I know of several people that are strung out on Oxycontin. Hydrocodone (including patches) and Methodone all at the same time legally issued by doctors. Don't the doctors know how bad they are screwing up these peoples lives? Why do they continue to do it ? I could understand if the person was critically ill but otherwise I don't get it. Does anyone have an answer?
P.S. I'm detoxing right now and would love to punch my doc.

I know of several people that are strung out on Oxycontin. Hydrocodone (including patches) and Methodone all at the same time legally issued by doctors. Don't the doctors know how bad they are screwing up these peoples lives? Why do they continue to do it ? I could understand if the person was critically ill but otherwise I don't get it. Does anyone have an answer?
P.S. I'm detoxing right now and would love to punch my doc.Because some people are genuinely in pain and need strong meds.

And because a vast majority of doctors are horribly uneducated on addiction.

And because a doctor is more likely to face a lawsuit for not writing a needed scrip than they are for writing one for a drug seeker.

Hey me262, Iagree with you but I think we can become our own enemies. I think that many people like me went to doctors and asked for something we really did not want, addiction ,but some blame has to go to the doctor and we must also assume some of the blame.. peace. fitz;)

:) I made a boo boo

People who cant get prescription meds through their doctors will proceed to get it from other means, so you can't put the whole blame on the doctors.
I agree that there are a lot of doctors that aren't educated about addiction.
Addiction makes us do whatever we have to do, whether we are in denial (the main feature of addiction) about it of not.
I personally have never had a doctor who was quick to write a narc script. :confused:
People who have genuine pain become addicted that way. Now the pain issue and addiction is intertwined. There are pain clinics with alternative therapies, but an addict most likely will not agree to it, or not be truthful about its effectiveness. Again, we have to take responsibility for ourselves.
Detoxing stinks, but it's the best thing you could do for yourself. :( I have been through it..

Can i put my 2 cents in here..my son is an addict, he is 21 yrs old and clean from opiodes including patches for about almost 7 mths now. hes doing well ,goes to meetings therapists etc.. about a year ago he had 4 wisdom teeth pulled and got a script for vicodins, goes back a week later and a week after that and the doctor keeps re-filling. why coudnt he see that he was being bamboozled by a 20 yr old. he knew it ,he just didnt give a crap. I am by no means blaming the dentist for my sons addiction..but he definitly did not help thats for sure.anyway those pills started a full blow addiction..he needed 30 days re-hab to clean himself up. again, i cant blame the dentist but deep down i know he really coudnt give a crap about my son.:(

I agree, doctors dont just give medicines without patients asking for more. Now something you probably dont realize there is a difference between addiction and tolerance. Most pain patients develop tolerance and the cannot come off long acting medications without withdrawl symptoms which can cause immense discomfort. That is because the persons body is tolerant to the medicine and is craving it. Now addiction is different, it is when a person will go to any means to get the medicine such as seek multiple doctors, steal etc. In many situations both will require detox to come off the medications but typically if done right people can be weaned off their meds if they are tolerant. Hope this helps
Virginia

As a chronic pain patient, and wife of a former coke addict & alcoholic.

Both the issues of addiction, and body dependance have been dealt with in our home. My husband has been clean from coke for many, many years and has been sober for many years as well. I have been on pain management for a year now, so I know my body is dependant on the medications I take- even the non-opioid meds.

As for the topic of doctors continually prescribing medications and causing people to become addicted? Well, yes, there are some doctors who will write a scrip if someone complains of a hang nail, and those are the doctors who do need the DEA to pay a visit.

However, for the most part, many doctors are more leary of writing scrips for opioid medications for every patient walking through the door who has pain. I lived with chronic pain for many years and went through many rounds of tests, MRI's, surgeries, physical therapy, injections, bio-feedback, hydro therapy, ultrasound- oh the list goes on and on. All of this I dealt with before I was referred to a true pain management doctor and I could not put into words just how thankful I am to have my doctor. My life has improved and I am no longer confined to sitting by the side watching life pass me by. I am able to function as a mother, a wife and am able to participate with my husband in the business we own. I am not able to work in the career of my original training because of the meds I take, but I do work and help support our household.

