Is It Just 'America's' Opioid Epidemic?
In the News
A huge light has been shone over the years on the Opioid Crisis in America on TV including reality, documentary and Dramas shows such as Dopesick but is it just in America? From personal experience I think there is also a huge issue in the UK with people of a certain generation dependent on the same prescribed pain opiates that are the focus on the American epidemic; namely, Oxycodone and Oxynorm, which over the years has changed name and these days are called longtec & shortec.
I was just wondering what people's views and opinions are on this and if anyone, like me, has personal experience with this?
The reason America had it so bad is because doctors we're handing them out like sweets with the help of pharmaceutical companies
martinlufc5637 yeah there’s good book about it that was released in 2021 called empire of pain. It explains how they used pharmaceutical reps to push these dangerous drugs on people.
I believe junkies were so called because when morphine was first issued as a cough medicine in the US ,people became so quickly hooked that they ended up selling any old junk to finance their addiction.
No personal experience but agree that this is also a huge issue in the UK. Like many things in this country, unless it's mentioned in a news cycle, people are very quick to 'forget' that the UK is littered with issues.
I understand GPs are trying to reduce their patients intake of certain medications, Tramadol for example. People still need painkillers though.
Fentanyl is a huge problem there and what is Fentanyl, essentially? A drug to relieve pain.
The issue is that it's been abused and it's out of control. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.
I think in USA they issue fentanyl as a liquid or tablet. I use fentanyl patches - change the patch every three days. I dont think even the patches are issued often in this country but I had a little ten hour surgery on my lumbar and sacral spine - i would rather have the pain patch than take more tablets etc. it releases the dose as it should.
But aren’t the fentanyl deaths being linked to heroin users ?
suevernon1968 yeah. It's because whoever is dealing the heroin is mixing it with fentanyl unbeknown to the heroin user and because it so strong the user is overdosing. A huge percentage of heroin users in America, believe it or not, have turned to heroin because usually somewhere in their past they've had to have surgery then been given a prescription for Oxycodone (morphine - which in itself is purified heroin) to manage the pain after the surgery, not realising how quickly Ur body gets used to having it. Then either the doctor just stops the prescription without weaning or as in so many cases, people can't afford to refill their prescriptions so to stop their withdrawals they turn to heroin because it's a fraction of the cost.
skmoskmo212 so do they get the fentanyl by tablets or liquid then - is that how they mix it ? Surely heroin is cheaper than fentanyl? I really don’t understand why anyone would do heroin in the first place yet alone mix the two together!
suevernon1968 from what I've seen on documentaries the fentanyl comes as powder in big tubs and over there is really cheap to buy! So the dealers actually make money by putting less heroin in say a $10 bag & more fentanyl therefore making the heroin they have go a longer way. It literally is a deathtrap in every sense of the word! There is an 8 part drama called Dopesick which stars Michael Keating. Have you watched it at all?
skmoskmo212 no - but I’m going to search for it and watch it ! Giving Fentanyl as a powder is just asking for trouble surely!!
suevernon1968 it was on Apple TV and honestly you really should watch it. Probably not the best analogy but after the 1st or 2nd episode, you'll be hooked lol
skmoskmo212 lol - i think with all the addictions going on getting hooked on a tv series is quite innocent
suevernon1968 and perfectly healthy lol. I hope you do watch it. It really explains a lot! Even knowing it's a true story didn't stop me catching myself in disbelief! X
skmoskmo212 ive got it saved and will start watching it tonight ! Thank you for that.
suevernon1968 not a problem at all. I hope after all that you actually enjoy it lol. Let me know x
skmoskmo212 I started watching it last night and have started again today. I’m amazed at what the pharmacy company got away with. I looked online there are so many programs surrounding this subject!! It’s difficult to stop watching!
suevernon1968 I know!! It's absolutely crazy how much evidence there is yet it's taken so long (alot still ongoing) to be brought to light. It's defo true what they say about big money corporations! Another saying also comes to mind......big brushes, huge rugs! X
suevernon1968 did U finish watching Dopesick? I noticed there's another programme on Netflix called Painkiller based roundabout it as well 
skmoskmo212 yeah - still a bit in shock. Ive seen painkiller advertised and i have also seen advertisements for raising lazarus which apparently is a sequel to dopesick !
