Unbelievable. Take the time to watch this at some point. 85% of all oxycontin prescribed in the entire country is prescribed by 50 doctors in Florida.
What is up with that????
Sobering point: 11 people die a day from prescription drug overdose in Florida....Let that sink in, EVERY DAY! If it were manatees washing up on Florida shores then the entire country would be in an outrage.
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That was very scarey and amazing. When I first read Bobby's comments I thought how in the world are they able to get that many prescriptions filled at a pharmacy for pain killers.
Then after watching it, I found out, Florida does not have prescription drug monitoring, which I find almost unbelieveable.
This has been going on forever-opium in the Roman empire- there has always been drug use and people overdosing cause everyone thinks death doesn't apply to them or that the ride is worth the final destination. Sad. I liken drug use to kissing a deadly serpent Western-Taipan.jpg
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Originally Posted by scooterbug44
I find this very hard to believe - out of 50 states 85% of a prescription drug can be tracked back to only 50 docs in FL?
And in a state where they are stepping up the tracking of my cold meds noone is tracking this?
Though 11 people dying a day is very believable - but to be fair, compare that to cars or obesity or cigarettes.
I have not been able to find anything relevant to fact check that number against, but I did find this and it quotes a law signed last year to build a database to stop doctor shopping.
Officials charge unscrupulous clinics dispense the powerful drugs to patients who then sometimes use their extra dosage to turn a profit on the street. Patients often pay in cash and use the same prescription at different clinics, called doctor shopping. To cut down on doctor shopping, Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill last summer to create a database of patients so health care officials can prevent doctor shopping.
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Oh, I totally believe people and docs are abusing this drug - for a fix or profit.
What I find hard to believe (sad commentary) is that Florida has such a huge portion - where are Cali, NY, Georgia, Texas, etc. in the rankings? 85% just seems so high.
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Oh, I totally believe people and docs are abusing this drug - for a fix or profit.
What I find hard to believe (sad commentary) is that Florida has such a huge portion - where are Cali, NY, Georgia, Texas, etc. in the rankings? 85% just seems so high.
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I just wanted to find the number sold in Fl., but it's a big pile to dig through..........
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My cousin lived in Florida and she slipped at work and had to have several back surgeries. She was always in pain and her doctor apparently wrote her prescriptions for this drug, like it was candy, all the time. Even people who normally do not have addictions can easily become addicted to this drug, which was what happened to my cousin and she passed away last year. She won't be around to see her daughter marry and my Aunt cries everyday still around 7 pm, the time she used to call every evening.
So, I believe the 85% number could be accurate and there is good reason for outrage. Perhaps if there was monitoring of this drug, my cousin would still be here. IMHO, this drug should be banned or only dispensed in a hospital environment in extreme cases.
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Unbelievable. Take the time to watch this at some point. 85% of all oxycontin prescribed in the entire country is prescribed by 50 doctors in Florida.
What is up with that????
And 85% of that 85% is consumed by Rush Limbaugh.
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Originally Posted by Mango
My cousin lived in Florida and she slipped at work and had to have several back surgeries. She was always in pain and her doctor apparently wrote her prescriptions for this drug, like it was candy, all the time. Even people who normally do not have addictions can easily become addicted to this drug, which was what happened to my cousin and she passed away last year. She won't be around to see her daughter marry and my Aunt cries everyday still around 7 pm, the time she used to call every evening.
So, I believe the 85% number could be accurate and there is good reason for outrage. Perhaps if there was monitoring of this drug, my cousin would still be here. IMHO, this drug should be banned or only dispensed in a hospital environment in extreme cases.
That's exactly what the ER docs do here in our town. I was in the ER there for food poisoning, and the place was full. Because the "rooms" were only separated by curtains, I could hear everything that was said in the adjacent rooms. EVERY ONE of the patients complained of pain, and they are were prescribed opiates. Heck, at least once daughter went to the ER after hours for the flu, and they gave her hydrocodone. They definitely give pain meds out like candy.
That being said, I have had a terrible toothache for over a week now. A root canal was scheduled for last Thursday. But I was so stressed and in so much pain that my BP went through the roof. It was rescheduled for Monday. Yesterday I started having severe pain, making me dysfunctional. So I've had to be on pain meds for about 10 days just so I can function and not have to cancel my classes.
So, I won't say "no" to pain meds when I'm in this much misery.
I have it on very good authority (school contact) that kids taking their parents prescription drugs is a problem around here (apparently there are some war chests of prescriptions in some homes)- painkillers, anxiety meds, anything in the medicine cabinet. Parents might want to check their stock of prescriptions and get rid of anything tempting that is not being used. The problem is with kids taking and selling their parents' meds. SoWal isn't the only place with this problem- it is happening all over the country.
