The article was about overdose deaths from prescribed opioid painkillers. I'm not sure what kind of enlightened policy could exist about that.
Well for instance, I worked in inpatient pain management in the state of Washington, which had an elaborate system in place to pass patients up to expert oversight. Lots of training for physicians, and a strong message that if pain treatment with opioids was anything other than brief and uncomplicated you were at risk if you did not seek consultation. Lots of expert back-up for physicians.
That, and strong training to encourage adequate pain management acutely, so fewer people were drawn into long-term use. When physicians don't feel like they have expert back-up, they tend to under-medicate acutely.
When I moved back to the midwest, I was shocked to see that most pain management was done by family doctors and shady characters with offices in strip malls, with little state involvement unless there was a disaster. There were punitive responses in place if someone overdosed, but not a good structure for helping the physicians do a better job in the first place.
Most of the pain docs in Utah were shut down for iffy dealings, and yes, it's often an office in a strip mall. Hubby's doc was one of the few who was able to keep operating, and he went in regularly for screenings and consultation. They counted his pills to make sure he was only taking the prescribed dose, but he often didn't even fill the prescriptions.
He always tested positive for everything except THC. I told him he wasn't supposed to treat the list as a bucket list. He was offered cannabis oil but declined it, even though he said it would let him yell Bingo at his next test.
When I moved back to the midwest, I was shocked to see that most pain management was done by family doctors and shady characters with offices in strip malls, with little state involvement unless there was a disaster. There were punitive responses in place if someone overdosed, but not a good structure for helping the physicians do a better job in the first place.
Ah, I see what you mean. The study controlled for increased state oversight of pain management clinics as one factor. (There were other factors they controlled for as well.) That might not entirely cover what you discussed, but it sounds like it certainly helped the researchers adjust the results.
I want a cookie.
Not as a reward for accomplishment. I just want a cookie.
But I don't have any.
I have some. Cup your hands under any USB port on your computer and stand by for incoming Joe-Joe's.
Oh, man, I hope IT doesn't have cookies disabled!
Somebody's putting that in COMM, right? I don't have time to do it myself.
I must not buy a can of frosting on the way home. That's a habit I don't need to fall back into.
But really, the amount of oxycodone he takes in one dose -- even though it's prescribed by his doctor -- is a little scary.
My mom is the same. Her daily meds in total (non-pain and pain) are completely intimidating to me. I have no idea how she keeps track.
Her daily meds in total (non-pain and pain) are completely intimidating to me. I have no idea how she keeps track.
Oh Jesus, beyond the pain meds, he takes upwards of 10 drugs a day. Maybe 15? For heart disease and The Diabeeetus. Which is why I've made a big effort this year to change my diet and move my ass more. I'd like to avoid that shit if it's at all possible. (Avoid both the medical conditions AND the need to manage them with drugs. And that's not to say that drugs are bad; on the contrary, my dad is still alive at the age of 72 after 5 heart attacks *because* of meds [because it sure isn't because of diet and exercise]. But it's complicated and hard for him to remember to take 10-15 meds a day, and that's something I'd prefer to avoid. Hell, I already take blood pressure medication every day, and allergy meds every night. I don't want to coordinate more.)
But the amount of oxycodone he takes at one time would kill someone who had never taken it before. For real. He is a classic example of physical tolerance building up. When I've had horrific pain (back pain, tooth pain), I've taken about 1/8 (or maybe 1/10) of what he takes. (Um, not *his* personal meds; just opioid painkillers in general.)
