[maccard]

> incentivized the healthcare system to hand these out like candy with anyone who used the word "pain, back pain or anxiety"

It's all well and good to blame big pharma, but the problem isn't an incentivised healthcare scheme, the problem is there's a lack of awareness and follow up care associated with the people who are prescribed these drugs. In Ireland I was put through weeks of agony trying out various strengths of painkillers before they decided to give me Oxycodene, which had me back on my feet and in work. There's still people becoming addicted to these drugs who aren't given these drugs just because they are asked to.

The biggest problem I saw was that my GP decided that when my back pain was resolved after an operation he decided I was finished with the painkillers as of right now. No weaning off process, no care to ensure that I was coping without the tablets other than the pain.

furthermore, when I was put on them, my doctor mentioned in passing that they were addictive - Nobody mentioned to me that I could end up with a chronic addiction to them when they put me on them. As is always the case; education and information availability will solve a huge amount of the problems, along with better management when withdrawing from opioids (that doesn't require me to sign up to a rehab program)