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Wednesday, April 5th, 2017

America’s Pain Points

Author:     Lynne Nowak, MD
Source:     Express Scripts
Publication Date:     Dec 9, 2014
 Link: America’s Pain Points
Stephan:   Over the past several weeks I have climbed up inside of the opioids crisis because it has become not only a trend but a local problem on my island. I have read studies and media reports doing this research and it is clear to me that the pharmaceutical industry, a small group of physicians, and the pharmacy distribution network in the U.S. are all knowingly complicit in this human disaster. The opioids epidemic is a stand out for the misery it produces, and it   perfectly illustrates what "healthcare" in the U.S. is about -- profit.  Turn people into addicts and then milk them of all the cash you can get. Am I exaggerating? Consider this: America claims less than 5% of the world’s population, yet it consumes roughly 80% of the world’s opioid supply.

PREVALENCE OF SHORT-TERM AND LONGER TERM OPIATE PAIN MEDICATION UTILIZATION

America claims less than 5% of the world’s population, yet it consumes roughly 80% of the world’s opioid supply. (emphasis added)

Knowing the potential for misuse of these medications, and facing an increase in opioid-related deaths in this country, we wanted a deeper understanding of how patients in the U.S. are using these medications so we can identify additional ways to protect them from the risks associated with their use.

In A Nation in Pain, our research revealed a drop in short-term use of opioids, and stabilization in the number of patients using these medications longer term, which is in contrast to the increases seen in the past. Both trends indicate that doctors are being more cautious about prescribing these pain medications.

However, the research uncovered some concerning increases in the amount of prescription opioid medications Americans use, and the frequency in which these medications are used in dangerously high doses and in risky combinations with other medications.

Prescription Opiate Trends Increase Potential for Abuse

Nearly 60% […]

Read the Full Article

4 Comments

  1. Mark R on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 6:07 am

    This is what happens when a society engineered to produce volunteer slavery ( yet label it freedom) is propogated by a technocratic control grid. People want to escape their existential as well as physical pain not addressed by a misguided health care paradigm or their culture. America perhaps was a great experiment in human culture..but great for who..I would ask?

  2. Teresa on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 9:31 am

    I recently went to a dental specialist for a titanium implant. The procedure took 20 minutes, was painless, and there was no real pain in the next 24 hours. He prescribed for me 20 tablets of 7.5 mil hydrocodone with acetaminophen of 325 ml. I never took one.

    Same thing happened recently when I had blepharoplasty. 20 tablet of hydrocodone. The small amount of discomfort was easily handled by a simple Tylenol.

    Both doctors also over prescribed antibiotics due to the fact that 10 years ago I had heart valve repair. Never took those either.

    My insurance paid for all of these prescriptions, and my bill at the pharmacy was less than $3.00.

    CRAZY!

  3. Rev. Dean on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    Some of us older folks really need prescription medication just to lead a normal life and be able to move without pain. The government now requires us to go to the doctor every month to get a new prescription for our needed medication and we cannot get any refills like we used to. This has made our lives more difficult and is a burden to us. This is the other side of the issue which no one seems to mention. When you have a broken back and arthritis like I have, or diabetic nerve pain which keeps you up all night like my wife has there is a very urgent need for some help with the pain, just to live a normal life. All of us who get old and live with constant pain understand this need, and we are not addicts, just people whose government wants to control our pain. That is the description of a totalitarian government.

  4. Rev. Dean on Friday, April 7, 2017 at 4:24 pm

    P.S.: I also use meditation to help ease my pain. It makes up for what the pain pills do not stop. I am always in pain, even with the pills, but the meditation is also a great help, also.