I think that the original post was a really broad and "all encompassing" generalization and I have to say that those kinds of generalizations only serve to hurt those of us who truly have a need for medication to be able to live a somewhat normal life. My doctor made me well aware of what dependance is and told me that my body would become dependant and I can honestly say that it is. BUT- I follow strict guidelines and also am bound by a contract in order to be able to be seen by my doctor. If a rule is broken, or I fail a urine test-I'm out- PERIOD.

Addiction and dependance are two totally separate issues, and those who become addicted must take responsibility for their own actions. (Many here on this board have and are doing that and I have total respect for each of you) Playing the blame game doesn't get you anywhere. There are a LOT of addicts who can put on that "act" and convince any doctor they are in true and terrible pain and will be able to walk out of the office with a scrip. Doctors are only human.

Again, I do agree that there certainly are those doctors who will continue to write a scrip for any and everyone regardless and they do need to be held accountable, but to generalize and lump all doctors into that catagory is totally unfair. Just my opinion.

I feel for anyone who has an addiction to any kind of substance because I've seen first hand what it can do to that person and those who love them. I have also seen what joy and happiness can come with healing and recovery from those addictions. You guys, please know this- YOU are worth the fight.

I want to clarify.. i know that plenty of people live with serious pain and i feel for them:( . If you read my post you would have seen that i was talking about my son and his doc...my son DID NOT need those pills and an experienced doctor would have known this. and he was an experienced doc...he just didnt give a crap. While i definitly do understand where you arecoming from and i know you need your meds just to live your life, i have seen the other side too. I have worked for doctors for many years and have seen some of them get people hooked and are well aware of it.. and have the attitude oh well, they keep coming back so i will continue prescribing. after all, it is an office visit....so, i have seen both sides. Yes ,my son took advantage, but he is in recovery and we are on his side and will be as long as he is staying clean..:)

I'm a big boy. I take the full blame for my addiction as should everyone else. You should not blame the doctors. I just wish there was a better way for doctors to evaluate each situation and keep closer control. Maybe my particular case of seeing two friends completely but legally strung out is an isolated incedent. I didn't mean to throw all doctors in the same circle.

I want to clarify.. i know that plenty of people live with serious pain and i feel for them:( . If you read my post you would have seen that i was talking about my son and his doc...my son DID NOT need those pills and an experienced doctor would have known this. and he was an experienced doc...he just didnt give a crap. While i definitly do understand where you arecoming from and i know you need your meds just to live your life, i have seen the other side too. I have worked for doctors for many years and have seen some of them get people hooked and are well aware of it.. and have the attitude oh well, they keep coming back so i will continue prescribing. after all, it is an office visit....so, i have seen both sides. Yes ,my son took advantage, but he is in recovery and we are on his side and will be as long as he is staying clean..:)

Jules- I absolutely agree that you should stand by your son and support him 100% as he needs and deserves your love and support to get over this. I had to support my husband through two separate addictions, and when he came out on the other side, life for him, me and our family has blossomed beyond compare. Anyone who is fighting an addiction needs that support. They need to know they deserve it and they need to know they are worth every ounce of effort it takes to get clean and stay clean.

As I said- the doctors who are willing to write a scrip just for the sake of writing scrips and keeping people coming back DO need to be held responsible. But there are cases where the doctors honestly think that the patient has legit pain. The ones who know there is a problem and keep prescribing? They need to have their licenses yanked.

I wish your son the best success in his fight and recovery. I am sending positive thoughts of strength & healing to all of you...:)

***** ***** *****


"I'm a big boy. I take the full blame for my addiction as should everyone else. You should not blame the doctors. I just wish there was a better way for doctors to evaluate each situation and keep closer control. Maybe my particular case of seeing two friends completely but legally strung out is an isolated incedent. I didn't mean to throw all doctors in the same circle."

Me- It would be great if there was a concrete way to insure that every person taking certain medications has a true need for it. In many cases, this just isn't the case, but in other cases, such as mine, it has been proven with all the tests, surgeries and all that jazz.

I am so sorry your friends have these issues with their medications. I honestly feel that not a single person who has become addicted to medications had intentions of becoming addicted. In many cases, it starts out with legit pain, but before they know it, they are out of control. It's awful. Many reputable doctors try to implement measures and ways to try and avoid abuse of opioid medications with drug testing, pill counts, etc.- but there are still some patients who "slip through the cracks" and end up in the vicious cycle of addiction/self medicating.

I do hope that your friends will realize that there is a problem and take measures to stop the cycle. As a friend, you can be there to support them.

