The United States accounts for five percent of the world’s population but consumes almost 70 percent of the total global opioid supply, creating an epidemic that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths each year. How did we get here, and what can we do about it? In this personal talk, Travis Rieder recounts the painful, often-hidden struggle of opioid withdrawal and reveals how doctors who are quick to prescribe (and overprescribe) opioids aren’t equipped with the tools to eventually get people off the meds. Check out more TED Talks: http://www.ted.com The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on
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Filed under: General Problems
Well they gotta get through it. They just can’t keep abusing, seeking, possibly getting arrested and certainly withdrawing again. Opiates cause dry mouth and the teeth will quickly rot without expensive interventions. And what if someone swallows a pill of super high potency street fentanyl? Drugs for pleasure, including alcohol, marijuana, etc. are insubstantial for happiness and always come to their end with nothing good for it.
Opiates are beneficial in many cases for the treatment of severe, incurable pain and people are better off with them for this extreme symptom of diseases on this side of Paradise.
Subjective diseases – like pain,, anxiety, depression have no LAB TESTS to prove the intensity of their impact on the pt… our healthcare system has evolved into a point where is you can’t “measure the disease” you really can’t treat it… because the pt can lie/aggravate about it’s intensity. Few practitioners refuses to connect a reduction in pain meds and a substantial increase in pt blood pressure and they will proceed to start adding up to four different categories of blood pressure medications..and when those fail… to low blood pressure .. typically they just leave the pt dealing with high blood pressures and all the pt’s other physiological health issues deteriorate and the pt ends up with a “premature death”
That’s right. Legitimate patients must not be cut off. I had the high bp, mysteriously it normalized. What I have now is heart failure and diabetes for the mobility I lost and a close up view of death.
When I hear the words “opiate withdrawal” I always restate my angle on the matter and mean only to direct it at illicit users to relieve their suffering although the principal remains the same for a legitimate patient cut off. There is no help for withdrawing except maybe clonidine.
When I got cut off I didn’t fear withdrawal. I knew I would be very sick, kick and sweat and then the clouds would part, a few weeks later. Withdrawals do end.
Medical doctors can have a good enough idea who should be and who should not be in pain. They can diagnose stenosis, Lupus, Sickle Cell Anemia. arthritis, surgical defects, endometriosis, broken bones, severed nerves, but they have been frightened into submission and compliance, or else.