How Big Pharma Hooked America On Legal Heroin 499
pigrabbitbear writes "The active ingredient in OxyContin, oxycodone, isn't a new compound. It was originally synthesized in Germany in 1916. The patent on the medication had expired well before Purdue Pharma, a Stamford, Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company and the industry leader in pain medication, released it under the brand name in 1996. The genius of Purdue's continued foray into pain-management medication – they had already produced versions of hydromorphone, oxycodone, fentanyl, codeine, and hydrocodone – was twofold. They not only created a drug from an already readily available compound, but they were able to essentially re-patent the active ingredient by introducing a time-release element. Prior to the 1990s, strong opioid medications were not routinely given for miscellaneous or chronic, moderately painful conditions; the strongest classes of drugs were often reserved for the dying. But Purdue parlayed their time-release system not only into the patent for OxyContin. They also went on a PR blitz, claiming their drug was unique because of the time-release element and implied that it was so difficult to abuse that the risk of addiction was 'under 1%.'"
Well you know... (Score:5, Funny)
That just proves that Rush Limbaugh is part of the 1%.
Re:Well you know... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
I think the last time I actually listened to Rush was in 1997, so I really can't remember... does he hate teh gays as much as teh druggies? I'm just asking.
Re:Well you know... (Score:4, Insightful)
The only thing you need to know is that he loves money, and has found a niche that happily pays him plenty of it.
Frankly, I long ago gave up any hope that any of the major Conservative commentators was being sincere. There's so much money to be made preaching to the choir, and it does matter how over the top the rhetoric they will lap it up, that I think Conservative talk shows are about as real as a carnival side show. Think of Rush as the bearded woman and you've figured out the secret.
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Well you know... (Score:4, Interesting)
There is no particular intellectual component to pandering. The fact that the mouth-breathing, knuckle dragging masses that gobble up his swill are less bright than he, only tells me that his IQ isn't in the single digits... there's still plenty of room for profound idiocy, and Rush has publicly uttered inanities that remain classic even to this day. You do remember his verbal assault on Michael j. Fox for "Faking his Parkinson's" after doing a commercial for Democrat in Missouri. By the way, the year before Mike did a similar commercial for a Republican in another state whose voting record on stem cell research was admirable. Because Mike is passionate about curing the disease that will ultimately kill him. Russ is like Samson from the bible. He kills with the jawbone of an ass.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
The only thing you need to know is that he loves money, and has found a niche that happily pays him plenty of it.
Frankly, I long ago gave up any hope that any of the major Conservative commentators was being sincere. There's so much money to be made preaching to the choir, and it does matter how over the top the rhetoric they will lap it up, that I think Conservative talk shows are about as real as a carnival side show. Think of Rush as the bearded woman and you've figured out the secret.
Sometimes I wonder if that's what FOX News is about. Is Murdoch a right-winger, or did he just figure out that there was a big niche to be explopited?
Winners (Score:4, Insightful)
A direct marketer once told me that if he ever managed to get an accurate list of 500 rich, narcissistic and gullible individuals, he would never need to work hard for a living again.
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Funny)
I think the last time I actually listened to Rush was in 1997, so I really can't remember...
Oh, you're missing out. While Test for Echo was pretty good, that's no way to leave yourself hanging. Rush is still touring, and in fact they released Clockwork Angels in June this year.
Re:Well you know... (Score:4, Insightful)
It's not a "have you stopped beating your wife" kind of question if the latent assumption (e.g. that Rush Limbaugh "hate[s] teh druggies") is previously established as true (which earlier posts claim is the case).
In other words, it's not a fallacy to ask "have you stopped beating your wife?" if the previous question, "did you ever beat your wife?" had already been answered in the affirmative.
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Insightful)
The answer is "yes" he hates the people the same amount. That is, not
Bullshit. I know you want to parlay the admission of ignorance of his opinion on homosexuals into not actually having listened to him at all, but this is not true and you can't just lie to my face like that. He spoke on the subject more than often enough for your words to mean anything.
Just so you know, most people realize that calling weed evil isn't the same as calling the people who use it evil.
Yeah and calling them maggot-infested is both accurate and a compliment. LOL.
I didn't say he said they were "evil", I said he hates them, and he does. How much vitriol does someone have to spew at a group of people before it is clear that they hate them? The answer is much less than he has.