suevernon1968 I haven't heard of raising Lazarus but I'll go and seek it out to watch now. It's so ridiculously crazy to me that Dopesick & Painkiller and no doubt many of the other TV shows highlight exactly how, when, where and why this started, with the 'big' pharmaceutical companies manufacturing & producing the pills, then the drug reps going out into surgeries and literally pill pushing, yet after 20-25 years it is still happening! It baffles me xx
I think the word junkies derived from the fact that people were reduced to selling off all their old junk to pay for drugs.Morphine was first used as a cough medicine before people realised quite how addictive it was by which time it was too late for many who were flogging the family silver to finance their habit.
MelissaLee1 yeah it's amazing what they used decades ago for medical ailments. In the early 20's cocaine was used as a painkiller as well x
If junkies wanna fix so bad, there's always somebody will get them it at a price. It's what they are prepared to do to get that price that's scary. Where I live, the strong opiods mentioned along with morfene patches etc, are prescribed mostly only to cancer patients, paliative care etc. They have really cut down in doctors surgerys on what they prescribe these days.
I've been watching the Dopesick series, it's unbelievable the lengths some people go to to make money , out of other people's misery
The relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies has been concerning in many countries for too long. I feel more transparency should be imposed by law so that patients know if pharmaceutical companies have influencing relationships with doctors which create bias into the choice of drugs they prescribe.
EmmaWright762 right now with the NHS in crisis due to the COVID epidemic, pharmacies are struggling with the stock of certain drugs leaving GP's to prescribe alternatives and I know that most GP surgeries now have an in-house pharmacist who's job is to make sure that when GP's are prescribing, they are prescribing the cheapest version of the medication available
I had an accident at work over 10 yrs ago & no painkillers worked for me apart from Fentanyl, your meant to be on it 3-6 months max, I was on it for over 7 yrs. as my new pain specialist told me at the highest dose which I was on it was like me taking 3 small doses of heroin a week plus it’s 50% more potent to morphine. Obviously after being on it that long I became addicted and had to top up pain relief daily with tramadol, ibuprofen etc, the more I had the more my body needed, I felt like a proper drug addict every 3rd day shaking, being sick, hallucinating cos my body was waiting for its next kick. 3 yrs ago enough was enough & I asked to be referred to a specialist centre to detox using Ketamine but I had to wait nearly 2 1/2 yrs for my appt via the NHS. The meds have messed with my liver, my mind & masking over health issues that have now come to light which could have been treated over the years but now need surgery.
Bridget26 thank you so much for sharing your story. You have no idea how much it resonates with me!! I also had no idea that a referral to a specialist detox center through the NHS was even possible. Im so happy I started this as a chat topic coz often when people are going through stuff, especially like this, U feel like Ur the only one and would never have anyone's understanding. I completely get it if U say no to this, but I'd love to message with you more privately and share my 20 year story with you xx
I wouldn’t survive without my fentanyl patches. Seems that as i have incurable cancer they dont worry so much about addiction!
suevernon1968 I use Butec patches that are changed weekly, I know they’re opioid patch and it releases 30mg per hr dosage. I’ve been on them long time plus I also take 17 other pills a day. Although they’re not all for pain, some are to stop effects of pills I’m taking. I take 1 for my stomach cos some pills arent good on my stomach. I also take 1 to stop itchiness of the patches etc. I swear I rattle when I walk. I think opioi addiction is rife here too, I just think it looks worse in America cos it’s much bigger country than our wee 1. i think it’s so sad when I hear of anyone going down that road of relying on heroin and illegal street drugs. I must admit when I was younger (& stupid) I alWays wanted to try heroin to see what this ”hit” was they all talk bout but they say if you try it once you’ll be addicted cos it’s that strong. Thankfully I never tried it and realise how stupid I was back then for even thinking it. I think others might get into with that thought, peer pressure, wrong crowd etc. I’ve 4 grown up kids now and thankful none of them went down that path but I’ve 4 grandkids now, 2 of them 16 and I worry bout them but thankfully at moment they seem quite sensible and have great group of friends
Uk haven't seen nothing yet . Look at the streets of philadelphia. Biggest open air drug market! Police do nothing. Its had a recent clean up but they just moved blocks!it's a nasty fetty drug. 1 death in UK that I know ofbut the street are nothing like over there! The talibans are destroying poppy fields. This will be in UK.And is.
