Oxycontin, addiction, and general stupidity
So, it looks like Purdue got dinged like 600 kerzillion dollars because “misleading the public about the painkiller‘s risk of addiction”. There are websites cropping up about class action lawsuits against the company, blah blah blah.
AMERICA! THIS IS WHY THE COST OF YOUR MEDICATION IS SO FUCKING HIGH!!! You think a bullshit lawsuit like this would fly in Canada or Mexico? NO! Lets sue God because water could be misused and we could drown in it.
The article is here:
Now I’m not siding with Purdue one bit, but I think the doctors themselves are partially to blame. Purdue got dinged because they were “claiming to doctors that OxyContin was less addictive and less subject to abuse than other pain medications.”
One question. If that was the case, why is it a C2 and not a C3 or C4? Doctors, get your head out of your collective asses and start using COMMON SENSE rather than listening to dumbass drug reps. Oxycodone has been out for a bazillion years. Why all of a sudden would it become less addicting/habit forming/etc just because its in an extended release tablet? How can you expect a morphine analog that has a lower first pass clearance than morphine to be LESS addicting/habit-forming/etc? Here, I have this nice drug called Heroin thats a less addictive alternative to morphine (its a joke, if you knew the history of heroin you’d understand) AND I have this wonderful bridge for sale! Gimme a break. When Oxycontin came out I could see a mile away that people were going to be hooked on this stuff. I saw it with MSContin too. Thats why its a C2 people! High potential for abuse! Same class as cocaine!
If I were a doctor, this is how the conversation would go:
HotRep: Doctor, this Oxycontin is a less addictive pain medication.
Me: O RLY? Why is it a C2 then?
HotRep: Well, because it has a high abuse potential, but its less than morphine.
Me: Oh, if its more bioavailable than morphine, then how does it make it less abusive?
HotRep: Dont make me explain this to you *bending over to show her clevage* Have some free pens and pads.
Me: YES! I SHALL WRITE FOR IT FOR ALL MY PATIENTS!
HotRep: I knew you’d see the light.
Heres what gets me:
Attorneys for the three executives said giving them criminal convictions was punishment enough, and noted they were charged because of their job titles, not because they themselves promoted OxyContin as a drug with little addiction potential.
The speakers, many of whose children died after trying the drug only once, disagreed.
Nuss held up a stone urn slightly larger than a pill bottle that she said contained her 18-year-old son‘s ashes.
“By pleading guilty they acknowledged that doing nothing was not good enough,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer said. “We cannot bring those people back. It‘s not something this case can do.”
Oh, I’m sorry. Your child died after he ABUSED A C2 NARCOTIC. Gee, go figure. Maybe you should stop blaming other people for your child’s death, and start blaming your CHILD and YOURSELF because you raised an IDIOT who couldn’t say no? Lets sue Clorox because little Jimmy drank a bottle of bleach and died. Am I the only one here sane enough to realize that people have a huge problem with taking personal responsibility for their actions here? How could Purdue even remotely be responsible for a child’s death after he/she got Oxycontin ILLEGALLY and abused it? Should the drug magically know that its being used in a child and not work? What in holy fucking hell are people thinking here? Has the world gone mad? Do people think that these drugs are safe?
Wait, this gets better:
Survivors of the victims want the Food and Drug Administration to reclassify OxyContin for use only for severe pain. The drug currently can be prescribed for moderate pain.
Arrrrg!! Im dying here! Moderate vs severe pain? How can you tell? If I get my skin ripped off, am I classified as moderate or severe? Now comparing this with getting my nuts slammed in a drawer I would have to say I am in moderately severe pain. Lets put a label on something that is very person specific.
So next time you’re bitching as to why your medication costs $300 bucks a month, think of this and all the lawsuits that are going to be flying around. Oh, and when your loved one is dying of cancer pain and your doctor only prescribes him Tylenol #3 or Norco for fear of being sued, this is why.
