As a huge Prince fan, I'm still having trouble dealing with his death. To know that he was in so much pain makes me so sad. Since there is no official cause of death yet, all of this talk about addictions and overdoses is just speculation. I think there are probably some nuggets of truth to some of these stories, but it doesn't make the loss of one of the best musicians in world history any more palatable. All I know is that we lost an amazingly talented, funny and beautiful man who dedicated his life to the creation of art. He left us with so many great artistic and philanthropic gifts, so I hope his memory is respected no matter how he died.
20
I recognize the fascination in finding out "why." Somehow I feel that tomorrow the story will be something else, or someone will claim that today's story was prompted by the storied Illuminati to divert attention from the alleged "Satanic blood sacrifice" they made of Prince (those are some crazy videos from people who claim to enlighten us with THEIR truth). Whatever the cause, human nature does not learn from other people's mistakes, missteps or misfortune; I wish we had the ability to let people rest in peace and be remembered for their artistry and not something else whether it be the truth or some contrivance. Prince mattered, and lives on in the work he did on stage and off.
11
Apparently, the "Pain Managers" of this country are not managing pain very well if at all. But evidently are making a lot of money at not doing so............
9
Over all these years - I am over 85 - I always thought our next revolution would be caused for the same political reasons as the previous ones. Now I see the cause will surely be about opoids, other drugs, alcohol and marijuana. This is a very good time to be very old. See ya' around campus.......
This breaks my heart!! I've never been addicted to anything however when I have had both of my surgeries I was prescribed Percocet both times. I have been told that the very same day of surgery I would be up walking around with staples, stiches etc. acting as if nothing happened. I was feeling no pain but I know its because of the Percocet. Depending on the strength of the medication you feel 100%. I'm only 5 ft tall so I'm a petite person and both times on this medication I've thought wow this stuff is amazing. So it makes sense he seemed to present himself as feeling ok to others. Its when you stop taking it or it wears off that you notice pain setting in. I feel for Prince and anyone in pain, and I can totally understand why he would want to feel better suffering from hip pain etc. I feel for al his fans, friends and family!!! I would give each of you a hug if I could. He is a legend and there will only ever be one Prince! Just wish the help would have arrived sooner. Where was the call to send 911 first so he could be monitored while someone was on a plane to check on him for an intervention. So sad!!!
9
It's time our nation recognized drug and alcohol addiction for what it is. It is an illness. Treat it as such.
11
Money, fame, being vegan are irrelevant. In a nutshell, the story of addiction is always the same – secrecy, shame and the compromise of one's values
6
To truly understand the epidemic of addiction to legal drugs in the United States, read Ben Goldacre's book: BAD PHARMA
2
Let's please not use the word "addiction" until we know all the facts. And then, let's use the label only if it has a clear meaning.
1
Any pill popper who's got the flu one day and feeling great a short time later never really had the flu. Get hooked on pain meds, then stop cold, and you'll learn exactly what I mean. Oh the signs were there, how sad. RIP, and hopefully this will awareness of this enormous problem.
4
.....The "shame of addiction"....I know it well...Will society EVER stop morally judging people who become addicted --to extremely addictive drugs (--and stop using the pejorative, "addict")? When will people see addiction for the mental illness it is--and not a moral failing?
....Until they do, we can count on tens of thousands of future deaths--from "shame."
....Until they do, we can count on tens of thousands of future deaths--from "shame."
7
Judging from his overall health issues and his comment about speaking with David Bowie in his dreams, I think that Prince knew his time on earth was coming to an end.
4
Prince, an intelligent person, killed Prince. He was well aware of the hazards of painkillers, yet he VOLUNTARILY ingested them. Not a very smart move, but a voluntary one. It was death by choice, not one forced upon him by some body else. Let us put the blame where the blame belongs
3
Keith Richards: " ~I survived [addiction] because I had high quality drugs and knew when enough was enough." Sorry that Prince didn't. RIP
3
20 years ago I nearly ripped the end of my finger right off the bone. The repairs included four interior sticthes in the muscle and 17 to close the wound. I was given heavy duty Percoset. Fortunately I asked the physician about it, and he told me that this drug was most often used for traumatic accident victims when morphine was not an option. I found this much more sobering than the label on the bottle that mentioned that it was habit forming. I took two a day for intense pain, and by day four, when the pain was still pretty intense, I had to cut back to one pill per night so I could sleep. The reason was I ddidn't like the feeling in my chest, and thought if I continued I would definately have a heart attack within a week. I began the process of dealing with more pain and reducing my regimen to a half and then quarter tablet per day.
3
Isn't that a hipaa violation for this doctor or his representative to discuss confidential medical information? Did Prince or the executor of his estate sign a release?
1
Opiates are a huge problem unless carefully managed. Soon as I heard his plane landed because of the "flu" I knew drugs were involved. His hip problems have been well known for years. I've had a family members who suffered severe arthritis in both hips prior to a double replacement and he said there were days he couldn't even get out of bed the pain was so bad. I feel bad for Prince but he was an extremely wealthy guy and could have afforded the best of care including proper treatment and medication management and chose not to. Terrible shame that the day he was to be evaluated for rehab, he dies.
4
When a Dr initially writes a prescription for a Narcotic pain pill it a solution to address the pain. When a Dr. refills that prescription of that opiate, little does the patient know they are about to enter the Gates of hell.
5
Another dead rock, pop star, of drugs? Surprise! Why is this getting so much press? Why not just celebrate the man and his music?
1
A story on Prince, alongside a story on Britney. Last week, a front page story on Beyoncé. The Times' topic selection is increasingly focussing on pop culture, perhaps in an attempt to lure more readers. Ironically, another story is run pointing to the media,s responsibility in getting Trump nominated, because it focuses on more sensational angles as oppose to hard issues.
Good news articles should make one think.
Good news articles should make one think.
1
Opioid dependence is a physical condition that can and should be treated by doctors. Talking about drug addiction, like is a personality flaw or failing morals, just keeps people ashamed and scared to seek help. What happened to Prince is an incredibly sad tragedy. It's time to remove the stigma that society has placed on a condition that can affect anyone of us, at any time.
13
Regretfully it was about six months ago Arlington VA police wrote me to say my brother had died. Eventually the coroner determined chronic alcoholism. I knew nothing. If I had and he had been willing to quit, presuming it was cirrhosis of the liver, I could have donated half of mine.
I don't know why he seemed depressed but I have box loads of his scribblings which I intend to read maybe even scan.
I don't know why he seemed depressed but I have box loads of his scribblings which I intend to read maybe even scan.
1
Too many of our gifted, creative artists died prematurely, almost all of them from "psychopathology-related" causes. They all apparently had variations of mood disorders. Psychology/psychiatry hasn't advanced enough to label those "issues."
There are published scientific studies, originated from Nancy Andreasen's group in Iowa correlating mood disorders with creativity, based (only) on studying writers. Even Aristotle linked genius with some kind of insanity. Einstein's son was a chronic mental patient. Virginia Wolfe suffered from severe mood disorders, which waxed & vaned. She committed suicide after she had her last relapse.
Prince was against substance abuse; became a vegan. Somehow he fell into taking opioids as a pain killer, got hooked on it. He was trying get off of it using Suboxone. All noble gestures including his aversion to drug abuse, and wanted to get genuine, effective treatment for it. If he had succeeded in beating that relatively minor demon, he could have been an excellent advocate for opioid abuse treatment in particular and substance abuse treatment in general.
A sizable portion of prison population landed there from substance abuse problems-related offenses. Another large portion of the prison population about 30% or larger are chronic mental patients who were reasonably well treated & taken care of in state mental hospitals at almost a fraction of the cost of penalizing them.
There are published scientific studies, originated from Nancy Andreasen's group in Iowa correlating mood disorders with creativity, based (only) on studying writers. Even Aristotle linked genius with some kind of insanity. Einstein's son was a chronic mental patient. Virginia Wolfe suffered from severe mood disorders, which waxed & vaned. She committed suicide after she had her last relapse.
Prince was against substance abuse; became a vegan. Somehow he fell into taking opioids as a pain killer, got hooked on it. He was trying get off of it using Suboxone. All noble gestures including his aversion to drug abuse, and wanted to get genuine, effective treatment for it. If he had succeeded in beating that relatively minor demon, he could have been an excellent advocate for opioid abuse treatment in particular and substance abuse treatment in general.
A sizable portion of prison population landed there from substance abuse problems-related offenses. Another large portion of the prison population about 30% or larger are chronic mental patients who were reasonably well treated & taken care of in state mental hospitals at almost a fraction of the cost of penalizing them.
2
It's all speculation. No one knows really what happened. Prince will be sinner or saint depending on who is speculating. At this point, does it matter. If you have seen Prince perform - you have witnessed greatness. That is his legacy....
10
Rest in Peace, Prince
7
Great. Another round of demonizing a medication that millions of people take - because they need it - because someone famous abuses it. Another set of comments from people who tried the medication and couldn't control themselves.
I need opiate painkillers to function, along with a few other medications, for a disease that causes constant severe chronic pain. I've been on the same amount of pain medication since 2009. I don't have cravings for more. I don't take it for reasons other than pain. I don't have a problem with the medication.
What I do have a problem with is the law caused by those who can't control themselves. The law in Massachusetts is that a pain prescription can only be filled after the previous prescription ends, down to the last pill. You must pick up the prescription every month. This may seem like a reasonable price to pay to restrict addiction.
However, let's say there is a terrorist attack on the day my medication runs out. We know they happen in Boston. Let's say there is a blizzard the day when my medication runs out and public transport is out a few days. We know that happens in Boston. The guidance from the government about disasters recommends keeping 2-3 days of extra medicine in case an emergency prevents access to pharmacies for several days.
I am banned by law from keeping myself safe in the way my government recommends.
If you want to reduce harmful addiction on a societal level treat alcohol like opiates. Alcohol is the real killer.
I need opiate painkillers to function, along with a few other medications, for a disease that causes constant severe chronic pain. I've been on the same amount of pain medication since 2009. I don't have cravings for more. I don't take it for reasons other than pain. I don't have a problem with the medication.
What I do have a problem with is the law caused by those who can't control themselves. The law in Massachusetts is that a pain prescription can only be filled after the previous prescription ends, down to the last pill. You must pick up the prescription every month. This may seem like a reasonable price to pay to restrict addiction.
However, let's say there is a terrorist attack on the day my medication runs out. We know they happen in Boston. Let's say there is a blizzard the day when my medication runs out and public transport is out a few days. We know that happens in Boston. The guidance from the government about disasters recommends keeping 2-3 days of extra medicine in case an emergency prevents access to pharmacies for several days.
I am banned by law from keeping myself safe in the way my government recommends.
If you want to reduce harmful addiction on a societal level treat alcohol like opiates. Alcohol is the real killer.
6
There's no "enigma" about "shunning selfie culture" yet regularly opening one's estate to the public. Shunning our self-absorbed culture is about remaining humble. Opening up your estate to the public is about being generous. Good for Prince.
19
Another reason CBD should be FDA approved for pain management. People on pain pills long term are essentially heroin addicts. I know, I was once an oxycontin addict, then I became a heroin addict. They are the same thing, but u need less oxycontin to get high.
I've been clean for 4 years now, and I can tell u that CBD, which is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid derived from cannabis, helps me more than opiates did. It's sad so many people would rather take a physically addictive deadly drug instead of a cannabinoid that has never killed a single human being ever.
I am so sad for Prince, but it goes to show, opiate painkillers are seductive. They can even kill someone completely dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.
I've been clean for 4 years now, and I can tell u that CBD, which is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid derived from cannabis, helps me more than opiates did. It's sad so many people would rather take a physically addictive deadly drug instead of a cannabinoid that has never killed a single human being ever.
I am so sad for Prince, but it goes to show, opiate painkillers are seductive. They can even kill someone completely dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.
14
I don't know anything about CBD, but if it works and is safe, it should be approved. It bothers me that extremely addictive substances like oxycontin get prescribed so readily (especially when painkiller addiction is so common and ruins so many lives), but god forbid we allow anyone to use a non-addictive and effective substance because it's -gasp- derived from cannabis.
2
About 15 years ago I took oxycodone and sensed a feeling of euphoria.
Red alert back off. I think I did.
Red alert back off. I think I did.
When I had knee surgery in 2014 for a torn medial menicus and cartilage in bad shape, I was given a prescription for a pain reliever, a combination of acetaminophen and another stronger pain reliever. Because of the acetaminophen content, I was very careful with it and refused a renewal of the prescription. Too much acetaminophen can kill by damaging body organs. The instructions on an OTC box of acetaminophen make it clear how much you may take in 24 hours without inadvertently killing yourself. Prescription drugs containing acetaminophen do not have detailed cautions. We should wait for the autopsy results. We do not know what killed him yet.
11
Yes, acetaminophen can kill by causing irreversible liver damage and subsequently liver failure. It is also important not to stigmatize it as it is safer for long term use than other NSAIDs and causes very few side effects provided you don't exceed the threshold concentration in the blood. Anyway, acetaminophen doesn't kill so suddenly as it takes a few days for the liver failure to set in (with notable signs such as jaundice). It is far more likely the opiates depressed his respiratory centers in the brain, leading to respiratory arrest.
1
Yes, this is a very sad story. As someone who has worked in the field of co-occurring disorders (mental health and addiction), as well as one who has planned Interventions for those ready and non-ready to accept help, no one really understands the illusion of control and hence lack of control with addiction. Addiction is wild. It takes lives. Many physicians do not know how 'wild.' Many doctors keep feeding Big Pharma and hence patients with mood changers, sleep meds, pain meds, meds and meds. I once fired a physician and told her she was lucky I didn't report her to a Grievance Committee. After some surgery for the third time she gave me a script for Oxy. I told her I would love Oxy, but Oxy would not love me and that I never wanted to see her again.
We will miss Prince.
What a sad story, once again.
We will miss Prince.
What a sad story, once again.
5
If Prince had used cannabis to address his pain, he would like be alive today. FDA-approved, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies demonstrate cannabis is a safe, non-lethal and effective alternative to opiates. But marijuana has been so demonized that "no one who went on tour" with Prince could use it. Thank you, DEA.
14
Many of these comments say, or imply, that Prince should have just slowed down and not danced on stage. I suffered crippling hip pain for years before successful surgery. I'm here to tell you that when you can't do the things that, all your life, have affirmed your ability and value as a vital human being, you will consider the most drastic alternatives. I was never a performer or stage dancer. But I was athletic. Tennis and yoga were my exercise, my stress reducers, my social life, and more important, they pumped me full of those natural endorphins that make a person feel worthy and part of the human race. Not "high," but at peace and energized and full of good will toward all. When the pain got back, I cut back. I settled for chair exercise, from which I got little satisfaction and no endorphin push. Finally I stopped walking except when leaning on a walker or my husband. Finally I stopped gardening. It takes an extreme amount of emotional and physical strength to feel human when every move hurts -- let alone if you are facing the possibility of letting down your fans and not being yourself at all -- ever.
