Drug addicts created by the US healthcare system

[SomeRandom]

This is somewhat inspired by the (admittedly intriguing) Disney+ show about the advent of the highly addictive painkiller Oxycodone. Which actually looks interesting but is produced by Disney, so my expectations are somewhat mixed. (This show would be awesome as an adult drama on HBO or something. But I’ll see where they go with it I guess.)
Now where I live you can only obtain this drug through prescription alone and according to a family member who relies on it, does increase your tolerance for pain over time. Making it a somewhat heavily regulated drug but also a viable one nonetheless. At least here.
But it is addictive. So my question is how does the cutthroat marketing of the US drug companies contribute to drug addiction? I’m not American so I can’t comment.
Discuss as you like

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Here in the US, I haven't so much seen people around me getting addicted to pharmaceutical drugs, so much as doctors seeming to become addicted to prescribing many medicines per a patient. There's even a name for it - I think it's polypharmacy.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

This is somewhat inspired by the (admittedly intriguing) Disney+ show about the advent of the highly addictive painkiller Oxycodone. Which actually looks interesting but is produced by Disney, so my expectations are somewhat mixed. (This show would be awesome as an adult drama on HBO or something. But I’ll see where they go with it I guess.)
Now where I live you can only obtain this drug through prescription alone and according to a family member who relies on it, does increase your tolerance for pain over time. Making it a somewhat heavily regulated drug but also a viable one nonetheless. At least here.
But it is addictive. So my question is how does the cutthroat marketing of the US drug companies contribute to drug addiction? I’m not American so I can’t comment.
Discuss as you like

Dunno if you're familiar with John Oliver, but this speaks to the topic and is entertaining.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Heroin was originally marketed as a purer, more effective painkiller than morphine, which it probably was. Claims were made that it was less also less addictive than morphine, which it certainly wasn’t. Similar claims were made by drug companies about OxyContin and fentanyl.

The problem with opiates is, there genuinely is no more effective analgesic available to treat pain; but all opiates are extremely addictive. Which would suggest that in the treatment of terminal illness they appropriate, in the treatment of chronic pain they are not.

Meanwhile, drug companies are always looking at new ways to market old products, and to widen their customer base in any way they can.

 

[Rival]

The Fifth Estate did a great documentary about oxycontin.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Early on the claim was that Oxycontin was not addictive was told to doctors. That was wrong. It was highly effective. And relatively inexpensive so doctors had no problem prescribing it. There also may have been kickbacks to doctors making it very profitable to prescribe it. And they may also have been told that it was not subject to abuse. That was wrong too. All of this led to massive over prescription and abuse by people that were drug users already.

The original version gave an intense high when crushed and burned over aluminum foil. The fumes were then inhaled. They fixed that, but it took them far too long. And my description should not break any rules here since present day Oxycontin does not do this. Though there was a time that I had to hide my aluminum foil due to a housemate's adult children.

At any rate, due to its overprescription and ease of abuse we developed a massive opiate addiction problem. The makers of it have been sued for billions and may be sued for more.

 

[PureX]

Money, money, money; in the land of the greedy it's all and always about the money. We don't have a health care system. We have a giant money pump that exploits our illness for profit.

 

[Rival]

The Fifth Estate did a great documentary about oxycontin.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Here in the US, I haven't so much seen people around me getting addicted to pharmaceutical drugs, so much as doctors seeming to become addicted to prescribing many medicines per a patient. There's even a name for it - I think it's polypharmacy.

I'm curious if doctors get kickbacks from the drugs they prescribe?

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I'm curious if doctors get kickbacks from the drugs they prescribe?

I'm curious too.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I'm curious too.

I did come across this...

We Found Over 700 Doctors Who Were Paid More Than a Million Dollars by Drug and Medical Device Companies — ProPublica

Either way it's disconcerting.