I hope my post didn't offend anyone because that is NEVER my intent. I hope everyone has a great day. Take care ;)

I hate to put it this way. Could it be that us addict's have become "experts" in faking our pain so we could have more meds even when we don't need them. What I am saying is there is plenty of guilt to go around and its just not the doctors. They are only a part of it.

Sorry if this offends anyone but I know I have been guilty in the past in lying to my doc about pain. Many also know if the doc won't give them then we will go elsewere to get them.

Joe

The Insurance companies control the Healthcare System in this country. The doctors do it for two reasons:Money, and they want to keep their job.
Those are the facts! :mad:

the only part the docs really play in our becomming addicted is just plain old monitoring.when i first became addicted to darvocet(once i got changed to hydro tho,it was all over for me),wayyy back in the 80's,my doc never really questioned my calling in early refills,instead,he just upped the dosage(the amount of pills he was Rxing)so i wasn't "bugging' him so often.i really had no clue at the very beginning that i actually was becomming addicted to the pills.this is where my doc let me down in my eyes.i honestly just didn't know what was really happening,all i felt was these pills really helped my pain and they also were medicating what turned out to be post partum depression.i just wish he had questioned my early refills and sat me down and explained the real truth about addiction.i was still rather young with a brand new baby and didn't even think someone could become addicted to pills rxed by my doc.docs were the know all gods back then.sounds really incredibly stupid,but i just did not know.there wasn't the attention on addiction to Rx meds back then like there is now.all he would have had to do was question things.at least i would have had a fighting chance.i really didn't realize just what i was doing to myself til it was too late.it was a huge realization for me.this continued for years til i did something incredibly stupid and hurtful to someone i cared very much about,after that,i sought treatment.what a flippin journey.great learning experience for me though.

the big thing here is that when you are depressed and you start taking something that just alleviates that and makes you actually more functional,not less,you don't see the 'wrong' in it right away.alot of addicts start out actually self medicating depression.when you combine vicodin with depression,it is an almost given that it will become a huge problem at some point.there is just something about hydro itself that really does wonders for depression.don't know what it is,but there IS something unique with just hydro that sucks you right in when you are a depressed individual.while other narcotics 'can" do this,hydro just 'does".it is just a very dangerous med to be taking when you also are suffering from depression from an addiction standpoint.the drug just scares me.while i do take full responsibility for my addiction,my doc also did let me down at the very beginning when all he would have had to do is ask me why i was needing all the pills.he didn't.i guess he was too busy.if the docs just more heavily monitored what their patients are taking and why,things wouldn't be so easily started.while we ARE all adults,the doc is the one actually in charge of that Rx pad.sometimes a bit more oversight by them would be all that would be needed to stop something from becomming a bigger issue.they alone have the ability to say yes or no to any rx.they just don't always have the time needed to really even get to know their own patients.too many patients and too little time?just some thoughts.marcia

Marcia,, everything you wrote is exactly how i feel. my son was suffering frm depression, coudnt reconize that it was what it was.. started on the pain pills, they numbed him up big time..woudnt it be great if we could all get thru life numb? without getting hurt? Of course he became addicted simple as that. until, it got out of hand and coudnt control it anymore. same story as mostly every addict right? nobody WANTS to live their lives like that! who the heck would choose to live like that? But does it ever get betetr? does it ever become i was an addict????

Jules-

It can get better- I promise you that. My husband is living proof, and there are so many people here who are proof.

I know how heart wrenching it is to watch someone you love with all your heart struggle with an addiction. It tears your world apart, and trying to pick up those pieces and put them back together again can be the most exhausting thing you will ever go through.

They do say "Once and addict, always an addict", but I feel that as much as that rings true, many people do go on to be TOTALLY recovered and never take a step back into the darkness of their drug of choice. So, to your quesiton, I do honestly feel that some folks can safely say "I was an addict".

Stay strong and be there for your son. I know you love him unconditionally. He can get through this.

thanks ozzy, i appreciate your kind words.:angel:

I know of several people that are strung out on Oxycontin. Hydrocodone (including patches) and Methodone all at the same time legally issued by doctors. Don't the doctors know how bad they are screwing up these peoples lives? Why do they continue to do it ? I could understand if the person was critically ill but otherwise I don't get it. Does anyone have an answer?
P.S. I'm detoxing right now and would love to punch my doc.