29
The more I know about Prince behind the scenes, though posthumous, the more I admire the man and his artistry.
15
My question is: if Prince's people reached out to this opiate addiction specialist in an URGENT fashion, then how come the doctor sent his son who was in fact NOT a doctor?
Doesn't make a difference either way about the doctor's actions, but obviously Prince should have been checked into treatment directly after that aborted plane flight.
Doesn't make a difference either way about the doctor's actions, but obviously Prince should have been checked into treatment directly after that aborted plane flight.
4
Speaking personally, I know it's a cliche but, while I always appreciated Prince, I'd no idea how much I liked him until he was gone... I think a lot of people are going through the same thing... I was watching the Indiana election coverage Tuesday on MSNBC and they had a graphic with a quote that began "Dearly beloved we are gathered here..." and I guess it was the start of a quote from some guy about the death of republicanism or the marriage of Trump and the republican party or something and of course I could only think of Prince (Let's Go Crazy) and the anchor Brian Williams says
"And of course in a quote that we all associate with Prince..." nothing about weddings or funerals etc. which was the normal association with that quote, and I thought, yes, the whole country is thinking about Prince.
He was a giant; he was a man, a woman, a child, a tremendous showman, musician, producer, a unique communicator beyond category and people are trying to come to terms with his sudden disappearance from the culture... I thought about Bowie, also a giant who assumed many forms but Bowie was more of a commenter; I think Prince's passions were more personal & hotter, he burned even brighter and his contributions are more recent.
The image you created in this article of Prince anonymously going door to door in the suburbs to talk about his religion was particularly touching...
Rest in Peace sweet Prince.
"And of course in a quote that we all associate with Prince..." nothing about weddings or funerals etc. which was the normal association with that quote, and I thought, yes, the whole country is thinking about Prince.
He was a giant; he was a man, a woman, a child, a tremendous showman, musician, producer, a unique communicator beyond category and people are trying to come to terms with his sudden disappearance from the culture... I thought about Bowie, also a giant who assumed many forms but Bowie was more of a commenter; I think Prince's passions were more personal & hotter, he burned even brighter and his contributions are more recent.
The image you created in this article of Prince anonymously going door to door in the suburbs to talk about his religion was particularly touching...
Rest in Peace sweet Prince.
27
Thank you for this. It expresses my thoughts exactly.
2
You have just put into words exactly what I have been feeling. God rest his soul.
2
The saddest aspect of this stoey is that a person so well and much loved by fans, family, and his community died in pain alone choosing to not reach out for help from so many who would have gladly shared and shouldered his pain. Maybe his choice was determined for him by both physical and emotional agony, but if only he took that chance to entrust his personal anguish into the care of loving friends, family, and colleagues. ..perhaps he might have bypassed his sad death.
There but for the concern of thers go we all. RIP.
There but for the concern of thers go we all. RIP.
7
I had both hips replaced a few years ago and was prescribed Norco. (My orthopedic surgeon refuses to prescribe Oxy). Since even Aleve makes me gain weight, I took the pills for less than two weeks (per hip) just to sleep at night. I was glad to get off them.
Much of that focus on getting away from the pills as soon as the pain was tolerable came from a generation that saw so many people in the sixties die of drug overdoses because they had no idea what the cumulative effects were of a drug and, in particular, it's interaction with alcohol or other drugs.
The FDA is as complicit in this problem as the American Medical Association and the state medical boards that do absolutely nothing to regulate the medical quacks and crooks who have no problem prescribing painkillers, yet no time to observe, follow-up or care about their patients. Further, most patients assume a doctor is not going to prescribe something that is dangerous and addictive without warning you, stopping the prescription, or intervening.
In France (and other countries with national health services), all other pain remedies are tried, including acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal therapies, physical therapy, heat/spa treatments, etc. Here in the US, the only medical remedy is a pill so the nation now has staggering rates of pill addictions.
Prince's death is a tremendous loss to anyone who loved music. But someone has to hold the medical profession and the doctor(s) responsible. Everyone's death matters.
Much of that focus on getting away from the pills as soon as the pain was tolerable came from a generation that saw so many people in the sixties die of drug overdoses because they had no idea what the cumulative effects were of a drug and, in particular, it's interaction with alcohol or other drugs.
The FDA is as complicit in this problem as the American Medical Association and the state medical boards that do absolutely nothing to regulate the medical quacks and crooks who have no problem prescribing painkillers, yet no time to observe, follow-up or care about their patients. Further, most patients assume a doctor is not going to prescribe something that is dangerous and addictive without warning you, stopping the prescription, or intervening.
In France (and other countries with national health services), all other pain remedies are tried, including acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal therapies, physical therapy, heat/spa treatments, etc. Here in the US, the only medical remedy is a pill so the nation now has staggering rates of pill addictions.
Prince's death is a tremendous loss to anyone who loved music. But someone has to hold the medical profession and the doctor(s) responsible. Everyone's death matters.
9
After reading all the details reported by local authorities, there is one thing that I can't let go of, not being mentioned by anyone on this forum. Why is it that when the timeline is brought up, "they" continue to say the last time Prince was seen alive was when he was dropped off at his home the night before he died around 8pm by "someone", only to be found in the elevator the next morning? I'm not yelling conspiracy, but this needs to be cleared up. Sounds too similar to the Bobbi Kristina case.
6
Sympathetic pains are always hard for non-fans. And there were plenty who regarded this entertainer as obsessively narcissistic. It says something about Prince, and a prescription addicted society, that with all the money, all the medical expertise, and all that clean living, death came early. Frankly, I think Prince was a lost soul. What killed him was ennui.
1
People who throw around the word "drug addict" as something shameful which diminishes a human being should examine their own lives. Who isn't a drug addict these days? Let's be clear: Prescription medicine are drugs, opiods are drugs, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, sugar, salt, and most every thing derived from plants are drugs. Only when these substances are overused, as with anything, do they become destructive. Only when they are declared illegal by self-serving legal authorities are the users of these substances stigmatized and prosecuted. Most every drug illegal now was once legal and was used as medicine. Only when these drugs get into the hands of poor people is there a rush to criminalize the drugs and the users. Up until the middle of the 20th century well-to-do- whites could walk into any drug store and buy cocaine.
So let's stop stigmatizing people who turn to any substance, legal or illegal to get through the day and deal with a world that cares only about money, fame, and celebrity, and who discard people like used paper bags when they no longer meet our twisted idea of success. Prince's biggest problem, as well as most celebrities who die from drug addiction, is a desire to please others through a God given gift they feel is all they have to offer.
Rest in peace Brother.
So let's stop stigmatizing people who turn to any substance, legal or illegal to get through the day and deal with a world that cares only about money, fame, and celebrity, and who discard people like used paper bags when they no longer meet our twisted idea of success. Prince's biggest problem, as well as most celebrities who die from drug addiction, is a desire to please others through a God given gift they feel is all they have to offer.
Rest in peace Brother.
10
Addiction is stigmatized as a behavioral defect to this day. It's so hard to overcome the inevitable responses one gets when others discover they are in recovery. I am very open about it. If people can't accept me as someone in recovery, I don't see a promising future in friendship, trust, or respect.
Prince performed and made music in a place all his own. He was that great. It had to be lonely there even though so many of us thought of him with enduring admiration. We have to reach people in the kind of danger he was in. In the past year I decided to devote the rest of my working days to addiction counseling. This is the kind of heart-wrenching story that reinforces again what a good decision this has been.
Prince performed and made music in a place all his own. He was that great. It had to be lonely there even though so many of us thought of him with enduring admiration. We have to reach people in the kind of danger he was in. In the past year I decided to devote the rest of my working days to addiction counseling. This is the kind of heart-wrenching story that reinforces again what a good decision this has been.
2
Yes it's pretty sad to have a life and think that you can make it out on your own when your sick. The biggest mistake was not staying in the Hospital for 24 hours to be diagnosed while he was in Illinois , his ego was in the way by staying in a room to himself just because he was Prince. He never considered the thought of staying alive at all costs whomever he was with to make that decision. It took intervention to wake him up and keep him on this earth. Unfortunately time was not on his side this time...six days later too late. Never take your health for granted. I hope people will learn from this in the future.
2
Prince was human after all.
What a sad ending to the life of a great artist.
What a sad ending to the life of a great artist.
1
This, and other articles like this, seem so premature. Why are news sources taking at face value comments of this doctor and son who never even treated him? What about the ethics of outing a patient? And did anybody notice the big facebook "explanation" he made of his addiction services - talk about free publicity.
There's been no official report from the actual investigators, who certainly have more resources and insight than this "expert" lobbing comments from the West Coast.
And I appreciate the people who are making a distinction between addition and people experience unending pain and trying to ameliorate that.
NY Times, this is a poor reflection on your reporting.
There's been no official report from the actual investigators, who certainly have more resources and insight than this "expert" lobbing comments from the West Coast.
And I appreciate the people who are making a distinction between addition and people experience unending pain and trying to ameliorate that.
NY Times, this is a poor reflection on your reporting.
11
Exactly!!! My family has firsthand experience with the good Dr Kornfeld, and the ordeal we went through with my family member getting away from him was horrific. He was a pill-pusher who on my family member's case continued to raise doses of multiple narcotics until she was nearly dead. He is licensed as an ER doctor, and got a certificate in addiction that takes a week to get. He has never done a real fellowship as a pain specialist These statements to the press about Prince having an addiction and how Howard Kornfeld was a day too late are all from Dr Kornfeld's attorney... Hmm. We don't believe anything he has to say, and the authorities aren't commenting on his story either. My family member is going to the authorities, not the press, with her bit of backstory about the dear Dr Kornfeld. We are confident others will do the same. Let the FBI, the DEA and other authorities do their investigation before the press jumps on a story that has an agenda to clear a party whose son happened to be at the scene of a person's death, and in fact was the one who made the 911 call.
9
i just hope somehow his spirit is experiencing all the love and admonishment so many people everywhere had and are sharing for him. To think of him passing all alone like it's described, is so sad. We don't know the whys but we do know this genius was committed to his fans until he physically could not go anymore. He lives forever.
2
Why is the NYT following this story? Has the NYT gone People Magazine? Of course, it has...
6
We give cell phones to young children and - lo! they become addicted
We give heroin strength pain killers to people to self administer - lo! they become addicted.
If you have a child/friend who is an addict you have to face their scorn and wrath to get them off it. Not so for a superstar it seems. The doctors become enablers.
Tragic. Loss to us all.
We give heroin strength pain killers to people to self administer - lo! they become addicted.
If you have a child/friend who is an addict you have to face their scorn and wrath to get them off it. Not so for a superstar it seems. The doctors become enablers.
Tragic. Loss to us all.
5
To all those speculating that he decline surgery due to his beliefs as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and bloodless surgery: there are numerous centers that cater to bloodless medicine that Prince, being wealthy, would've investigated and acceded to said treatment, at centers like such as Englewood Hospital, Houston Methodist, Johns Hopkins, Maimonides Medical Center, and Pennsylvania Hospital, where the world's first performed the first successful bloodless stem-cell transplant in 1996 (and remains one of the few physicians worldwide who perform this tricky procedure). The outcomes have been so good for these patients that there have been studies conducted that prove that less/no transfusions are better for patients; the techniques are being taught to armed forces personnel. Read it for yourself: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/06/blood-management-blood...
More likely: Prince was a prolific artist who worked himself to the bone for his craft and as such, didn't want to disappoint anyone and wanted to fulfill commitments, pushing himself to his limits. Unfortunately, he was human and thus erred. Plus: sudden cardiac events can happen to anyone regardless of health status.
So you can scrap the theory that he was a religious nut and thus he died. There are details you don't have to make such an assertion.
More likely: Prince was a prolific artist who worked himself to the bone for his craft and as such, didn't want to disappoint anyone and wanted to fulfill commitments, pushing himself to his limits. Unfortunately, he was human and thus erred. Plus: sudden cardiac events can happen to anyone regardless of health status.
So you can scrap the theory that he was a religious nut and thus he died. There are details you don't have to make such an assertion.
9
The problem with addiction to pain meds is that folks who become addicted can be, like Prince, folks who would never, ever consider even taking recreational drugs. I have a family member who is clearly hooked and because the entire family does not accept drug addiction to be a part of their "morally perfect" family, my relative cannot admit the problem to anyone and get help. He has all the signs and no one is helping him. I consider everyone who is not helping the man to be responsible for what is speeding to his eventual demise. He is a wonderful man who, because of agonizingly painful back injuries from an accident, got hooked as it seems Prince did. This is such a serious national problem!
4
This is very sad, and I'm not sure its any of our business. That the MD used his lawyer to bypass patient confidentiality is somewhat unsettling.
8
In agreement! Sounds like an attempt to spin the story before more facts come out, at least to my family. But then we know all about Dr Kornfeld from our own very personal journey to save someone... From him.
1
Those rights end with a person's death.
In none of these comments have I seen any concern for people in pain, either chronic or acute. Doctors have been telling me for the past year that I need surgery. But I know all too well what post-operative pain is like, and how long it endures. I refuse to have surgery (major abdominal surgery) knowing the certain agony to follow with only five days of medication. I'll continue to take my chances.
Yes, Prince's death is tragic. But what about the tragedy of years of unmitigated pain? What should the man have done: suffered with debility and loss of his career? At least he had earned substantial money to fall back on. What about those who can no longer work and don't have assets to support them?
Yes, Prince's death is tragic. But what about the tragedy of years of unmitigated pain? What should the man have done: suffered with debility and loss of his career? At least he had earned substantial money to fall back on. What about those who can no longer work and don't have assets to support them?
3
howard hughes lived for about 15 years in blacked out hotel penthouses in some of th most beautiful places in th world
he lived those years in a codeine and valium produced world of his own , eating only canned food from sterilized plastic forks
when he died, he weighed he weighed 90 pounds ( at a height of over 6 feet)
and th coroner found broken hypodermic needles in his limbs
during those years he was th richest man in th world
not all th money nor th women nor th planes he had at his command, nor any of his previous accomplishments, meant anything to him
he lived those years in a codeine and valium produced world of his own , eating only canned food from sterilized plastic forks
when he died, he weighed he weighed 90 pounds ( at a height of over 6 feet)
and th coroner found broken hypodermic needles in his limbs
during those years he was th richest man in th world
not all th money nor th women nor th planes he had at his command, nor any of his previous accomplishments, meant anything to him
3
My brother was in a very bad car accident a few years ago, He had a ruptured spleen and many broken bones as well as a collapsed lung. He was put on painkillers. His doctors didn't tell him that he would become addicted. Fortunately I had seen the same thing with my mother. She'd broken a shoulder. Whenever I suggested that she cut back she would say that she was still in pain. And of course she was. That's how painkillers hook you. After you start recovering physically they cause the pain and the cycle continues. Fortunately my mother was able to throw them awway one day.