I have it on very good authority (school contact) that kids taking their parents prescription drugs is a problem around here (apparently there are some war chests of prescriptions in some homes)- painkillers, anxiety meds, anything in the medicine cabinet. Parents might want to check their stock of prescriptions and get rid of anything tempting that is not being used. The problem is with kids taking and selling their parents' meds. SoWal isn't the only place with this problem- it is happening all over the country.
Do you mean as in fifty and sixty year olds taking their seventy and eighty year old parent's dope, or a younger demographic, because believe me, this goes on too!
I have much more to say about this, but due to the time constraints of having to earn a buck without doling out dope and snake oil, I gotta go!
Do you mean as in fifty and sixty year olds taking their seventy and eighty year old parent's dope, or a younger demographic, because believe me, this goes on too!
I have much more to say about this, but due to the time constraints of having to earn a buck without doling out dope and snake oil, I gotta go!
Teens. I would love to hear your comments- I probably have opened up a big ol' can of worms, but this concerned me when I heard it the other day. I am not surprised though- so many meds out there.....
Wow - old news! Kids have been trading their parents' meds for a long time. In and outside of school. It has become an epidemic. Kids pull out bottles at pill parties and start selling and trading. 6 of these for one of those, 2 of these for 10 of those, and on and on. Much more popular than "illegal drugs".
Wow - old news! Kids have been trading their parents' meds for a long time. In and outside of school. It has become an epidemic. Kids pull out bottles at pill parties and start selling and trading. 6 of these for one of those, 2 of these for 10 of those, and on and on. Much more popular than "illegal drugs".
And it starts before the teens in some places.
Yes, but it has become a much bigger problem than even 5 or 10 years ago. Demographically, I was told that it is more prevalent in south Walton, which was the point I was trying to make. I have also read that prescription drug abuse by teens trends toward the higher socio-economic areas, so that fits into what I was told. So many parents are involved with their kids here, but then again, so many are not.
If my post makes even one parent here check their medicine cabinet and get rid of unused/unnecessary prescription drugs, then that is a great thing.
Yes, but it has become a much bigger problem than even 5 or 10 years ago. Demographically, I was told that it is more prevalent in south Walton, which was the point I was trying to make. I have also read that prescription drug abuse by teens trends toward the higher socio-economic areas, so that fits into what I was told. So many parents are involved with their kids here, but then again, so many are not.
If my post makes even one parent here check their medicine cabinet and get rid of unused/unnecessary prescription drugs, then that is a great thing.
Yes - but do not flush them down the toilet! It may end up in your drinking water.
It's that 50 docs in FL are writing 85% of national prescriptions I don't believe.
50 writing 85% w/in the state I buy.
But nationwide - Oxycontin is so prevalent I sorta know what it is, so questioning that stat.
I was also shocked by the stat but then my wife googled it and showed me the stat. Take a moment to watch the movie and you will see why 85% is in Florida. It is an express lane where people are coming in from all over the country. The docs prescribing in many cases have come out of retirement and don't even go into the clinic. They have Medical assistants seeing the patients. One of the clinics has a guy with a machine gun out front! hard to believe this is happening in this country.
Just tried to find the stat again. It does seem high. I will have Bev find it later. Whatever the percentage is looking for the stat helped me realize what a mess this is. Here is a link that summarizes the movie.
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Originally Posted by kurt
Yes - but do not flush them down the toilet! It may end up in your drinking water.
At a Sustainabilty Council (of which I am a member) meeting, one of my colleagues with a Ph.D. in biochemistry told me to put the unneeded pain meds from Big D's back surgery into a plastic bag, add cat litter and water, and throw it in the trash. She said that it is a green alternative.
At a Sustainabilty Council (of which I am a member) meeting, one of my colleagues with a Ph.D. in biochemistry told me to put the unneeded pain meds from Big D's back surgery into a plastic bag, add cat litter and water, and throw it in the trash. She said that it is a green alternative.
It's not, while the cat litter will absorb the dissolved medicine it doesn't alter them or break them down, thus when the bag rips they are still released into the environment.
This is really sad, but looks like FL is on the way to tracking. Most likely many doctors will find themselves with their licenses to practice revoked. It explains the number of people I have encountered with a pocket full of pills and they are sold at a premium.
I didn't know oxycontin was heroin, however. Dang spooky!
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It's not, while the cat litter will absorb the dissolved medicine it doesn't alter them or break them down, thus when the bag rips they are still released into the environment.
She says it's okay. Let the bag sit for a few days before throwing it in the trash. I figure she knows if she has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and into sustainability.
Our CVS won't take it. I dunno what to do with it. I know they could be sold on the street in ATL for $50 each, but mama didn't raise no fool -- I'm a fancy resort sort of person, so I wouldn't like living in a jail cell.
Maybe I'll just take them to work, flush a few at a time in different bathrooms around campus so that there won't be 60 at a time thrown into one toilet.
Edit: One of my colleagues who has a doctorate in nursing and just moved here from Gainesville, FL, told me that every time she wrote a prescription there, it was tracked. ?????
