Just how prevalent is this oxy addiction thing among our young adults in top privates?

[Anonymous]

Taking Excedrin Migraine IS like taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) -- it's acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. The problem is that Tylenol (acetaminophen) is really easy to OD on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PPs who scoff that addiction is just someone's personal problem should have a special section of hell reserved for them. Yeah, it's a problem -- but a whole lot bigger than the individual person caught up in it, especially when it comes to kids. Seriously - this is an epidemic -- supported by a lot of big business interests, including the pharmaceutical industry.

My physician is on the board of a local hospital. Hospital ratings are largely based on "how well pain is managed." Their goal to get funding and patients is to have top rankings. If a patient is given pain killers, there is little pain to report and a higher score. She argues that some amount of pain is good as it measures how well a patient is recuperating. If no pain, the painkillers are given "just in case." My husband had surgery and was given a prescription for 100 oxycontin pills on his release. The pharmacy would not dispense a few, they had to dispense the entire prescription to meet insurance requirements. My husband took one oxycontin his first day home, and then used Advil as his surgeon recommended (but still gave him 100 oxycontin pills!!!). I was so worried about having the tablets in the house, that we mashed them with a hammer and diluted them in several large buckets of water and poured them over several weeks in a part of our yard which does not drain to any waterways.

The abuse of drug prescriptions by physicians and pharmacists is a huge part of this problem.

[Anonymous]

I had my first C-section 8 years ago and the amount of painkillers they gave me was INSANE. I mean - literally I could have sold 1/2 and still had too much! I have been extremely lucky - by my mid 30s I'd never broken a bone, been in a hospital or had any health issues so after that csec, I was pretty traumatized by the pain/recovery. Still, after awhile, I just could not deal with being on the painkillers. The first week I ended up in the ER because I had too much in my system - combo of the strong tylenol + hydrocodone I was taking. They gave me so much gas I couldn't move it hurt so much. They hooked me up to some drug in the ER and I swear that stuff was like heaven - I can def understand how addiction happens. If I had that kind of opportunity to feel like that all the time, I can see why people would take it!

I ended up obviously getting better and then came my second c section 2 1/2 years later. I ended up on my own accord stopping the pain meds because I just couldn't function - it made me so tired - my body apparently does not respond to opioids very well in that all that happens is I fall asleep I'm just not the type that's going to get addicted as a result but I can see if I was another kind of person, there was ample opportunity to do so with how much I had and how willing the Dr. were to give me more if I asked. It was all about pain control they said - whatever it took I should have it was their attitude. After my 2nd, there was no way I could take care of my kids on drugs so for me I relied on advil and that was it. I just couldn't believe the access I had to opiods - again it was way to easy to get that prescription.

In any case, my point is I cannot believe how much I received from the doctors. It was crazy! I just can't imagine any new mother needing that much. I think the medical community really needs to reconsider their protocols and not over prescribe but neither to under prescribe - I think it's very much a matter of having no set protocols in place that contributes to this epidemic.

[Anonymous]

One thing I will say, even though I'm not a huge fan of all aspects of the affordable healthcare act, their resources for addiction treatment are pretty great.

My brother has struggled with addiction for years and never had insurance until Obamacare went into effect. Our family also isn't wealthy and we were not able to pay for him to go to in-patient rehab. I helped him go through the process of getting into an out-patient program, but the waiting list was 4 months long and that was after the almost 5 month process to even get him approved to go.

However, once he got insurance, he was able to start an out-patient program immediately and only had to pay a $25 copay each treatment day. Once he completed the out-patient treatment, the insurance approved an in-patient program and that was fully covered except for around $200.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mother of former heroin addict here. Completely normal, upper middle class family with lots of parental involvement. Child went private but preferred public for HS.

Along our awful journey were two of her friends from a highly competitive private. Different stories. One worked in a dental office and had all too easy access to painkillers. Another's mother died and father wasn't up to the task of raising a child alone.