I told my brother this story and as soon as his as he could (not very long) he started cutting back and then quit. He said it was like knives cutting his skin whenever a breeze blew. Because he knew that this was an effect of the addiction he was able to stick it out and quit.
Doctors need to tell people that they will become addicted and be ready with a plan for them to stop. This could save thousands of lives.
I told my brother this story and as soon as his as he could (not very long) he started cutting back and then quit. He said it was like knives cutting his skin whenever a breeze blew. Because he knew that this was an effect of the addiction he was able to stick it out and quit.
Doctors need to tell people that they will become addicted and be ready with a plan for them to stop. This could save thousands of lives.
5
It's awfully hard to be tough on yourself for behavior that you have previously been rigidly tough on others. The "no drugs" and more importantly, "no deviations or weaknesses allowed" mindset clearly took some time to catch up with him. It's also possible he did not really deal with the hip pain he had after surgery. A well done hip replacement is not supposed to hurt afterwards - tat is the whole point after all.
However, a replacement hip is OK for getting around, it's by no means as flexible or "agile and athletic" as the real thing. If Prince started to do the same old thing - leaps and bounds, lots of dancing, and did not lay off the high heels, his new "after surgery" relationship with hip hardware may not have lasted long.
Even the touring right up until the end, with more bookings to come, seems to indicate that he was unwilling to see that touring was nowhere near a top priority anymore... staying alive and getting well was. The tragedy of it all is that he lived through/survived the ultimate wake-up call - the plane incident, when he came within a hairs breadth of death....
So sad that he could not see it, and could not get help, or let the help in, before it was too late.
However, a replacement hip is OK for getting around, it's by no means as flexible or "agile and athletic" as the real thing. If Prince started to do the same old thing - leaps and bounds, lots of dancing, and did not lay off the high heels, his new "after surgery" relationship with hip hardware may not have lasted long.
Even the touring right up until the end, with more bookings to come, seems to indicate that he was unwilling to see that touring was nowhere near a top priority anymore... staying alive and getting well was. The tragedy of it all is that he lived through/survived the ultimate wake-up call - the plane incident, when he came within a hairs breadth of death....
So sad that he could not see it, and could not get help, or let the help in, before it was too late.
2
Was Prince addicted to pain pills after a surgery, or was he addicted to his image....doing splits on damaged hips for godssake...and to what we, his audience, expected of him, or at least what he thought we did. Life is very hard for the gifted and famous rock musician. And many of the best...I'm thinking of Michael Jackson and Janis Joplin and Miles Davis and Jim Morrison to name a few succumb to the problems involved in getting what they wanted and richly deserved-- us.
3
Every so often The Times publishes by an op-ed by a so-called expert seeking to discredit the taking of supplements. And yet it's stories like this that illustrate why Americans continue to look for natural approaches to pain reduction and inflammation, instead of relying on "science-based" prescription medicines, like these opiates.
Products like serrapeptyse and boswellia are not going to instantly reduce inflammation in the body (and with it, the amount pain an individual experiences). But they're also not going to lead an often lethal addiction.
The medical and pharmaceutical professions need to get off their high horse, and recognize that they are not addressing the legitimate needs of Americans for pain relief that is unlikely to either psychologically maim or kill us.
Products like serrapeptyse and boswellia are not going to instantly reduce inflammation in the body (and with it, the amount pain an individual experiences). But they're also not going to lead an often lethal addiction.
The medical and pharmaceutical professions need to get off their high horse, and recognize that they are not addressing the legitimate needs of Americans for pain relief that is unlikely to either psychologically maim or kill us.
8
He was a drug addict and now he's dead. Take your memories but remember most of all that the person in torment has no one to turn to. We all need to work harder if we love drug addicts but ultimately it's on them.
6
Re this quote: "Mr. Freed, the blogger, said he could hardly believe reports of the painkiller dependency."
The thing about prescription opioid use is that it is dependency forming. Whether dependency turns into a psychological addiction is another matter. It seems to me that some of the people who knew Prince are making an assumption that his values shielded him from developing a dependency on or addiction to prescription opioids. Whether or not Prince's prescription opioid use was involved in his death, I hope people will keep in mind that dependency is not simply a matter of choice. Prince very well could have insisted on pure living and still become dependent on or even psychologically addicted to prescription opioids. I'm raising this point only because I feel it is important to keep in mind the neurobiological underpinnings of dependency and addiction and get away from seeing drug use as a moral failing.
The thing about prescription opioid use is that it is dependency forming. Whether dependency turns into a psychological addiction is another matter. It seems to me that some of the people who knew Prince are making an assumption that his values shielded him from developing a dependency on or addiction to prescription opioids. Whether or not Prince's prescription opioid use was involved in his death, I hope people will keep in mind that dependency is not simply a matter of choice. Prince very well could have insisted on pure living and still become dependent on or even psychologically addicted to prescription opioids. I'm raising this point only because I feel it is important to keep in mind the neurobiological underpinnings of dependency and addiction and get away from seeing drug use as a moral failing.
23
Therein lies the problem, as JW's view ALL addictions as manifestations of a weak will, as a sin that can be overcome by prayer to Jehovah.
They IGNORE science when it conflicts with their religious beliefs.
BTW, it's not unusual for Prince to adopt a "no substance abuse" policy when on tour: the last thing an addict and user needs is to have temptation of ready availability.
They IGNORE science when it conflicts with their religious beliefs.
BTW, it's not unusual for Prince to adopt a "no substance abuse" policy when on tour: the last thing an addict and user needs is to have temptation of ready availability.
I ADORED Prince. I hung on his every lyrical word for decades and identified with all of it. But I can't follow any more of this coverage with the huge tabloid photos of him looking out into an audience, it's too much. Enough
3
"If you see something say something". It's a common enough phrase, but shame and fear stop us from the saying, and eventually from the seeing as well. It is sad that Prince's high moral standards may have caused him enough shame not to reach out to share his pain and worries.
When there is so much pressure on any of us to perform in a given way, we tend to have our darker sides explode, or implode in some way.
On a human level, this makes me sad, and particularly sad that help was literally on the way.
When there is so much pressure on any of us to perform in a given way, we tend to have our darker sides explode, or implode in some way.
On a human level, this makes me sad, and particularly sad that help was literally on the way.
6
Prince's death was tragic, as are the deaths of countless others from drug or alcohol abuse.
His private jet made an emergency landing due to an "unresponsive" man a couple weeks prior to his death. This should have been a wake-up call to Prince and his friends. He seemed to shrug it off. Unfortunately, whether due to his privacy, or lack of confidantes, he didn't get the medical attention he desperately needed until it was too late.
His private jet made an emergency landing due to an "unresponsive" man a couple weeks prior to his death. This should have been a wake-up call to Prince and his friends. He seemed to shrug it off. Unfortunately, whether due to his privacy, or lack of confidantes, he didn't get the medical attention he desperately needed until it was too late.
4
over 15, 000 people die from od on opiates yearly
none from pot
none from pot
2
This whole "addiction" story sounds fishy, or reaching at best. They simply don't know yet. It makes a good time for another could-be "prescription monster strikes again" story though - as "DEA joins investigation".
4
This is not about pain pills and the evils of medicinal treatment of pain. This is about addiction. Period. Prince had a long history involving drug abuse. Cocaine was his drug of choice, years ago. As a longstanding drug addict, he was at huge risk of developing a new addiction to pain pills, which are commonly used with severe orthopedic pain. And he had the financial resources to obtain those pills from multiple doctors in multiple states and from multiple pharmacies. (Not to mention from illicit sources.) So he could not be monitored by his physicians, especially when he had an excuse to get his prescriptions filled under multiple aliases.....because of his celebrity. So there was no way to monitor is usage or to control it. He had a terrible, terrible disease that ultimately killed him. It still would have killed him if he was using heroin through a needle, or using other non-pharmaceutical drugs. Until our society begins to acknowledge and really support good treatment for this disease, it will go on killing people. Not just celebrities and musicians. People of all walks of life will go on dying until we change our attitudes and begin to confront this disease as we do other chronic diseases.
5
I don't understand if this is a HIPPA violation from the pain doctor.
5
No properly qualified pain-medicine specialist would prescribe opiates for chronic pain conditions. That's the biggest no-no in the book.
1
HIPAA
Health Information and Portability Accountability Act
Health Information and Portability Accountability Act
HIPPA doesn't apply to people who are dead.
2
It is heartbreaking that Prince took care of others however, didn't slow down and take a break to take care of himself. He may have underestimated the severity of his addiction and didn't realize that it would kill him. His philanthropic work, done in anonymity, and his constant promoting and support to younger aspiring artists are admirable. As Stevie Wonder said, he was truly a member of Army of Love, spreading happiness to millions of people. It is painful knowing that being a perfectionist artist, and a consummate professional giving it his all at every show took such a heavy toll on his body and ultimately lead to his demise. He was a national treasure who had so much more to give and contribute to the world.
13
Will Prince's death be the turning point preventing over-prescribing pain pills?
Answer: No
Will Prince's death teach doctors to stop taking the aggressive, opioid pain pill approach and move to a more conservative pain management regimen?
Answer: No
Will Prince's death stop hospitals from asking patients to identify their pain level and then immediately prescribe pain medication based on nothing more than a 10 point patient driven scale?
Answer: No
Will Prince's death stop the FDA from approving more and more highly addictive pain medications that are being abused when they has the ability to compel big Pharma to include a compound that renders crushed pills useless?
Answer: No
If the above answers are NO then what will it take to keep this issue on the front page and not swept under the coffin of all those who suffer and die each day because of opioid addiction?
Answer: ?
Answer: No
Will Prince's death teach doctors to stop taking the aggressive, opioid pain pill approach and move to a more conservative pain management regimen?
Answer: No
Will Prince's death stop hospitals from asking patients to identify their pain level and then immediately prescribe pain medication based on nothing more than a 10 point patient driven scale?
Answer: No
Will Prince's death stop the FDA from approving more and more highly addictive pain medications that are being abused when they has the ability to compel big Pharma to include a compound that renders crushed pills useless?
Answer: No
If the above answers are NO then what will it take to keep this issue on the front page and not swept under the coffin of all those who suffer and die each day because of opioid addiction?
Answer: ?
4
I have a disease that causes chronic constant pain. I lived in Chicago when the disease got to the point where I needed pain medication to function.
Doctors there were so conservative in their approach to pain medication that I almost killed myself in despair after seeing doctor after doctor who told me if I needed pain medication, I had to go to the emergency room, and going to the emergency room every three days for pain medication and being told if I need pain medication all the time I should be getting it from a physician who treated me regularly.
I live in Boston now. I have had several doctors over several years. Nearly all of them told me that if I hadn't come to them with a history of being treated with pain medication they would refuse to prescribe them for me.
Massachusetts has had a serious problem with abuse of opiods. However, most of these drugs were obtained by people going to prescription mills in other states, especially Florida, and coming back with thousands of pills to sell illegally.
It is a myth that doctors in general are eager to prescribe pain medication whenever they're asked. Many say they never do this, and tell patients to go elsewhere, especially to the ER. Many would prefer that a genuine patient have their marriage and career destroyed by the stress and absence from work that finding a doctor who will take your medical condition seriously than write a prescription for a pain medication.
Find the doctors who overprescribe, they are few.
Doctors there were so conservative in their approach to pain medication that I almost killed myself in despair after seeing doctor after doctor who told me if I needed pain medication, I had to go to the emergency room, and going to the emergency room every three days for pain medication and being told if I need pain medication all the time I should be getting it from a physician who treated me regularly.
I live in Boston now. I have had several doctors over several years. Nearly all of them told me that if I hadn't come to them with a history of being treated with pain medication they would refuse to prescribe them for me.
Massachusetts has had a serious problem with abuse of opiods. However, most of these drugs were obtained by people going to prescription mills in other states, especially Florida, and coming back with thousands of pills to sell illegally.
It is a myth that doctors in general are eager to prescribe pain medication whenever they're asked. Many say they never do this, and tell patients to go elsewhere, especially to the ER. Many would prefer that a genuine patient have their marriage and career destroyed by the stress and absence from work that finding a doctor who will take your medical condition seriously than write a prescription for a pain medication.
Find the doctors who overprescribe, they are few.
2
Art: Boy, are you behind the times. The pendulum has swung. Soon even cancer patients won't get pain medication.
Of all the information provided on these pages and elsewhere, I am not convinced, even a little bit, that the death of this entertainer was caused by so-called painkillers. More searching and informed opinion is needed before arriving at such a far-reaching conclusion. Blaming pills of any kind for mistakes made by the takers of them is not the answer - just a guess.
5
Hazelden-Betty Ford is in Minnesota. Why wouldn't he have gone there? It saved someone close to me.
4
He wanted Privacy. Going to a clinic in his hometown whould be all over the news. Also, Kornfield is renowned and a bit less orthodox than Hazelden.
2
Too late??? You make it sound like if they'd just got there a few hours earlier he'd have been saved. They were years too late, his body was wrecked. Not enough eating or sleeping properly for a long time & addicted to drugs on top of that. Prescription or not, all the same, meds are still drugs. Plus if that wasn't enough he'd lived with HIV since the 90s & when he was told he now had AIDS he refused treatment. Theres no mystery here as to why he died, he just didn't take care of himself & ignored the advice of Doctors. I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did, maybe he thought he was invincible but middle age comes to us all. You don't make some effort to look after your body & your health, you'll likely pass before your time.
4
Who said he was HIV positive? I never heard that. Unless you know that to be a fact, your statement is terribly irresponsible.
4
He probably died of a heart attack like thousands of other men near his age die every day in America.
5
No he didn't or they would have seen it during the autopsy.
2
First it hurt to know Prince died alone, crumpled in an elevator. Now it hurts more to know he was alone and possibly ashamed inside an addiction. Secrets are awful burdens to carry. I wish him peace in his eternal rest.
