tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214164572251206738.post2575069436830410517..comments2024-02-24T21:45:39.650-05:00Comments on My Life As 3D: Can We Maybe Cool It with the RXs?DDDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07333974041672267981noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214164572251206738.post-34739496271910789032016-06-10T14:30:42.505-04:002016-06-10T14:30:42.505-04:00That is over the top Dean. I'm curious if the ...That is over the top Dean. I'm curious if the dentist asked you if you had any previous dependency on prescription drugs or any conversation along those lines. My nephew recently went home after a procedure with a prescription of pain medication and I was surprised to learn that the doctor did not ask more questions about his drug history. Your experience is definitely part of the problem. Cathy Taughinbaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15833583122196520782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214164572251206738.post-68039317406055176842016-05-31T19:34:56.556-04:002016-05-31T19:34:56.556-04:00holy shit! That is insane! I have had 8 pulled and...holy shit! That is insane! I have had 8 pulled and you don't need opiates for a pulled tooth. If you decided to take them you would only need one right after the novocaine wore off.This is why so many people are becoming addicted to opiates. Irresponsible prescribing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214164572251206738.post-69082856863816934082016-05-31T18:05:22.962-04:002016-05-31T18:05:22.962-04:00You're right, Dean. The amount of pain medicin...You're right, Dean. The amount of pain medicine you were given for one tooth is ridiculous. It should have been a max of 10 Norco and, as you noted, the Percocet shouldn't even have been in play unless you had a bad reaction to the extraction. Frankly, the advances in pain-free dentistry in recent years have been so impressive that the three root canals I've had in the last decade literally *did not hurt* at any point. I realize not everyone is so lucky, but you bring out the big guns only when lesser treatments fail.<br /><br />In addition, this type of prescription makes patients feel that this is the amount of pain medication they should always be given in any medical situation where pain might occur, so they pursue their doctors to provide it. Some doctors know not to give in, others take the path of least resistance and hand them out like candy, making it seem as if these drugs aren't the very powerful, very (potentially) dangerous meds they are. That is a bad thing all the way around and desensitized the public to the amount of danger present when you use opioids.<br /><br />The real irony here is that despite the ridiculous amount of overprescribing that happens daily here in the U.S. that you described above, it is still incredibly difficult for many people with chronic, painful diseases to get ANY kind of opioid pain medicine. I know some people won't believe that, but it is very true, especially for those unfortunate enough to have an "invisible" pain disease (e.g., lupus, arthritis, fibro, many other autoimmune diseases). If you don't "look" sick, good luck getting pain meds for more than a month. Too many doctors are quick to believe that patients are a) exaggerating their pain or, b) they're really suffering from depression or a mental illness and the pain is "all in their head." This is especially true for female patients, who face being labeled"crazy" far, far more often than men do (I've seen this first-hand from some of my own doctors). It's a truly maddening dichotomy here in the States: true drug-seekers can always find a pill mill or steal left-over meds from family members--meds that never should have been prescribed in the first place--because too many doctors hand out powerful meds too easily while people truly living in horrible pain every day of their lives are very often fighting an incredibly uphill battle to receive anything stronger than prescription-strength motrin. <br /><br />It's a sad and often dangerous conundrum on both sides of the issue. I wish I had answers.wolverinefan2https://www.blogger.com/profile/01696779483420952963noreply@blogger.com