An interesting perspective on the “opioid crisis”
https://www.acsh.org/news/2025/06/11/dead-wrong-what-west-virginias-od-deaths-tells-us-about-us-opioid-policy-49534
There is a gaining movement across America to treat a dangerous situation: we have swung a pendulum of preventing opioid abuse by flat out no longer treating pain.
I am in no way a supporter of big pharma, and I certainly believe in prudent responsible use of any medication. I do indeed have patients who have severe chronic pain. I have patients who have been shattered in a severe car accident. Half of their body is held together by pins and rods and screws. The very act of getting out of bed is painful. Laying IN bed is painful. Walking is painful. Everything is painful.
When I say the pendulum and swung into a dangerous situation, I present you with this. Prior to 2012, opioid medications were given out with big pharma kickbacks and benefits (I see you Perdue Pharma and the Sackler family). Prescription pads wrote excessive prescriptions by providers who failed to use prudence and responsibility. In response to that, the “opioid crisis in America” was born, and the response is anything but responsible and prudent, it is now punitive and punishing towards those who do need pain management. We have entered a time period where post operative patients are no longer getting their pain managed. Oh you had a c-section? Nope, use Tylenol.
Just as providers overprescribed and overused opiates, they are now just as dangerously underusing and under prescribing them. The article linked above discusses the situation in West Virginia, a state most severely affected by overuse of opiates. The issues they face today are just as severe, yet prescription opiates are rare and hard to come by.
Moderation, responsibility, and standard of care. Common sense treatment.
I’ve lived this. I have chronic pain from more than one injury / exposure during my Air Force career. For more than a decade the VA was my faithful pusher man. Then one day, I was cut off. Cold Turkey. Didn’t even give me a phone number to call in case I experienced some withdrawal symptoms. In fact the doctor said that I was a reprobate and that it was entirely my fault if I had an addiction problem. No acknowledgement of the VA’s role in supplying me with the now evil opioids. Luckily I didn’t have that problem. The problem was getting through the day with my pain. I fought the VA for 7 years. They only offered mutilation and pretending it doesn’t hurt. I found a brave physician outside the VA to treat my pain. I figure that’s better than going to the Corner Boys. Make no mistake, the VA action nearly drove me to illegal drug use. Now I won’t even discuss pain with the VA. They are good at some things. But pain management isn’t one of them. And the overdose rate among veterans is skyrocketing.
I'll take "What happens when politicians set the rules" for $1,000 Alex.