Oxycontin Express

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.

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.

Holy Crap!!! I dont care if I break my leg. I wont be taking any pain meds!

Holy Crap!!! I dont care if I break my leg. I wont be taking any pain meds!

Amen. Pain meds cause more pain then the pain.

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
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Wow, I had no idea it was that bad. God willing we'll get an AG who will crack down on this instead of turning a blind eye.

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?

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 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.

Palm Beach Gardens to vote on restricting pain clinics

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.

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.

Collectively they are less than 15%.

I just wanted to find the number sold in Fl., but it's a big pile to dig through..........

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.

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.

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.

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".

And it starts before the teens in some places.

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.

Current TV’s “Vanguard”: "Vanguard" Season Premiere: "The OxyContin Express"

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.