If you're going to do a word-mincing jerk-off session, at least make sure you're stroking the right verbiage.
Re:Well you know... (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm sorry but cannibis has one of the longest and most illustrious histories of any cultivated plant, up until the time that well monied interests decided to demonize it to bury the hemp industry. The only thing evil about marijuana is that the pharmaceutical industry has spent millions to ensure it remains unavailable to the millions of people suffering from cancer and chronic pain.
After California legalized medical marijuana, a pot cooperative in the Santa Cruz area was targeted by the Fed. In 2002 they marched into a quiet and peaceful community, held a single woman pinned to the floor with a shotgun to her head, and proceeded to tear up the pot plants in the back yard. The members of the coop began arriving, many in wheelchairs and on oxygen. They simply parked themselves in the driveway. The woman of the house commented "Seems we 're holding the big bad Marshals hostage."
The incident lead to the painful and untimely deaths of dozens of coop members. The incident was also a PR disaster for the Federal Marshals, and neighboring police departments made it very clear they'd have nothing to do with any future such events hosted by the DEA and Federal Marshals. I'm looking and the number of people dying of prescription drugs in our society is simply shocking, nobody dies of pot, save the victims of the illegal trade made possible by the idiot laws preventing the legal trade, control and taxation of marijuana. At this late and ridiculous point in the process of a product more widely used than any other save perhaps alcohol, is not time to say, Okay, this war was lost, perhaps diplomacy is now a better track.
Re: (Score:3)
Can you please point to where Limbaugh said "pot and people who smoke it, [are] evil"?
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Informative)
"The FDA says there's no -- zilch, zero, nada -- shred of medicinal value to the evil weed marijuana. This is going to be a setback to the long-haired, maggot-infested, dope-smoking crowd."
Radio broadcast, Apr. 21, 2006
No, he's not literally calling the smokers evil, but the OP didn't put it in quotes. It's clear that he thinks they're bad people, and he did explicitly call the marijuana itself evil.
Re:Well you know... (Score:4, Informative)
He definitely used the "long-haired, maggot-infested, dope-smoking" line elsewhere, on more than one occasion:
http://mediamatters.org/video/2011/03/02/limbaugh-wisconsin-protesters-are-long-haired-m/183331 [mediamatters.org]
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2012/06/06/audio-limbaugh-poor-romney-accused-of-bullying-a-long-haired-maggot-infested-dope-smoking-type-kid-back-in-prep-school/ [thepoliticalcarnival.net]
and it's obvious he's not joking, and it's clear that he doesn't care for marijuana users.
The other one may be too far in the past for people to dig up, but this seems sufficient to confirm the OP's point. And given that much, it seems unlikely that the above quote is faked or taken out of context. If it is, it shouldn't be that hard for a dittohead capable of listening to this dreck to dig it up the specific broadcast and refute it.
Re:Well you know... (Score:4, Interesting)
He supports candidates that support the criminalization of cannabis. That's close enough. Yes, that applies to anyone who supports Obama too. The War on Drug Users is an atrocity.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Shhh.... don't tell them that people with a big (D) after their name are no better, and in some cases much worse than people with a big (R) after their name on the drug war. Next thing you know they'll be looking into Gary Johnson's candidacy [garyjohnson2012.com].
Don't talk about pot legalization. It is a gateway drug to all sorts of evil ideas about personal freedom. Stay asleep and choose between your giant douche and turd sandwich.
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, though, there is a vast difference between taking a prescribed drug and becoming addicted to it and using a proscribed drug for the explicit purpose of getting high.
Yes, the first is where you're being abused by people who are supposed to care for you, and the second is living your life like a free person.
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Informative)
Wrong. The first is prescribed by a doctor and is highly addictive. That part you got right. Congratulations.
Cannabis, you're wrong on, though. It is prescribed by a doctor in growing number of states in the US, and I can't speak for outside of the US on that, so I'll leave that to someone who knows better (as far as I know, it may or may not be the case elsewhere in the world that doctors prescribe it). So, a little right on the first one there, but equally wrong.
