Wellness

[Mindy D]

If you are interested in how companies manipulate and how certain Pharma companies manipulated to increase the use of opiates, please go to the link. Purdue’s marketing strategies are discussed. 

“One of the cornerstones of Purdue's marketing plan was the use of sophisticated marketing data to influence physicians’ prescribing. Drug companies compile prescriber profiles on individual physicians—detailing the prescribing patterns of physicians nationwide—in an effort to influence doctors’ prescribing habits. Through these profiles, a drug company can identify the highest and lowest prescribers of particular drugs in a single zip code, county, state, or the entire country.21 One of the critical foundations of Purdue's marketing plan for OxyContin was to target the physicians who were the highest prescribers for opioids across the country.1,12–17,22The resulting database would help identify physicians with large numbers of chronic-pain patients. Unfortunately, this same database would also identify which physicians were simply the most frequent prescribers of opioids and, in some cases, the least discriminate prescribers.

A lucrative bonus system encouraged sales representatives to increase sales of OxyContin in their territories, resulting in a large number of visits to physicians with high rates of opioid prescriptions, as well as a multifaceted information campaign aimed at them. In 2001, in addition to the average sales representative's annual salary of $55 000, annual bonuses averaged $71 500, with a range of $15 000 to nearly $240 000. Purdue paid $40 million in sales incentive bonuses to its sales representatives that year.19”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2622774/

[happycat]

And people had pain pill addiction prior to opiods, right? So these sales reps and doctors had to know they were playing with fire, with peoples lives, the way I see it.

And what this has done is make it very hard on the ones who need it. The last surgery I had was in a different city. The dr wrote me out an rx for some pain meds (I don't remember what) and we came home. DH went to pharmacy to get my rx filled and they said they couldn't because it was not local. DH was on long hours, he offered to go get it for me, but I told him no. I had a few pain meds from a previous surgery and I took those and then just used tylenol and motrin. It was kidney surgery, it wasn't real bad, like when I had foot surgery or some of my other ones.

[skatting44]

 Thanks for highlighting this info. The Doctors  need to share the blame  since they are the ones who actually write the prescripts .  The AMA  is trying to say that the Doctors  believed the drug Reps that these narcotics were Not addicting like the older narcotics . I work in health care and  some Doctors just doll out the medications , it's ridiculous .  I also know  that  Doctors are wined and dined by various pharmaceutical  Reps  from all the companies to prescribe  various medications.  I don't believe  that anyone working  as a Nurse or Doctor  would not know that some people are susceptible in developing an addiction to any narcotics  or benzodiazepines .  Another one is Adderall to watch for since that's being abused to.

[NicksmomESQ]

  The doctors have been in cohoots with the drug companies for years. They absolutely need to be held accountable!!

[RoughDraft]

You are aware that physicians also get incentives from drug companies aren't you?  

[Mindy D]

This post is about the marketing strategies used by the Pharma companies. It’s so unbelievably manipulative. It is, in my opinion, unethical and driven by sheer profit with blatant disregard for patients. Whether doctors fell for the strategies is a different issue. Whether some doctors were prescribing with unethical motivations is also a different issue than this post is about.  The dilemma of whether to prescribe or not to prescribe has faced my good doctors that are trying to treat patients with the care they need. That is also not what THIS post is about. These issues can be addressed in other posts. These Pharma companies have been highly manipulative, that’s all I’m demonstrating. I’m definitely not against any patient in severe pain having their pain treated by compassionate physicians. In fact, I’m concerned that those in need might not be able to get the medication they need as a result of limitations stemming from this. These patients will suffer needlessly because of this. I am on their side. 

[skatting44]

 You have that  right . So why haven't more restrictions  been put on Doctors  who indiscriminately prescribe  these highly addicting meds ?  I've had my share of surgeries in the past and am sure glade that the medicine made me woozy and feel sick on my stomach . None of us know as to if we or  our loved ones might carry the gene  which  makes them more susceptible  to developing  a dependency  to these  controlled substances .  If a patient comes back weeks and weeks and weeks  then month  and months asking for refills  an MD  is  just negligent in putting a blind eye  to someone  who needs referral to  a pain specialist or  to insist they try other  modalites to  deal with chronic pain.    The American Medical Association  is protecting their own !!!  Oh yea they set prescribing limitations but that does not mean a darn thing because they can still prescribe these narcotics month after month  for years to the same patient.  Why don't they  help these pts get help and  be free of these drugs which ends up destroying their lives and the lives of their children and loved ones !

[Mindy D]

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@skatting44 wrote:

 You have that  right . So why haven't more restrictions  been put on Doctors  who indiscriminately prescribe  these highly addicting meds ?  I've had my share of surgeries in the past and am sure glade that the medicine made me woozy and feel sick on my stomach . None of us know as to if we or  our loved ones might carry the gene  which  makes them more susceptible  to developing  a dependency  to these  controlled substances .  If a patient comes back weeks and weeks and weeks  then month  and months asking for refills  an MD  is  just negligent in putting a blind eye  to someone  who needs referral to  a pain specialist or  to insist they try other  modalites to  deal with chronic pain.    The American Medical Association  is protecting their own !!!  Oh yea they set prescribing limitations but that does not mean a darn thing because they can still prescribe these narcotics month after month  for years to the same patient.  Why don't they  help these pts get help and  be free of these drugs which ends up destroying their lives and the lives of their children and loved ones !

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There’s so many aspects of this to be addressed. I hope I’m making cogent and organized statements herein, but I don’t feel I am very adept at doing so. There is not always a solution other than pain killers for certain disorders. Certainly doctors should be highly judicious in their prescribing. It isn’t easy to be in their shoes, wedged between patients with a legitimate need and patients that are becoming addicted and are seeking drugs, no longer seeking out of need of pain remediation, but out of addiction or just plain desire to use these drugs. Patients no longer in need of pain medication and that need help getting off opioids should be referred by their doctors for treatment by pain specialists. Doctors should re-evaluate patients on pain medications and should help patients with other treatment modalities. Patients that don’t respond to other remedies and who are in intractable pain are often made to feel like drug abusers when they are dropped by their doctor and referred to another doctor. These patients may require continued pain medication.  Those doctors with extraordinary rates of opiate prescriptions should face examination of their practices. There are criminals involved in this. Overprescribing for personal gain has been seen. Arrests should be made. 

[skatting44]

  I can only add that with this  opioid epidemic  , all of us need to be ready to say  "No " when physicians  try to prescribe  a controlled substance  . We need to ask   our physicians  are there other treatment modalities or  a non narcotic  medication that would be effective.  The best first step is  to   avoid  having opoids be prescribed , however  that may be  tough if you've had major surgery or  have intractable  cancer pain. 

The first step in  treating  pain  from an injury ,  seek care  with a  sports medicine physician along wiith  physical therapy ,   massage therapy ,  TENS and developing good body mechanics while  engaging in  daily activies. Thre are many  NSAIDS  that are effective along with  tylenol .   Self determination along with a  good support system  are  important  influencing factors in ones journey with chronic pain .

We all need to help protect our children  as many teens  who have had wisdom teeth extracted or suffered a sports injury  are being prescribed  opioids  and  are developing a dependency to these  medications. 

[IamMrsG]

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@RoughDraft wrote:

You are aware that physicians also get incentives from drug companies aren't you?  

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I have never forgotten a conversation with a doctor decades ago.  As he wrote my prescription, he openly admitted he was working toward a  pharmaceutical vacation reward and was almost 'there.'   

BTW, the 'script was for diet pills, and he had misdiagnosed my recent weight gain.  I was pregnant!