Opioids II: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

this was just posted on www.youtube.com on 04/14/2019 – so in less than 48 hrs – this has a 50:1 ratio of THUMBS UP to THUMBS DOWN and has nearly 7000 comments  Does that suggests that the actual feelings of the general public about pain management or that John Oliver has a rather young audience that probably has not had much experience with chronic pain and get most of their “news” via social media.

Notice in the transcript of one of the Sackler family they asked if anyone became “dependent or addicted”… as if they are the SAME ?

The only thing that I can sort of agree with Oliver is that the company that put out Insys Fentanyl oral spray… was the “poster child” of very bad marketing of that product.  Fentanyl being dosed via a oral spray has only one valid medical use – end of life cancer because a oral spray will  have a very short onset and a very short duration of action.  This medication – in this route of administration – would put a chronic pain pt on a “pain roller coaster” and likewise this med in this application should NEVER BE USED as the primary pain management med for ANYONE.

It is too bad that John Oliver and his staff are not as smart as they are smart asses.

4 Responses

  1. John Oliver is so incredibly retarded when it comes to opioids, I have to question every other video. His opioids v1 was terribly retarded. His show exists so we can get roughly an hour discussion that talks about the real issues. He’s so off base here. He doesn’t even understand addiction. He doesn’t define addiction. He’s creating sides. There’s “US the righteous society” and then there’s “Opioid users, the lessers who need to be treated like trash”. There’s an opioid user with a job I want. lets fire that person they are lesser humans!!!

  2. They imply that virtually everyone who ingested a Sackler product became an out-of-control addict.

    I wonder what percentage of people who used the product as directed, developed out of control problems?

    Remember, the DEA had a front-row seat and the primary corresponding responsibility to clamp down on the anomalies in the distribution chain of the Sackler and other opioid products! It is amusing that they are so adamantly pointing fingers at everyone other than themselves and play acting as horrified of the whole process. I believe they are primarily to blame and perhaps did not really want to eliminate the problem but wanted to perhaps enhance it in order to protect the existence of their bureaucracy and henceforth jobs. I’m disappointed that the pharmaceutical manufacturers are settling these cases.

  3. I 100% agree with Steve on this one! I honestly think that it has to be a younger Generation who follows this guy. I mean I even laughed at some things but like Steve said “ It is too bad that John Oliver and his staff are not as smart as they are smart asses.“ I don’t normally thumbs down a video but..yeah I did on this one!

  4. Grrrrrr.
    Live has humbled me since I was that much of a smartass. But even when I was, I would be too afraid to look stupid if I was wrong.
    And he is really
    Really
    Wrong here.
    We need to do a heroin rap, I guess to counter the really lame insys rap.
    But pharmaceutical fentanyl has need available by lollipop
    Lozenge
    Nasal spray
    For years already, and never a big deal. Always reserved for pediatric cancer and procedures like bone marrow tests
    Highly addictive?
    How many of those kids are addicts?
    More anesthesiologists likely than patients

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