Oxycontin Express

Question

Hello All,
Did anyone out there see the documentary on TV last night called the Oxycontin Express? I was an eye-opening documentary about how so many people are overdosing and getting arrested for purchasing Oxy's from pain clinics in Florida and reselling them where they live. It was scary to hear the statistic that almost 90% of all Oxy's prescribed are coming from pain clinics in Florida that just prescribe pain pills, zanex, valium, and other hard to get drugs. It is bad enough that we all have this horrible addiction to pain meds, let alone people going and getting 100's if not 1000's of extra pills from Florida to just feed there addiction. Feel free to post any comments you may have. If you didn't see the documentary, look for it and check it out. I'm sure it will be re-played many times in the weeks to come. It was on Vanguard. Directv channel 358.

Take Care

Astray · Answer

Scary business. In the UK some things are freely available that are only doctor issued in the States. The rest are thankfully hard to get hold of.

Axl_0113 · Answer

yep...that's exactly how the work here in Texas too.  No insurance...cash only.  Actually, for most of the "pill mills" you don't need any MRI or CT for your first few visits.  So...you have people going from clinic to clinic to clinic day in and day out, taking advantage of the "no paperwork" policy.  Like I said....I have been to quite a few of these clinics when I was an addict for 3 years, and never once got a physical exam, or even asked about my pain.  Just go in....doc asks "how are you today? And here is your script.  See you in a month."  

Tomorrow....do the same thing at a different clinic.

They all have their own pharmicies that they send you to.  I have been waiting in line at the pharmacy and have seen people thumbing thru their written prescriptions to make sure they have the right one for the right phamacy.  It's crazy.

HealthySquid · Answer

The official number from Washington D.C. is 1.8 million oxy's per month are being dispensed in Florida.

TahoeMan · Answer

Let me add a little more to my original post. These pain clinics in Florida are strictly there to prescribe pain meds. All you have to have is a pharmacy printout and results from an MRI or CT to get them. The doctors there don't care for your condition, they are there strictly to make cash by prescribing pain meds. There is no pharmacy tracking as of yet in Florida, so there is no way to keep up with how many scripts you are filling. These clinics don't accept any insurance, it is STRICTLY a cash business. From what I understand is that people open these clinics, hire a retired doctor with a DEA # and pay them a lor of cash to write hundreds of scripts a day. In the last 6 months, over 9 million oxy's have been prescribed from these clinics alone. It is not right for people that are in legitimate pain. It is going to be hard one day for people with real pain to get meds they need because of stuff like this.

HealthySquid · Answer

I actually know the second in charge to "The Drug Czar" here in Washington, D.C.  He was telling me Sunday of numbers in the millions of each strength of drug being dispensed in Florida as well as a comparation to other states.  

Florida is becoming known as a legal drug dealer state.  The numbers are truly mind boggling.  This is what our kids are growing up on.

Axl_0113 · Answer

I didn't see the documnetary, but I know it's the same situation here in Texas.  I know people that are going to multiple clinics in one day, only to repeat it the next day and the next.  They are selling them.  I have been to many pain clinics when I was addicted, and I can say that just from talking to people, that probably 90% of the people are breaking the law by going to multiple clinics.  Alot of people come from other states also to do the same thing.  I have seen van-loads of people unload in front of the clinics, to all get scrips for the person driving so he can sell them.  It's a big problem, and it's only a matter of time before the law cracks down on it all.  It's a shame for the people that are there for lagit reasons, who honestly need the meds to live a normal life without pain.