I hate to be “that guy,” but my inability to control calling “shennaniganz” prevents me from it. First, I would like to tell you that we may have been separated at birth. Secondly, I didn’t know I had a twin. Your takes on this shit makes me feel like common sense is not lost (but we KNOW it is). Okay, having said that: I am intending NO disrespect by telling you heroin (diacetylmorphine) is the most addictive form of morphine, not vice versa. I am not a Pharm.D., but I play one in everyday life. Everything else is the balls.
Keep truckin’ playa
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finally, someone with common sense…I too am flat out, hands down upset that people can’t take more responsibility for themselves. Our country is soaring out of control because people don’t know how to take control of their own lives…good post
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amen! there is no personal responsibility anymore in this country. and, yes, i am a pharmacist.
ps – the 18 year old that used oxy illegally and met with an untimely end…well, he’s an adult, and should know how to say “no” at that point!
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Hey man i completly agree with you! It is ridiculious how sue crazy people are. Its not the drug companys fault at all. Its a CII. Its kept in a safe. People try to steal it. There is a reason. Because its a high potential for abuse!!! That kids mom shouldn’t even be suing her kid wasn’t supposed to be using it. Why doesn’t she sue the person that gave it to her son!!! Dumbass people!
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OxyContin: Who’s to blame?
The Angry Pharmacist has his thoughts, and doesn’t hold back:
Now I’m not siding with Purdue one bit, but I think the doctors themselves are partially to blame. Purdue got dinged because they were “claiming to doctors that OxyContin was less addictive and
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I agree with the tremendous need for personal resonsibility in our society.But,unfortunately,there is alot of other blame to go around.I remember that this was also the time that JACHO was berating us for undertreating pain,and making pain the fifth VS.
We had legislators in our state proposing sanctions against doctors if patients felt their pain needs wern’t adaquately treated.
Now these same people are sayiny we overtreat and its our fault.
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OK, I completely understand this one. I will tell you this…. The most addictive opioid and hardest to withdrawal from is the one that the government allows people to be on LEGALLY for addiction treatment (Methadone). But that aside, I understand the angle that Purdue was coming from the LESS addictive side. An extended release product is going to be LESS addictive than an immediate release product because the same peak blood levels are not attained, thus the ‘rush’ is not there with ER products….UNLESS, you COMPROMISE the release form! So those Purdue reps weren’t wrong for saying that Oxycontin was going to have less addictive potential than oxyfast…when the formulation wasn’t compromised. The proof is in the pudding as they say…the folks ABUSING Oxycontin are NOT taking the drug WHOLE….they are crushing it, removing the coating, snorting it, etc…. Plain and simple…. So you can’t even ding Purdue for that one…. Of course, the biggest problem of all, is that ADDICTION is a ‘tricky’ word. It is NOT to be immediately connotated with a NEGATIVE thing… Patients taking the drug for chronic pain ARE addicted to the drug… (if not, they wouldn’t have withdrawal), but they aren’t necessarily ABUSING it… It’s a difference that many folks don’t understand and a reason many patients go untreated for chronic pain in this country (stigma)
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Thank you,thank you,thank you!When i’m at work I feel like i’m the only person in the world with any common sense.Why don’t these fuckholes sue the people they got the shit from in the first place…
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I watched the Youtube debate the other night. I would rank my pain as severe. May I have some Oxy please?
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Adding to Mike, heroin has a higher addiction liability than standard morphine because it is lipid soluble and gets across the blood brain barrier that much quicker. Faster drug action = higher addiction liability (for addictive drugs anyways).
Once it’s in the brain, Heroin = Morphine.
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Good post. You echo my sentiments exactly.
What’s really messed up is that thanks to dumbass drug addicts and scumbag lawyers, Purdue gets screwed for actually making a GOOD drug. Oxycontin is a good drug. It does exactly what it is intended to do (RELIEVE CHRONIC PAIN), and it does it well.
Moreover, how could doctor’s not know Oxycontin would be addictive??? Are they that fucking stupid? It’s OXYCODONE!!!! Of course it’s potentially addictive. There should be no way that a doctor could be convinced that oxycontin is far less habit forming than any other form of Oxycodone… I don’t care how big the drug rep’s tits were.
