#5: The Road to Hell is Paved with Percocet

In this episode, Tim and May discuss the single biggest mistake in the history of Medicine. The overprescribing of opioids started with a five sentence letter to the New England Journal of Medicine in 1980. This brief letter was quoted 608 times in Medical literature, espousing the safety of opiate prescribing.

We dive into the history of opiates, opiate prescribing and drug abuse in general. We talk about how a simple misinterpretation of data caused the medical establishment, big pharma and government regulators to get it wrong and kill hundreds of thousands. 

This peer pressure and group think produced three big lies:

1: We could  do it better with opioids “this time’ compared to a hundred years ago

2: Medicalization of opioids makes it “okay”

3: Treating acute and chronic pain has always been a challenge, therefore we have to make a  medical “solution”.

And we also have a good laugh at the past and near present advertisements. From the printed ads used to peddle “mother’s little helper” cough syrup to the newer Oxycontin motto “One to start with and one to stay with”! Pain WILL be your “5th vital sign” after you hear how the opiate journey has unfolded.

Meanwhile, our sponsor, On Time MD by Dr. Phil Boucher is offering 15% off their time management strategies course. Go to doctorpodcastnetwork.com/ontimemd to learn more and use code 2021 at checkout.