21
As an active tennis player who is middle aged and has to contend with back and hip pain, I totally understand the frustrations Prince must have gone through. When I see my opponent, ten to twenty years younger than me, covering the court like a rabbit, I too get tempted to consume something that will mask my pain for the duration of the game. But alas, reality is not that simple! First, masking the pain only makes the problems worse; secondly, the side effects take their toll on the body and cause stomach and liver problems; and thirdly, pain killers gradually lose their effectiveness, prompting the user to use larger and larger doses to achieve the same effect. It is a destructive spiral, even with non-addictive pain killers; I have been there. I can only imagine what a nightmare it will be if one throws addiction into the mix. The best approach, in my case, was to make compensatory adjustments such as stretching a lot more, substitute guile for power in tennis, and accept defeat gracefully! Prince should simply have morphed his style into something where he didn't have to perform explosive moves on stage, start using more comfortable footwear, and so on. But hindsight is 20-20...
5
Why is the lawyer for a medical director of an addictions program commenting publicly that a representative was sent to evaluate and provide a service to Prince?
14
Because the media wants to drag Prince's name through the gutter like they did Whitney Houston.
7
? You think HIPPA laws pertain, after death of patient?
Exactly - and then "information" pops up on FB and all over the internet on the "services" this doc provides. NY Times totally drops the ball.
2
>>He was known to eschew alcohol and marijuana
Perhaps it time to eschew "pain killers" and the Dr's (and pharma companies) who have USA legally addicted and STOP eschewing marijuana.
Perhaps it time to eschew "pain killers" and the Dr's (and pharma companies) who have USA legally addicted and STOP eschewing marijuana.
7
He didn't eschew cocaine for many years. Did that count? An addict is an addict is an addict. The doctors had no way to control someone with the resources to obtain opiates from multiple doctors from multiples states, with prescriptions under multiple alias names because of his "celebrity". He had a bad disease that kills lots of people. Poor people may die using heroin instead of pain pills. All their lives should matter. Until we confront this disease and provide the support and research and treatment that it deserves, we will continue to loose people.
Considering Prince's history with epilepsy, I've been wondering if he was having seizures as he tried to wean himself off the pain pills. Perhaps that was the cause of his tragic death. The toxicology tests could shed light on this possibility.
5
Why didn't he just give up the high heels? :( Maybe then we'd still have Prince. A little smaller, but still larger than life.
2
He had given up the heels in the past few years. You obviously didn't follow Prince or you would know that.
1
There is a BIG difference between abuse for recreational purposes and medical mismanagement leading to overdose. There are many deaths across the U.S. due to opiods - see the Case etal study described in the NYT a few months ago. Middle aged whites have a rising mortality rate due to these drugs. It's time to change the way injuries such as hip pain are managed. Prince is a victim of medical malpractice.
5
"Prince is a victim of medical malpractice."
Probably not, because the treatment he received is standard medical practice for pain. It's called "pain management." Medical science can only treat the symptoms (pain) but cannot identify the root cause nor cure it, so addiction to pain medication is very common. The most likely situation that would qualify as medical malpractice would be a physician who treats pain in some unconventional way, such as by prescribing marijuana. As long as pain doctors prescribe a lawful amount of conventional, pharmaceutical pain medication, they are usually safe from malpractice lawsuits. The article indicates that Prince began taking prescribed pain medication years ago and subsequently had hip surgery, but, apparently the surgery didn't stop the pain, so he continued taking pain pills.
Probably not, because the treatment he received is standard medical practice for pain. It's called "pain management." Medical science can only treat the symptoms (pain) but cannot identify the root cause nor cure it, so addiction to pain medication is very common. The most likely situation that would qualify as medical malpractice would be a physician who treats pain in some unconventional way, such as by prescribing marijuana. As long as pain doctors prescribe a lawful amount of conventional, pharmaceutical pain medication, they are usually safe from malpractice lawsuits. The article indicates that Prince began taking prescribed pain medication years ago and subsequently had hip surgery, but, apparently the surgery didn't stop the pain, so he continued taking pain pills.
2
I think we should wait for the autopsy.
14
You mean Toxicology report- what foreign chemical substances were in his body when he died? Usually takes a month or so for those test results (why so long?!!)
Autopsy results have been out for a while- inconclusive
Autopsy results have been out for a while- inconclusive
On one hand doctors continue to prescribe percocet, vicodan and other narcotics for pain. Then they treat the patient as an "addict" and will either abruptly stop or make it difficult, even if the patient is in serious ongoing pain. Everyone knows that the body develops a resistance to opiates and needs higher doses to treat ongoing chronic pain. Withholding is cruel and inhumane, and driving people to street drugs like heroin. Doctors and insurance companies don't seem to care or have any desire to learn how to deal with this and how to safely treat chronic pain. They want to prescribe, prescribe, prescribe. Then once they decide the patient is addicted, they withhold. This is probably why Prince had 4 doctors. In fact, none of them probably ever had a conversation with Prince about how the acetaminophen in percocet (Tylenol), which could have easily destroyed his liver. If Prince had been taking Percocet for years as the press claims, he might have seriously damaged his liver. Should the tests come back that Prince actually died from acute liver failure, each of these doctors should be held accountable.
Hopefully this tragedy will start a meaningful national conversation on narcotics, the evils of the drug companies, and how many of the heroin-addicted across the US started out on pain medication just like Prince. And hopefully this will push this issue to the top of the national agenda.
Hopefully this tragedy will start a meaningful national conversation on narcotics, the evils of the drug companies, and how many of the heroin-addicted across the US started out on pain medication just like Prince. And hopefully this will push this issue to the top of the national agenda.
4
If only the drug companies saw fit to address chronic pain with the same fervor they addressed erectile dysfunction. Prince was trying to alleviate physical pain- even he, with all the financial resources in the world, couldn't find a solution to that misery. A terrible senseless loss.
11
I dont know which drive-thru lines are longer these days- CVS or McDonalds
2
Well now I've heard everything. This is all so shocking. I thought I was numb to these rock star drug tales. The Purple Rain tour was my first concert. The ticket read "wear something purple". The next morning, my friend's mom convinced us that Prince was staying at the hotel she worked at in downtown New Orleans. She was totally playing us. But we got up early and raced to the Marriott and hung out in the lobby all morning, giggly teenagers, thinking we had some information from an inside source. We staked out, keeping our eyes out in case he emerged. He never did.
We didn't think too critically about why Prince and The Revolution would linger in a hotel the day after a performance. My friend's mom just wanted some company, she fed us brunch. She certainly got a kick out of how excited we were at the prospect of spotting The Purple One.
Whether you're 13 or 44, when your favorite artist is involved, you're desperate to believe whatever makes you feel good about them.
We didn't think too critically about why Prince and The Revolution would linger in a hotel the day after a performance. My friend's mom just wanted some company, she fed us brunch. She certainly got a kick out of how excited we were at the prospect of spotting The Purple One.
Whether you're 13 or 44, when your favorite artist is involved, you're desperate to believe whatever makes you feel good about them.
4
Tragic indeed, but let's not act like this hasn't happened many many times before. Some people feel that part of the genesis of fantastic art and horizon-busting ingenuity is and always has been pain. Whether it's physical or emotional/psychological pain is irrelevant. The fact that a former tour manager said he would forge on through pain to deliver his shows is not the least bit surprising.
Now, here comes the DEA, charging directly into an "investigation" of celebrity's death that has been characterized as solitary and non-violent. I mean, yes, that's the solution to problem: launch an "investigation" headed by the most corrupt law enforcement agency in the country that has single-handedly mushroomed the "war on drugs" into the key driver of the Prison Industrial Complex. The DEA has already terrified physicians all over the country, now let's turn them loose on the celebrity crowd.
For sure, we need to better come to grips with pain kill abuse in this country. That said, it is a ~social~ problem and not a legal one. The DEA needs to be collared and completely left out of matters such as this.
Now, here comes the DEA, charging directly into an "investigation" of celebrity's death that has been characterized as solitary and non-violent. I mean, yes, that's the solution to problem: launch an "investigation" headed by the most corrupt law enforcement agency in the country that has single-handedly mushroomed the "war on drugs" into the key driver of the Prison Industrial Complex. The DEA has already terrified physicians all over the country, now let's turn them loose on the celebrity crowd.
For sure, we need to better come to grips with pain kill abuse in this country. That said, it is a ~social~ problem and not a legal one. The DEA needs to be collared and completely left out of matters such as this.
9
Marijuana could have saved his life from the pain pills - it did mine. It's a shame
6
Yet another good, innocent, honorable person who appears to have become dependent on a drug with no intention of doing so. Almost certainly, recognizing the problem and getting help were hugely hampered by society's denigration of any drug-dependent person.
No "addict" intends to become one. This is true regardless of how and when drug use begins. Whether started because of pleasant or exciting emotional effects, or because of pain or depression (yes, most anti-depressants cause serious dependency), NO ONE wants to become dependent. The process is almost always subconscious, and once dependence exists, free choice does not.
Perhaps this sad event will help more people see the repercussions of classifying addicts as "abusers".
No "addict" intends to become one. This is true regardless of how and when drug use begins. Whether started because of pleasant or exciting emotional effects, or because of pain or depression (yes, most anti-depressants cause serious dependency), NO ONE wants to become dependent. The process is almost always subconscious, and once dependence exists, free choice does not.
Perhaps this sad event will help more people see the repercussions of classifying addicts as "abusers".
8
I think God smiles upon Prince's life. God gave Prince immense talent and he used every ounce of that talent and gave it to the public. He did more with his 57 years than some people do in 2 or 3 lifetimes put together. He also tried his best to live well - eating well, drinking responsibly, etc - and unfortunately some pain killers may have got him. Nobody is perfect, but God. I'm sure Prince understood this. Prince didn't intend to over-use pain killers. His intention was to nullify his pain enough so he could keep giving his immense gifts to the public. We all have weak moments; things we're not so proud of. I have great respect for anyone who gives - as Prince did - in such a selfless way. May his soul rest in peace.
18
My heart breaks for this senseless loss. I, myself, was a severe bulimic growing up at a time where eating disorders were nowhere in the addiction conversation. My illness led to a brain hemmorage before my 30th birthday. Lucky for me - finally - there was awareness of bulimia/anorexia and finally, too, I didn't feel such abject shame and was able to get the help I needed to recover. I, like so many in my generation (I was born in 1961) have been in love with Prince since the very first and probably always will be. So sorry for all who have lost this amazing spirit of funk, rock, soul and genius. @johannaclear
7
I don't intend to be critical of those folks
that don't understand the difference between
physiological dependence and addiction.
Given that Prince was known for his humanity,
character and clean lifestyle, seems that the "angry's"
are in need of education and some empathy.
Pain is subjective, therefore we all perceive pain differently.
(Not opinion, medical fact.)
After hip surgery and the rigors of performing in such a
physical manner, the physical and emotional toll is great.
An extraordinary talent that deserves empathy, not
judgement.
that don't understand the difference between
physiological dependence and addiction.
Given that Prince was known for his humanity,
character and clean lifestyle, seems that the "angry's"
are in need of education and some empathy.
Pain is subjective, therefore we all perceive pain differently.
(Not opinion, medical fact.)
After hip surgery and the rigors of performing in such a
physical manner, the physical and emotional toll is great.
An extraordinary talent that deserves empathy, not
judgement.
18
Has it been determined that he died of a drug overdose? We need to be careful in our anti-drug zeal: when we assume that people who die and who are using pain medication, must have died from overuse of that pain medication, we run the risk of overlooking other conditions, that may indeed have been the actual cause of death (suicide is vastly underreported). For example, Jerry Garcia checked into rehab, because his big problem was his heroin addiction...but he and everyone else ignored his diabetes-- and the heart attack (which had nothing to do with the narcotics) was a big surprise. It shouldn't have been, if could have seen him as a whole person, instead of a heroin addict.
10
A story I saw coming, but am not happy to see. This story will probably lay the blame on physicians for Prince's addiction. But I think the drug companies have to accept some responsibility for the manufacture of highly addictive products. And how about the pharmacists who fill the prescriptions. When do they speak up. Patients also need to accept responsibility for their actions and the consequences of drug abuse. I'm pretty sure Prince knew he had a problem, but chose to hide it until it was too late.
2
Over the course of three brain surgeries, a major back surgery and cancer treatment, I've been prescribed a lot of pain medicine and taken as little of it as I could in order to just get by. Having experienced all the horrible side-effects from those pain medications, which I sometimes found worse than anything directly related to the disease or injury; what I can't understand is how anyone would willingly continue to want to take them unless they absolutely had to, not simply because maybe they liked the way it made them feel. If it would have been impossible for him perform without them, with all his money why didn't he just quit? Or is fame and public recognition more addictive than any drug and that's the problem, not the drug.
2
Good point. I thought the same thing. He could have acknowledged his pain issues and kept performing his music - at the piano.
1
The full circumstances of Prince's death are still unknown and the investigation is ongoing. So, in order for the NYTimes to scoop every other media outlet out there, you base yet another article on hearsay, circumstantial evidence, conjecture and the like. I guess by the time the coroner's full report is released we'll know all we need to know.
7
Prescription drugs kill more people in the USA than heroin & cocaine, combined! Think about this for a minute. All doctors, must be held accountable!
1
An NO ONE dies from weed, unless the die in jail.
4
and more people die from alcohol than any other substance that anyone puts into their bodies.
but who do we hold accountable for that?
but who do we hold accountable for that?
2
A life of 'jumping onstage in platform heels.' If only he'd been born taller.
2
A terrible shame, a genius, a brilliant light extinguished. Too young… very sad…
6
This is turning into an epidemic. Perhaps it's time for a class action suit against pharmaceutical companies and doctors that push these drugs.
3
The "revelation" that he was a Jehovah's Witness was more of a shocker to me than the fact he was taking pain meds.
3
Until the toxicology reports come in, this is all a rehash of what has been presented elsewhere (and is mostly speculation since it's all he-says/she-says). Yes, he could have overdosed, but considering his other habits and his age, he could have had a heart attack. He could have had an aneurysm. He could have died of anything. Hearsay is not evidence, even when it's a doctor making statements.
10
Prince wanted to go back to God. He did a super finale and started writing his memoir. He knew it was close to time to leave.
1
I've never understood why people automatically assume that "vegan" equates with clean living and a healthy lifestyle. I've known many vegans throughout my life and several of them had eating disorders and various body image issues. I used to work with a woman who was a strict vegan but she was also a a closet bulimic who existed mainly on junk food and sweets. She'd cut off your arm if you put a piece of chicken in front of her but she'd consume Reese's peanut butter cups like they were going out of style. It just seemed like a very unhealthy and unnatural lifestyle to me with too much emphasis on food and what she was putting into her body. Not all of them were like that, of course, but I have noticed that a large percentage of strict vegans suffer from an underlying eating disorder of some kind. I read an old Rolling Stone interview with Prince where he mentions that he "forgets to drink water" and "has to be reminded to eat". Didn't sound like a very healthy lifestyle to me
6
People assume that thin people are healthy.
