Oxycontin theft on the rise!

[Emma]

LOL.



And honestly, who still get's valium now that benzos are on the market?

Valium works very well for muscle spasms. It's gotten a bad rap over the years, IMO.

Thanks. Didn't know that. I always see cyclobenzaprine used for that and was under the impression that the benzodiazapines had largely replaced the barbituates.

Flexeril does work well. When I worked the neuro unit while traveling, Valium was used quite successfully for muscle spasms in patients after laminectomies, as was IV methocarbamol (I'd never seen it given IV before).

 

[Luissa]

Valium works very well for muscle spasms. It's gotten a bad rap over the years, IMO.

Thanks. Didn't know that. I always see cyclobenzaprine used for that and was under the impression that the benzodiazapines had largely replaced the barbituates.

Flexeril does work well. When I worked the neuro unit while traveling, Valium was used quite successfully for muscle spasms in patients after laminectomies, as was IV methocarbamol (I'd never seen it given IV before).

flexeril causes me to have more pain later. I think it might have to do with my pain being more of a bone and joint thing rather then a muscle.

 

[Emma]

Are you currently a medic?

I find it hard to believe that a first responder who is obviously addicted to opiates (among other things) could adequately do their job.

If so, does your current occupation drug test?

BTW, I throw out the term addict b/c oxycontin is a 10-40 mg drug that is supposed to be used every 12 hours. That means, at the max dose, you shouldn't exceed 80 mg a day. Assuming you are on the lowest dose pill possible, you are taking 1600 mg a day, you are taking 20x the safe dose.

That means that you've developed a tolerance to opiates that allows you to take a dosage that would kill a normal person. You've been on this stuff for years, haven't you?

It used to come in 80 mg pills. Did they stop making them or something?

Not sure, I pulled that out of pharmacopia. I might have miss-read the label.

Regardless, NM is taking enough opiates to kill an elephant. I doubt that sickle cell patients even use that much oxycontin in a day.

Not to mention all the other stuff he's taking.

Sickle Cell patients are fascinating and quite challenging to work with; I can't even imagine the pain they must endure. And to prevent or bring them out of a crisis seems so simple on the surface: adequate oxygenation, hydration and pain control.

Fun fact: did you know that sickling is a defense mechanism against malaria? The parasite cannot live within a sickled blood cell.

 

[Luissa]

It used to come in 80 mg pills. Did they stop making them or something?

Not sure, I pulled that out of pharmacopia. I might have miss-read the label.

Regardless, NM is taking enough opiates to kill an elephant. I doubt that sickle cell patients even use that much oxycontin in a day.

Not to mention all the other stuff he's taking.

Sickle Cell patients are fascinating and quite challenging to work with; I can't even imagine the pain they must endure. And to prevent or bring them out of a crisis seems so simple on the surface: adequate oxygenation, hydration and pain control.

Fun fact: did you know that sickling is a defense mechanism against malaria? The parasite cannot live within a sickled blood cell.

yeah! that is why you see more african americans with the disease along with people who have ancestors from mediterrian and around that region. Anglo's rarely get it or have a defense to malaria one of the biggest reasons why southern state got involved in the slave trade.

 

[Luissa]

another reason why I don't understand why people don't believe in evolution.

 

[Emma]

Thanks. Didn't know that. I always see cyclobenzaprine used for that and was under the impression that the benzodiazapines had largely replaced the barbituates.

Flexeril does work well. When I worked the neuro unit while traveling, Valium was used quite successfully for muscle spasms in patients after laminectomies, as was IV methocarbamol (I'd never seen it given IV before).

flexeril causes me to have more pain later. I think it might have to do with my pain being more of a bone and joint thing rather then a muscle.

About 5 years or so ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia; the rheumatologist gave me flexeril to take at bedtime, explaining that lack of good sleep increases the risk of flare-ups. I wasn't so sure about that, but I do know I am in considerable more pain when I haven't slept well, and if I take the flexeril I do feel more rested and have less pain. Perhaps he was right lol.

 

[Emma]

Oh my bad I was thinking hydrocodone.

The immediate release oxycodone can be split, but any extended release med needs to be taken whole, otherwise you end up bypassing the extended release mechanism.