Ka-ching $$$$$$$$$$$$!!!

ozzy is right,it does get better over time.the more distance/time between those pills and your son,will make it a bit easier all the way around.but it will continue to be a struggle for him til he gets "used to' handling life without the crutch.i had ALOT of clean time when my SCI occured due to a nasty surgery i did not want to have.now i am forced back onto crap that i managed to keep out of my life for a very very long time.this was a huge decision for me to have to make.as long as i stay the heck away from any hydro products,i have managed full compliance(since 03) but only with the very strong monitoring of my pain clinic and my contract which i follow to the letter.i also have the absolute fear now of having to really feel the full impact of my pain if i should decide to take tomorrows dose today.THAT in itself helps tons.my other pills just do not exist for me til i open up that days meds.having the accountability i do to my PM and having to submit to the random UAs and suprise pill counts also helps.i really need all that in place just to keep me compliant.i am never ever 'comfortable' being on this crap and i do know that once an addict always an addict but there are active addicts and inactive addicts too.i have only asked for and recieved one 20mg increase in my meds since 04,despite the constant deterioration of my body parts and new injuries and other crap to have to deal with,BUT not having a doc that just will raise my meds whenever my pain gets out of control has also been a blessing in that it has forced me to find other ways to manage my ongoing pain.that was a big good thing.that is how i discovered the TENS for my RSD knee.best thing i ever tried for pain flares there.nothing else,not even strong narcotics ever actually worked for this crap at all.i probably wouldn't have sought it out as soon as i did if my PM was just doling out pain meds without the oversight.

alot of this is mindset,you just keep telling yourself things that you simply cannot do anymore.but having that big accountability to my PM and knowing if i screw up,i am just gone from there, well i would want to die if i did not have what i have to take to keep things from keeping me down all day.i have five seperate areas of really horrid pain that never stops now.something i did not have when i became addicted to those little SOBs.absolute fear in some cases is a really great thing.also being on the longer acting narcotics vs shorter acting a huge huge difference for me.i just do not actually feel when they release,in my head?just feel relief.it is not near the same feeling as what you get with percs or hydro.no rush there to speak of.that helps too.just some thoughts.

just be as supportive as possible with your son but not enabling and things will work out for him jules.he still has a very long road ahead but with supportive people around him who just want success for him,believe me,that alone,means a heck of alot to him.take care jules,and hang in there.marcia

Marcia, part of the problem here is his age he is only 21 and pretty much friendless and its because he needed to get rid of all those drug friends..now the problem is when i tell him to make new friends which is hard at that age..he says almost everybody does some form of drug use whether it be pot or pills. its like a hopeless situation. what makes him attract people like that?He even admits that he made lots of bad choices in his life in choosing friends..This in turn is making him very depressed and thats how he started down that road in the first place. And yes we are supportive and will always stand by him as long as he is clean..but he really doesnt always want to be in our company and i cant blame him for that. he does go to n.a. meetings but the people are mostly older men and other than the drugs he has nothing in common with them...

Jules, my son has the same issue. He is 22 and the only friends he has known are all addicts. Even when he meets someone new you can bet on it that it's another addict! His pdoc has said that an addict can spot another a mile off, like it's tatooed on their forehead. I think it's some sort of subtle body language that they pick up on and it makes them feel 'comfortable' around each other as it is all they have ever known. Hoping I'm making sense here..?

yes you are making sense..but what does he do about it? is he clean?

I am not sure if he is to be honest, he lives in a different country and I know the lies etc that are associated with addiction. He was diagnosed with SZ and refuses meds...so I doubt he is :(

hey jules,have him try different meetings.he may have to go a bit out of your area for them but they are all over the place.there has to be a good place for him at at least one of them,people more his own age who he can connect with.he has to find people to do things with that are clean or he will end up possibly going back to where he 'felt" comfortable and accepted,you know what i mean?there are always meetings going on somewhere.just look up NA in the phone book and do some calling to find one around his age group.this is what i did for me.he could also possibly call around to any hospital(that has a treatment center,and sometimes that place will also have meetings too) or treatment facility and ask them about their meetings or other suggestions too.just some thoughts for ya.as you already know,he just really needs the support and that connection with people who are in his situation for this to truely work out in the best possible way for him.hang in there jules,and please keep us posted.Marcia