Does anyone else here agree that more and more people are getting prescribed pain killers for..?

Question

minor things?Docters are turning people into pill heads.

I said minor, Sawyer.. THANK YOU.

Answer 1

I agree with you. I was wondering if it is because nowadays people have a lower pain threshold that they require painkillers more than people in the past.

Answer 2

This is true. But I am afraid it is the demand of the patients. Even when a doctor thinks that the pain isn't very serious he has to consider a couple of things:

1. Maybe he is underestimating the pain of his patient. Better to over-treat than to make the patient suffer.

2. Possibly the patient will complain to the doctors employer if the patient doesn't get what they think they deserve. Hospitals and some HMOs have turned into cusomer service companies where the patient (customer) is "always right." I have seen this with many kinds of prescribed medications, ie. antibiotics for viral illnesses, blood pressure medications, anxiety medications, etc.

3. Don't want to piss off the patient because an angry patient is MUCH more likely to sue. And even a BS suit is going to cost the doctor tens of thousands of dollars and they'd rather just avoid it at all.

Answer 3

In my past experience I've found that generally an MD is more reluctant giving out narcotics, especially those containing opiates, than a DO. And even when the pain scale is measured at 7-8, the common perscription of Hydrocodone 5/500 is a fairly weak blend. It also takes awhile for the body to, physiologically, become dependent on such medications. But there are a good bit of physicians out there whom I imagine are quite liberal with such things. I guess it just depends on the individual practitioner.

Answer 4

I have to say no
reason? more and more youngsters are becoming addicted as well teens or predults(18/25)The pain meds that are being more abused are the time realeased such as oxycontin's, they give alot of plessure even when there's no pain, also they are very addictive, Which in turn creates a demand,While the demand is so high the overdose is just as high, so for doctor's that perscribe these narcotic pain meds ,to people,they have to be very careful there's no diverson going on, This is their career and livleyhood, not to mention a jail sentence in some cases.

Answer 5

well some people don't have a high tolerance for pain. so they need a stronger pain pill instead of over the counter Tylenol or ibuprofen. Well it also depends on the Doctor you go to. Some are pill pushers and some aren't.
I am on pain pills for several fractured ribs and severe abdominal injuires and head truama from a severe car accident which i was areomed and in ICU for about a week. I was on morphine. Hubby has several ruptured disc in his neck, fractured ribs, head truama, knee and ankle and elbow is broken.

Answer 6

Have you ever been through surgery,had a broken bone or maybe like me had to have both hips replaced? Have had to work on being able to walk half way normal for three years and was basically in a wheelchair for the first nine months because my second surgery couldn't be done until four months after my first. We aren't talking about that piss-ant Rush druggie Limbaugh.

Answer 7

I don't consider my broken back in 3 places to be "minor"; thank you.