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Anyone remember Bendectin, the prescription remedy for pregnancy nausea that had been on the market for 50 years? It contained an antihistamine and pyridoxine. In the early 1980s, lawsuits involving alleged birth defects caused the product’s price to skyrocket to $2 a tablet; then, it just went off the market, probably no longer defendable in court.
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In reply to Mike and Chadwick, I believe what the angry pharmacist was referring to is the HISTORY of heroin. Many years ago it was used commonly in children’s cough syrups and was even use to treat addiction to morphine (until it was discovered that heroin is converted to morphine in the liver) This was common until heroin was banned from sale in the US in 1924 (made a CI) So yeah, heroin is considered more addictive than morphine but it wasn’t always considered thus. I guess you can call that irony.
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agree with all the above–but the ‘form’ doesn’t matter–it’s all ‘addictive’ due to the ‘dependence’ it causes, withdrawal still occurs…and i have ‘assisted’ 2 people off of the ‘govts’ drug methadone…the other products cause much less severe symptoms…the clinics just keep ‘em addicted IMO,
no one holds a weapon to the people who abuse drugs OR food, they stuff their own pieholes…’you play, you pay…and most good docs and rph’s i know damn sure know the diff between a ‘chronic’ pain patient and a seeker!!! just my $.02 !!
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Thank you soo much for this rant!! Obviously all C-IIs have a potential for addiction and/or dependency, which is why they are C-IIs. Irrespective of which one is more addictive, the fact that junkies can procure this medicine ILLEGALLY thus commiting a crime–a felonly– and then have the nerve to sue is disgusting!!
“OH POOR ME, when Johnny DrugDealer sold me those (insert street slang here) for 80 bucks a pill, and I crushed and snorted it, I had no idea that I would get addicted or DIE!” So, then as that crackhead emerges from the his/her dungeon/home–aka Mom’s basement–he/she has an epiphany! We can sue…. everyone (manufacturer, MD, pharmacy, and pharmacist)! It truly pisses me off. Once again, no one takes responsibilty for his or her own actions nor do they expect others to do so(as shown by the mother of the 18 year old–or maybe she just jumped on the cash train as it was passing by!)
Preach on!
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I know it was on the history, and I do know a bit about it (Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup, if I remember correctly…) My class on drug addiction had a big section on the history of heroin and cocaine.
I was just adding to Mike’s comment, not necessarily on the main article.
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FYI a physiology textbook of mine (Human Anatomy and Physiology – Marieb 4th ed) which was published in 2004 has a 2 pages article on oxycontin abuse p 424-5. Just a little proof of this being a well documented problem for several years at least.
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HELP!!! my best friends daughter and my husbands brother are both addicted to oxycotin. can they get off this shit…. Ever? the brother and his girlfried came to our our to detox (discusting loosers)they said after a week they were good as new. i think that is Bullshit. taking family’s money and conning family members. he’s a 38 year old adult. i need some answers . drug addicts are forever lyers.
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Karen, there is hope. I was addicted to Heroin for 6 years. I’ve been clean for 10 years now and run a very successful company.
You must remember that drug addicts ARE lyers, but, not forever, just while they are on drugs.
You need to employ tough love, the only way they will get off drugs is to hit bottom. Everyones bottom is different, in my case it was living in a storage shed, and stealing food. It got to the point where I would spend an entire day “working” just to get a $40 bag of heroin.
I finally gave up, I literally could not take it anymore, and went into a 6 month program, half way house, etc, etc.
The only way to get clean is to hit bottom and give in. You can help by not enabling them to use, do not provide food, clothing, money, shelter, etc for them. Give them the cold shoulder, just as my parents gave me. It will hurt you to do this, but, time heals.
Last saturday, I was on the 18th hole playing golf with my father and it started to rain. I looked at my $15,000 watch and wondered if it would break, since I just got it. It then remembered just how far I’d come. I looked over at my dad, and his matching watch I bought him on fathers day, and smiled. He smiled back, probably having no clue why.
