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How Big Pharma Hooked America On Legal Heroin
pigrabbitbear writes "The active ingredient in OxyContin, oxycodone, isn't a new compound. It was originally synthesized in Germany in 1916. The patent on the medication had expired well before Purdue Pharma, a Stamford, Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company and the industry leader in pain medication, released it under the brand name in 1996. The genius of Purdue's continued foray into pain-management medication – they had already produced versions of hydromorphone, oxycodone, fentanyl, codeine, and hydrocodone – was twofold. They not only created a drug from an already readily available compound, but they were able to essentially re-patent the active ingredient by introducing a time-release element. Prior to the 1990s, strong opioid medications were not routinely given for miscellaneous or chronic, moderately painful conditions; the strongest classes of drugs were often reserved for the dying. But Purdue parlayed their time-release system not only into the patent for OxyContin. They also went on a PR blitz, claiming their drug was unique because of the time-release element and implied that it was so difficult to abuse that the risk of addiction was 'under 1%.'"
And of course, heroin itself was introduced as a "non-addictive" alternative to morphine.
From Wikipedia:
Funny how history repeats itself.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
I won't touch the stuff. My former dentist gave it to me for a toothache to last thru the weekend till I could be seen. Taking the recommended dose for 2 days and I was already hooked enough to experience withdrawal symptoms for the next 3 days. Unbelievable.
On the next two occasions where I was offered the drug after surgery I said no, just give me ibuprofen. It's just not worth it.
If it was OxyContin, then he probably died from acetominophen overdose. They add huge amounts (near lethal doses) to keep people from taking too many pills. Unfortunately, some people don't read the label nor understand the toxicity of Tylenol.
If you live in Canada, CBC put out an excellent documentary about Perdue Pharma labs and oxydone marketing: http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2011-2012/timebomb/
If it was OxyContin, then he probably died from acetominophen overdose. They add huge amounts (near lethal doses) to keep people from taking too many pills. Unfortunately, some people don't read the label nor understand the toxicity of Tylenol.
And unfortunately, reading comprehension is a problem with at least some ACs.
Oxycontin DOES NOT have acetaminophen (Tylenol for USer's, paracetamol for the rest of the world).
Percocet, Roxicet and various other short acting formulations do.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
They keep the cost low even though other drugs have increased considerably in cost.
Why is that, one might ask.
Low cost? OxyContin is one of the most expensive PO pain medicines doctors use.
I have insurance companies tell me all the time that they would rather I use one of the cheaper alternatives if OxyContin comes up.
Light a fire for a man and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
I agree with you for the most part, but... Mr. allopathic: there are two kinds of medicine: medicine and NOT medicine (homeopathic, reiki, acupuncture, and the rest of the (S)CAM stuff). That is all.
I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer almost one year ago (7 Oct 2011) and have taken my share of oxycontin/oxycodone. All during chemotherapy, and especially after my surgery, I was taking oxycontin for base pain management, along with oxycodone for 'breakthrough' pain. My tumors responded to chemo wonderfully so that I was a candidate for surgery to have my primary tumor removed, colon ressected, metastatic liver tumors ablated, etc. At this point, I was taking 100mg oxycontin per day and an additional 50mg of oxycodone for 'breakthrough' pain. The narcotic effects slow down one's digestive system so much that I was also taking a shitload of stool softeners... pun intended.
By the time I finished my chemotherapy treatments (2 Jun 2012) I was thoroughly addicted to oxy. The only remaining pills I was taking were the pain meds and the stool softeners. I decided enough was enough and stopped taking oxycontin. It took a long week before I felt like myself again, escaping the cloudy buzz of oxy. Having gone through so much discomfort, I saw it as just another part of my recovery. Note: 'feeling like myself' is a relative term - after so much chemo, I wasn't myself anymore.
Now, my cancer is back and I'm starting chemo again this Thursday (20 Sep 2012). Having firsthand knowledge of addiction, kicking a 30+ year smoking habit and an oxy addiction, I will most likely resume taking oxy and get addicted all over again. Why? Because it helped me before. It will help me again. One week of mild discomfort from withdrawal symptoms is nothing compared to the pain and discomfort of chemotherapy.
As a pharmacist, I can tell you that Oxycontin DOES NOT have any acetaminophen (APAP) in it. However, Percocet and its various generics do.
"The FDA says there's no -- zilch, zero, nada -- shred of medicinal value to the evil weed marijuana. This is going to be a setback to the long-haired, maggot-infested, dope-smoking crowd."
Radio broadcast, Apr. 21, 2006
No, he's not literally calling the smokers evil, but the OP didn't put it in quotes. It's clear that he thinks they're bad people, and he did explicitly call the marijuana itself evil.
oxycodone is different and acts through a different receptor
No, oxycodone acts primarily through the mu opioid receptor just like morphine.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Only a specialist could hope to keep track of them all.
Even specialists sometimes can't. One of the problems with our health care system is that the sheer amount of medications have overwhelmed the average doctor's ability to keep up. Pharmacists are typically much better, but that's because they focus entirely on prescription drugs.