As an aside, during one of my contracts while I was traveling, I took care of this guy who kept chewing up his fentanyl patches. That the doc kept ordering them knowing he was doing this was ridiculous. The first night I had him as a patient, I applied the patch, taped it down and wrapped his arm in gauze. When I went back to check on him I found the patch in his bed, all chewed up. I called the doc and told him I would NOT be placing another patch on this person. I was written up for that, but I'll be damned if I was going to be a part of his little game.

the people who do that are nuts, my friend who was addicted to oxycotin used to do the same thing with the patches. That is like what 2 or 3 days worth of pain meds.

3 days.

I was blunt with the guy. Told him he was going to end up dead. He didn't care, though.

 

[Cold Fusion38]

Like I said the risk of OPIATES is FAR more prevelant than Cocain use. The thing is ONE is legal and can be prescribed in varing doeses dependant of a patients CLAIM of pain. The fact that they can and ARE prescribed for months or YEARS makes them VERY addictive.

 

[Cold Fusion38]

If it's not perscription drugs that are being abused then it is the ONE SINGLE MOST ABUSED drug in this country......ALCOHOL!!!

 

[Cold Fusion38]

But so many people are ready to defend THEIR drug use as acceptable. Freaking hypocrites. ALCOHOL does more damage to our society than ALL OTHERS COMBINED!

 

[geauxtohell]

It used to come in 80 mg pills. Did they stop making them or something?

Not sure, I pulled that out of pharmacopia. I might have miss-read the label.

Regardless, NM is taking enough opiates to kill an elephant. I doubt that sickle cell patients even use that much oxycontin in a day.

Not to mention all the other stuff he's taking.

Sickle Cell patients are fascinating and quite challenging to work with; I can't even imagine the pain they must endure. And to prevent or bring them out of a crisis seems so simple on the surface: adequate oxygenation, hydration and pain control.

Fun fact: did you know that sickling is a defense mechanism against malaria? The parasite cannot live within a sickled blood cell.

Not to be a know it all, but yes. I know the heterozygous form confers protection against malaria while the homozygous form causes RBCs to sickle.

The fact that it's protective allowed for the evolutionary conservation of the allele. (If you believe in that sort of thing).

I am doing an elective in a sickle cell clinic in December, I am looking forward to it.

 

[Emma]

Not sure, I pulled that out of pharmacopia. I might have miss-read the label.

Regardless, NM is taking enough opiates to kill an elephant. I doubt that sickle cell patients even use that much oxycontin in a day.

Not to mention all the other stuff he's taking.

Sickle Cell patients are fascinating and quite challenging to work with; I can't even imagine the pain they must endure. And to prevent or bring them out of a crisis seems so simple on the surface: adequate oxygenation, hydration and pain control.

Fun fact: did you know that sickling is a defense mechanism against malaria? The parasite cannot live within a sickled blood cell.

Not to be a know it all, but yes. I know the heterozygous form confers protection against malaria while the homozygous form causes RBCs to sickle.

The fact that it's protective allowed for the evolutionary conservation of the allele. (If you believe in that sort of thing).

I am doing an elective in a sickle cell clinic in December, I am looking forward to it.

Evolution! Egads!

lol

Like I said, they are quite challenging. I hope it goes well for you

 

[geauxtohell]

Sickle Cell patients are fascinating and quite challenging to work with; I can't even imagine the pain they must endure. And to prevent or bring them out of a crisis seems so simple on the surface: adequate oxygenation, hydration and pain control.

Fun fact: did you know that sickling is a defense mechanism against malaria? The parasite cannot live within a sickled blood cell.

Not to be a know it all, but yes. I know the heterozygous form confers protection against malaria while the homozygous form causes RBCs to sickle.

The fact that it's protective allowed for the evolutionary conservation of the allele. (If you believe in that sort of thing).

I am doing an elective in a sickle cell clinic in December, I am looking forward to it.

Evolution! Egads!

lol

Like I said, they are quite challenging. I hope it goes well for you

The Dr. who serves as my teaching Dr. runs the clinic, so I am looking forward to it. She has been running it for years and has a good relationship with the patients.