Child's problem ironically was doctors not taking pain seriously. Refused to refer to PT for over a year. When finally doctor relented and PT therapist recommended a TENS machine, doctor denied prescription. That would be feeding into psychological problem according to him. (Turned out after scores of doctors child had autoimmune condition known to be painful; previous doctors even recommended against Advil when that actually would have helped.)

As no doctor was taking child seriously, child then took matters upon themselves. Didn't even drink and was on to heroin. We are dealing here with under-developed frontal cortexes. For God's sake, doctors need to really, really understand just how dangerous physical teen pain can be. Be sympathetic. Shut your mouth about "psychogenic" causes even if you think that is what it is. Prescribe PT. Give away TENS machines scripts for free. And, honestly, would it really hurt to try to figure out if there actually could be a medical cause for the pain instead of dismissing it as unworthy of investigation?

Yes--I totally lay this at the feet of doctors (many, many of them) who were callous and way over-wedded to the idea that teen pain without injury must be psychological. And they still refused to do a thing for it--like maybe just try to find out what was wrong and try to explain way off blood tests from even before drug use--once they knew about heroin because in the medical world once you do drugs that is your only problem and all medical complaints (and all psychological complaints like anxiety) get attributed to drug use.

We reached a point when there was no one in my child's corner but me. Fortunately, that proved enough and I now have a successful child who is healthy as possible considering the significant medical issues.

PP while I fortunately did not end up on painkillers, I can reallllllly identify with this. I had serious, chronic, unexplained pain as a teenager (...well, and still), and I cannot tell you how many different doctors I went to seeking answers - without fail and with varying degrees of rudeness, they all basically told me it was all in my head and I was being dramatic. They didn't take me seriously, at all. It sucked, and still mkes me really mad to think about

Yes--but you are adult whose brain has developed enough to figure out that there are long-term consequences to certain actions that may not make things worse than your current state.

Imagine if you are a teen. Is anyone surprised that a teen feeling pretty hopeless from unexplained pain for which there seems to be no hope and whom doctors have shut out turns to do it yourself drug therapy off the street? So easy to forget they know way better than we how to connect with an illegal source.

Being undiagnosed is a special sort of hell I wouldn't wish on my own enemy. Please keep persisting. I went through scores of doctors with my child until I found one who diagnosed on the spot. Not coincidentally, he was the first doctor to spend something more than two minutes on a physical exam.

...what? I specifically said I went through this experience as a teen

Sorry--yes I see now that you did write that. One difference now is that cheap opiates were probably far less available when you were teen so this may not have been a path you'd even have thought about it. it is way too easy now. We are in DC and my child who was largely house bound from the undiagnosed illness even found someone who would deliver (usually in the dead of night).

I hope my general point was not lost. Just to be clear, I do not think doctors should be treating teen pain with opiates routinely and it should be reserved for occasions like post-surgery in a hospital.

But both doctors and parents need to take teen complaints of pain very seriously and treat it urgently through non-medication approaches and, when called for, prescription strength non-opiate medications. Blowing it off is an excellent way to the clear the path to opiate use for your child. If your child's doctor won't take it seriously and aggressively address with all non-opiate solutions at hand, be persistent and find one who will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. So much sympathy now that the victims are white.

Drug addicts are drug addicts.

How do you know the victims are white? Are POC not permitted at top private schools? I don't think so!

Statistically the highest consumption of heroin is by white males ages 18-25. It used to be black people 15-20 years ago but that has changed significantly. I think more people are aware and concerned by this current drug epidemic more than others because not only is it mainly affecting whites, it is heavily affecting the middle to upper classes. I would say SES is the main factor, even over race. No one cared about the crack problem with black people in the 80s because they were inner-city poor, no one cared about the white low-income trailer park meth-heads because they were poor too. Now all of a sudden heroin is in affluent suburbs, private schools, colleges, etc and people are taking notice. It is now a 'public health problem.' In addition, heroin is far more deadly than crack and meth.

