Trump tries to comfort man who lost son to heroin

Politico ^ | 1/15/2016 | NICK GASS

[volunbeer]

I am honestly fearful of taking opiates. Perhaps that is silly, but they scare me. I know some people have events where they really need them, but it would have to be extremely bad for me to take them!

[LibsRJerks]

My son’s good friend died of an overdose. Kid was a great student and one of the most liked in their fraternity. He’d go home to Baltimore and shoot up. Never at school, but just when he went home and was around certain kinds of people.

Saddest thing I’ve ever seen ...a perfectly good young man, just ruined.

[miss marmelstein]

That’s really awful. Sorry for your loss.

[LibsRJerks]

It was a loss — a HUGE loss for my son. My son doesn’t make friends easily, or like many people — he’s weird that way — but he LOVED this kid. The kid grew up on a farm — was extremely charismatic — just “lit up a room” as my son said.

His death affected my son — likely altered the path of HIS life, as well as the paths of so many others.

We do need to do something about it. Don’t understand why perfectly good kids turn to it, though — it’s just weird.

[LibsRJerks]

The medical community needs to find a happy medium and we to focus on alternatives that do not start off with the most powerful opiates like oxycontin

Well, the American people also need to stop suing doctors then for every little sniffle. Try being a healthcare provider these days ...it’s all about pleasing people and not getting sued. Doctors have their hands TIED. Thank the lawyers, and thank the liberals for THAT.

[dangerdoc]

I completely agree. As a whole,the medical community agrees but it is a big ship and is hard to turn.

Personally I never bought into the narcotic movement. I have needed the police to remove patients from time to time regarding their expectations for narcs.

[miss marmelstein]

I don't understand it, of course. My generation was into drugs as well but I never got into it. I had interests. All I wanted to do was move to New York City and start a career in theater. That sustained me through all the boredom and misery of adolescence. Kids need hope that there is a future less boring the present.

[volunbeer]

I know that doctors get sued for just about anything, but I have a hard time seeing how they are sued for NOT prescribing the highest strength narcotic for an ailment. In fact, I have a hard time understanding how they are not sued more often for poor pain management practices that leave people strung out - i.e. - putting 20yr kid on too many cycles of oxycontin or for being known as easy marks to get scripts from (the pill mill guys).

I have numerous doctors in my family and among my friends. I don’t like lawsuits nor am I fond of lawyers, but I am always very surprised that more lawyers are not suing for overprescribing. The medical community is too in love with opiates and I think there needs to be a national conversation about pain and pain medications because we have a huge problem. It seems like EMT’s, cops, rehab clinics, pharmacists, and the courts all see it more clearly than the very people given authority to prescribe and make/market the medications in the first place.

The medical community is under siege from government and corporations, but in my opinion their addiction to prescribing powerful opiates for every affliction is a bed of their own making. Their tolerance for doctors who are far too loose with the prescription pad (and they know who they are - everyone does) reflects poorly on their own community.

Just my .02 about a huge problem in an otherwise very noble calling and profession!