NPR: Why Is The Opioid Epidemic Overwhelmingly White?

[Anonymous]

It's a white trash problem....hillbillies left behind in the economy

[Anonymous]

In my family, DH, both of my teenage kids, and I have all been prescribed narcotics/opioids at least once if not multiple times each, for different injuries in the past 5 years (broken ribs, 2nd degree burn, hip surgery, ankle surgery, kidney stones). We have all stopped taking them once our pain decreased but before our first prescription ran out. DH probably relies on the pills the longest but he still never finishes a bottle. One of my kids and I both strongly dislike the side effects we get from these medications (nausea, itching, sleepiness) so stop taking really quickly and another kid is just super tough and wants to get back to normal routines so stops taking them.

Neither of our families have a history of addiction (alcoholism or drugs) and I firmly believe that some people are just predisposed to addiction, and this issue is more likely to happen to those people. With opioids being so easy to get addicted to, its a terrible combination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is interesting for sick and horrible reasons, but please inform me - is the bulk of the opioid crisis directly caused by patients taking drugs prescribed directly to them, or is it junkies taking drugs they bought on the black market? I thought it was the latter -

My understanding is that it often begins with a valid prescription for pain management, then the patient gets addicted, and they have to go the illegal route to keep up with their addiction needs.

+1. Also, how do the pills get to the black market? Doctors prescribe them to a patient, then the patient sells them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my family, DH, both of my teenage kids, and I have all been prescribed narcotics/opioids at least once if not multiple times each, for different injuries in the past 5 years (broken ribs, 2nd degree burn, hip surgery, ankle surgery, kidney stones). We have all stopped taking them once our pain decreased but before our first prescription ran out. DH probably relies on the pills the longest but he still never finishes a bottle. One of my kids and I both strongly dislike the side effects we get from these medications (nausea, itching, sleepiness) so stop taking really quickly and another kid is just super tough and wants to get back to normal routines so stops taking them.

Neither of our families have a history of addiction (alcoholism or drugs) and I firmly believe that some people are just predisposed to addiction, and this issue is more likely to happen to those people. With opioids being so easy to get addicted to, its a terrible combination.

Narcotic for a second degree burn? Rib fracture? This is part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a white trash problem....hillbillies left behind in the economy

Nope, I know a white professional who ended up addicted to opioids because of chronic pain following a car accident. And please don't use the terms "white trash" or "hillbillies." Those are pejoratives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my family, DH, both of my teenage kids, and I have all been prescribed narcotics/opioids at least once if not multiple times each, for different injuries in the past 5 years (broken ribs, 2nd degree burn, hip surgery, ankle surgery, kidney stones). We have all stopped taking them once our pain decreased but before our first prescription ran out. DH probably relies on the pills the longest but he still never finishes a bottle. One of my kids and I both strongly dislike the side effects we get from these medications (nausea, itching, sleepiness) so stop taking really quickly and another kid is just super tough and wants to get back to normal routines so stops taking them.

Neither of our families have a history of addiction (alcoholism or drugs) and I firmly believe that some people are just predisposed to addiction, and this issue is more likely to happen to those people. With opioids being so easy to get addicted to, its a terrible combination.

Agree. There's not enough recognition that predisposition to addiction can be inherited and people need to educate themselves and their families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a white trash problem....hillbillies left behind in the economy

I have a friend who teaches high school in very upscale NY suburbs. She's been to 8 funerals this year for young people who've died from drugs. This issue is affecting UMC families pretty badly as well.

[Anonymous]

It is a known problem with bias that doctors and nurses believe that black people’s skin is literally thicker and that their pain tolerance is higher. It is a small silver lining that decades of neglect and malpractice treating people of color can result in less opiod addiction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a known problem with bias that doctors and nurses believe that black people’s skin is literally thicker and that their pain tolerance is higher. It is a small silver lining that decades of neglect and malpractice treating people of color can result in less opiod addiction.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.virginia.edu/content/study-links-disparities-pain-management-racial-bias%3famp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a known problem with bias that doctors and nurses believe that black people’s skin is literally thicker and that their pain tolerance is higher. It is a small silver lining that decades of neglect and malpractice treating people of color can result in less opiod addiction.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.virginia.edu/content/study-links-disparities-pain-management-racial-bias%3famp

As an African American doctor and a parent, I would prefer that people examine whether whites are being over treated rather than blacks being under-treated. When my son had his hernia repair I grabbed him out of that hospital ASAP, then threw away the narcotic prescription. He got tylenol and sofa time.
This article is scary, it sounds like medical personnel are gearing up to get blacks messed up too.
BTW, opiate addiction is growing in the black and Hispanic communities too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my family, DH, both of my teenage kids, and I have all been prescribed narcotics/opioids at least once if not multiple times each, for different injuries in the past 5 years (broken ribs, 2nd degree burn, hip surgery, ankle surgery, kidney stones). We have all stopped taking them once our pain decreased but before our first prescription ran out. DH probably relies on the pills the longest but he still never finishes a bottle. One of my kids and I both strongly dislike the side effects we get from these medications (nausea, itching, sleepiness) so stop taking really quickly and another kid is just super tough and wants to get back to normal routines so stops taking them.

Neither of our families have a history of addiction (alcoholism or drugs) and I firmly believe that some people are just predisposed to addiction, and this issue is more likely to happen to those people. With opioids being so easy to get addicted to, its a terrible combination.

Narcotic for a second degree burn? Rib fracture? This is part of the problem.

I agree re the burn although the pain for the first 24 hours was excruciating (it was me, boiling water on torso and leg). After that first day, I was okay with tylenol as long as nothing touched it. The rib fractures, on the other hand, which happened to DH, were bad. Really bad. He fell down a huge flight of brick stairs, slipped on ice at the top. Multiple ribs broken. He was in a great deal of pain and he is pretty tough so I think in that case it was right to prescribe.