Oxycontin Express, life in rural areas

[Beeman]

http://www.hulu.com/watch/100279/van...contin-express

This is a pretty good documentary showing the Oxy problem in rural areas, especially Appalaichia, and where it's coming from. I know this is HT but this is something people living or thinking of living in a rural area should know. It really takes hold in areas with low income, high unemployment and lower education levels. It effects everyone in these areas no matter what you do or who you are.

[Chuck]

I did a story about this in 2007. Very true.

[marvella]

Originally Posted by Beeman

http://www.hulu.com/watch/100279/van...contin-express

This is a pretty good documentary showing the Oxy problem in rural areas, especially Appalaichia, and where it's coming from. I know this is HT but this is something people living or thinking of living in a rural area should know. It really takes hold in areas with low income, high unemployment and lower education levels. It effects everyone in these areas no matter what you do or who you are.

the 3 top drugs being abused here are Lortab (aka hydros) oxy and crack. it accounts for at least 90% of the crime in the community.

there's no real incentive for users to quit. it works to numb them to their situations, which admittedly are made worse by their drug use.

2/3's of the problem are prescribed drugs. as long as the docs write them, they will continue to be the drug of choice for many.

[Wolf mom]

Yuppers, We had a Doc busted here & his license revoked a few years ago for being a distributor - Oops, for writing too many scripts.

Meth is still the main drug of choice here.

The sad part is young kids raiding family prescription drug bottles.

[luvrulz]

I am acquainted with a chick that has 4 different prescriptions for it and her brother gives her his perscription also, so that makes 5! She takes 10 - 12 at a time from different pharmacies here in town and one on the internet. Her husband owns a thirving & prosperous buisness here in our small community.

She drives and goes out and about.... We've told him time and again that if she ever had an accident and had that much of the med in her system, he would lose everything.... He can't understand why he wakes up at night and she's got vomit and feces from her uncontrollable stomach & intestines all over.....

We finally just decided to stay away - it's an accident just waiting to happen. He's in denial just like she is.... Blames it on fibromyalgia...... Seems to me like it's stupidity and a bad addiction........but how can you convince her hubby that it's a serious and dangerous condition???

[Beeman]

If you can, watch the video. Besides our local pill pushing drug dealing Dr.s you are also dealing with the Dr.s in Florida. The film shows the large number of Pain Clinics in FL and how people from OH,WV,KYTN and other states can go down and get their legal drugs. As long as they've got cash they can get plenty.

[firegirl969]

That sure isn't the case here. My doc sent me to a pain management clinic because he said he only wrote pain prescriptions for one year. After that, he sends you somewhere else to relieve the liability on him. That is how I finally got my pain stimulator. Now, they realize that I am very conservative in the amount of narcotics that I have used compared to the seriousness of my condition. I was prescribed 60 Lorecet Plus for my surgery and took 14 of them. I even got a refill. That tells me how many of the pain meds most of the people take after surgery when they probably don't need half that. I do know that others take pain differently than me, but let's get real. We can all endure a little pain to keep from being zonked out all the time. Does it hurt, oh yea, but most of the time, the pain from the two incision sites is less than the pain from the facet disease and neuropathy. I only take pain pills if the surgery pain is worse than the problems it is helping with. Furthermore, as a note, I like it that the pain clinic drug tests randomly. When I had my trial stimulator done, another woman was in the recovery room at the same time also having a trial stimulator installed. She yelled and screemed through the whole procedure and in the recovery room. I thought, "what have I gotten myself into." Well, it wasn't that bad at all. The docs refused to place a permanant stimulator into her back. When I went back for the removal of the trial stimulator, she was in the waiting room. She was shaking and in need of somekind of "fix." Her boyfriend told me after she went back to see the doc that she was hurting so bad that the doc needed to give her stronger pain pills. I then realized why she did not want the stimulator to work. It is because she likes the pills. I asked her BF how long her condition had been this bad and he said about 2 years. He then added that "she gets worse everyday and needs more medicine." Guess what, she is addicted! I would bet my weeks grocery money on it!

[Ken Scharabok]

Attended a presentation by the local police chief and sheriff. They said at one time burglars went for items which could be pawned quickly. Now they go for guns and meds.

They noted the number of burgeries dropped when the two pawn shops in town closed. Now a new (and much larger) one has opened.

This is still an area where many in rural areas don't lock doors or outbuildings.

[Wayne02]

As I have said before, one of the things that struck me when first living in a rural area was
the denial by much of the rural population that not only did crime exist in their little slice of innocent heaven, but it often existed in significant amounts. They were always quick to lament the 'terrible crime' in the suburbs and cities but firm in their denial that it existed in their own community.