As for addictive... Cannabis IS addictive. Psychologically for sure (you can be psychologically addicted to all kinds of things, though). Physically, despite popular, bullshit lies, you CAN be physically addicted to cannabis. Physical Dependence requires Tolerance and Withdrawal. You definitely get tolerance with cannabis, specifically because the receptors that the cannabinoids attach to begin to down regulate or stop functioning so that you need more cannabinoids to have the same effect. As for withdrawal, there is very clear withdrawal symptoms associated to stopping cannabis use suddenly: irritability, anger, aggression, restlessness, difficulty focusing, increased appetite, weight gain, sleep disturbances (insomnia, disturbing dreams, etc.), anxiety, depressed mood, cravings, sensitivity to light, stomach pain, increased sweating, fever, chills, and headaches, to name a few. In fact, because this has become accepted fact throughout the psychological and medical fields, they are adding official diagnosis of Cannabis Withdrawal to the latest diagnostic standards [dsm5.org] (mind you, they are also dropping the terms Abuse and Dependence and moving to simply Substance Use Disorders, with a spectrum of No Diagnosis, Mild, Moderate, and Severe).
Reputable facts are a good thing to know if you're going to make claims...
Re: (Score:3)
I will add terms that will work, though:
Of the two drugs mentioned, one can fairly easily be taken in high enough doses to kill you, while the other you practically need an IV with ridiculously high doses for it to kill you. That is a pretty big difference.
Neither one has withdrawal symptoms that are likely to kill you, though (opiate withdrawal is significantly more severe and also more likely to interact with medical conditions that could lead to death as the withdrawal makes those medical conditions wors
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Funny)
Yes your facts follow that Cannabis overdose is the main reason for ER visits.... lol....
The legal effects are far more dangerous to the individual than the substance.
Withdrawal from sugar is far more pysically rough, so whats your point?
Anyway oxycontin kills daily....
Here is a fact for you..
How much cannabis does it take to kill a lab rat? 2.5 pounds if you drop it from about 3 feet.
Re: (Score:3)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Informative)
As far as psychologically addictive, there is no such thing. Addiction is bio-chemical. You cannot be "addicted" to gambling, shopping, masturbation, etc. These are compulsive behaviors - they are NOT addiction. That is not meant to insult sufferers, compulsive behavior patterns are an illness and are FAR worse to deal with than simple physical addition.
Compulsive behavior is stuff like hair pulling, counting, excessive showering or hand washing, and a hundred other things.
Psychological addiction is the reason drug users who want to stop cannot, or why smokers have oral fixations, or the cravings you experience once the physiological addiction is conquered.
Psychological is almost always caused by a physiological addiction.
There are people who have physiological addiction but not a psychological one.
Those people can quit smoking or quit heroin on a whim and never have a relapse or craving.
If you want to argue that physiological addiction leads to compulsive behavior, fine.
But compulsive behaviors and psychological addictions only overlap, neither is a subset of the other.
TLDNR: There is a difference between physical needs, mental cravings, and mental compulsions.
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
Cannabis cannot be PRESCRIBED... (Score:5, Informative)
because it is a Schedule I drug. Writing a prescription for a Schedule I drug would quickly bring the DEA down on the prescribing physician, most likely eliminating said doctor's ability to prescribe any other controlled drugs.
It can, however be RECOMMENDED by a physician. The card you get in CA or other medical MJ states shows that your doctor thinks that cannabis might help your condition. It doesn't specify dosage, form, route of administration, or frequency of use like a standard prescription would.
Re:Well you know... (Score:5, Insightful)
In fact, because this has become accepted fact throughout the psychological and medical fields, they are adding official diagnosis of Caffeine Withdrawal [dsm5.org] to the latest diagnostic standards (mind you, they are also dropping the terms Abuse and Dependence and moving to simply Substance Use Disorders, with a spectrum of No Diagnosis, Mild, Moderate, and Severe).
It seems to me that the listed symptoms of Cannabis Withdrawal are less severe than those of Caffeine Withdrawal.
Re: (Score:3)
As for addictive... Cannabis IS addictive. Psychologically for sure
The term for that is habituation, not addiction, and as you alluded, anything can be habitual. Drink a glass of orange juice every morning and when you're out, you have a bad day. It's not anything in the orange juice, it's the act of drinking it every day. marijuana is no different.
Physical Dependence requires Tolerance and Withdrawal.
Correct. That is addiction. Coffee, alcohol, tobacco, all addictive. Withdrawal from alcohol or heroin or o
Re: (Score:3)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICD-10
"""
Some 25 countries use ICD-10 for reimbursement and resource allocation in their health system. A few of them made modifications to ICD to better accommodate this use of ICD-10.