1
I have a colleague who is a general surgeon; he went on a missionary trip to Nicaragua and did elective surgeries on patients for about a week- hernia repairs, gall bladder procedures, colostomy reversals,etc. He told me that only one patient-one- out of all these cases needed or wanted a prescription for an opiate of any kind, let alone Percocet. We as a culture have become so soft that pain relief is demanded without a commensurate responsibility to plan for the denouement, the inevitable need to ratchet down to some regimen that is consistent with day to day living. This is a subject unto itself. But, the pharmaceutical and hospital industries that support this mammoth overuse of opiates don't care.
4
If he was against surgery due to being a Jehova's witness and he had severe hit pain, the doctors could do nothing other than give him a narcotic such as oxydocone or hydrocodone and both are very addictive and eventually do not stop the pain. His religious beliefs are what killed him -- he was not a drug addict. He took prescribed medication for his pain and refused to have the surgery recommended by doctors that may have cured him. We must remember him as a man with faith and talent....he is certainly not a drug addict. I have hip pain and I have tramadol but my doctor told me it is addictive for people with anxiety problems and I should not use it unless the pain is very severe and I take no more than 100 mg. If I take 100 mg it does not stop the pain so I do not take it and I bought lots of cold packs because ice helps a lot with pain caused by inflammation. I am not a drug addict and neither was Prince. If I were in severe pain, perhaps I would have taken the oxy that the doctor gave me....because I would not know better. I suspect Prince knew that the doctors advised against not having real hip surgery because the religious blood issue. Drugs did not kill this man -- religion did.
4
The whole concept of "Prince's Addiction" rather than a pain relieving "Dependency", whether self administered or through a yet to be identified physician makes this article fairly meaningless as to the actual cause of death. It's very popular now to blame opioids for all overdoses. As a practicing Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counselor for the past 35 years I've followed much of the current news on this topic. It unfortunately has been over-sensationalized as a one size fits all rationale to find a simplistic answer.
The article has some clues, but not anywhere near to a comprehensive cause of death. Certainly any substance that is misused in ingested quanties, mixed in combination, serious liver disfunctions due to intolerance of the acetaminophen usually found in all opioids, and other health conditions are all required to be investigated.
It ill serves the public to beat the same drum of opioids are all bad, when in fact the substance unadulterated has the fewest number of negative side effects on the internal functioning of the human body: the acetaminophen has a greater negative impact on the liver than the opioid ingredient. Finally, if Prince had been previously treated with a Narcon injection why in the world would the California MD not have contacted the primary care physician for Prince to have Narcon or the overdose kit containing Naloxone. The staff at Prince's compound should have been contacted to administer this life saving medicine.
The article has some clues, but not anywhere near to a comprehensive cause of death. Certainly any substance that is misused in ingested quanties, mixed in combination, serious liver disfunctions due to intolerance of the acetaminophen usually found in all opioids, and other health conditions are all required to be investigated.
It ill serves the public to beat the same drum of opioids are all bad, when in fact the substance unadulterated has the fewest number of negative side effects on the internal functioning of the human body: the acetaminophen has a greater negative impact on the liver than the opioid ingredient. Finally, if Prince had been previously treated with a Narcon injection why in the world would the California MD not have contacted the primary care physician for Prince to have Narcon or the overdose kit containing Naloxone. The staff at Prince's compound should have been contacted to administer this life saving medicine.
2
We really do not know the full chronology here. If Narcan were used at the ER after the emergency landing of his plane, and he apparently refused or was not advised to stay in the hospital longer, why didn't the entourage have some Narcan on hand afterward? The CA MD, if you can believe this and other stories, had already contacted a Minneapolis MD. So it was not as if he appears not to have been trying. There are missing pieces of information here but I am not ready to blame the CA MD for a situation that may have been spiraling out of control well before he was consulted.
2
Maureen B says it correctly. So many of these comments are uninformed or flat out wrong and only help to deprive those of us who use chronic pain medication responsibly and long term and are finding it difficult or impossible to get care in this climate. If you're not an addict (the vast majority aren't) you don't need escalating doses and merely have to learn the limitations of whatever disease you suffer from often requiring a change in lifestyle. They're NOT going to reinstate lost function in high physical stress professions (like Prince was trying to do) and I'm frankly tired of drug addicts and others getting media attention like Prince again destroying care for the vast majority of us. How about some responsibility in reporting? Addictionologists already have an outsized voice in people's care who didn't ask for them and their record of helping addicts isn't so great anyway - like with Prince. Someone 57 years old trying to maintain 20 year old moves using pain medication is a really stupid idea.
12
As a Sustance abuse, mental health pyscotherapist for 35 years I certainly emphasize with your condition as described by your comment. Nearly all people will eventually need to use a pain medication such as opioids. Some will require regular pain management for extended periods of time. The percentages of those who end up in emergency room care or dead is very small. Pain management patients have no need to feel stigmatized by anyone. As with most bandwagon movements this too shall pass.
6
Pharmaceutical industry is complicit in these deaths.
High margin, high profit pills that are over-prescribed.
Then, society vilifies the victims that become addicted, calling them "abusers" of drugs.
High margin, high profit pills that are over-prescribed.
Then, society vilifies the victims that become addicted, calling them "abusers" of drugs.
3
Prince's death is tragic. What about all the deaths and addiction that will happen because there is a push to release and go soft on drug and heroin dealers because their crimes are supposedly non-violent. You can't have it both ways people. You can't preach a laissez-faire approach to drug enforcement and get all bent out of shape when people overdose and die.
1
Why is Kornfeld's lawyer announcing this? Is it not a hipaa violation because Prince was not yet a patient of his? If he really thought he was on a lifesaving mission, too bad he couldn't clear his schedule earlier. This whole article seems driven by Kornfeld's attempts at damage control.
6
I believe HIPAA may not apply because Prince is dead. And, yes, Dr. Kornfeld may fear or actually feel blame or self-blame. If you can believe this article, he had a MN MD lined up. Presumbaly Kornfeld is a doctor to stars but also a doctor with other patients who deserve his care.
I wonder if many doctors and treatment specialist understand that the days leading up to treatment, once a date is on the books, are the most dangerous. Many people want one more "high" before the medication gets taken away. A lot of times they will bump up their dosage, since by this point their tolerance is pretty high. Maybe they do understand and that's why the Dr was flying out as soon as he could. It's a shame it was too late.
7
That's also the most likely time the one you love might kill you, when you tell them you are leaving them. Addiction is a jealous lover.
3
Its a misnomer that everyone in pain management develops tolerance to medication. My pain was managed with drugs for 8 years and the pills remained effective. I finally had surgery and am pain-free and no longer use opioids but know that without them suicide seemed attractive. I was fortunate to be in a pain management program before the new policies were introduced. Good pain management monitors not only pain but behavior. If pain and pain treatment gets stigmatized people will treat their pain through illegal drugs with sad outcomes,as happened with Prince.
10
Excellent comment. You are correct to self report the interaction between the patient & reputable pain management. It's also seriously under reported that opioid based pain medications target the "pain" not the pleasure centers in the brain. And yes, once a tolerance level has been reached, the patient rarely has to increase the amount. The pain can "spike" based on levels of activity, but then returns to a more tolerable status, even allowing the patient to decrease the amount of medications. Once the pain has been addressed through surgery or other techniques the meds can be reduced or eliminated entirely.
2
But what did Prince actually die of? Why did he say not to pray for him right away, but soon? It sounds like he knew he was dying, that he'd gotten a diagnosis of something. I'd guess AIDS, quite unfortunately.
I'm sure he was taking pain pills, etc., but this isn't the full story. I really hope Prince's family comes out with it, already, cause these pain medication stories feel like a red herring... If Prince he did have AIDS, it certainly won't diminish his genius, nor the love that people felt for him.
I'm sure he was taking pain pills, etc., but this isn't the full story. I really hope Prince's family comes out with it, already, cause these pain medication stories feel like a red herring... If Prince he did have AIDS, it certainly won't diminish his genius, nor the love that people felt for him.
Not seeing the point of this story. Every salient point has been reported before.
Toxicology results? That's a story. Cause of death? That's a story. Source of the drugs (Prince reportedly had no prescription)? That's a story.
This is a book report that should not have been published.
Toxicology results? That's a story. Cause of death? That's a story. Source of the drugs (Prince reportedly had no prescription)? That's a story.
This is a book report that should not have been published.
3
But you read it. Why?
1
Probably because he thought like I did, that they would fully disclose he was HIV positive, stopped taking his medication for it, and started to slowly succumb to the AIDS virus.
1
I'm very sorry for anyone who suffers. Often these things come on slowly. Because one has never aged before, one often dismisses pain as part of the aging process. (My husband thought that - I think his doctor did, too - and it turned out he had cancer.)
A general thought, though - I can understand family members and close friends, perhaps, speaking out about Prince's difficulties. I find statements by the son (not-a-doctor) of the rehab doctor speaking publicly, though, troublesome. Isn't Prince's medical privacy protected by HIPPA? Also, why if this facility had been contacted and arrangements made, and in the intervening period Prince suffered an unresponsive episode, would they not have expedited his admission or advised him to seek immediate treatment locally?
For what it's worth, I don't know anybody who doesn't know somebody (or their child) who died of a drug overdose. The attempt to assuage pain through the use of addicting pharmaceuticals, often the only avenue to provide relief, provides instead a second layer of suffering. I don't know the answer. This is not the overhype of Reefer Madness. This is real - these opiates (legal or otherwise) are highly addictive and suppress respiration. Obviously, sometimes they do need to be prescribed for relief of pain. They are not something one should ever be using recreationally.
A general thought, though - I can understand family members and close friends, perhaps, speaking out about Prince's difficulties. I find statements by the son (not-a-doctor) of the rehab doctor speaking publicly, though, troublesome. Isn't Prince's medical privacy protected by HIPPA? Also, why if this facility had been contacted and arrangements made, and in the intervening period Prince suffered an unresponsive episode, would they not have expedited his admission or advised him to seek immediate treatment locally?
For what it's worth, I don't know anybody who doesn't know somebody (or their child) who died of a drug overdose. The attempt to assuage pain through the use of addicting pharmaceuticals, often the only avenue to provide relief, provides instead a second layer of suffering. I don't know the answer. This is not the overhype of Reefer Madness. This is real - these opiates (legal or otherwise) are highly addictive and suppress respiration. Obviously, sometimes they do need to be prescribed for relief of pain. They are not something one should ever be using recreationally.
1
Doctors overprescribing painkillers are not the problem. There just aren't that many of them.
The problem for many consumers is that stories like this will make it near to impossible to obtain painkillers when legitimately needed.
Recently, my internist was concerned about writing me a valium prescription because, she said, even valium was now coming under scrutiny for overprescribing.
My dentist won't prescribe painkillers. Take Advil, he says. Yeah, right.
The problem for many consumers is that stories like this will make it near to impossible to obtain painkillers when legitimately needed.
Recently, my internist was concerned about writing me a valium prescription because, she said, even valium was now coming under scrutiny for overprescribing.
My dentist won't prescribe painkillers. Take Advil, he says. Yeah, right.
9
My dentist has never prescribed painkillers and I really respect that.
I agree. There is a time and place for the really effective pain killers. Hopefully, the pain subsides and one can stop taking them. I have had several medical situations requiring very strong painkillers. It makes me very nervous to think that someone might not be able to get the medicine they really need, commiserate to their pain, because of the possibility of developing an addiction? Hopefully a good doctor patient relationship including trust ( to be responsible about taking the drug and not to sue if it somehow gets out of hand) will prevail.
2
There is nothing wrong with taking painkillers if you need them. I don't respect a doctor for having the judgment that painkillers are never necessary. But perhaps your dentist didn't prescribe them because you didn't need it. Pain thresholds vary, human behavior varies.
2
I don't care about Prince he certainly wasn't Mozart, but it occurs to me when I read all these "poor old me I succumbed to pain pills" stories written by adults I wince. Last time I checked there isn't a secret police forcing them down our throats. Don't blame the drugs, it's a choice. I've had plenty of surgeries and doctors have prescribed me bottles of the stuff, which knowing the slippery slope I never fill yet every day I wake up with joint pain.
Our Grandparents suffered from similar problems, but they got on with life instead of looking for a crutch to lean on and ultimately blame.
Our Grandparents suffered from similar problems, but they got on with life instead of looking for a crutch to lean on and ultimately blame.
2
Let me break it down for you: if painkillers make you feel better (physically and thus emotionally/mentally), you'll want to keep taking them. If you develop a tolerance, you'll likely take more. If you're predisposed toward addiction, then your battle is even tougher.
Our grandparents didn't have access to the painkillers we do now.
That said, it's great that you've had no experience with dependence or addiction. You are one of the fortunate ones. However, you note you have never filled the prescriptions--seems like you realize there is enough danger in them to not even touch them.
Our grandparents didn't have access to the painkillers we do now.
That said, it's great that you've had no experience with dependence or addiction. You are one of the fortunate ones. However, you note you have never filled the prescriptions--seems like you realize there is enough danger in them to not even touch them.
1
Of course they did. Over the counter without a prescription (Laudanum). Tylenol with Codeine and Codeine cough syrup is over the counter in most countries in the world today.
2
Um, I've been prescribed pain meds off and on past 15 years. I have chronic upper body problems (tendonitis, frozen shoulders, stiff muscles) due to being rear ended three times, typing on keyboards for forty years, and using my hands, fingers, and arms to "talk" for 25 years.
All those bottles are full with only one or two taken. Even the past two years of multiple breast and abdominal surgery, root canal, a frozen shoulder, TMJ, and tendinitis hasn't emptied a full bottle.
Yet, when my root canal flared up one night, I took two Tramadols (scary, one side effect is seizure). If I could have bought a can of anesthesia, sprayed myself in the face, and then beat myself unconscious, I would have.
That's how great the pain.
Never say never. No one knows what pain they may have in the future. I hear cancer pain is excruciating and intractable.
BTW they make me feel stupid, sick, and nauseous and I prefer a Motrin, but I would never be able to tolerate the pain of a tooth root pain (my new ten on a scale) and I thought giving birth was bad!
All those bottles are full with only one or two taken. Even the past two years of multiple breast and abdominal surgery, root canal, a frozen shoulder, TMJ, and tendinitis hasn't emptied a full bottle.
Yet, when my root canal flared up one night, I took two Tramadols (scary, one side effect is seizure). If I could have bought a can of anesthesia, sprayed myself in the face, and then beat myself unconscious, I would have.
That's how great the pain.
Never say never. No one knows what pain they may have in the future. I hear cancer pain is excruciating and intractable.
BTW they make me feel stupid, sick, and nauseous and I prefer a Motrin, but I would never be able to tolerate the pain of a tooth root pain (my new ten on a scale) and I thought giving birth was bad!
