Quote:
Originally Posted by bart
I blame the user, but I also blame Purdue and the irresponsible doctors who write 'scrips just to make an extra buck. A lot of blame to go around. BTW, Oxys are more addictive than heroin. I may be wrong, but I believe the same chemicals that exist in heroin are in opiates as well..
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I have to take a little bit of contention to the above. My fiance works as a primary care PA. Every day she is dealing with people that lie, cheat, fake, act and whatever else necessary to convince her that they "need something for the pain." And this isn't some crap doctor's office in the center of Dorchester... it's in Mansfield.
The difficulty comes from liability. She does whatever she can to *not* give out pain scripts - has put together a pain contract, requires drug testing and regular visits. But, she always has to battle with that one person who can "prove" they legitimately have pain and she refused to treat it and she'll be in court.
The system is broken. If I need to buy a decongestant, the pharmacist scans my license, I have to sign a form and the government limits the amount you can buy - all for a damn decongestant because some meth heads may try to cook up some drugs with the ephedrine. However, there is no system in place for pain pills. Many pharmacies self-regulate and the Misses gets the occasional call from the pharmacy "Hey, are you aware that Mr Jones filled out a pain script two days ago that was written by a surgeon? Oh and 2 weeks ago they filled a pain script written by a dentist." But, they scumbag has to fill the script at the same pharmacy for that system to work.
With regards to the chemical contents: Oxycontin, percocet, oxycodone and similar drugs are all opiods and made with chemicals that are essentially a legal version of heroin. Pretty much all have very similar chemicals in them.
Working as and EMT for 5 years when I was younger and having people in my family with addiction issues... I can sympathize with the family and the terrible ills that they go through. I also really sympathize for people that did have an injury, legitimately needed something to manage their pain and then formed an addiction. However, I can't find an ounce of sympathy for the person who created their own problems and should be held responsible for the choices they made. Alcoholics, pill-poppers, junkies, smokers and anyone else that's made their bed should be expected to sleep in it. If they turn to crime to support their habit, then they're now criminals. It's the decision they made. Addiction may be forcing their hand today, but it didn't do so in the beginning.