"""
So there're 200 countries which don't use it, and of the 25 that do use it, some of them have rewritten parts of it, and yet you say "every medical doctor"? That's a signi
Dont forget the low cost (Score:4, Interesting)
Why is that, one might ask.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think so. Street value for an Oxy 80 is $80.00 or more. [yahoo.com].
Re:Dont forget the low cost (Score:4, Insightful)
The street price is higher because the pharmacy cost is higher.
The street price is higher because the drug is on the federal schedule of drugs as something to be restricted. The street price is higher because the demand for it is significant. The street price is higher because the risk of getting caught dealing is higher, and the penalties greater. The street price is higher because people will pay it. For every person who walks away because they think $80 a pill is too high, there is someone next in line who will pay it.
The point was, however, that using the "street price" as some indicator that the manufacturer charges too much is just silly. It's not the stadium's fault when you buy a ticket from a scalper for a sold-out game for ten times the box office price, nor is it the stadium's fault when the scalper charges you a service fee to make up for his costs in getting tickets and the risks of doing so.
Re:Dont forget the low cost (Score:5, Informative)
They keep the cost low even though other drugs have increased considerably in cost.
Why is that, one might ask.
Low cost? OxyContin is one of the most expensive PO pain medicines doctors use.
I have insurance companies tell me all the time that they would rather I use one of the cheaper alternatives if OxyContin comes up.
Cheaper alternatives, like methadone (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
I have insurance companies tell me all the time that they would rather I use one of the cheaper alternatives if OxyContin comes up.
Methadone is dirt cheap, but its use as a painkiller is leading to its outsized share of overdose fatalities.
It's being prescribed by general practitioners who aren't monitoring patients like they do in methadone clinics, leading to accidental overdoses.
Nationally, methadone represents 2% of prescriptions and 30% of fatalities.
The CDC's websites have some information:
http://www.cdc.gov/features/vitalsigns/methadoneoverdoses/ [cdc.gov]
http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/MethadoneOverdoses/ [cdc.gov]
But what they don't tell you is tha
Re:Dont forget the low cost (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Kind of makes all the rest of us feel like worthless garbage, doesn't it.
You must be on OxyContin.
Re:Dont forget the low cost (Score:4, Insightful)
The man made his income by giving up any semblance of a soul he had to become as close to a literal mouthpiece for a powerful political party as is possible while still being considered "human". His entire career is built around echoing talking points and riling up a voter base according to the whims of the bigwigs in the party. Nothing more. He has no opinions, he has no thoughts, he has no ideas that aren't specifically vetted by whoever's pulling his strings to make him talk and spread hate and fear over the airwaves. He made his income by being a complete tool, plain and simple, cut-and-dry.
And you're saying that makes US feel like worthless garbage? Pfui! Looking at that man's "life" makes me more proud than ever of how my own life turned out!
Re: (Score:2)
The man made his income by giving up any semblance of a soul he had to become as close to a literal mouthpiece for a powerful political party as is possible while still being considered "human".
A more apt description of James Carville and Paul Begala would be hard to find. Although the former might have slipped over the "still being human" line a few times.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Yeah, personally I'm kind of glad Rush Limbaugh hasn't OD'd yet. Everything about him makes me feel like I'm an amazing, intelligent, thoughtful, caring human being. Well... at least by comparison. Otherwise I'm not so impressive.
Re: (Score:3)
And they wonder why people can't afford healthcare.
That is outrageous.It's unfortunate that some people abuse methamphetamine but that's no excuse to make it so expensive for people using it legitimately. It really shouldn't cost much more than generic aspirin at this point.
History repeats itself (Score:5, Informative)
And of course, heroin itself was introduced as a "non-addictive" alternative to morphine.
From Wikipedia: [wikipedia.org]
Funny how history repeats itself.
Re:History repeats itself (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
And how many people are addicted to booze? People are looking for ways to alter their minds. Restricting advertising isn't going to do any good.
Re: (Score:3)
Restricting advertising isn't going to do any good.
It's illegal to advertise any prescription drug in Canada. Makes a huge difference. Also makes US television commercials seem unwatchable by comparison. A full third of them seem to be for drugs.