Thanks all for being so open with your views and sharing your own stories. I am 40 years old and I have been on oxycodone (prolonged release) and oxynorm (immediate release) in various different doses for 18years now as well as other medications for pain and various other medical issues. I was first given them when I was diagnosed with a degenerative disease when I was 20, just after I had my daughter. I am going to be completely honest here (and deal with any negativity that comes from me doing so....) I feel like these tablets rule and consume my life and I am so very fed up with it. I hate the fact that the outcome of my day relies on this medication. I hate that I was amongst the generation at the time these tablets were being 'pushed' so to speak. I hate that these days there is so much stigma attached to the names oxycodone and oxynorm and that I am prejudged by a number of GP's within the practice I go to because of the medication (thankfully my own Doc isnt amongst them). I feel like I have a lot to say but with very little understanding because no one can possibly begin to understand if they have not been in the situation. There is no light being shone on a HUGELY wide issue within the UK and I have no idea how to get the light switched on 
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Its so good that everyone shares on here. Its not just an app - its family !
Yes I’m on fentanyl patches and morphine etc But none of the pain is from the cancer- its from a pretty hideous back surgery. None of my medication turns me into a zombie- it ensures that what life i have left is quality. The pharmacist once suggested I try to maybe reduce and come off my pain meds- i said yeah of course once you get your magic wand out and get rid of the pain and the residual cancer that wont go away. I have a good relationship with my GP and all my consultants which helps a lot.
suevernon1968 I totally agree. I feel like the more we talk about these issues (this in particular) the more people feel they CAN talk about it without stigma attached. It's very much a case of when you have a problem, you feel like you are so lonely and the only person in the world going through it until you have safe spaces like these, where you feel able to open up, then you realise you're not the only one having these problems and I feel like that in itself eases a bit of the burden you feel 
skmoskmo212 massively! My GP and consultants etc all know that i am incurable so addiction doesn’t make. But the doses are such that they ease the pain but dont turn me into a zombie. It means I am actually living the rest of my life rather than just waiting to die. It sounds like the fentanyl ought to be in patch form only so they cant be used to ‘cut’ the illegal street drugs. But I still don’t understand why they cut heroin and cocaine with fentanyl when it kills so many people? Surely the drug dealers are making their customer base smaller?
It’s a huge problem over here too.
I’ve been taking strong pain killers for a work incident since 2007 …first time I came off them 
I was shocked at the withdrawals as my Dr said nothing
I was hallucinating ,hearing things ,sweating like I had major flu with full on aches pains & shaking .
Turns out I did it way too quickly as I’d been on max dose for 3+ years
You MUST wean off very slowly
I tab a fortnight is the recommended amount for long term use
I found CBD OIL 500mgs really helped
all withdrawals are bad but this was viscous .
survivor24 did you come off your pain meds on your own or discuss it with your doctor and do it with their help ?
suevernon1968 the first time in 2010 I’d had 2 phone calls & a follow up GP appt no instructions just to start reducing
I went to my local chemist & spoke to the pharmacist,they told me to reduce 50 mgs every 14 days
survivor24 i would change your GP. you should have had so much more help than that. My heart really does go out to you. Any changes in my meds is fully explained exactly what to do - and I’m always sent away with written notes.
survivor24 do you find the CBD oil helps your pain at all? suevernon1968
I'm at my wits end being in pain so much every day & because of my pain meds they won't give me anything else 
skmoskmo212 I’ve tried everything cbd related and nothing touches it at all.
Everything in life is addictive - cigarettes, alcohol, gambling even life itself is addictive. I think my case is pushing everything to the extreme though. Cancer on off since 2011, spinal surgery, lymphoedema, epilepsy - I have had blood clots in both my lungs. Bro 
ut as long as at least one thing a day makes me smile then it was worth waking up ! X
skmoskmo212 it does help,I use it along with my pain killers ,heat therapy & rest ,but on a bad day when it’s above the dreaded 7.5 pain scale nothing helps even spacing out 3 different pain meds & the above only takes the edge off so sorry this is happening to you 
That’s a lot for one human to take
You have an amazing attitude I sincerely hope you find things to smile about 
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