". There's a middle-ground here.
I'd also like to point out that I don't think I'm being non-compassionate in this case. Living in NY I get to see the terror of severe drug addiction every single day when I see (certain) homeless people. It seems "non-compassionate" to me to reduce all of life-crippling addiction to "making a bad decision or lacking self-control".
While some people have more addictive personalities than others, the stronger opiodes are addictive enough to ruin lives. It's easy to dismiss this as "people without self control", but I can almost guarantee that someone in your slightly-extended family has had severe problems with opiodes.