Re:History repeats itself (Score:4, Insightful)
There's something fundamentally wrong with the "there's a drug for everything!"-attitude in the U.S. I've been brought up by my parents to know that a) most small aches go away anyways, b) medication ALWAYS comes with side effects and c) I should go for the causes of my problems, not the symptoms.
So, in essence, even for most cases of diagnosed "depression" (not: clinical depression!) these days, I would rather look for changes to my life style (work environment, friends, family, sports, food...) than take medication.
ESPECIALLY considering the absurd cost of prescription drugs and the insane marketing pressure behind them.
1% is probably true for all opiates (Score:5, Insightful)
The vast majority of people who are prescribed opiates do not become addicted to them. Most people who have try heroin or cocaine do not become junkies/fiends who destroy their lives in an attempt to stay high all the time. The "one hit and you're hooked for life" thing is just prohibition propaganda.
Re:1% is probably true for all opiates (Score:4, Informative)
Seeing your buddy quit a "mild" oxy addiction cold turkey is enough to make someone never want to touch the stuff. It is brutal.
Re:1% is probably true for all opiates (Score:5, Insightful)
the fault is heroin's legal status (Score:3)
Where heroin is prescribed legally, like Switzerland, virtually all it's so-called nasty side effects are negated.
People prescribed it don't OD because quantity/quality consistencies are guaranteed. They don't catch things like HIV/HCV because IV equipment availability minimizes equipment sharing. The desire to rob or steal is minimized because prescription heroin doesn't cost much more to make than aspirin.
Heroin is just a catalyst of morphine, that converts back to morphine in the body, & as such nega
Re: (Score:3)
lies, damn lies (Score:3, Interesting)
The son of a colleague of mine chewed up a few at a party and promptly over dosed. Happy 19th birthday kid, you dead.
Re:lies, damn lies (Score:5, Informative)
If it was OxyContin, then he probably died from acetominophen overdose. They add huge amounts (near lethal doses) to keep people from taking too many pills. Unfortunately, some people don't read the label nor understand the toxicity of Tylenol.
And unfortunately, reading comprehension is a problem with at least some ACs.
Oxycontin DOES NOT have acetaminophen (Tylenol for USer's, paracetamol for the rest of the world).
Percocet, Roxicet and various other short acting formulations do.
Re: (Score:3)
Re:lies, damn lies (Score:4, Informative)
Only a specialist could hope to keep track of them all.
Even specialists sometimes can't. One of the problems with our health care system is that the sheer amount of medications have overwhelmed the average doctor's ability to keep up. Pharmacists are typically much better, but that's because they focus entirely on prescription drugs.
Then again, at no time in our history have we, the patients, had as much information at our fingertips. There are online drug databases where we can look up information on the prescriptions we take. It's beyond stupid to take any drug without reading the 2-3 pages of text on precautions, interactions and other general information. Google searches will yield even more information. If you have any concerns, it's very easy to bring your concerns to a pharmacist who will most likely be able to help you on the spot or will, at a minimum, look up the information necessary and figure out how to answer your questions.
Many names (Score:3)
Is it any wonder this gets confusing? Every drug has a minimum of three different names: The unpronounceable chemical name, the generic name, and the brand name.
The names for that erectile dysfunction drug aren't all that bad:
1-[4-ethoxy-3-(6,7-dihydro-1-methyl- 7-oxo-3-propyl-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5-yl) phenylsulfonyl]-4-methylpiperazine
Viagra
Mycoxaphlopin
...
I'm here all week. Try the veal!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
He died from a case of stupid.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
As a pharmacist, I can tell you that Oxycontin DOES NOT have any acetaminophen (APAP) in it. However, Percocet and its various generics do.
Re: (Score:3)
Ah crock of shit. What a crock of shit, I take endocet(oxycodone hcl 5mg/acetaminophen 325mg) every 4-6 hours as required for my back along with long acting Hydromorphone(10mg twice daily). And I'll be honest, if I didn't I couldn't even function, I fractured my C2 and C3 a few years ago, and let's be honest here. I'm damn lucky I didn't die from it, or am a paraplegic, or partially crippled(though I would be without the pain killers--though from people who read my posts this would explain why there is so
More hype and angst (Score:4, Interesting)
Another Slashdot 'article' full of slant and hyperbole.
Yep, Purdue over marketed the drug, Pharma always does that.