[deb]

I've read of a number of thefts where a stranger in the house uses the bathroom and steals all the pain meds in the cabinet. Sometimes the stranger is a guest or working on the house, other times the stranger knocked on the door and asked the residents to use their bathroom after telling them a story.

deb
in wi

[SFM in KY]

It is a major problem here in Kentucky. Even though we are "out in the country" there are so many people here (in most places in Montana, where we live would be considered a subdivision ... there are six homes within sight of each other) and I swear a third of them are involved somehow in drugs.

When the tobacco industry here in Kentucky tanked, some of the small farmers turned to marijuana as their cash crop ... nothing else they could grow in a very small area on a farm in "mountain goat" company that would bring in any kind of money.

I've also known a couple of people locally that if they were in need of "emergency funds" would have a flare up of an old back injury, go back to their doctor and get pain pills, which they immediately go peddle.

[HermitJohn]

It also doesnt help that apparently doctors dont even listen. Its like I am some sort of dumb animal and they are the veterinarian. When I sprained my ankle couple years ago, went to emergency room cause at time I couldnt tell bad sprain from a break. Anyway I couldnt get two words out of the doctor and only person that would talk was some kind of male assistant. Told him I didnt need a pain prescription, but he wouldnt listen, just looked at me like I was crazy and incoherent. So I just didnt fill it. I had big bottle of ibuprophen from time I had shingles. That took down swelling and all I needed. If I had known for sure it was a sprain, wouldnt have went to hospital or doc. Ace bandage and thrift store crutches would have done fine.

[jirwin]

Being in EMS we are seeing many more overdoses in our area mainly heroin... rumor is its cheap ($10 / hit).

[Macybaby]

I'm 48 and recently had to go to the Dr for some tests. Had to go three different places and at each one they asked what drugs I was taking. I told them I occasionally take Ibuprofen for headaches, but that was it.

They all looked at me like I was some sort of freak, then they would rephrase the question - "no, we mean prescription drugs" like I could not possible be taking none at my age.

And then the Dr prescribed something and when I was hesitant she started acting like how dare I question her decision. I don't think my problem is that bad and it will eventually go away, and now that I know it's not something worse I'd rather deal with it than take drugs.

My DH also takes no drugs, his folks are like a walking pharmacy between the two of them. I think they each take 5 -6 different pills each day, and I bet half of them are to counteract the other half.

My FIL's Dr asked him about being depressed, and FIL commented that he was fine and didn't need any anti-depressants. Dr said "you should feel fine, you are already on one".

Yea, FIL himself is not sure what half the pills he takes are for, the Dr said take them so he said "yes sir!".

Cathy

[ErinP]

Ya know, when most pharma commercials end not with "Talk with your doctor" but rather "talk with your prescriber" we should know something is seriously amiss.

[firegirl969]

Originally Posted by ErinP

Ya know, when most pharma commercials end not with "Talk with your doctor" but rather "talk with your prescriber" we should know something is seriously amiss.

Good point, ErinP!

[Bearfootfarm]

They noted the number of burgeries dropped when the two pawn shops in town closed. Now a new (and much larger) one has opened.

There is a misconception that pawn shops somehow encourage thefts.

In NC, to pawn ANY item, you must show a picture ID.

You also fill out a four part form which has the make, model and serial number of the item, along with the ID number and a description of the individual

One part is the customers receipt

One is the shops permanent record

One goes onto the item pawned

The last copy goes to the SHERIFF'S DEPT, to be checked against their lists of stolen goods

[cathryn]

I went through an intensive in-house pain clinic for chronic pain. I was the only one who was not detoxing. All the Drs. I saw before that just wanted to put me on something. I would never take them because I knew it was a chronic thing. You just end up taking more and more...

[tamsam]

My doc asked me if I need something stronger than what I am taking. At the time I had pain in my right lower back that my meds wouldn't touch. I really thought I had a kidney infection. I told him my present pain meds work for what they were given for but I needed something extra for this new pain. He gave me a script for a milder one and said if this doesn't help we will try another. It helped so much and didn't make me looney. Turned out I have gall stones and they don't want to put me to sleep because of my lungs. So most of the time I take 2 different pain pills and on some days I will go without just to make sure I can. I can't picture anyone taking several of the one I take and still be able to walk. I try not to let people know I even have pain meds as I don't want our house broken into or be bugged by some one wanting them. It takes all types of people I guess but to me pain meds is no different thn boose. Sam

[Ken Scharabok]

Pawn shop procedures will vary from state to state and perhaps even from county to county within a state. In the procedures cited all you would need to do is to take the items a county or two away.