[Anonymous]

I had elective surgery and the doctor gave me 10 percocet and said if I was still in significant pain and needed more to call. After a couple days my pain was manageable with over the counter drugs but the percocet made me feel so good that I seriously debated trying to get more pills even though I didn't need them. It's crazy to me how few pills it took to develop strong cravings and desire for more. I feel for anyone in need of oxy, teenage or not. It made me very tired but when I was awake (and even through the on and off sleeping) I loved how it felt.

[Anonymous]

I am happy to see this conversation going, this is part of the problem with addiction, its always brushed under the rug particularly by "people of power or means". Just a fact.

We have been affected by it in our family and know several families in our very "tony" neighborhood who have too. i applaud anyone who is brave enough to talk about it and put a face on it. I always think celebrities are especially brave as their reach is tremendous.

How sad for all the young males that are being pulled into this vicious cycle. With a will and rehab, people can and do get better FOR LIFE but is something one needs to break away from not always easy with addiction and make a life long commitment to the change.'

I feel and I know this will never happen that the big pharmaceuticals should be criminally charged in cases of where one dies and it is a proven link to their addiction of painkillers. If that were to happen I think this progression of addiction would slow down dramatically.

[Anonymous]

You can forbid doctors from prescribing opiates to young patients, but the kids will simply do what my child did when the doctors brush off their pain--go straight to the street for heroin, which is way cheaper than street pills.

There was a time in the past when doctors actually took teen complaints of pain seriously. Now most of the doctors have become amateur psychiatrists and decide with little basis that the complaints are psychogenic and not worth exploring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had elective surgery and the doctor gave me 10 percocet and said if I was still in significant pain and needed more to call. After a couple days my pain was manageable with over the counter drugs but the percocet made me feel so good that I seriously debated trying to get more pills even though I didn't need them. It's crazy to me how few pills it took to develop strong cravings and desire for more. I feel for anyone in need of oxy, teenage or not. It made me very tired but when I was awake (and even through the on and off sleeping) I loved how it felt.

I have a similar story. I had surgery, got pain pills and liked how they felt. I kept going with the pills for as long as the doctor prescribed them.

Weaning myself off of what I had left because I realized no more were coming was really difficult. I was too ashamed to get help. I feel lucky that I was able to stop myself when I did - I can totally see myself going after street drugs to self-medicate and get the high I craved so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taking Excedrin Migraine IS like taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) -- it's acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. The problem is that Tylenol (acetaminophen) is really easy to OD on.

The point is that the directions state to take only 2 pills per 24 hrs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's happening at our public HS in a very wealthy area of N. VA.

+100

It's much more common than people realize and the wealthy don't talk about it.

Of course the "wealthy" don't talk about it... They've spent too much energy blaming the problems in poor Black communities on crack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's happening at our public HS in a very wealthy area of N. VA.

+100

It's much more common than people realize and the wealthy don't talk about it.

Of course the "wealthy" don't talk about it... They've spent too much energy blaming the problems in poor Black communities on crack.

We know it's you, Lilly White. Please answer me this since you're so obsessed with race particularly the heroin vs crack problem. Why did wealthy white people not give a damn about poor white folks using meth? If this is such a race issue, why didn't whites care about white meth addicts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing of an uptick in this sort of thing. I think the best thing one can do is to actually be present in their kids lives. We live ina society where both parents are just too busy. I think it is better if one parent stays home when the kids are teens. This is the most crucial time. Working when the kids are little is fine if you have good help. They need you so much more as teens. If someone cannot be home then drive them to school and know all their friends and keep tabs on what they are doing. Be interested in their lives.

FWIW the multiple families that I know at our "big 3" with kids who have issues like this *all* have SAHMs. The families are nice, and it wasn't an issue of not having a parent around. Having a career does not preclude a parent from having a good relationship with a child. The parents who keep tabs on their kids are the ones who simply aren't naive about their own kids.

[Anonymous]

Young people go to med school with the expectation of very high earnings, much higher than is realistic. The quickest way to make that happen is to be very liberal with pain med RXs, ensuring a full waiting room at all times. This is not just at pill mills, its everywhere, hospital ERs included. This has led to widespread addiction.
MDs often get spooked by obvious addicts, who move to other MDs or turn to street drugs.