
Purdue and other big Oxy peddlers now face trial in federal court - pseudolus
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/how-the-corporate-pill-pushers-started-the-opioid-crisis/
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cal5k
As with any phenomenon, I don't buy a single-cause explanation. It's way too
pat.

What about substitutes? Has anyone tried to demonstrate that OxyContin
addiction, for example, might not have been heroin addiction if OxyContin
wasn't available? Would people in chronic pain not pursue illegal solutions if
legal ones weren't available to them?

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Tade0
There's a control group in the form of Europe where overdoses are an order of
magnitude lower and have remained relatively stable over the last 10 years at
least.

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nraynaud
I had a medical issue with incredible pain in France, I have not been given an
addictive pain killer, they started with the most common (Tylenol), then went
one notch up (Acupan) when it became ineffective (I think I am very receptive
because I rarely take medicines).

But doctors have to be willing to spend the time to follow the patient and do
the gradation instead of going straight for the strongest thing in the toolbox
and avoiding coming back to the issue (which I feel would be a given in the
country where they have the highest pay).

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wil421
In the US it is very similar. I’m in my 30s and never had the option to use
painkiller for neck and back pain. In fact, the only time I ever received it
was after a dental operation which removed an impacted and painful wisdom
tooth.

A lot of people will just doctor shop until they find one who will prescribe
painkillers.

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jlarocco
That doesn't match my experience.

Both times I've dislocated my shoulder I've been sent home from the ER with
percocet that I didn't need (and never took). They wouldn't even let me opt-
out, and sent it home with me "just in case."

