Addiction too high a price to pay

Before I begin, it's important to realise that both Tramadol and Oxycontin are widely prescribed for serious neuropathic pain.
The following extracts are from an American detox centre's website.I don't want to promote a commercial organisation but am using text from their webpage, so the least I can do is publish their web address (see below). What is important is the problem they are highlighting and that is the worldwide problem of addiction to medication that is given for another purpose. I came across this because I was on 300mg Tramadol a day , plus Diclofenac for arthritic pain. I was forced to stop because of damage to the kidneys but then having nothing to control either the arthritis or the neuropathic pain, the doctor put me on Oxycontin twice a day. Thanks to 'wrong' prescriptions in the past I check every single medication I'm given, for potential side effects, or conflicts with other drugs, especially those for HIV so Oxycontin was no different. When I came across this page and this text, I was shocked to say the least, not so much at the strength of certain drugs but at the ease in which they are given in combination with each other. Fortunately, Tramadol is not part of my arthritis treatment any more but I could have so easily been taking both Tramadol and Oxycontin.
I remember years ago when diazepam (Valium), amongst others, was issued like candy to the desperate housewives of the time and the consequent row when half the western world became addicted and this sounds alarmingly similar ('Valley of the Dolls' was a big hit for a reason!
In a time when doctors are under more pressure from time,numbers and cost constraint than ever and drug companies are aggressively pushing their products to the exclusion of their rivals, plus the fact that drugs are easily available via the internet I believe it's up to us, the patients, to share responsibility for what's given to us. Always check and double check and if necessary, pose the questions to your medical professionals and don't be brushed off with the "trust me, I'm a doctor" approach. It's your body after all but you can't leave the responsibility for what happens to it, solely up to the doctors - it's in everybody's interest that you're given the right treatment for the right condition.
Read this and I'm sure you'll agree with me. Neuropathy is difficult enough to live with, without given another 'condition' by your own medicine.

The widely-prescribed prescription painkiller tramadol has tricked doctors, and in turn their patients, into thinking it is a safer alternative to what are considered stronger narcotic painkillers, such as OxyContin.

The truth is, tramadol can produce a morphine- or heroin-like high, and according to public health officials, it’s in the running to compete with OxyContin addiction.

Thousands of tramadol overdose cases arrive at emergency medical centers every year, and hundreds more are seeking treatment for tramadol addiction. And just like the rising death toll from OxyContin abuse, a significant number of people are dying from tramadol overdoses.

So far, tramadol hasn’t equaled the destruction caused by OxyContin addiction and abuse, but there are indications that it could. OxyContin addiction has skyrocketed across the country, and has killed so many innocent people there is even a public grass-roots movement to ban OxyContin.
.....
Could tramadol abuse possibly equal
OxyContin abuse?
OxyContin is a time release formulation of the opioid oxycodone which is a favorite with serious opioid abusers because they can crush the pill to defeat the time release mechanism. Once it is crushed, they can snort it or shoot it up, and get the instant euphoria of heroin.

Don’t forget that OxyContin is essentially legal heroin, and in the Appalachians it is nicknamed “hillbilly heroin”.

Tramadol tablets (brand names Ultram® and Ultracet®) are known as "chill pills" or "ultras" on the streets, where they are sold as an alternative narcotic—sort of an “OxyContin lite”.

Although it’s not a traditional street opioid like heroin or morphine, tramadol can produce a euphoria comparable to heroin, even at a single dose of 75 mg. And many recreational users claim it doesn’t come with the cognitive impairment of OxyContin and other opioids.

But there’s another, more dangerous aspect to tramadol: it also comes in a time-release version, called Ultram ER® (Extended Release) 100mg-300mg, which abusers are now defeating and ingesting all at once—the best formula for rapid addiction and sudden death.

Ten reasons why tramadol may eclipse OxyContin addiction
Here are ten reasons why tramadol could become as deadly as OxyContin addiction:

1.Tramadol is not scheduled as a controlled narcotic substance, which makes it easier to get than OxyContin or any other controlled narcotic—and it’s a lot cheaper.

2.In the US, more than 26 million tramadol prescriptions were dispensed in 2008, according to government statistics, and those numbers continue to rise.

3.Doctors and patients still think—quite incorrectly—that tramadol is less harmful and addictive than OxyContin and other opioid painkillers.

4.Until doctors and the public are made aware of its real dangers, tramadol will continue to be prescribed until the number of tramadol addicts equals those suffering from OxyContin addiction.

5.Anyone, including teenagers and even children, can get the drug from hundreds of internet sites which advertise “no prescription needed” and charge as little as 18 cents a pill.

6.Police across the country say teens can get tramadol more easily than alcohol, and no one is saying how many millions of tramadol pills are being diverted to illicit sales. Of course, no one knows how much OxyContin is being diverted to support OxyContin addiction either.

7.Here is the big one: Serious tramadol abusers defeat the time-release capsules and ingest it all at once to get the same instant euphoric effects as heroin and, guess what? OxyContin!

8.Crushing and mainlining tramadol, or OxyContin for that matter, is not required to become addicted or even to die. For some people, just following doctor’s orders can lead to tramadol or OxyContin addiction, and even death.

9.Tramadol abusers compare the high favorably to heroin, morphine, and OxyContin. There’s nothing like good customer reviews to ensure brisk sales.

