N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg To Limit Supply Of Pain Medication In City Hospitals!

Originally posted by drock905
Do you realize how bad pain med abuse is? NYC is one of the worst offenders. It's full of doctors with questionable practices that will literally give "patients" anything they want. High level pain meds are prescribed to people way too easily and there is almost no real way to track them if they are smart about it.

It's a major problem and something has to be done to limit abuse.

Yes as an R.N. i certainly do! If it is the doctors that are breaking the law, then go after those specific doctors in THEIR practice!!!! You are mistaken, there is an easy way to track them!!! The FDA can decide whom they want to audit at anytime, anyplace!!! perhaps its not the doctors that have the problem it is the corrupt judiciary system that does, including Mr. Blowhard himself! Why are law enforcement NOT pressing charges or at least reporting it to the board!!!!!

So, because you have criminals you punish everyone and deny them standard humane care? That is just stupid!

Maybe Bloomberg should put up some of his own money for some decent inpatient rehab centers to get this people off drugs!!

Well that's great.
I guess there isn't going to be anything unfortunate happening in NYC any time soon.
No one getting hurt or injured anytime soon.
People in hospitals don't really need pain medication do they?
Don't worry about the unhappy guy who lost his arm in a car accident.
Most of those hospital buildings have concrete walls that muffle screams pretty efficiently.

So.....
Limit available pain killers to keep people with no insurance from using the emergency room as a daily care clinic.
Does this make sense to anyone?
Hospitals charge thousands to walk into an emergency room and get looked at for a common cold. Then the cost is written off. Meanwhile paying customers sit in the e-room for hours and still get charged full price.
Maybe a simple free clinic next door to the emergency room would be a cheaper and more efficient option...and that traumatic amputee could get a bit of the good stuff to take the edge off.

Just a thought.

reply to post by paxnatus


The potential for addiction is different in everyone. The drug I'm specially talking about is 30mg roxicodone. Drs are prescribing way too easily, and people are getting addicted to it.

Maybe it's because Bloomberg's underworld connections haven't been kicking enough money upstairs to him, so he pulled this to increase sales of certain.. illegal commodities... on the streets. Either way, it's a disgusting move, with which he has far over-stepped his authority

Originally posted by drock905
I'm actually ok with this. Prescription opiate abuse in this country is an epidemic. Doctors prescribe these, specifically oxycodone, way too easily and frequently. These are dibiltiating addictions to have and it's very easy to get hooked on them. It has also bred a giant underground of dealers, doctor and pharmacy shopping and insurance fraud.

edit on 12-1-2013 by drock905 because: (no reason given)

Easy for you t be okay with this when you're not in severe pain and in an NY emergency room. Always easy to be okay with the pain of someone else just like berg here.

And your post shows a distinct lack of knowledge regarding how things work. The greater majority of over-prescribing comes from regular "Primary Care" physicians. It is more rare for ER doctors to go handing out many narcotics. In fact, ER staff are usually far more tight-handed with the stuff, due to possible "drug seeking" behavior. And in many cases, it is very obvious when a patient needs pain meds-- when they've been in an accident and have a large laceration requiring stitches, broken leg, etc etc....

Not to mention that people become hooked on pain meds via chronic use. (And again, treatment for a chronic condition being more likely to fall on a primary care physician) No one, or nearly so, becomes addicted from getting 6 or 7 days worth of percocet from an ER doctor to treat a broken leg. That's a completely unrealistic view of the problem, born of ignorance.

You are right that addiction is a terrible problem which we need to address, and we need some new tools to fight-- but depriving people in real pain of medication is heartless, and ignorant, and not the way to go.

reply to post by paxnatus


They can get max 3 days supply. They would have to go back to get a new script if the dr determines they need it. That seems like a pain ( no pun intended ) but is it not better then prescribing large amount of painkillers at one time? It seems it would limit the potential for abuse.

Originally posted by drock905
Do you realize how bad pain med abuse is? NYC is one of the worst offenders. It's full of doctors with questionable practices that will literally give "patients" anything they want. High level pain meds are prescribed to people way too easily and there is almost no real way to track them if they are smart about it.

It's a major problem and something has to be done to limit abuse.

Then you limit (though not this severely) private primary care physicians in the amount or duration they can prescribe these meds for, not ER docs-- so that way it's actually addressing the source of physician-instigated addiction (which is private PCP docs, not ER) and it's not targeting the poor who can't afford health care.

You make the patients getting regular opiates give regular urine specimens, just like you would an addict at a methadone clinic. Sample dirty for street drugs? No soup for you.

But of course we couldn't do it that way because then it would affect the wealthy

Originally posted by drock905
reply to post by paxnatus

 

The potential for addiction is different in everyone. The drug I'm specially talking about is 30mg roxicodone. Drs are prescribing way too easily, and people are getting addicted to it.

If you and lets say an older woman took roxicodone for a week, neither one of you would become addicted, period!!!