Time heals, it took me a full year to get back to normal sleep, without drug dreams, etc. It also took a lot of prayer and a lot of hard work. I had no help, I started out with 9 cents in my pocket, thats all I had left when I left the storage shed in Arizona behind.
There is no such thing as a one week fix, believe me, I tried that at least 6 or 7 times, and was banned from a number of detox centers.
People think that just because they are taking Oxycontin (which used to be called percodan when I was using, I think), they are ok, well, they’re not. In the end, they will lose everything. Without fail, perhaps their very lives in some cases. The quicker you can intervene by calling everyone in the family and starting the “tough love” scenario, the quicker they will hit bottom. Believe me on this, my father wouldn’t even speak to me, I stole from my own family, I lied to everyone. When they cut off support and I was on my own, I fell quickly, literally, within 9 months of being totally cut off, I was clean.
I can’t really explain how it happened in fine detail. It just happened. It was a combination of, no showers, living in a storage shed for $25 a month, stealing everything I needed, getting arrested, being totally worn out at the end of the day after spending the whole day seeking drugs, etc. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was in hell, and I wanted out. There is only so much a human can take before they break. I’m an extremely stubborn person which is why I probably lasted as long as I did. I faught and faught, but, in the end, I gave in.
After being clean for around a year, and having a steady job, I started “slowly” earning my family’s trust back. This process has been going on ever since. Now 10 years later, we’re closer than ever and I have a booming business, all thanks to tough love and God.
There are many parts of my recovery that I’m leaving out since everyones experience will be different. But, just watch the downward spiral, soon jobs will be lost, houses forclosed on, credit destroyed, it’s only a matter of time. The quicker the better! I really mean that, do not hesitate. I’m involved in financially supporting a number of groups for addicted kids, unfortately, another just passed away a month ago. It is devestating to those who work with these kids, and it is for me as well, but, in a lot of cases, I see family members “enabling” their sons/daughters to use drugs. I know it’s hard to shun away family, but, if it saves their lives, then it must be done.
If they are clean for 6 months, there is hope. Literally, for Heroin, Morphone, Oxycontin, etc, it does take that long to beat the psychological addiction. I’m speaking from personal experience.
Then after recovery, they will have to learn to live normal lives again, that took me 3 years. Thats a whole other story, but, it’s amazing how behaviors learned during addiction will hold on longer than the addiction itself. Anger management, outbursts, childish behavior, are all included in the list of things that must be overcome afterwards.
I hope this post gives you hope. It is possible to get free. Plus, once your free, you never never want to go back, especially if you have lived in the hell that I lived in. It was so bad, I’d rather die than go back. It’s amazing what 120 degree weather in a 5×5 metal box will do to a man, really takes away your will to continue. Those memories are always with me and forunately I have a wonderful lady to share them with. I still to this day have some nightmares, but, no longer have using dreams. Only nightmares of what once was.
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Hi,
I agree with you somewhat in that SOME inexperienced doctors are responsible for the Oxycontin problem. However, a significant proportion of oxycontin now abused is purchased on the street, and not prescribed by doctors.
All opioid medication has the potential to be abused; the different long acting opioids bind the mu / kappa and delta opioid receptors with different affinity. This explains the difference in their abuse potential. Further complicating matters is the fact that everyone’s brain chemistry is different and everyone has a different psychological susceptibility to opioid addiction. Obviously, it would be extremely unwise to prescribe an IV drug user Oxycontin; if a doctor uses their clinical instincts appropriately , then this medication can be used effectively with little risk of addiction.
Unfortunately, doctors sometimes do not appropriately assess a patient’s opioid risk level before prescribing a medication such as oxycontin, and this is where the trouble starts. I don’t think lipid solubility or the first pass effect has much to do with the abuse potential of the opioids.
Chris.
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All
I had 2 surgeries (new knee and hip) . My GP , a young woman , took over my pain med prescriptions. I went from 25 mg of Percocet a day 3 weeks after the last surgery to 350 mg of oxycontin a day a year later…sounds like it should have been the other way around?
