Painkiller: Inside the Opioid Crisis

Please listen. If so many are dying because drugs are adulterated and illegal why families oppose the legalization? Why to oppose a controlled market with controlled potency and guaranteed quality? Please listen. The world is better without mafia and with drugs. Drug prohibition is founded on a lie. Who is willing to listen to the truth? The truth is deaths are avoidable. If you take drugs why do you want drugs prohibited and if you don't take drugs why do you want drugs banned? Drug prohibition is costing you a lot. Drug prohibition is a mistake. If you are a customer of the black market what do you like about the service and quality? Are you complaining? Who is complaining? Buying and selling drugs are a victimless crime. I would like you to reflect on my thought. My truth is buying and selling drugs is a victimless crime. Do you agree or disagree? Taking drugs if nobody is hurt is a victimless crime. I am free and autonomous and I decide what is better or worse for me. I decide how to live my life. One day at a time, going forward. One day at a time, holding on. Step by step. In the right path. The aim is perfection. The aim is to be perfect. Thank you.

If it saves even one life I think this is worth mentioning. I know in America giving folks life saving medicine like Naltraxone is a debate. A debate! It should be a given. So if you know of the less fortunate that have fallen into a hole, know this. There is a opioid replacement medicine called Suboxone, I believe it is easier to obtain then Naltroxone ...... This Suboxone contains Naltraxone, and works in the same way in a emergency situation. If you can get it into the person in need in the quickest possible way, you can save a life. Everyone that uses opioid/opiates should have one tablet in the first aid kit

I was put on norco 5/325 about 6 years ago then they took me off due to insurance issues.
Then I was put on norco 10/325, would use them responsibly and I didn’t get withdrawals if I stopped.
Hell started for me when I was put on Percocet(oxy) 7.5/325.
I went on a trip once and forgot to bring my bottle not knowing I would get withdrawals. The first night without them I felt weird, the second day was absolutely horrible, itching, tossing and turning, couldn’t sleep, 3rd night the pain kicked in horrible and my legs felt weird, no sleep again and I had stomach issues. I wanted to cry it was horrible. By the 3rd day I realized I was having withdrawals. I had no energy and I felt tired and sick in general.
I was home by day 4 and took my pills and all my symptoms were gone. I wish I could quit but my issues are real, I don’t know how to get out of this being that my heinous pain left me no choice.

Does anyone know what "stampede special" is?

The intense addiction aside, the guilt & shame they feel, is a strong, driving factor as to why they keep using. I know this.

It's such a tragic, devastating problem...🥺

Williams James Harris Shirley Lee Joseph

Addicts need mental health help. Not injection sites.

This is ridiculous. Would you put an alcoholic in a room with a bottle of vodka? Most people living this life, want this life and want to O.D. I'd say follow the money

I can’t believe there is a whole building dedicated to giving addicts their fix. That is so ridiculous

I’ve been off opioid’s for 8 years idk how I’m still alive I only use thc edibles now I pray for anyone still battling this addiction

"An overdrawn account of regrets" 😢

That is such a deep and accurate analysis of the life of an addict

I feel incredibly sorry for that man's mum. Reminds me of my own mother

How’s Canada doing now with free drug supply 🤡

I've been on 5mg of oxycodone for 4 years with no issues. Take it for my pain from cerebral palsy it's been great.

1,000 grams = 50,000,000 lethal doses. Bullshit.

drugs are for losers

I will only add that I remember starting to take morphine, and my physician was on top of me on the day-to-day basis. I asked him why my hands were tingling and that’s all. I really remember about starting to take it. He said that my body was adjusting to it. And I remember asking him what happens when I have to stop taking this drug. He said that we would take care of that when the time comes. As of now, the time has not come. And I’m frightened when that time comes. Withdrawal will be the worst. But the only other option is spinal surgery and that also has huge implications. So I’m stuck between two crappy options. Please don’t judge pain patients unless you know what chronic pain really is.

