Author of The Painful Truth
Every time I hear about an opioid-related overdose death, I can only feel empathy for the family of the decedent. Whether it’s the result of using street drugs that are laced with fentanyl or carfentanil, as in the case of a 21-year-old woman from Virginia, or a person in pain who accidentally overdoses, each death is far more to me than a statistic. I grieve for the victims and their families. Our society suffers the loss together.
According to Martha Bebinger of WBUR, “About 75 percent of the state’s men and women who died after an unintentional overdose last year had fentanyl in their system, up from 57 percent in 2015 (PDF). It’s a pattern cities and towns are seeing across the state [of Massachusetts] and country, particularly in New England and some Rust Belt states.”
Basketball fans are undoubtedly aware of an incident that took place during March Madness this year. It went like this.
Gonzaga was playing Northwestern. Gonzaga was up by 5 points with 4:54 minutes remaining in the game when the Northwestern Wildcats’ Dererk Pardon attempted to put the ball through the net. At this moment, a player from the opposing team stuck his arm through the rim and prevented the ball from entering the basket. This is called goaltending and should have been two points for Northwestern, making it only a 3-point game. Instead, Gonzaga got the ball and rushed to the other end of the court to score. A technical foul was called on the Northwestern coach, Chris Collins, for his vociferous objection to the non-call. This resulted in a 5-point swing in the score and may have determined the outcome.
This article was originally published in the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Gary developed excruciating pain in his shoulder and arm following a cervical disc herniation several years ago. He was athletic and otherwise in good health, but the pain is now disabling.
For years, Gary was prescribed pregabalin for this condition. It provided him substantial pain relief until he changed insurance companies. The new insurance company sent Gary and his physician a letter indicating that before they would pay for pregabalin, Gary first had to try two generic drugs that were less expensive. This meant that Gary had no choice but to endure excruciating pain, once again, so that he and his doctor could prove to his insurance company that these medications were ineffective and that he required pregabalin.
In Stat News, David Armstrong’s article on March 24, “TV documentary on pain treatment funded by doctor with industry ties,” misrepresented the purpose of the film, “The Painful Truth“; ignored several of my detailed answers to his questions; and unfairly criticized my professional associations.
Armstrong suggested that the TV documentary downplayed the role of pharma’s contribution to the opioid problem. It didn’t, nor did it advocate for the use of any drugs, including opioids, because that was not the purpose of the film. Rather, it focused on the lack of compassion and treatment for people in pain, and it shed light on the largest public health problem in America: chronic pain.