5
Prince and I were born in the same year, 1958. There is an epidemic among my age-mates of various forms of suicide. While I'm not a famous pop icon, there are some disconcerting similarities: I have no children and find myself increasingly alone even as my career has reached its apex (top teacher and top school, popular with "fans," but come home alone.) I make more money these days than I need, so what's next? People our age feel our bodies giving way, and yes, it impacts all of us. We all need to do "splits" in order feel in control, to feel healthy. Menopause, carpal tunnel, arthritis--these are the simple facts of aging. Friends start to die, parents die--again, all common to all of my generation. Many of us don't have kids for various reasons; we missed the LGTB "yawn"-it's so normal-transition in this country. We watched the towers fall in our prime and saw the country go literally to hell. There's an epidemic of people in pain--thus the opioid epidemic. Yes, Dr.'s need to stop prescribing those drugs for anything more than 30 days (that's what I got for my carpal tunnel surgery, and no hip replacement should require more than that). Luckily, white wine is way less lethal. But lots of people are in pain. Prince was famous and alone. It's a sad commentary playing out all over this country. There needs to be an intervention for the "middle-aged"--and it is cutting across ethnic lines.
10
Susan,
I really appreciated your comment; I'll be thinking about it all day.
I have a little suggestion. As often as you can, go see some live music. I don't buy clothes; I cut my own bangs (all this would be pretty obvious, if you saw me, haha); I'm wearing the same silver earrings and rings I bought forty years ago. What little disposable income I have goes all to rock and roll. Do not underestimate the power of real loud head-banging rock and roll. The older I get, the louder I expect them to crank up the amps. I'm telling you - dancing in your overpriced far-from-the-stage section in a big arena or being wanded, hand-stamped and herded like cattle into a small venue, girl, you will feel young again. Most shows I go to by myself, and I'm telling you - it's like crack. The Who is touring right now. Gregg Allman. Dylan. Bonnie Raitt. Gov't Mule. Go younger - Blink 182. Go younger, go punk - The Front Bottoms. The Desaparecidos. I'm telling you, I got in a funk for a while, too. Now the only funk I care about is Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. (Talk about a woman of a certain age.)
You're doing everything right. You'll still have time to read all this depressing stuff in the New York Times. You just have to reward yourself with the vibrating molecules in a house full of amplified sound. Think of it as honoring Prince. We can't see him, but he'd want us to do this. Party like it's 1999. Best wishes. It totally sucks getting old. This is the part where we rage, rage.
I really appreciated your comment; I'll be thinking about it all day.
I have a little suggestion. As often as you can, go see some live music. I don't buy clothes; I cut my own bangs (all this would be pretty obvious, if you saw me, haha); I'm wearing the same silver earrings and rings I bought forty years ago. What little disposable income I have goes all to rock and roll. Do not underestimate the power of real loud head-banging rock and roll. The older I get, the louder I expect them to crank up the amps. I'm telling you - dancing in your overpriced far-from-the-stage section in a big arena or being wanded, hand-stamped and herded like cattle into a small venue, girl, you will feel young again. Most shows I go to by myself, and I'm telling you - it's like crack. The Who is touring right now. Gregg Allman. Dylan. Bonnie Raitt. Gov't Mule. Go younger - Blink 182. Go younger, go punk - The Front Bottoms. The Desaparecidos. I'm telling you, I got in a funk for a while, too. Now the only funk I care about is Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. (Talk about a woman of a certain age.)
You're doing everything right. You'll still have time to read all this depressing stuff in the New York Times. You just have to reward yourself with the vibrating molecules in a house full of amplified sound. Think of it as honoring Prince. We can't see him, but he'd want us to do this. Party like it's 1999. Best wishes. It totally sucks getting old. This is the part where we rage, rage.
7
Where on Earth did you get the idea that white wine is a lot less lethal?
1
A *little* white wine.
'Course that's a slippery slope, especially if you're coming home to an empty house.
'Course that's a slippery slope, especially if you're coming home to an empty house.
2
I do not know or have ever met the man, but I must say, this is a sorrowful tune. I think the thing here is that his overall behavior and secrecy prevented others who cared from intervening successfully on his behalf, when he alone was incapable. Too many obstacles thrown up in the way, wall one's self in as much as they wall other's out.
2
These addicts and their pills.... they are the reason normal people can't get a Vicodin when they have a tooth infection or a slipped disk. I'm sure they will blame and sue the doctors, because our society has abandoned any form of personal responsibility or accountability in favor of the victim mentality.
7
This man's music meant so much to me. That he was struggling with addiction, depression and died alone makes me sadder than when I heard he died.
Opioid addiction is the new plague. We all know someone who is or has been hooked on pain pills. How do we fix this?
Opioid addiction is the new plague. We all know someone who is or has been hooked on pain pills. How do we fix this?
42
Yes, I too am sad he died alone. How awful to end life with no one to help him through it. He also knew in those last minutes his secrets were going to be talked about in a matter of hours and he could do nothing about it.
3
Cannabis can cure America's opiate plague. Cannabis is a non-lethal, non-addictive anti-inflammatory pain-reducing medication that can ease opiate addicts off of pills safely and quickly.
1
How about we work on alcohol first. NO ONE needs alcohol. Millions of people need opiods.
And millions of people who need opiods turn to alcohol for pain relief when they can't find a doctor to prescribe a limited amount of opiods because they have been demonized.
The sad thing is that it is the people who want to follow the law who have the greatest difficulty getting pain medication. If you have the money, it's easier to get pain medication illegally than to get a legal prescription and supervision by a physician.
And millions of people who need opiods turn to alcohol for pain relief when they can't find a doctor to prescribe a limited amount of opiods because they have been demonized.
The sad thing is that it is the people who want to follow the law who have the greatest difficulty getting pain medication. If you have the money, it's easier to get pain medication illegally than to get a legal prescription and supervision by a physician.
4
This made me cry all over again.
3
It's unfortunate that famous people sometimes get health care that is worse than most of us because of their fame. This point was made when Michael Jackson died.
1
When they say that physicians are supposed to take their patients' confidences to the grave, that means the physician's grave, not the patient's. It seems outrageous to me that Prince's doctor would make public statements about his medical and psychological condition. The fact that Prince, and millions of others like him, are reticent about seeking desperately-needed treatment is profoundly sad but not at all irrational in an environment where caregives tell all with impunity.
8
Oh great. More pain pill hysteria from the media. And we still don't seem to know why Prince died, right? This "problem with pain pills" he had is the same as someone else's problem with high blood pressure meds. He legitimately needed them, was not recreating with them and wished he didn't need to take them. Opiodes have been used for 5,000 plus years. They were standard kit for a Roman soldier. We know what they do and if used properly under a doctor's supervision they do indeed treat pain. Until other options are widely legally available like medical cannabis and assisted suicide, we need stop demonizing opiodes. You can only live in pain for so long before death becomes desirable and a logical next step. It's a "consider the alternative" situation.
23
Sometimes I wonder when we will stop acting like each drug death is the first one. Off to top of my head...Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Whitney Houston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anna Nicole Smith. ETC.
Go back further still and you'll find tragedy after tragedy after tragedy. Celebrities have put a face on the epidemic that is plaguing, and literally killing, this country.
Why do we act surprised? When is enough enough? RIP to all victims. I hope one day we wake up and stop feigning surprise and do something about it.
Go back further still and you'll find tragedy after tragedy after tragedy. Celebrities have put a face on the epidemic that is plaguing, and literally killing, this country.
Why do we act surprised? When is enough enough? RIP to all victims. I hope one day we wake up and stop feigning surprise and do something about it.
7
Poor Prince. He got himself addicted to drugs, the effects of which are well known, and, in essence, killed himself, and now we're all supposed to feel sorry for him.
It seems to me that, like Elvis, dying revived his moribund career.
It seems to me that, like Elvis, dying revived his moribund career.
4
Such compassion. What a burden it must be for you to be perfect.
25
I had surgery and was prescribed similar meds. They didn't work and they got me constipated.
You know what worked? Over-the-counter Alleve, (naproxin sodium), and no constipation.
You know what worked? Over-the-counter Alleve, (naproxin sodium), and no constipation.
3
People with gastritis, or ulcers, or bleeding disorders, or kidney conditions, should not take Aleve or any other of the NSAIDs.
4
Another commenter remarked about the "drug dealing" doctors as focus of the drug addition problem in this country.
Doctors reach for the Rx pad because that's the defaut solution to nearly everything, not just pain. Why? Because they're under pressure from time constraints in their practices, and because insurance companies will pay for drugs, because they're a cheaper fix than any other kind of therapy. Just try getting an insurance company to pay for open-ended PT treatment, drug rehab, you name it - most insurance policies have sever limitations on other kinds of therapy.
Presumably Prince could have afforded anything, but lacked more informed medical experts to help him. If even he lacked alternatives (or knowledge of them) imagine what the average person is up against.
Doctors reach for the Rx pad because that's the defaut solution to nearly everything, not just pain. Why? Because they're under pressure from time constraints in their practices, and because insurance companies will pay for drugs, because they're a cheaper fix than any other kind of therapy. Just try getting an insurance company to pay for open-ended PT treatment, drug rehab, you name it - most insurance policies have sever limitations on other kinds of therapy.
Presumably Prince could have afforded anything, but lacked more informed medical experts to help him. If even he lacked alternatives (or knowledge of them) imagine what the average person is up against.
9
Anybody who blames pain killer abuse on "drug dealing doctors" frankly is completely out of the medical care loop, has no idea what they are talking about, and shouldn't be listened to.
Those of us who see physicians on a regular basis know that the vast majority of doctors are taking this very seriously, and actually, have been, if anything, scared out of prescribing pain killers across the board by the legal enforcement community. As someone who regularly visits with a primary care and specialists, I see the influence of harsher laws and scrutiny all the time.
My primary MD says doctors can't win. They were criticized for not prescribing enough pain meds in the early 00's, and now (his words) "the pendulum has swung entirely the other way", where Big Brother is literally observing and measuring every single patient prescription written.
Those of us who see physicians on a regular basis know that the vast majority of doctors are taking this very seriously, and actually, have been, if anything, scared out of prescribing pain killers across the board by the legal enforcement community. As someone who regularly visits with a primary care and specialists, I see the influence of harsher laws and scrutiny all the time.
My primary MD says doctors can't win. They were criticized for not prescribing enough pain meds in the early 00's, and now (his words) "the pendulum has swung entirely the other way", where Big Brother is literally observing and measuring every single patient prescription written.
2
As a man, I was raised to always try to hide my weaknesses and excesses. Even if you're hurt, you get up off the grown and say i'm okay. You do it to convince others and more often to convince yourself. It's just a shame that this natural proclivity to hide is what prevents us from seeking out help when we need it. Prince did, but just a little too late. He wasn't able to get up and brush himself off and it saddens me.
25
In reality, man are always expected to be strong which is especially reflected in out work culture.
There is nothing wrong with being weak or ill. Both women and men are made of flesh and blood. We are born weak and we die weak. Eternity is only to God.
There is nothing wrong with being weak or ill. Both women and men are made of flesh and blood. We are born weak and we die weak. Eternity is only to God.
Everything you said was great until you called it a ''natural'' proclivity! It isn't ''natural'' at all,it's because of the life long constant intense training into ''masculinity'' all men get from the moment they are born, and it really can and should be changed!
"No one told me." I get tired of hearing that. The warnings are on the prescription, they are in the patient information, and you'd pretty much have to live in a cave not to have already been exposed to the warning not to combine alcohol with an opioid. I want pain medications to remain available to people who need them, but we will all need to take more responsibility for ourselves and read the information that the healthcare community already provides.
4
We are a stressed-out nation, and we manage that stress in part through addictive behavior. Given the nation's obesity levels and the fact that many people still smoke, the substance matters little.
At the end of the day, Prince was as human as the rest of us. As a nation, we must find a way to make things less stressful.
For everyone.
At the end of the day, Prince was as human as the rest of us. As a nation, we must find a way to make things less stressful.
For everyone.
2
One of the few posters here to look beyond the emotionalism that narcotics seems to engender, for reasons why seeking comfort and help in this way is so very common. So many Puritans, so few humanists.
3
he dissed pot while taking mounds of opiates
100 % hypocrite
100 % hypocrite
4
So sad. Doctors are turning people into drug addicts. This man shouldn't have died.
3
So, the doctors held him down and forced an excessive amount of opiods down his throat?
Addiction is unlike other "diseases" and personality traumas in that each person experiences it differently and some not at all. Opiates and alcohol are on a different level than other substances, in that overuse causes death and withdrawals can be excruciating and even life-threatening-- but most regular drinkers aren't addicts, and almost all regular opioid users are indeed addicts. Few of us know the terrible choice of either taking a substance to feel better, or not take it and suffer horribly. Drug overdoses now outnumber car accidents for fatalities in the US. Seeing the situation with Prince, imagine how hard it is for an addict with few resources and a criminal history of drug arrests to ever get the help they truly need, especially with no home or job. Our nation needs to provide those public health resources in every community.
1
Opiates are in their own unique class but they are not uniquely evil. they are medications that have benefits and risks, like all medications. Withdrawal from narcotics is not life threatening. Withdrawal from benzodiazepines is. Sudden withdrawal from steroidal anti-inflammatories can be life threatening, but we never talk about that, it isn't sexy.
Opiates are unique in the amount of emotionalism they engender. People who think nothing of tapering off their Prednisone will go into hysteria over the thought of tapering off a narcotic, and label this 'addiction', seemingly a worse fate than death.... Most of us are reflexive puritans, not rational beings.
Opiates are unique in the amount of emotionalism they engender. People who think nothing of tapering off their Prednisone will go into hysteria over the thought of tapering off a narcotic, and label this 'addiction', seemingly a worse fate than death.... Most of us are reflexive puritans, not rational beings.
A thousand like him here in SW Ohio. A drug is a drug is a drug. It can be legal or illegal, really makes no difference. Maybe he is lucky, checked out before he destroyed others as well. All the symptoms are there. Isolating, missing commitments and appointments and consequences, most people don't need emergency care during flights. In SW Ohio most addicts end up as petty criminals, prostitutes or dealers. It's just a purgatory before they OD eventually.
Why is this doctor sharing confidential information (other than to market his facility)? Shameful ethical breach.
13
Oh. And I will always miss Prince. A phenomenally talented human. But, human nonetheless.
4
Yes, Prince was a public person: he was also a regular human being who is entitled to ordinary privacy in death. So, I ask? Is it absolutely necessary to make a disrespectful media circus out of the man's pain and suffering. Can we not grant the fellow the dignity of offering silent prayers for his soul and be individually be giddy with gladness that we experienced his particular wonderful gifts that he shared with us. Prince was just thrilling! Lets be collectively grateful for his life.