Roxicodone is percocet minus the tylenol! To a compromised liver or kidney patient, whom needed pain relief it is much better to give roxicodone. Roxicodone is seldom prescribed in the ER anyway!!!

You are really missing the point though!!!! It is not up to a political bureaucrat to decide for anyone how much pain they have. Bloomberg has no medical degree!

reply to post by iwilliam


You're right about the primary care physicians being the most responsible for over prescribing. Hopefully though this will be a step in the right direction to curtail the abuse.

Originally posted by seeker1963
reply to post by paxnatus

 

These two are proof of either very dumb people electing them, OR that elections are definately rigged.....

I feel it has to do more with the first part of your statement. The subscription pain killers are for sure handed out way to often for little or no reason. I hardly think that its a mayors job to tell the doctors who and when they are to use them. Perhaps they should call him into the er room to make that call? He could give the er patient little tests to see if just maybe they are faking.

It seems that present-day elections are no longer about the candidate or proposition with the most appealing content, but rather the candidate or proposition with the best-edited commercial, the brightest colors or the most memorable slogan. In essence, ignorance and superficiality have taken a stronghold on our voting system. People, more than ever before, are voting without knowing what they're voting for.

www.cbsnews.com...

reply to post by paxnatus


If Bloomberg can't take any steps to stop abuse then what should be done?

reply to post by Maddog5595

The subscription pain killers are for sure handed out way to often for little or no reason.

I disagree. Most doctors ive been too are very reluctant to give them out.
The last time I went to the ER was because I fell and pushed my thumb backwards, hurt like hell. They dosed me up pretty good while I was there, two shots of fentanyl and about 8 shots of lidocaine around the thumb so they could pull it back out.
When I left though, he only gave me 15 vicodin, which was gone in about 3 days... wasnt nearly enough.
It isnt ER docs that are handing out pain meds, its the Pain Mgmt Docs, which are also known as pill farms.

Originally posted by drock905
reply to post by paxnatus

 

If Bloomberg can't take any steps to stop abuse then what should be done?

This action will do NOTHING to stop drug abuse!!!

Well this action will do NOTHING to stop drug abuse!
I would strongly suggest he educate himself in the area of drug abuse!! He is only trying to treat a symptom, NOT the Root cause for the symptom!

Clean up the entire Law enforcement system!!!!! Press for people to report suspicious practices by their doctors!!! Follow through on these reports!

Bloomberg should take his cash and build centers to help drug abusers get clean by offering free 28 day treatment!!! or he should pick up the tab for each person!!!! He should learn to GIVE and NOT TAKE!!!

Pax

reply to post by paxnatus


It is typical in my city for the ER to only issue scripts for up to 3 days. If you do during the week, you only get overnight supplies. They want you to see a regular doctor and develop a treatment plan (rather than taking up space in the ER meant to treat trauma victims).

All that aside, and be it right or wrong, it is all about Obamacare.

reply to post by paxnatus


This won't slow/stop prescription drug addiction. It will just make them harder to get for the addicts so they will turn to heroin. These power hungry politicians are idiots.

I am SOOOO glad I no longer live in NY
You know its nickname is The Empire State?
I guess Bloomie thinks himself as Emperor

I don't think a mayor should have a say in what treatment a patient gets in a hospital,that should be left to a doctor's discretion.However,if Bloomberg wants to make himself useful,he should maybe concentrate on doctors in private practice,who doles out repeat prescriptions for highly scheduled pain medication without ascertaining if such are in fact still needed by the patient.Not to mention tranks and sleeping pills.THAT is what enables addiction,not appropriate short term pain treatment in a hospital!

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
Well, when you're personally worth an estimated 20+ billion dollars, as Bloomberg is, you're above such things as pain and discomfort.

That's absolutely right.

Stuns me why people vote for such extremely wealthy people when they obviously cannot possibly understand the needs of the average person...

reply to post by paxnatus


That is the most incredibly stupid thing I have ever heard on ATS.
But you know how those liberals are with their freedoms and NY is one the most liberal states there are. Now you can have the freedom to not eat trans fats, not eat salt and not smoke. Women should have the right to choose to get an abortion but they have NO right to eat trans fats or drink a large soda...
This is great now we can be free to be in pain at the emergency room!
Now keep in mind this Bloomberg retard went on an interview not to long ago and accidentally slipped up and revealed he was pro-drug legalization.
stopthedrugwar.org...
So drugs should be legal...just not if you actually need them.

He's just so un-american!

How can he ban things that are so American such as pain medication addiction? Super large sodas and guns?

to hell with these fascists!

Physical pain is no longer tolerated and is avoided by the use of opium derivatives in pill form. This is good news for doctors; most patients are pain suffers who often return for refills. But a competitor has arisen in the form of an unemployed youngster who is offering the same product at a discount. The source of supply for the young drug dealers are patients with medical insurance coverage, they get the pain pills for free and by selling them on the open market their incomes are supplemented. It is a money maker for everybody but doctors whose waiting rooms are now only half full.