OUDoc, a question...

[Frozen Sooner]

Now, I'm not excusing Eddie Sutton's behavior even slightly, but...


Isn't it kind of unusual for a doctor to prescribe a highly-addictive painkiller to someone with known substance abuse problems in their past?

[Mjcpr]

And to do so for what.........two years now?

[mdklatt]

Isn't it the Frat Boy's dose of alcohol that was the problem and not the painkillers?

[OklahomaRed]

All you have to do is find the right doctor and tell him/her you hurt. They will let you have what you want. Better yet, find two or more doctors like this and you can go into business. What's sad is that the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. is acetaminophen toxicity. These guys are frying their livers in more ways than one. Eddie's is probably like a "rock".

[OUDoc]

All you have to do is find the right doctor and tell him/her you hurt.
Unfortunately, this is true. They aren't hard to find. Some (I guess) don't care, to some it's probably a money thing. But it's not hard to fake pain. I get very suspicious with certain behaviors, but I can't prove you don't hurt. No one can. So you'll get a reasonable amount of meds until I catch you doing something wrong and I can release (fire) you to another doctor.
In Sutton's case, you're between a rock and a hard place. If he has known back problems that are likely causing him a great deal of pain, you can't just let him suffer. Addicts know they should avoid narcotics, but even the best intentioned patients get caught up in it and addicted again. Some on purpose, some from health problems out of their control.
To directly answer the question, I'd have been cautious and limited the number of pain meds, but that usually ends as badly as this episode did. It tends to escalate either by the nature of the pain, or the nature of an addict wanting more and more. You're screwed either way sometimes.

[SoonerWood]

Is hydrocodone considered highly addictive?

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

My uncle's wife is addicted to Lortab. When he was in the hospital, she was trying to get the doctor to prescribe some to him so she could have her fix.

[IB4OU2]

Unfortunately, this is true. They aren't hard to find. Some (I guess) don't care, to some it's probably a money thing. But it's not hard to fake pain. I get very suspicious with certain behaviors, but I can't prove you don't hurt. No one can. So you'll get a reasonable amount of meds until I catch you doing something wrong and I can release (fire) you to another doctor.
In Sutton's case, you're between a rock and a hard place. If he has known back problems that are likely causing him a great deal of pain, you can't just let him suffer. Addicts know they should avoid narcotics, but even the best intentioned patients get caught up in it and addicted again. Some on purpose, some from health problems out of their control.
To directly answer the question, I'd have been cautious and limited the number of pain meds, but that usually ends as badly as this episode did. It tends to escalate either by the nature of the pain, or the nature of an addict wanting more and more. You're screwed either way sometimes.

Being one who suffers from chronic/constant back and leg pain (do to complications involved with post polio syndrome and arthritis) my life would be a living hell without prescription narcotics. I currently and will probably always need medication to help me from day to day. Believe it or not I don't drink much at all though and would never consider driving if I did. I don't believe I'm an addict and I've always taken my medications responsibly but I thank God there are medications available that can help people like to me.

[Rogue]

Pain management is tricky business. Whether a government or private physician, chronic pain patients can be challenging, but the really ornery ones (addicts or people who become chronically grumpy from chronic pain) spoil it for those like IB who need the meds to function normally.