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Last edited by Beach Runner; 02-14-2010 at 08:40 AM.
This is really sad, but looks like FL is on the way to tracking. Most likely many doctors will find themselves with their licenses to practice revoked. It explains the number of people I have encountered with a pocket full of pills and they are sold at a premium.
I didn't know oxycontin was heroin, however. Dang spooky!
A lot of the over the counter prescription pain killers are opiate based. These drugs can be very addictive because they are carefully designed / purified forms of the original drug.
I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing.. these are very effective drugs. You just have to be careful.
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Last edited by 30ashopper; 02-14-2010 at 10:25 AM.
A lot of the over the counter prescription pain killers are opiate based. These drugs can be very addictive because they are carefully designed / purified forms of the original drug.
I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing.. these are very effective drugs. You just have to be careful.
I'm not sure what you mean by "over the counter prescription", but I think you mean prescription drugs available from your pharmacy. I don't think there are any opiate based drugs you can just buy off the shelf like aspirin. That would not be a good thing. On the other hand, I've had to use these prescription drugs for post op pain relief, severe toothache, and wisdom tooth extraction. All I can say is that they are very effective if used properly. I've never used the big daddy Oxycontin, but I can imagine there are some people who would rightfully trade their severe chronic pain for the possibility of addiction and overdose.
I'm not sure what you mean by "over the counter prescription", but I think you mean prescription drugs available from your pharmacy. I don't think there are any opiate based drugs you can just buy off the shelf like aspirin. That would not be a good thing. On the other hand, I've had to use these prescription drugs for post op pain relief, severe toothache, and wisdom tooth extraction. All I can say is that they are very effective if used properly. I've never used the big daddy Oxycontin, but I can imagine there are some people who would rightfully trade their severe chronic pain for the possibility of addiction and overdose.
Yeah, sorry, brain fart on "over the counter".
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There is at least one dr. in Destin who dispenses drugs from his office, cash only and he has you coming in once a month. He is called "The Feel Good Doctor." And, I think there is one in Chipley, too.
There is at least one dr. in Destin who dispenses drugs from his office, cash only and he has you coming in once a month. He is called "The Feel Good Doctor." And, I think there is one in Chipley, too.
There's always one in every town. Bay County had one for years that operated an "office" out of a space the size of a broom closet. He had a line consistenly a block long on Friday afternoon.
I'm not sure what you mean by "over the counter prescription", but I think you mean prescription drugs available from your pharmacy. I don't think there are any opiate based drugs you can just buy off the shelf like aspirin. That would not be a good thing. On the other hand, I've had to use these prescription drugs for post op pain relief, severe toothache, and wisdom tooth extraction. All I can say is that they are very effective if used properly. I've never used the big daddy Oxycontin, but I can imagine there are some people who would rightfully trade their severe chronic pain for the possibility of addiction and overdose.
Oxycontin is a wonderful drug if used properly. The problem is in many cases it is not being used as prescribed. They should really regulate the obvious and put an end to what is going on in S. Florida. I know a young girl sitting in jail locally who was caught up in that mess. You go in and get whatever you want. Big money. The Doc can see 100 patients plus a day at about $150 a whack. The visit takes about 5 minutes. The take for the day is $15,000 give or take. Take that times 5 days a week and you have a get rich recipe. I guess $75,000 a week will pull some retired Docs out of retirement.
Oxycontin is a wonderful drug if used properly. The problem is in many cases it is not being used as prescribed. They should really regulate the obvious and put an end to what is going on in S. Florida. I know a young girl sitting in jail locally who was caught up in that mess. You go in and get whatever you want. Big money. The Doc can see 100 patients plus a day at about $150 a whack. The visit takes about 5 minutes. The take for the day is $15,000 give or take. Take that times 5 days a week and you have a get rich recipe. I guess $75,000 a week will pull some retired Docs out of retirement.
I agree, my gut feeling is that very very often it's misused. I wouldn't say more often than not, but I wonder sometimes.
You've heard of the Iron Age, the Middle Ages, we live in the Pharmaceutical Age. Poisoning our water and forever changing the human genome. And that's just with the prescribed drugs this country relies on. How do we ever dig ourselves out of this one?
I think tracking prescriptions and cracking down on these doctors is a good start.
Some communities are starting programs to properly dispose of unused meds to keep them out of the water supply, but I believe for security reasons they do not accept stuff like Oxycontin.
Many pharmacies accept unused meds for disposal, so check w/ your local pharmacy if you need to get rid of some.
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All three clinics are owned by 29-year-old twin brothers Christopher and Jeffrey George. American Pain had been in operation for five weeks prior to the raid.
The 14-month criminal investigation of all three clinics discovered that American Pain had five primary physicians working full-time last year and together administered more than 2 million of the highly addictive oxycodone pills, according to the federal court documents.
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