“Vermont, and the rest of America, will not get a handle on the opiate and heroin addiction crisis until we confront head-on the source of the problem: FDA-approved opiates that are handed out like candy,” Gov. Peter Shumlin said in a statement…
The $11 billion a year opiate industry in America knows no shame,” Shumlin said, adding that “opiate addiction is the one thing that could destroy Vermont as we know it.” …
“We must flip the presumption that a patient needs opioids to manage pain…” the state’s health commissioner, Dr. Harry Chen, said in a statement.
Opiates are handed out like candy? They’re the cause of the addiction “crisis”? They’ll be responsible for destroying a whole state? What universe is this dude living in? It’s sad that there’s only 5 comments on this article, even if they’re all from people who suffer from chronic pain. How many of us have given up?
Now let’s look at how the media talks about antidepressants:
http://www.yahoo.com/news/on-the-pill-why-the-taking-of-antidepressants-is-144204159.html
Earlier this week Amanda Seyfried opened up about why she doesn’t think she will ever come off the antidepressants she takes to keep her mental illness in check. The 30-year-old actress has been taking Lexapro to help manage her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) since she was 19-years-old.
“I’ll never get off of it,” she told Allure. “I don’t see the point of getting off of it. Whether it’s placebo or not, I don’t want to risk it. And what are you fighting against? Just the stigma of using a tool?” …
The message is clear, taking mental health medication doesn’t make you weak, nor does it deter from your ability to stay strong in the face of adversity. Because opting to take medication for a mental health problem can be one of the bravest decisions sufferers can make. At the very least it shows that they are willing to get help, that they want to get better and it reflects the fact that they think they can get better…
Reading this reminds me that I don’t have the option of managing my intractable pain with the drugs that help me the most. I don’t even want to try to see another pain doctor. (Because, as you know, doctors suck.)
I never thought the drugs would help me “get better,” but I did think they would keep the condition from getting worse. (Sometimes I hate it when I’m right.) It feels like I’ve pretty much given up and I’m now just waiting for something to kill me, as that’s the only way for the pain to end.
This is the drug war. And that’s what really needs to end. Unfortunately, I won’t live to see it, but I’ll bet it will be a worldwide celebration. Drugs are not the enemy, people.
All Things Chronic 