DiscussMormonism.com

Drug Dealer or Healer?

This is really scary:

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Daynes called MacKay a reckless physician who repeatedly filled out prescriptions for patients, even when their relatives called begging him to stop because their loved ones were either addicted or selling the medicine on the street for a profit.

MacKay’s lack of supervision over his patients treatment caused the death of 55-year-old David Leslie Wirick of Ogden in 2006, Daynes alleged during his opening statement.

Daynes said MacKay continued to provide the man with drugs despite knowing he’d been diagnosed with Münchausen syndrome, a psychological disorder in which patients sometimes harm themselves to gain attention.

Wirick, a rocket scientist at Alliant Techsystems, died of a drug overdose during a three-day binge after filling prescriptions from MacKay. ...

Mac­Kay was indicted last August with 129 counts related to prescribing more than 1.9 million hydrocodone pills and nearly 1.6 million oxycodone pills between June 1, 2005, and October 30, 2009. ...

MacKay dispensed more hydrocodone than any other doctor in Utah, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He saw 100 to 120 patients in an eight-hour workday, running them through four exam rooms every three to five minutes, prosecutors say.

As some of you know, I've been dealing with chronic pain since December, and my doctors (and I) have been extremely reluctant to start a heavy painkiller regimen. I have mostly stuck to my TENS unit and occasionally take tramadol when the pain is unbearable. But I wouldn't dare start taking hydrocodone or oxycodone as part of a regular pain-management treatment.

Oh, and it is on-topic, because my friend from Brigham City, who emailed me this article, tells me that Dr. MacKay used to be a stake president. (Note that I am not suggesting that this guy is at all representative of stake presidents or church members in general.)

What do you currently take for pain? Ibuprofen? What type of pain are you suffering from? Have you looked into deep tissue massage therapy, particularly myofascial trigger point therapy? Have you given acupuncture a try?
I assume that you still have other options to try before resorting to heavy painkillers?

Hey Runtu,

Sorry to hear about the chronic pain. It sucks. Believe me, I know. If you have questions about pain management and such, PM me. I've been dealing with this issue for the last 4 years.

silentkid

Chronic pain can be depressing, and people who are on anti-depressants often find their subjective experience of pain is lessened. If you have not already thought of that.

Also, perhaps you can seek a second opinion outside of the morridor. There must be a remedy for the basic problem. I wouldn't be surprised if I were to find out that there is a pattern of witholding medical treatment for those who rebel against the pricks.

Prayers sent your way.

Patients can be very persistent in requesting narcotics even down to bizarre behavior when told no. I've had several patient really ticked off at me (spittin' mad). Around here the pharmacist would let me know when I'd call in a narcotic for a patient if the patient was getting narcotics prescribed by other physicians and the amounts and dates filled. Our docs were specialists, so I imagine it is worse for primary care providers. in my opinion, it is best to refer to a pain clinic when it gets to be a problem. Then with a pain clinic, the patient has to sign a contract and when they violate that contract, the pain clinic cuts them off.- no more prescribing of pain meds.

Blixa wrote:OMG THE RETURN OF SILENTKID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Blixa! Thanks for noticing. I'll check in from time to time.

Is this a really convoluted way of debunking the idea that rocket scientists are the smartest people around?

A counterpoint:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THNPmhBl-8I

When I have pain, I like to take something for it. If I thought I was becoming addicted to the medication due to dull chronic pain (need to take more and more for a diminishing relief) it might be a good time to take a drug holiday. I have cut back on Ibuprofen from time to time for the sake of my kidneys. The pain is greater but it need not define me.

For very acute severe pain, I would take medication with attention to overdosage, but addiction would be of much less concern.

Aww man that sucks. I have been getting kidney pain and for some reason pain relief doesn't do anything to me whatsoever, so maybe it is all psychological in my case. I was told to take naproxen with paracetamol and then naproxen with cocodamol. I think the naproxen might have been compressed talcum powder because it literally had no effect what so ever. So now I don't bother.

I find trying to detach from my physical body by meditating or imagining myself floating to the sun helps. I imagine the heat from the sun and it's rays as a healing power that penetrates me and takes pain away. What makes it work is that to keep myself up there I have to focus all of my thoughts and energy in keeping the stone that I am laying on afloat because it trys to fall slowly back down, away from the sun and I focus on pushing it back up. It's not hot, the heat is transferred into healing waves, so I don't imagine sunburn or anything. I feel it breezy and no clouds and just feel waves travel through and it helps. This is probably just a strange way of meditating. It didn't cure me when I was in a lot of pain, but it relaxed me enough to let me fall asleep.

Anyway, I ramble. I hope you find a manageable way to deal with your pain. I think medication is better to be avoided because it is very addictive and you might not necessarily know if you are addicted or not til you try to stop. Antidepressants might help because they stop/weaken certain signals though synapses resulting in less stimulation. Although, it also effects stimulation you might not want to live without. Maybe you could see if you could have some of your nerves burnt/disconnected to surgically reduce the pain if the cause of the pain is established and incurable through treatment. I don't know if that is possible or legal but I imagine it would work.


Pirate.