No, it was never considered 'safe' - oxycodone has always been DEA schedule II (the most 'dangerous of legal drugs').
What isn't discussed is that the reason that long acting opiates were allowed by the FDA was the increasing realization that medicine has done a historically poor job of treating pain.
Now, allopathic medicine has used, and continues to use a very immature and inadequate model both pain control and addiction. The former is hobbled by limited good research on the issue and the fact that the opiates (heroin, morphine, oxycodone and similar drugs) have been the most effective against serious pain while being significantly addictive. The latter hobbled by addiction being both a legal and a medical problem in the US. The legal system and the medical system tend to work poorly with each other and this is not an exception to that rule.
And I've not even started on the human propensity to stuff whatever it can down it's collective gullet in order to achieve some different level of consciousness.
Yep, Purdue did some poor marketing and a lot of docs (for some bizarre reason) fell for it, but they are hardly the only players in the game.
Re:More hype and angst (Score:5, Informative)
I agree with you for the most part, but... Mr. allopathic: there are two kinds of medicine: medicine and NOT medicine (homeopathic, reiki, acupuncture, and the rest of the (S)CAM stuff). That is all.
Re: (Score:3)
Another Slashdot 'article' full of slant and hyperbole.
My thoughts exactly. None of this is news (or even noteworthy) to anyone following the medical industry. Drug patents are not on just a chemical, but on exact formulations and their use to treat specific diseases in specific ways. Double the strength of each pill and have doctors prescribe one daily rather than two, and it's a new patentable drug [blogspot.com]. Mix in a practically-irrelevant bit of aspirin and it's a new combination that relieves symptoms and pain!
It's not that Purdue was particularly evil in their mar
Re:More hype and angst (Score:5, Insightful)
With you right up until 'allopathic'. The use of that word outs you as an 'alternative' medicine nutjob.
If the pain model used in medicine is immature and inadequate, it still represents the best we have. I very much hope that if it is immature and inadequate that some serious research is going into that area.
Because any of the alt-med crap may as well have been pulled out of my butthole. I'd rather have immature than a blend of fantasy and charlatanry.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Thank you, ColdWetDog
I find that many people who have not personally experienced years of serious chronic pain tend not have the slightest idea of what they are talking about. For these people Oxycontin=Rush. That's all they really need to know. Nevermind the solid, repeated research that shows only 2% of chronic pain patients on long term opiate therapy become addicted. Nevermind the conflation of addiction and physical dependence. Nevermind the studies showing that when properly managed, long term opi
Which is why... (Score:5, Informative)
I won't touch the stuff. My former dentist gave it to me for a toothache to last thru the weekend till I could be seen. Taking the recommended dose for 2 days and I was already hooked enough to experience withdrawal symptoms for the next 3 days. Unbelievable.
On the next two occasions where I was offered the drug after surgery I said no, just give me ibuprofen. It's just not worth it.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
The worst I had from taking the things for my dental surgery was a mild hangover like brain fuzz/ache after waking up each day.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, that's the withdrawal. For me it felt like I had the worst flu ever. Massive headache, body aches, chills, nausea. It was pretty awful. I actually had to continue taking it and wean down for 3 days.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Which is why... (Score:4, Interesting)
Nope. The NSAIDs (ibuprofen, etc) ARE analgesics - they work directly on the pain pathways. They ALSO are (weak) anti inflammatories and inflammation often plays a part of pain.
And it's also in your head (where else would it be?).
Re: (Score:2)
Appendectomy and cholecystectomy. I'd say both are pretty invasive. Of course in the hospital right after the surgery they gave me dilaudid or something similar (still bad, but highly limited in use). It was after that first day when they wanted to give me a Rx for a week's worth of oxycodone pills and I said no. Ibuprofen and tylenol, that was it. Just enough to take the edge off.
Patenting the active ingredient? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
While the pharmacutical industry is certainly very patent-driven, they havn't yet reached the point of routinely using the over-broad patents now common in computing and consumer electronics.