Then again, at no time in our history have we, the patients, had as much information at our fingertips. There are online drug databases where we can look up information on the prescriptions we take. It's beyond stupid to take any drug without reading the 2-3 pages of text on precautions, interactions and other general information. Google searches will yield even more information. If you have any concerns, it's very easy to bring your concerns to a pharmacist who will most likely be able to help you on the spot or will, at a minimum, look up the information necessary and figure out how to answer your questions.
Wrong. The first is prescribed by a doctor and is highly addictive. That part you got right. Congratulations.
Cannabis, you're wrong on, though. It is prescribed by a doctor in growing number of states in the US, and I can't speak for outside of the US on that, so I'll leave that to someone who knows better (as far as I know, it may or may not be the case elsewhere in the world that doctors prescribe it). So, a little right on the first one there, but equally wrong.
As for addictive... Cannabis IS addictive. Psychologically for sure (you can be psychologically addicted to all kinds of things, though). Physically, despite popular, bullshit lies, you CAN be physically addicted to cannabis. Physical Dependence requires Tolerance and Withdrawal. You definitely get tolerance with cannabis, specifically because the receptors that the cannabinoids attach to begin to down regulate or stop functioning so that you need more cannabinoids to have the same effect. As for withdrawal, there is very clear withdrawal symptoms associated to stopping cannabis use suddenly: irritability, anger, aggression, restlessness, difficulty focusing, increased appetite, weight gain, sleep disturbances (insomnia, disturbing dreams, etc.), anxiety, depressed mood, cravings, sensitivity to light, stomach pain, increased sweating, fever, chills, and headaches, to name a few. In fact, because this has become accepted fact throughout the psychological and medical fields, they are adding official diagnosis of Cannabis Withdrawal to the latest diagnostic standards (mind you, they are also dropping the terms Abuse and Dependence and moving to simply Substance Use Disorders, with a spectrum of No Diagnosis, Mild, Moderate, and Severe).
Reputable facts are a good thing to know if you're going to make claims...
oxycodone is different and acts through a different receptor
No it doesn't. It has different selectivity and binding affinity among the subtypes of opioid receptors, but acts through the same receptor as heroin (i.e. predominantly the mu-opioid receptor) and every other drug classified as a full agonist opioid.
OxyContin is many things, but one thing it is definitely not is cheap. A month's prescription costs hundreds of dollars.
My spoon is too big.
How many people do you know that have tried heroin and not gotten addicted? How many people do you know that have been "prescribed" heroin? I can think of one person, a roommate I had in college that got violently ill after trying heroin and never did it again. I also know several people that have gone the other route, tried the stuff, loved it, and had sustained heroin addictions for at least a couple months before weaning off. That or they never quit and are now either dead or lost to me. In my experience, heroin addiction is remarkably similar to oxy addiction but is VASTLY different from cocaine (It's not an opiate!!!). The only drug I have seen that is more destructive than heroin/oxy (i.e. opiates) is meth. Meth is really really fucked up.
Seeing your buddy quit a "mild" oxy addiction cold turkey is enough to make someone never want to touch the stuff. It is brutal.
because it is a Schedule I drug. Writing a prescription for a Schedule I drug would quickly bring the DEA down on the prescribing physician, most likely eliminating said doctor's ability to prescribe any other controlled drugs.
It can, however be RECOMMENDED by a physician. The card you get in CA or other medical MJ states shows that your doctor thinks that cannabis might help your condition. It doesn't specify dosage, form, route of administration, or frequency of use like a standard prescription would.
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He definitely used the "long-haired, maggot-infested, dope-smoking" line elsewhere, on more than one occasion:
http://mediamatters.org/video/2011/03/02/limbaugh-wisconsin-protesters-are-long-haired-m/183331
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2012/06/06/audio-limbaugh-poor-romney-accused-of-bullying-a-long-haired-maggot-infested-dope-smoking-type-kid-back-in-prep-school/
and it's obvious he's not joking, and it's clear that he doesn't care for marijuana users.
The other one may be too far in the past for people to dig up, but this seems sufficient to confirm the OP's point. And given that much, it seems unlikely that the above quote is faked or taken out of context. If it is, it shouldn't be that hard for a dittohead capable of listening to this dreck to dig it up the specific broadcast and refute it.
As far as psychologically addictive, there is no such thing. Addiction is bio-chemical. You cannot be "addicted" to gambling, shopping, masturbation, etc. These are compulsive behaviors - they are NOT addiction. That is not meant to insult sufferers, compulsive behavior patterns are an illness and are FAR worse to deal with than simple physical addition.
Compulsive behavior is stuff like hair pulling, counting, excessive showering or hand washing, and a hundred other things.
Psychological addiction is the reason drug users who want to stop cannot, or why smokers have oral fixations, or the cravings you experience once the physiological addiction is conquered.
Psychological is almost always caused by a physiological addiction.
There are people who have physiological addiction but not a psychological one.
Those people can quit smoking or quit heroin on a whim and never have a relapse or craving.
If you want to argue that physiological addiction leads to compulsive behavior, fine.
But compulsive behaviors and psychological addictions only overlap, neither is a subset of the other.
TLDNR: There is a difference between physical needs, mental cravings, and mental compulsions.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!