10.They also say tramadol effects can last for eight, ten or even twelve hours—far longer than the four to six hours common to other opioids = more customer satisfaction.

http://www.novusdetox.com/oxycontin-tramadol-addiction-abuse.php

People With Neuropathy Are Charlie Too

 This may be a simple blog about neuropathy but today's post is about the freedom to speak out against evil - nothing more, nothing less - something we have to defend as a basic human right. The attack in Paris was an attack on our freedom to tell the truth, when the truth needs to be told. 

It's too important to ignore so forgive me if you're missing your daily neuropathy article - I'm sure you'll understand.

Dutch cartoonist Joep Bertrams

This cartoon depicts a murdered cartoonist sticking his tongue out to his killer. The text in Dutch says "immortal", referring to freedom of speech. 

If You Have Diabetes You May Have Neuropathy Too

Today's post from irishhealth.com (see link below) talks about the fact that many diabetics may be unaware that they also have neuropathic problems, partly because their symptoms are not yet painful enough for them to report to their doctors. As neuropathy is one of the commonest side effects of diabetes, one would assume that doctors are on the look out for symptoms in their diabetic patients but this is clearly not always the case. Both patients and doctors need to be better aware of the possibility of neuropathic problems and test for them (or at least ask the right questions) soon after a diagnosis of diabetes. In the same way, people with neuropathy should maybe ask their doctors if they are also susceptible to diabetes. The two conditions appear so frequently together, testing should really be a matter of course.

Diabetes-many have undiagnosed neuropathy
[Posted: Wed 11/06/2014 by Deborah Condon www.irishhealth.com]

Almost half of patients with diabetes who attended a diabetes care centre in Dublin recently were found to have neuropathy (nerve damage) in their feet.

Neuropathy is a potential complication of poorly controlled diabetes. If it occurs in the feet, it can impair sensation, movement and function.

If left untreated, it can lead to much more serious problems with the feet, including foot ulcers and amputation. However, early intervention and treatment can prevent more serious problems from occurring.

According to Diabetes Ireland, 47% of patients who attended its Diabetes Ireland Care Centre in Santry during the first three months of 2014 had neuropathy, however many of these were unaware they were affected.

"Every person with diabetes should have an annual foot assessment which should include, as a minimum, removal of the shoes and socks and a test for feeling (sensation) in each foot using a monofilament.

"Many of the patients I see say they had never seen a monofilament so I would ask GPs in the locality to encourage their diabetes patients to have an annual foot assessment and refer or ask them to make an appointment with a podiatrist," commented Theresa Kidd-Foley, a senior podiatrist at the centre.

She insisted that by doing this, people with diabetes could ‘significantly' improve their chances of avoiding foot-related complications, such as ulcers.

Figures from the HSE show that in 2013, more than 1,550 people with diabetes were hospitalised for foot ulcer treatment, spending an average of three weeks in hospital. Furthermore, 371 lower limb amputations were carried out on people with diabetes last year and according to Diabetes Ireland, this figure is particualrly shocking given that research has shown that 80% of diabetes-related amputations are preventable.

"I never really appreciated the need to look after my feet until I had a problem. I went to the Diabetes Ireland Care Centre and as well as having my problem sorted, I was educated on how to look after my feet properly each day and how to check my feet for signs of damage," said diabetes patient, George Casey, of Drumcondra in Dublin.

The Diabetes Ireland Care Centre is a not-for-profit initiative of Diabetes Ireland, which aims to reduce the number of people developing diabetes-related eye and feet complications as a result of poor management of the condition. It also provides information and support to people.

"People with diabetes must actively self-manage their condition and seek out the necessary supports they require to help them stay healthy," Ms Kidd-Foley said.

http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=23731

DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER CAN BE FATAL TO ATHLETES

The recent deaths of two high school football players illustrate the dangers of drinking too much water and sports drinks, according to Loyola University Medical Center sports medicine physician Dr. James Winger.

Over-hydration by athletes is called exercise-associated hyponatremia. It occurs when athletes drink even when they are not thirsty. Drinking too much during exercise can overwhelm the body's ability to remove water. The sodium content of blood is diluted to abnormally low levels. Cells absorb excess water, which can cause swelling -- most dangerously in the brain.

Hyponatremia can cause muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, seizures, unconsciousness, and, in rare cases, death.

Georgia football player Zyrees Oliver reportedly drank 2 gallons of water and 2 gallons of a sports drink. He collapsed at home after football practice, and died later at a hospital. In Mississippi, Walker Wilbank was taken to the hospital during the second half of a game after vomiting and complaining of a leg cramp. He had a seizure in the emergency room and later died. A doctor confirmed he had exercise-associated hyponatremia.

And in recent years, there have been more than a dozen documented and suspected runners' deaths from hyponatremia.

Winger said it's common for coaches to encourage athletes to drink profusely, before they get thirsty. But he noted that expert guidelines recommend athletes drink only when thirsty. Winger said athletes should not drink a predetermined amount, or try to get ahead of their thirst.

Drinking only when thirsty can cause mild dehydration. "However, the risks associated with dehydration are small," Winger said. "No one has died on sports fields from dehydration, and the adverse effects of mild dehydration are questionable. But athletes, on rare occasions, have died from over-hydration."

Winger is co-author of a 2011 study that found that nearly half of Chicago-area recreational runners surveyed may be drinking too much fluid during races. Winger and colleagues found that, contrary to expert guidelines, 36.5 percent of runners drink according to a present schedule or to maintain a certain body weight and 8.9 percent drink as much as possible.

"Many athletes hold unscientific views regarding the benefits of different hydration practices," Winger and colleagues concluded. Their study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.