CBC The Fifth Estate (Score:3, Informative)
If you live in Canada, CBC put out an excellent documentary about Perdue Pharma labs and oxydone marketing: http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2011-2012/timebomb/
I had Oxy after my Donor surgery (Score:2)
After I donated my Kidney to my son, I was given Oxy for pain management....I hardly used the PCA when I was still in the recovery/observation unit...the nurse had to remind me. So when they gave me the Oxy, I started taking it for a few days on a 6 hour schedule. I decided to hold a dose on the 3rd day I was taking it and the most pain I felt was the punching of the staples (the removed the kidney through my belly using laparoscopicprocedures) I did feel like crap though, run down and a little irritated. T
Re:I had Oxy after my Donor surgery (Score:5, Insightful)
Why in hell would you throw away a legal supply of opiate painkillers ? You put 'em in the back of the medicine cabinet, and take them with you on camping trips and such, so if a member of your party has a real problem (crushed limbs, deep lacerations, etc.) you have something for the pain on the way back out, or (worst case) waiting for a medevac.
The Oxycontin Express (Vanguard, CurrentTV) (Score:2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7DHMqHFSB8 [youtube.com]
Watch it and you'll never touch that stuff without a long pole.
Breaking the addiction is easier than you think (Score:5, Informative)
I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer almost one year ago (7 Oct 2011) and have taken my share of oxycontin/oxycodone. All during chemotherapy, and especially after my surgery, I was taking oxycontin for base pain management, along with oxycodone for 'breakthrough' pain. My tumors responded to chemo wonderfully so that I was a candidate for surgery to have my primary tumor removed, colon ressected, metastatic liver tumors ablated, etc. At this point, I was taking 100mg oxycontin per day and an additional 50mg of oxycodone for 'breakthrough' pain. The narcotic effects slow down one's digestive system so much that I was also taking a shitload of stool softeners... pun intended.
By the time I finished my chemotherapy treatments (2 Jun 2012) I was thoroughly addicted to oxy. The only remaining pills I was taking were the pain meds and the stool softeners. I decided enough was enough and stopped taking oxycontin. It took a long week before I felt like myself again, escaping the cloudy buzz of oxy. Having gone through so much discomfort, I saw it as just another part of my recovery. Note: 'feeling like myself' is a relative term - after so much chemo, I wasn't myself anymore.
Now, my cancer is back and I'm starting chemo again this Thursday (20 Sep 2012). Having firsthand knowledge of addiction, kicking a 30+ year smoking habit and an oxy addiction, I will most likely resume taking oxy and get addicted all over again. Why? Because it helped me before. It will help me again. One week of mild discomfort from withdrawal symptoms is nothing compared to the pain and discomfort of chemotherapy.
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Breaking the addiction is easier than you think (Score:4, Informative)
When you take 10-20x that, every day, for years, it's not "part of recovery" and "not feeling like yourself" to stop. It's over a week of vomiting nothing but stomach acid and shitting clear jelly because you can't even keep down a cup of water for more than 10 minutes. when you're not laying in bed screaming, for cold turkey. Tapering from a very high dose is also very different than tapering from a low dose. You'll still feel shitty because you're not taking enough, only it will take 3 or more weeks to get down low enough to stop, and that kind of willpower is not easy.
Mild discomfort my ass.
Re:Breaking the addiction is easier than you think (Score:5, Interesting)
Cannabis, of course, is ALWAYS an option :)
Here's the problem (Score:4, Interesting)
15-20 years ago, doctors were written up and called out for not treating enough pain. As a profession, we understand intimately the inherent dangers of opioid pain medication, and we were hesitant to use them. But patients were hurting, articles were written, and I'm sure somewhere doctors were sued. So practices changed, "pain management" is now standard curriculum at medical schools and now look, deaths and hospitalizations from prescription pain medication are at all-time highs. Purdue was likely riding the wave of the change in pain management philosophy at the time when they introduced OxyContin. The right drug at the right time, etc.
Re:Here's the problem (Score:4, Insightful)
15-20 years ago, doctors were written up and called out for not treating enough pain.
As they should have been. You had people in the last few weeks of life being denied effective pain treatment because submitting too many of some particular government form might be a headache for the doctor. As far as I'm concerned when someone is near death they ought to be able to get whatever they want. So what if the patient is taking more than he needs for the pain. Are we really worried about addiction in someone who's going to be dead in a few weeks?