My GP would prescribe whatever I asked for. I was not getting high or selling the drugs but I had tried to stop using them once and got horribly sick. I have 22 years of sobriety thru AA (which my GP knew) so I know about chemical withdrawals. I kept asking for the drugs because I feared withdrawal. Admittedly I still had pain (still do…they want to redo my knee) but no where near enough to justify all those narcotics.
I began to lose it….extreme anxiety, feelings of impending doom etc. My GP, when I told her, just prescribed me Lexapro. Eventually I got suicidal…as a traffic engineer I figured out how to step in front of a tractor trailer so the insurance company could not deny payoff to my son .
All I can say is a few days before the final act a light went on in my head…”maybe it is the drugs”. I had told the GP what was happening a month previously but all she did was send me to some “big-shot pain doc in DC who I could not get an appointment with for 2 months.
I “fired” the GP and went to a drug program. The doc there saved my life. He took me off the painkillers and put me on suboxone (also addictive but does not really affect my mind or make me suicidal). He is keeping me on the suboxone because of my knee pain (I want to get off it though). However I feel so much better. I returned all the oxycontin back to the GP because I did not anyone speculating on what happened to them (about a months supply…350 mg …times 28 days). However the GP would not talk to me which really bothered me because I really liked her.
Funny , when I went to the drug program I expected all these junkies and crackheads to be there but almost half the folks there were people who got started on drugs because of physician prescriptions. I do not have a problem with doctors prescribing pain killers but if they “make” addicts they should take responsibility for “unmaking” them. I even thought about suing the GP to get back all the money I spent for the drug proghram but my AA sponsor told me to drop it….he said it was part of a valuable lesson …that just because someone seems to care about you and has an advanced degree doesn’t mean they really care about you or know what the hell they are doing.
I only wish my parmacists ,who obviously I got to know very well , had intervened….but I guess they are part of the same system as my GP. I still do not understand why the hell my GP did not stop this…she is a very popular doc and sure as hell does not need to prescribe drugs to keep patients.
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I know its been a long while since update on this site. I like to add, I`m sure a lot of people read this and agree. This is how I was addicted to OXY, I took as prescribed for over 6 months, OXY 80MG one time a day, So at 10 am, i would take 1, then over the months, I would start feeling more pain earlier. Then I take 2nd one at 2 PM, then I would tell DOC, listen the one Pill is not cutting it no more, so they double the dose, then 2 pills a day for a few months, then the pills only lasted a few hours. after a year and 4 months, the Docs says, I need to cut you off, I think this is becoming addicting, and you need to get off of it. No more precipitation, then only a day later after i took my last pill, I was in Hell, the pain, withdrawals, and I just wanted to just blow my brains out. I called the doctor, he said go to the emergency room, there is nothing he can do, I need to get off of it.
ER gave me 20 percs and sent me home. 2 weeks of throwing up, pain of withdrawals still carried on. I was in bed for over 2 weeks, in tears every night. I called a friend and asked him to get me something, and was able to find OXY 80 on the street, $30.00 a pill. I got a few hundred bucks worth, was normal again, and I told doctor this is wrong, i can’t believe this, he said just cut cold turkey, and just get through it.
that was the year 2001, I have been trying to find a solution for many years. No place to turn to. Im self employed, so i can`t spend 30 days in rehab, and every doctor treated me as a addicted looking for painkillers. I only took Oxy to be normal, not get high, not buzzed, only just to function. To be normal I had to spend 2-3,000.00 a month. at 30.00 to 40.00 a pill. It has nothing to do with say no or I was an idiot, or even a abuser, I have become addicted and there is no fix.
5 weeks ago, I finally found a doctor, I am now on suboxone, I am on the road to feeling again, I`m actually feeling again, looking forward to the day. its been over 8 years. and average of $200,000 in pills.
So, what did I do wrong ? Do I have a right to say, listen the medicine has destroyed my life, and lost everything because of it ?
The pain of getting off OXYCOTIN, is more sever than getting off Heroin, I have asked many people.
What is the answer ?
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