Sunday, June 9, 2019

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors & the Company That Addicted America; Beth Macy



AUTHOR:  Beth Macy
PUBLISHER:  Hachette Audio
PUB. YEAR: 2018
SETTING:  n/a
FORMAT:  - Audio - 10+ hrs.
RATING - 5/5

Dopesick is a well-researched and in-depth look at the current opioid crisis in America and how it all began. 

The author tells of the corporate greed at the hands of Purdue Pharma who first released Oxycontin in 1996 as a slow-released pain reliever , a drug which came in several doses and was said to be less addictive than other pain blockers on the market but, nothing could have been farther from the truth.  The company spent over 4 billion dollars in one year on marketing and offered all sorts of perks to sales reps and doctors for pushing their product. Doctors began prescribing it not just for intolerable pain and cancer but for things like arthritis, wrist pain, back pain and more.  The drug, highly addictive after less than a weeks use, it wasn't long before abusers learned to crush it, snort and even inject it.  Fifteen years later once doctors drastically cut back on prescribing the drug and blackmarkets prices skyrocketed, many users turned to the less expensive and more potent heroin.

There are so many aspects of the opioid crisis covered in this book that I found fascinating. Stories of drug runners, tragic stories from users as well as stories from the grieving families.  The audio is read by the author who did a fantastic job.  There is just so much information revealed on a very tough subject. Highly recommended.

22 comments:

  1. I know this is probably a very informative read, and it has received great reviews, but I'm not sure I can read it.

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    1. Les, I felt like that too for well over a year. In fact I checked the audio out twice and returned it as I didn't think I could read it. I don't know anyone personally who has been affected by opioid crisis but finally I felt I needed to try to understand.

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    2. I may give it a try on audio. Thanks for the recommendation, Diane.

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  2. I read this in print last year and am still talking about it.

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  3. Sounds really good and it sure is timely.

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  4. Thank you for this review, Diane. This sounds like quite the informative book about a topic too long swept under the rug. It's frightening how widespread the problem became and is.

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    1. So true Wendy, it's a huge problem that affects so many. I feel especially bad for the young children whose lives have been uprooted because of it.

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  5. What a devastating read. How terrible it is to know that a drug company actively promoted such a dangerous family of drugs.

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  6. I listened to this recently, too... and am still thinking about it!

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  7. I'd definitely have to be in the mood for non-fiction with this one. Maybe at some point. It's a sad, sad thing indeed.

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  8. This sounds fascinating. I'm familiar with the story and the aftermath which gave no help to those addicted and made it incredibly difficult for people with a legitimate need for pain relief to get any. This sounds maddening and like one I need to be in the right mood for but definitely worth reading. Great review.

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    1. Katherine, this is so true. Earlier this year I had a painful in office procedure and was only given 2- lowest dose oxytocin's - no refills.

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  9. I read this book last year and it has stuck with me. I had the sad experience of losing my mom to opioid addiction. My mom got severe back pain with osteoporosis and the doctors prescribed opioids and let her stay on them long enough to get hooked which, eventually the opioids killed her liver.

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    1. Susan, I’m so sorry how this crisis affected you personally - sad.

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  10. I've heard really good things about this book; I'm glad you liked it. The opioid crisis is a disgrace and it will be interesting to see what happens with the current lawsuits.

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  11. I guess I will have to read this one. Oh my!

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  12. Too much reality for me. When I recently had some dental issues I realized how easily addiction could happen from prescribed painkillers. I needed them for a bit, but stopped as soon as possible, knowing the risk. Sad state we're in right now.

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