What are the alternatives? (Score:5, Insightful)
After being the victim of a serious accident, I was in an enormous amount of pain. Oxycodone was a real goddsend. Maybe it takes a soul-shattering amount of pain to really appreciate the value of this drug. Yes, there are lots of addicts - but far more people are addicted to nicotiene. These slams against 'big pharma' for the black market in this drug are counter-productive and quite maddening. Doctors are becoming afraid to prescribe painkillers because they'll be accused of being 'pill doctors', so many people who don't know they have to advocate for themselves in this situation have to suffer unnecessarily. Tip: if you get a prescription, get as many pills as you can. Save some for later, because you'll never know when the anti-drug lobby will cut off the supply.
BTW this isn't news for nerds. Is this the new direction of Slashdot under new ownership? Rage-news in all categories, not just tech?
Re: (Score:2)
You think going after the doctors is scary? The DEA is trying to shut down pharmacies (Walgreens and CVS) that are filling legitimate pain medicine prescriptions with absolutely NO evidence of diversion. They are trying to simply revoke their license without any hearing or evidence or any procedure of any kind.
DEA written summary (Score:5, Insightful)
And the Anti-Drug lobby writes another opinion piece that medicine should not be treating pain and pharma is out of control by providing new pain management options.
The reason pain prescriptions have gone up is that medicine isn't telling people to take 2 asprin and fuck off. The reason my father has a fucked up GI system is because of the asprin abuse because he was never given the option of real pain management.
As a chronic pain sufferer I wish every one of these fucktards that think no one should be on pain management could experience a month of what I do every day. The constant thoughts of suicide, the near complete lack of life, enjoyment or any satisfaction in life, the exhaustion and the constant work just getting out of bed every day. There is a reason there is an ex law enforcement organization devoted to campaigning proper pain management and it's because some of those lucky people get to experience real chronic pain.
Someone that's never experienced chronic severe pain has no fucking idea what it's like.
Nice concept (Score:3)
So if you push your product to 1.000.000 people, you will get 1.000 very satisfied frequent returning customers.
Close to 0,999% is still under 1%. I'm sure if it was closer to 0,5% they would have said something like 'about 0,5%'.
SO that (Score:4, Insightful)
added something tat makes it time release, thus fixing some of the major issues.
I am supposed to be outraged..why? Becasue something was out of patent, that made something new and patented it.
Well, that's how it's supposed to work.
Shit you should be applauding the successful and proper use of the patent system
Chronic Pain. (Score:5, Interesting)
Is Chronic, so why not ACCEPT and MANAGE addiction?
Re: (Score:3)
From what I've read, the incidence of psychological addiction developing in people who take opiates for chronic pain is actually quite a lot lower than for those who take them for acute pain (post-op, injury, whatever). Unfortunately I cannot remember where I saw the reference to such studies, so anyone interested might wish to dig in that direction.
Fortunately, cancer pain has so far been relatively insulated from the crackdowns in other areas. I know I'd be non-functional from pain without opiate-based pa
Thought experiment: (Score:5, Insightful)
DEA (Score:3)
The fact that the DEA has any legal ability to interrupt the doctor patient relationship shows how messed up the drug laws are.
Doctors need to prescribe opiates, they are the only drugs that can really manage chronic, debilitating pain. And then the DEA can swoop in and be like "drugs are bad mkay, enjoy your pain". That is so messed up.
Re: (Score:3)
Indeed. I can remember the first time I tried oxycodone (wisdom teeth removed). Up until around that time, I was somewhat anti-drug -> purity of mind, all that jazz.
I never realized that a drug like this existed, one which could treat my more powerful migraines. It was a bit like Neo realizing that he was in the Matrix -> everything I had been told were lies. Looking around in my heavenly mental state of mind, the first time in my life I felt some clarity, I realized that our society was built to not
Re:I like the effort at sensationalism... (Score:4, Informative)
oxycodone is different and acts through a different receptor
No, oxycodone acts primarily through the mu opioid receptor just like morphine.
Re:I like the effort at sensationalism... (Score:4, Informative)
No it doesn't. It has different selectivity and binding affinity among the subtypes of opioid receptors, but acts through the same receptor as heroin (i.e. predominantly the mu-opioid receptor) and every other drug classified as a full agonist opioid.
Re: (Score:3)
It's "subluxation".
Let's examine the word: sub means less than or beneath, lux is a measure of brightness, ~tion is a suffix indicating a state. Therefore "subluxation" means "to be less than bright" or, as most people would say, stupid. The word is perfect as is.