I was prescribed morphine 30 mg in the morning and 30 mg in the evening over 10 years ago. And Vicodin for bridge pain. I was fortunate. My doctor was very conservative. I had extreme pain and at times could not walk and stumbled and fell, because I could not walk due to the pain. I had small children, and he started me out with physical therapy. Then spinal injections. After many years, I finally called him in an emergency . I had so much to live for, but I was a member of the Hemlock Society, because I was suicidal due to knowing I would never ever wake up without not being able to stand. And needing at least 8 to 10 Vicodin to stand and walk. it is videos like this that do not fully tell the story of pain patients like me who have spinal stenosis. I have successfully been taking the same level of painkillers for over a decade with no increase. I do technical analysis for NASA, and I would never be able to do that without, extreme alertness and concentration. I am at the height of my profession, and one of the most well regarded in the country for what I do. Please understand that there are others in this system that need these being killers just to function on a day-to-day basis.

This whole "opioid" thing baffles me. I've had prescriptions for Norco, for Vicodin, for Dilaudid. I took them as directed. They alleviated the pain, and I never felt a "buzz" from them..... probably because I never took more than I was supposed to. As I healed, the need for them was less, so I took Tylenol instead. I don't buy all these people taking one pill, then saying "I'm hooked"..... I just don't see how that's possible. Narcotic painkillers have been around a long, LONG time, but only in the last generation are we seeing this "instant addiction".

NOBODY ever thinks of 'addiction' as a result. Trauma is huge reason why messed up kids turn into messed up adults...

love you norma!!!!

your a great mum!!

Given the right dose frequency if you live a healthy lifestyle if you use it correctly, it can improve your life dramatically. I was on it for years I was given a regular amount 20 or 30 pills for the whole month. I had to make them last I would break them in half whatever I had to do depending on my pain tolerance and they work for me, but then they took them away because everybody abused them and the real people that suffer with pain I just left to suffer. How is that fair it’s not

I’m sorry but Oxycodone is the best medicine I have ever been on. Yes very addictive and easy to overdose on. You have to be self disciplined and know your limits. I also have stage 4 lieomyosarcoma cancer so I need this drug. Just be careful if you stop and are off this drug for even a week don’t start back to the dose you left on. Start back on about 5mg this is where people mess up and die

27 people overdosed on fentynol tainted meth and heroine in my hometown with a population of 45 thousand last week.14 of them fell unconscious to the ground all at the same time outside of a local church. Our Mayor had to declare a state of emergency. Society needs a radical paradigm shift when it comes to addiction. Making drugs illegal makes the problem worse. An addict will continue using unless locked up or dead. Unless addicts get help to finding the root of the problem as to why they need to use in the first place. Extensive rehab helped in my case. I went for a year and worked exclusively on myself and my reason for using, accepting responsibility, and helping others. every town should have a decent rehab. former addicts can make a huge contribution to society once recovered. Recovered, not cured. I find everyone whether individuals or institutions wanting to blame everyone but themselves. This is everyone's problem. All of us did this and it will take all of us to fix it.

I was hooked on oxycodone for some years I have now been clean 7 1/2 months it wasn't easy but I'm SO GLAD I BEAT THIS DEMON KNOWN AS OXYCODONE if anyone wants to talk or just needs someone I'm here believe in yourself and know your worth it you can do this 😅

I remember several years ago I suffered from severe depression and mental disorder. I was addicted to illicit pills, alcohol, and smoking until I was recommended for psilocybin mushroom treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly I'm 8 years clean now. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against anxiety and depression.

6 years later, how did that decriminalization work out?

Its absolutely nothing worst than opioid withdrawal aka DOPESICK!!! Thanks God for Suboxone to help me curb my PK addiction a few years ago because the few nights where I was in withdrawal were the WORST nites of my life that I still remember them vividly today!!!

I wore a Fentanyl patch for spinal damage which was taken away from me and I was put on Hydrocodone 10mg. Used it as needed for my pain. Now my doctor has refused to prescribe any further opiates to anyone. I am now living with my pain and went through a horrific 2 months of withdrawal. I am 78 years old and the problem is not the prescribed drugs, but the street drugs that are killing people!! Stop the street drugs, and let people who need them receive them under control.

There are those of us whose pain is worse than being stomped on by six horses 24/7, and our oxycodone pills and Fentanyl patches were taken away because of people like Kolodny and Ballintyne working with the CDC. I went from managing a small cottage, a car, a dog and an RV as a freelance writer to living in a long-term care facility in an electric wheelchair.

You see, with the meds I could have continued to exercise, walk and keep up my strength. But after the new CDC GUIDELINES were released in 2016, the government eventually said I could only have Ibuprofen and Tylenol. Tylenol is a sugar pill to people like me; I refuse it. I have taken my Ibuprofen religiously, as directed, and because of that, I now have chronic kidney disease.