19
Well said.
2
Why doesn't the word "opiates" appear in this story? Or any reference to the larger epidemic of prescription pain pill addiction in the country?
3
has the cause of his death been established? Or are we now jumping to conclusions on the front page of the NYT?
3
Another musician dies of a drug overdose. What's new?
2
Everyday ordinary people die from drug overdoses with painkillers being most common. Show some compassion for others because it's attitudes like yours that keep people from seeking help.
2
I will not Judge the character of Prince but I will say that some of the musicians like Michael Jackson and Prince are different and function differently and think differently than most others and we have to accept that. Intervention may never be on time for such people and if someone does intervene that person could find themselves in prison.
1
Well, they're actually not that different. They die of drug overdoses just like the rest of the unnamed humans every day.
It's hard to understand the mind of a person as driven as Prince was. He must have pushed his body to the absolute limit and beyond. It seems like he was at the that old crossroads that Robert Johnson sang about, trading long years for a shorter continuance of an extraordinary life. His death is a tragedy, and yet somehow life affirming. Even suffering pain and addiction, he probably did more on his worst day than most of us do on our best. I have tremendous respect for the man.
79
Another Sackler family Oxycodone casualty? But hey they're worth more than a billion now....and only had to lie to the AMA and the medical establishment about the level of addictiveness of that drug. And of course they are heading up the charge to keep cannabis illegal....and using hideous propaganda spew to do it - hiding behind "partners for a drug free America" and asserting cannabis is "highly addictive." Oh sure. After having asserted that oxycodontin isn't. Wow. But hey they wear suits and ties and have lobbyists, and don't wear tie dye t shirts. They hook the public, fight against non-addictive alternatives, knowing full well that a high percentage of their addicts turn to heroin when the prescript is pulled. How nice. Murder for money, accomplished via bought and paid for legislation, and with full respectability no less. Nicely played Sacklers.
2
Trust the New York Times. Prince was suffering from pain. But you lead with addiction. Because that fits your frame of Black and soul. Your loss, NYTimes. Over and over, your loss.
1
This isn't just a NYTimes problem in over-sensationalizing pain medication overdoses, it's across the the country. The other issue with alleged overdoses are the other concomitant medical health issues that many people have: particularly in relation to pain.
2
Is there some reason that it has suddenly become verboten for reporters to name the drug he was using - Percoset, right? Isn't more information, rather than less information, on of the guiding rules for journalism? Why call it pain killing drugs, if you can name it? I just don't get it, at all. Another rule that journalists have imposed on themselves, like never using the word 'torture' for waterboarding?
3
Don't know if this is the case with the Times, but if pharmaceutical companies are a significant source of ad revenue, media sources may be in a tricky position when faced with naming the drug...
There are many more opiods out there than Percocet. Maybe for now nobody actually knows which ones he took? Or maybe he had generics. Not everything you read is a great corporate conspiracy foisted upon innocent people.
Of course, this is the verdict that has been anticipated all along, with a sense of mounting dread.
How else does one explain the sudden demise of a person so young, so talented, so full of life?
The similar deaths of so many, too many, creative artists is nothing more than a painful reminder of the fragility of life, if not a cautionary tale gone unheeded.
Thanks to Prince for getting the party started.
Rest in Peace.
How else does one explain the sudden demise of a person so young, so talented, so full of life?
The similar deaths of so many, too many, creative artists is nothing more than a painful reminder of the fragility of life, if not a cautionary tale gone unheeded.
Thanks to Prince for getting the party started.
Rest in Peace.
1
I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disorder and I have been in constant pain. I didn't want to take steroids or pain medications and searched for answers and alternative treatments. However, every time I tried to mentioned that my doctors just shook their heads and wrote me another prescription. I felt like a hamster stuck in a wheel. I didn't want to take them, but I didn't want to be in pain either. Finally, I found an alternative treatment plan and stopped my medications and tapered down on the steroids. Today I live a different lifestyle and I control my disease without any medication. Doctors here in the U.S. prescribe way too many pills and hardly look for alternatives.
26
I get acupuncture for my RA and avoid the meds but for the occasional Aleve. I started acupuncture when I had sciatica, which was painful and I just wanted to be cured. One doctor gave me a three month prescription for muscle relaxants and physical therapy. My acupuncturist cured me in two sessions. I've spoken to a number of people who discovered acupuncture for sciatica and had the same results.
7
70 percent of Americans are on prescription drugs. Huge profitable and powerful business.
1/4 of America over 40 is on a statin drug.
1/4 of those report muscle pain.
What do those 8-10 million take for their pain, I wonder.
Yes, opioids are dangerous. But so are many other drugs.
--Only 1 percent of adverse effects are reported. Doctors are not required by law to report them to the FDA.
--NSAIDs just received an rare FDA upgrade to the warning that they increase risk of heart attack or stroke. Now look at the stacks of Ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, etc etc on the shelves in your pharmacy. See any big warnings?
--Got any prescription drug horror stories of your own to tell?
Princes sad death may serve as a warning to us all. A person who tried to lead a clean and healthy life was taken down by a legal drug.
Incidentally, me too.
Statinvictims.weebly.com
1/4 of America over 40 is on a statin drug.
1/4 of those report muscle pain.
What do those 8-10 million take for their pain, I wonder.
Yes, opioids are dangerous. But so are many other drugs.
--Only 1 percent of adverse effects are reported. Doctors are not required by law to report them to the FDA.
--NSAIDs just received an rare FDA upgrade to the warning that they increase risk of heart attack or stroke. Now look at the stacks of Ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, etc etc on the shelves in your pharmacy. See any big warnings?
--Got any prescription drug horror stories of your own to tell?
Princes sad death may serve as a warning to us all. A person who tried to lead a clean and healthy life was taken down by a legal drug.
Incidentally, me too.
Statinvictims.weebly.com
7
So many people are quick to jump on the overdose and prescription drug abuse wagon. Maybe he was sick and had a serious illness. I have a hard time believing that someone as anti-drug and as clean living as Prince would abandon those beliefs. I know that no one plans to become an addict, but someone with those strong beliefs would do everything necessary to avoid it.
7
Addiction is cunning, powerful and baffling, as they say. It crosses boundaries of lifestyle, religion, profession, race, age... Ask the doctor, priest, nun, mom, dad, cop, firefighter, teacher, teen... In fact, believing in clean, good living and disappointing yourself or others in doing so might actually interfere with getting help.
2
Guess his being an addict is a hard pill for everyone to swallow, but apparently not for him.
2
I guess you feel really smug with your snarky little comment.
All opioids are addicting but Prince was not taking them for fun. He was in pain and took prescribed medicine for his condition.
All opioids are addicting but Prince was not taking them for fun. He was in pain and took prescribed medicine for his condition.
7
Huh? Don't judge. Those who think they are immune may not be so. Scratch the surface and it will not take much to find in family or friends people addicted to alcohol, pills, you name it. It is truly a shame he did not get help in time. I hope your judgemental attitude will not prevent your getting help if you ever need it nor to assist others to get the help they need.
3
Why DIDN'T he just smoke pot?! I don't want to sound like a cliche just because I am from the Bay Area but I think it would have helped his pain. There are strains now that don't make you high. I feel so bad that he was in this much pain. I for one am heartbroken and will miss him.
8
Oh, how very, very sad. Whether it be this story about a music icon named Prince, or about any other human in constant pain. Pain that is unrelenting whether physical or psychic (and frequently those become intertwined), if that is what was the root cause, can be an often is a killer.
4
Addiction is a lonely disease, and never lonelier than when it is to a purportedly normative substance like pain pills. Oxycontin, Percocet, Fentanyl, MCR, morphine, codeine - opiates are everywhere: in cough suppressants, day/night cold remedies, analgesics, and certainly "as is" for the relief of post-operative or post-injury pain. As a clinical social worker at a methadone maintenance clinic, I've found that the clients who are hardest to help are those whose addiction was solely to medical opiates, or for whom medical opiates were a "gateway" to heroin: Their shame and its offspring - denial, despair - can be as lethal as the addiction itself. Prince's death is a terrible loss, as is that of anyone felled too young by opiate addiction. May his tale be a cautionary one, one that erases shame and rewrites the protocol for intervention: more ample bio-psycho-social care for addicts of all kinds.
8
So, so sad. Such a talented man.
3
Because of being under the influence, Prince unfortunately did not have the good judgment to check himself into rehab.
In hindsight - Wouldn't the protocol for this California specialist physician be to refer Prince to a local or nearby hospital (where presumably he can be treated in privacy) as an immediate measure? - with an acute problem there is no better option, as per most doctors' recorded message " if this is an acute case or emergency , please go to the emergency room or call 911 ".
Please do not hesitate to insist on doing just that when you suspect an overdose in a case where you have the ability to intervene.
In hindsight - Wouldn't the protocol for this California specialist physician be to refer Prince to a local or nearby hospital (where presumably he can be treated in privacy) as an immediate measure? - with an acute problem there is no better option, as per most doctors' recorded message " if this is an acute case or emergency , please go to the emergency room or call 911 ".
Please do not hesitate to insist on doing just that when you suspect an overdose in a case where you have the ability to intervene.
4
You make a very good point. There was a rehab facility, Hazelden, right up the road from his home. Why no one thought of sending him there, or staying with him until he could see a doctor, is beyond my comprehension.
1
Janis, Jimi, Jim Morrison... Prince. You lit up the stage. You kept burning after the band stopped and the fans were gone. The light is out, but the heat remains.
4
They NYT has to stop 1) printing articles that are hearsay by a doctor's son as fact 2) stop treating pain medication dependency as addiction. It was well known that Prince had severe hip, knee and ankle pain and, because he was a Jehovah's Witness, would only agree to bloodless surgery, which means he didn't have any of the kinds that might have worked. The level of pain was legally, and rightfully medicated.
He made his own religious choices, but he was not an addict if he really did have pain this severe, which no one doubts. After a certain point, nothing works, the degenerative conditions become worse, muscle and bone become necrotic and you are left with few options in this world. Dependency does not equal addiction. Nearly every "Times pick" comment reinforces this untruth.
He made his own religious choices, but he was not an addict if he really did have pain this severe, which no one doubts. After a certain point, nothing works, the degenerative conditions become worse, muscle and bone become necrotic and you are left with few options in this world. Dependency does not equal addiction. Nearly every "Times pick" comment reinforces this untruth.
149
Prince had hip surgery in 2010, bloodless. People do it all the time, regardless of religion. There is a famous bloodless section at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon, that people all over the world visit for bloodless surgery from all walks of faith. The problem is that doctors prescribe pain killers as the magic bullet instead of giving alternatives. I will say I have known of some physicians that have simultaneously prescribed oxy and an appointment with pain management clinic to phase out medication after a reasonable period, and that is a more responsible route.
2
There is no contradiction between being in pain and being addicted to medications. Having pain is not some blanket protection from addiction. One can take meds for pain and then become addicted.
2
And he died from his medication.
My step father has gone through something similar--he didn't use recreational drugs because of his religious faith but started taking benzos to relieve anxiety. These weren't even for him, they were for my mom, who didn't realize the risks. Her doctor was an unending pill dispensary machine; she asked, he gave, for years. He's been trying to get off for over a year now, but benzo withdrawl programs are few and far between for his insurance plan. His own doctor ignored his claims of addiction (probably scared of liability).
2
Benzodiazepine withdrawal should never be sudden, it can be fatal -- more dangerous than opiate withdrawal. A program of gradually cutting down on the amount one takes, by a small increment each week, is the way one weans oneself off any medication that requires this sort of program -- prednisone and other steroids also must be tapered slowly.
As a physician, I accept the blame that doctors bear in over-prescribing opioid pain medications. There are also new and very vigorous programs to monitor our prescribing habits and assist/educate us in limiting prescribing.
On the other hand, it's time for patients to own up to their desire to solve everything by popping a pill. You know that back/ankle/foot pain you have? It's because you are obese (not "big boned") and need to tackle that tough problem. You know those daily headaches for which you pop pills? They're coming from your life stresses and you need counseling and tough family work, not pills. You know those "gluten sensitivity" non-gastrointestinal fatigue and pains you have? Yup, counseling. We doctors often do what our patients demand/expect, because patients often simply won't believe what the real problems are and, after a certain point, I won't waste my time or theirs.
On the other hand, it's time for patients to own up to their desire to solve everything by popping a pill. You know that back/ankle/foot pain you have? It's because you are obese (not "big boned") and need to tackle that tough problem. You know those daily headaches for which you pop pills? They're coming from your life stresses and you need counseling and tough family work, not pills. You know those "gluten sensitivity" non-gastrointestinal fatigue and pains you have? Yup, counseling. We doctors often do what our patients demand/expect, because patients often simply won't believe what the real problems are and, after a certain point, I won't waste my time or theirs.
5
Way to oversimplify Doc. Too bad the real world isn't this one size fits all theme you're pushing. I sure hope you aren't a surgeon.
2
Word on the street is Prince had hip surgery and was in horrific pain.
I wish people would leave Prince alone.
I wish people would leave Prince alone.
13
Prince was a lovely person. I wish his family well.
9
It is important to remember that pain medications to not heal: this fact certainly puts the issue into perspective. Each person conflicted with pain should consider this for it is ultimately their choice to open the bottle and swallow.
2
Too bad Prince shunned cannabis because the CBD chemicals in it would of helped with his pain. He could have just used a tincture with CBD it might have saved his life.
5
Every time this happens, I fear that it will be harder to get these pain meds. I recently had a total shoulder replacement. I can't imagine the recovery without them. PT was horrible. I never had trouble refilling my prescription & for that I'm thankful. Every time I took a percocet I gave it much thought. I continued on them much longer than I imagined. Eventually, I weaned myself off onto OTC NSAID's which I'm less fond of. I'm 6 mo out & finally able to get by most days without anything. I'm facing another joint replacement & hope the Opiods are still available for me.
11
I have had two hip replacements. I know the kind of pain that brings one to the decision to have them. And I lead an ordinary life. With the high heels and energetic performances, he must have been in excruciating pain. When does excessive use become abuse? Pain-free is such bliss. I know this.
11
Such a sad, familiar tale. His addiction was far gone in order for the OD to have occurred and it's baffling how he wasn't immediately in rehab the next day. Another tragic waste of a gifted life.
I trying to remember the last time a young entertainer died and drugs weren't involved. CAn't do it. The entertainment industry has a problem it refuses to face.
5
Bowie.
1
I said young
This is a sad story, "To God We Belong and To Him We Return". Being rich and famous doesn't always mean being happy. I believe, what to blame here is Prince's personality and possible depression. A balanced person should seek immediate medical help to stay away from addiction.
