466 Comments
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SterWonk's avatar

Trix came close!

(Okay, fine, not an overdose per se.)

SterWonk's avatar

Neat, I hadn't heard of that one before!

Riley Whodat Venable's avatar

Laudanum is still around for end stage terminal cancer pain. It still works the best. It is usually a part of Brompton’s Solution. Opium dissolved in Vodka with some Cocaine and flavor added. Enough analgesia to numb the pain, enough Cocaine to keep you awake and breathing. Nobody ever takes this stuff for long.

Riley Whodat Venable's avatar

One of the hospitals I trained in 45 years ago was over 70 years old then. In their museum they had an empty bottle of Heroin Throat Spray for use with children with Strep. throat.

Riley Whodat Venable's avatar

Now China sends us most of our bootleg Fentanyl.

Riley Whodat Venable's avatar

Morphine and Opium addiction was also a big problem just after the Civil War. Many disabled Veterans used it because of old war wounds and phantom pain from amputated legs and arms. One thing that really caused a big problem was the new Glass Syringe and hollow Hypodermic Needle. Injected opioids great addiction faster than by mouth.

Riley Whodat Venable's avatar

It was one of the few drugs available. Phenobarbital (a very old minor tranquilizer and epilepsy drug was synthesized in the 1890s, but didn’t catch on in the States until later.Paraldehyde was also available 100 years ago, but the smell and taste would gag a buzzard.

The-Timbuktutu's avatar

There was a Little House on the Prairie episode about that very issue! (😁)

just_jim's avatar

How about the death penalty for Purdue Pharma. After all "Corporations are people my friend."

Riley Whodat Venable's avatar

Hey, look, if I’m in pain I want my mu-receptors, my sigma-receptors, my zeta-receptors, and my kappa-receptors flooded. I mean all of them activated and extra opioids swirling around in case some got lost in the first pass.Nausea? Give me some ProchlorperazineRespiratory Arrest? Bag me, and titrate Naloxone until I can breathe on my own. But not enough to wake me up.

Mehmeisterjr's avatar

The crisis has also severely impacted communities of color, exacerbated by existing health disparities.

So, working well.

Here's the truth: fueling addiction is big business.

You lost me at "Here's the truth."

Vi's avatar

Here, I've got a few extra: ,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,

Mr. Yuk, Human Bean's avatar

She had a neurological disorder called essential tremor.

Mr. Yuk, Human Bean's avatar

Not to him, but some idiots it does.

EERie's avatar

Can we please get all the “B” guys off the news and talk about issues for cripes sake?!?

phoenix00's avatar

So does this count as a cletus safari?

Also: I happen to think those "This is your brain on drugs" ads were the best thing ever.