Oxycodone is a safe drug! You just don't abuse it! And not everyone builds up a tolerance; I never had to get a higher dose in my prescription. This whole "crisis" we constantly hear about is a sham. I don't mean that families haven't gone through very horrific times with suicides and accidental deaths. The stories are heartbreaking! But what you don't hear about is people like me -- millions of us suffering, screaming (literally) in pain everyday with no relief. You don't hear about our suicides, and those of us who turn to street drugs because some cannot take the pain any longer.

Over the years I have written many magazine and blog articles as an advocate for the fair treatment of chronic pain. I had stepped away from that role for a few years, but was just asked by one of the top publications to submit a new article. Therefore, I am considering getting back in the game. Luckily, I've kept in touch with my editor friends. But there are second thoughts in my head, too. That is, what I don't like, after this fight of nearly 10 years, is that I don't have a lot of hope for any changes in the future. I haven't seen improvement -- just more rejection and still doctors who are afraid to prescribe because they could lose their licenses.

Only insane think giving drugs to addicts is good thing.

Pain is symptom not a disease.
Taking drugs doesnt solve your issues

Pharma industry and ruthless physicians are responsible for these deaths.

Perdue Pharma was the biggest drug cartel in the USA. They had near immunity from prosecution for so long.

You talk about over dose. Victims of chronic Pain need pain relief, victims cannot be put in same box as drug users. These people buy there drugs off the street. I’d like you to walk a day in my shoes , and many other Chronic Pain sufferers

The most obvious cause of Illegal Opioid addiction in North America is White Superiority— White people think they possess Superior Knowledge ( in this case, Biological Science) without Learning. These opioid addicts must have thoughts that they have Superior Knowledge in Biology that they are immune from addiction n overdose. How they could’ve grown to be 18 year old without learning high school biology is the criminal negligence of these two North American governments.

I was adicted to opioids for a few years, and decided to rehabilitate myself, and I've being sober for 9 years.

To the guy that saved the overdosing guy with Narcan, the guy od 24 hours later, dont feel bad for him as an x addict, the guy went out on stage like a rockstar. 😆👌

My life was saved by Jesus Christ.
Give Him a try.

Less 1% get addicted to opiates don’t punish pain

Thanks to the military for 15 years of hell. Tore up a lot of parts and was given so many scripts i had to use a bag to carry them. 50% titanium fused spine...14 knee surgeries and many other issues.
2 sides to this...1 is people require the meda and can live just fine but due to gov interventions that cannot happen so what do people do? They hit the streets and get the death sentance.
2 this war on drugs did nothing but lower the costs, increase the supply and increase the lethality.

The answer is not criminal bans or prosecution, its giving the people who want or need the ability to get pure, unadulterated medicines and put the drug cartels out of business. Is it a cure all..NOPE but it will keep people alive long enough to maybe be saved

So "they" cut off people's pain meds that really needed them. Now they need to go to Fentanyl to get relief. The problem is Fentanyl from the street is killing them. As a former paramedic, I did not pick up many people who overdosed on their prescribed pain meds. My friends who are still paramedics tell me that they pick up people who have overdosed on Fentanyl on a daily basis. Go figure 'they' took people off of prescribed pain meds to only kill them with Fentanyl.

Opioids are VERY scary. Always lived my life without much issues to getting addicted to things I try but 3 times of oxy in the past 3 weeks once a week and I feel the cravings and wanting to take that pill. Been taking 10-15-20mg per times and 20mg was so damn good DO NOT TRY these things u will lose your life to them very easily and without even noticing it. I wouldn't be suprised if a lot of people who start taking these because of a heavy surgery would get heavily addicted ot these within weeks...

Been addicted to painkillers for almost 12 years now horrible

This should be renamed Illicit Drug Crisis

Lets talk about the suffering that has been inflicted upon pople who use rx opiates responsibly and arent addicted...
I do understand the loss from illicit fentanyl...its terrible. But the media only focuses on those stories. Theres another side of all of this...

Well bive me its worse now without Secklers gone. They just needed to regulate it better. There is people suffering from pain.. And now who is profiting? Cartels and they made it 100x stronger.

Samuel Goldwyn of movie producer fame was a Speed freak

Don’t believe your pill guy. You are taking Fentanyl

Fentanyl didn’t exist till fuckng Trump stopped real Norcos or Oxys