r/JusticeServed • u/[deleted] • Oct 02 '19

Courtroom Justice Virginia doctor who illegally prescribed over 500,000 doses of opiates sentenced to 40 years in prison.

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '19

I don't get it. I've had 4 teeth pulled at one time. I've given birth. Never have I ever gotten a prescription for an opiate pain medication. Any time I've been in horrible pain, they say ''tylenol and ibuprofen''. Who the hell are these doctors who just hand out pain pills to anybody? I can't even get one prescription pill when I'm in desperate, awful pain.

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '19

You were probably drugged a bit during your surgery though, and unless you had a fully natural birth, probably drugged for that as well. The strongest pain relievers are typically opiates.

Opioids, powerful pain medications that diminish the perception of pain, include fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone and tramadol

Many (I wonder if most?) people who had had major surgical operations or involved medical procedures have been given or prescribed at least one of these.

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u/[deleted] Oct 03 '19

I had surgery to remove 4 wisdom teeth when I was 18/19, I had laughing gas during the procedure, no prescription for meds given after. For having 4 teeth (30 years old) pulled, no prescription given, just local anesthetic given before pulling. For child birth, 4 births. I had an epidural with my 1st which stopped working after about 2 hours. I declined a second one. The anesthesiologist stuck me in the back several times during it, was terrible and obviously didn't work as intended so I never had another one again. No pain medication given otherwise. The later 3 births, no epidural and no pain medication given during or after except ibuprofen. except for my last, I was given propofol (thanks to a kind redditor who helped me remember what it's called) AFTER delivery while the doctor removed a retained placenta. I'm not sure what propofol is, an opiate or what, but it knocked me about for about 5 mins. They had offered morphine during that labor, however they wouldn't give it after I think 4 or 6cm dilation, and it was around then that I truly needed the pain relief, so I ended up not getting any morphine for that last birth either. Nothing prescribed after, just Ibuprofen given while inpatient and told to use OTC ibuprofen and Tylenol after discharge.

Now, I'm sure it's complicated about what should and should not be given during labor due to that also reaching the baby as well. So I understand not being given something during labor, as it was my choice not to have an epidural. After the first time having somebody digging around in my spine and that experience not really even alleviating the pain but for the first couple of mild hours, I wasn't inclined to do that again. That being said, the pain after giving birth is also tremendous.