Prince favored his reputation and fame over his own health.
Sure there are issues with the medical system prescribing pain killers without setting any controls around the length of prescriptions but each person is primarily responsibly for his/her own actions.
Remembering Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and more makes me appreciate my simple and modest life.
Prince favored his reputation and fame over his own health.
Sure there are issues with the medical system prescribing pain killers without setting any controls around the length of prescriptions but each person is primarily responsibly for his/her own actions.
Remembering Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and more makes me appreciate my simple and modest life.
1
Performers and athletes beat their bodies far beyond the limits the joints were designed to handle. As they age, inflammation, arthritis, and lost cartilage make it difficult to move normally and/or and sleep. Pain pills have become a gateway drug that creates the need for stronger opiates or alcohol.
It's time for the doctors in the U.S. to embrace Eastern and Native American holistic health. Stop using chemicals and learn how to help the body heal itself.
It's time for the doctors in the U.S. to embrace Eastern and Native American holistic health. Stop using chemicals and learn how to help the body heal itself.
4
Another hypocrit exposed. Cannabis bad, opiates good. I wonder if he would still be alive if he made different choices. I live in excruciating pain and I do my best to avoid opiates at all costs. Opiates can kill.
4
Sad, but the addiction history was revealed in some foreign papers about 2 days after Prince died. Nobody in America was brave enough to disclose this, until this week. Too many brilliant artists, performers suffer from addiction. Is talent always subjected to dependency?
6
th minute th story broke i knew it was od
same w presley
they said he had a heart attack
but failed to mention th drug store that was washing around in his arteries
same w presley
they said he had a heart attack
but failed to mention th drug store that was washing around in his arteries
1
With all due respect, "bravery" has nothing to do with it. Unlike the tabloid media, which is in a perpetual rush to scoop its competition with salacious gossip, The Times clearly took the time to actually *corroborate* whatever had been swirling on the gossip mill -- a fact amply evident in the level of detail contained in this story (much of it attributed to legitimate sources, not anonymous "friends" or "confidants").
5
The big unanswered question: why do people wear high heels, and why do they do splits? Time to ban/ostracize this bizarre behavior. Especially all you women out there: chuck your high heels out the door today. Great, now you look marvelous.
9
Prince was 5'2".
At some point doctors who prescribe copious amounts of pain killers to those marginally in need of them need to become accountable for their complicity in the addiction scourge that's burning across this country.
5
True however it sounds like Prince was also buying pills from drug dealers.
1
Prince knew what he wanted
sex soul and you
said the headline and Prince
they found him in an elevator
all by himself
and he was dead
and they were desperate
for him to come back
they pounded on his chest
they called
from the North and the South
from the East and the West
they could smell his purple
in their own breath
he was the essence of sexy sex
and more so when he vexed
with his mystique
He was a she who was a he
neither here nor there
he was manic on stage
he was a lightning
zig zag
flash flash
his guitars
he was a malleable rod
who strutted like God
would strut if He could be poet
God too would swagger
as Prince swaggered
O so private
he was a man in love many times
with many
who loved him
yet, he was alone
in a studio,
in an elevator
in a palatial home
in a city of lakes and ice
he was ice
cracked ice
from the melting of his body
he was an accident that happened
he was a huge talent
an image
a sage
alone in an elevator
with his pain
and his fame
they say he died of drugs
but he was the euphoria
and the addiction to millions.
sex soul and you
said the headline and Prince
they found him in an elevator
all by himself
and he was dead
and they were desperate
for him to come back
they pounded on his chest
they called
from the North and the South
from the East and the West
they could smell his purple
in their own breath
he was the essence of sexy sex
and more so when he vexed
with his mystique
He was a she who was a he
neither here nor there
he was manic on stage
he was a lightning
zig zag
flash flash
his guitars
he was a malleable rod
who strutted like God
would strut if He could be poet
God too would swagger
as Prince swaggered
O so private
he was a man in love many times
with many
who loved him
yet, he was alone
in a studio,
in an elevator
in a palatial home
in a city of lakes and ice
he was ice
cracked ice
from the melting of his body
he was an accident that happened
he was a huge talent
an image
a sage
alone in an elevator
with his pain
and his fame
they say he died of drugs
but he was the euphoria
and the addiction to millions.
3
The NY Times has done a good job at focusing on "dependency" versus "addiction."
There is a negative connotation to the word "addict."
The possibility of being called an "addict" makes people who cannot deal with pain without medication afraid to tell their family and friends, and afraid to ask for help if they are getting sick from the medication and/or their lives are being affected in other negative ways.
Also, too many medical professionals, sometimes constrained by law, fail to help their patients beyond writing scripts. That's a general comment; not directed at Prince's doctors because I don't know what they did or do not do.
Why aren't hospitals legally obligated to keep patients for at least a 24-hold if it is suspected that they have overdosed? Doesn't matter if it was an accidental overdose. Who is going to say "I overdosed on purpose?" Isn't that the same as "I tried to kill myself?" And, if it's an attempted suicide, then in most states, there is a mandatory "hold."
If we can take liberty away by locking people up in jail for non-dealing, non-violent, drug possession, surely we can find the funding to keep overdose patients hospitalized for at least 24 hours. And the legal means to do it. And, give the medical professionals and, hopefully, family or freinds, the chance to immediately start providing help.
There is a negative connotation to the word "addict."
The possibility of being called an "addict" makes people who cannot deal with pain without medication afraid to tell their family and friends, and afraid to ask for help if they are getting sick from the medication and/or their lives are being affected in other negative ways.
Also, too many medical professionals, sometimes constrained by law, fail to help their patients beyond writing scripts. That's a general comment; not directed at Prince's doctors because I don't know what they did or do not do.
Why aren't hospitals legally obligated to keep patients for at least a 24-hold if it is suspected that they have overdosed? Doesn't matter if it was an accidental overdose. Who is going to say "I overdosed on purpose?" Isn't that the same as "I tried to kill myself?" And, if it's an attempted suicide, then in most states, there is a mandatory "hold."
If we can take liberty away by locking people up in jail for non-dealing, non-violent, drug possession, surely we can find the funding to keep overdose patients hospitalized for at least 24 hours. And the legal means to do it. And, give the medical professionals and, hopefully, family or freinds, the chance to immediately start providing help.
5
It's worth noting that the American Psychiatric Society excluded the diagnosis of addiction over 20 years ago in the DSM, the handbook of mental disorders diagnoses. In the current edition it is included under the diagnosis of "opioid use disorder" for opioids.
1
Prince flaunted his religion, disapproved of homosexuality (in those heels!) and forbade drinking or smoking pot in his presence. OF COURSE he was a drug addict!
9
Stop judging. He was an artist, an innovator, a musical genius and a compassionate person. Did he discriminate against homosexuals? I think not, if he dissapproved of it that is his business and not yours.
6
No, Ericka — it's Prince who was doing the judging.
It wasn't too long ago that doctors were chastised for not treating pain enough; so much so that it was termed "the 5th vital sign". Now the DEA and government are crawling up our backsides to stop addicting people to drugs.
The problem goes deeper - we live in a world of pain for many people: hunger, unemployment, disenfranchisement, and enabled birthing of babies by drug mothers who might otherwise not survive without expensive medical intervention. If there is a gene for addiction, we are protecting its survival against natural selection.
It is not a black and white situation of "just say no", but it is a problem that needs more education and intervention. Significant pain, whether emotional or physical, does exist and we need to face that reality full-on with education, prevention, and availability of non-judgmental help.
The problem goes deeper - we live in a world of pain for many people: hunger, unemployment, disenfranchisement, and enabled birthing of babies by drug mothers who might otherwise not survive without expensive medical intervention. If there is a gene for addiction, we are protecting its survival against natural selection.
It is not a black and white situation of "just say no", but it is a problem that needs more education and intervention. Significant pain, whether emotional or physical, does exist and we need to face that reality full-on with education, prevention, and availability of non-judgmental help.
11
Methadone IS the answer, but due to its unfortunate stigma, not many doctors know it's safe and effective:
* Excellent for "chronic pain" and can be prescribed for this purpose by all MDs.
* Excellent for "opiate addiction" but cannot be prescribed for MMT purpose until MDs receive FDA waiver via 8-hr course.
* NO HIGH after dose stabilizes (3-7 days).
* STOPS opiate cravings.
* CHEAP - pennies per dose.
When ppl are treated with opiates for acute (short term) pain, a small fraction become addicted, BUT that doesn't mean that ppl in chronic (long term) pain should suffer, most especially because methadone is available for treatment of addiction.
* Excellent for "chronic pain" and can be prescribed for this purpose by all MDs.
* Excellent for "opiate addiction" but cannot be prescribed for MMT purpose until MDs receive FDA waiver via 8-hr course.
* NO HIGH after dose stabilizes (3-7 days).
* STOPS opiate cravings.
* CHEAP - pennies per dose.
When ppl are treated with opiates for acute (short term) pain, a small fraction become addicted, BUT that doesn't mean that ppl in chronic (long term) pain should suffer, most especially because methadone is available for treatment of addiction.
9
I agree that methadone is an excellent analgesic and unlike other long acting opioids like OxyContin which are short acting opioids formulated into delayed release compounds, methadone is inherently long acting so can't be tampered with in order for anyone to receive the full contents at once.
However, I believe you confused buprenorphine and methadone with regard to training required to prescribe for addiction.
Buprenorphine can be prescribed for this purpose by physicians who take the course you describe. However, to dispense methadone for opioid addiction for outpatients, registration with the DEA as a methadone clinic, which requires additional regulations, is required.
However, I believe you confused buprenorphine and methadone with regard to training required to prescribe for addiction.
Buprenorphine can be prescribed for this purpose by physicians who take the course you describe. However, to dispense methadone for opioid addiction for outpatients, registration with the DEA as a methadone clinic, which requires additional regulations, is required.
2
Another tragic story in the US opiod epidemic.
5
purple reign
deaths decade deep
decadent depressed
mr masterful musical
magical mixed-raced
super-human sexual
stilletto-heeled splits
amorous or arrogant
answers always and
gardens gateway go
guitarist glittering gift
violent violates violet
verging very virtuous
performances perfect
but a prince is in pain
deaths decade deep
decadent depressed
mr masterful musical
magical mixed-raced
super-human sexual
stilletto-heeled splits
amorous or arrogant
answers always and
gardens gateway go
guitarist glittering gift
violent violates violet
verging very virtuous
performances perfect
but a prince is in pain
4
Let's not judge Prince. He was a great innovator and artist who died too young.
15
Who is judging? I think we all feel really bad that someone this talented had to resort to this to control the pain. I think there is a lot of sorrow, regret and compassion here.
2
People addicted to prescription medications often do not believe they have a drug problem. This is a sad contradiction since prescription drug abuse and legal alcohol consumption are the two largest drug problems in the USA. But, don't blame all physicians, although some are at fault for overprescribing. They have an impossible and contradictory task: reduce chronic pain in their patients vs. don't overprescribe. As with Elvis, the questions will or have been asked: who prescribed the pills and did Prince shop doctors to have more than one prescription?
26
One thing you failed to point out: there is no research showing opioids are effective for the treatment of chronic pain.
If you read the CDC guideline on opioid use and chronic pain, you can read about the lack of evidence that they are beneficial for this.
If you read the CDC guideline on opioid use and chronic pain, you can read about the lack of evidence that they are beneficial for this.
1
The person to look for here is the doctor who was prescribing and dispensing potentially fatal medication combinations/amounts. It is the doctor's responsibility to prescribe responsibly, and to take action if there is evidence of addictive behavior, or dangerous behavior. Patients trust their doctors as the experts on what to do - the doctor need to behave as such. Just taking the money for the office visit and writing a prescription, enabling a dangerous addiction, is malpractice in my opinion.
1
I just hope that at least some good comes from this tragedy and that we all start to understand that addiction IS a disease, not a "moral" failure or whatever. We never had a shot at winning the "War on Drugs" since it never embraced the nature of addiction. I've watched probably half a dozen TV "shows" in the last 6 months on 60 Minutes, Frontline, etc. that recognize that new approaches and attitudes are needed and practiced. I live near a large town (small city?) that had a rampant opiate problem but was one of the first to take a new approach-if you are an addict, come TO the Police. Hand over your drugs and "works" (needles, etc.) and instead of treating you as a criminal and incarcerating you, instead you will receive free treatment for as long as it takes, not just a brief detox or a 28-day "rehab." In the 2+ years since that small city started that program, it's been embraced by many other towns and cities across the US. It may not be the answer for all addiction, but it's a start.
5
Prince spent a lot of time helping out other people but his fierce independence prevented those that would have helped him, reach him in time. Getting treatment for dependency on pain medication should never have been seen as shameful. He did live the clean life and should not felt that he had to hide his physical pain. Now watching Prince's exhilarating performances and marveling how he could move has become sad, knowing that he was inflicting great physical pain on himself.
69
Another sad part of this story is the mean comments I see on social media that call him out for being a hypocrite and a liar. I've never struggled with addiction but I have known many who have and it's a horrible, horrible disease. I lost my first friend to heroin at 19, and since that time I've seen countless people succumb to addictions and sometimes even death. And I understand how annoying, demanding, frustrating, and difficult addicts can be, but can we not show compassion for our fellow humans who suffer from this affliction?
16
Thank you for this heartfelt comment.
2
Springsteen banned booze drugs from his tours, too. Nils got kicked out of E-Street for drinking. Prince? Junkie. Hey, he went a long way on pills, that was his stage-fright remedy. I hope he didn't get into needles, because these days, those are loaded with Fentanyl. We absolutely HAVE to get a handle on that. They interview junkies up here in Boston and they'd do anything for real heroin, but there's only Fentanyl. Tragic. RIP, Prince.
Where does it say anywhere that he was a junkie! It says he was using prescription pain medication to manage pain due to hip injury. NO where does it say he was doing "street" drugs or abusing alcohol. In fact, he allowed no alcohol in his home. Where do you come up with "stage fright remedy". Don't make comments that you can't substantiate. That is the problem with social media. If I type it and submit it -- it becomes truth! Wrong.
8
I broke a collarbone in Germany, clean break. Most painful thing I've ever experienced. I was given Ibuprofen. Most painful week of my life. Beats addiction and/or dying, though. Why do other countries manage to treat pain without OxyContin for a toothache? The United States uses 95% of the world's opiate "medication".
8
Why in the US? Possibly because the pharmaceutical company that makes it is based here. Possibly because decades ago part of their marketing plan was to offer kickbacks to Doctors who prescribed their drug. Possibly because their is a mindset of escaping reality for pleasure that exists here. Possibly because we are a country with enough disposable income to afford drug dependencies. Possibly because we had years of pill mills that were hugely profitable. Possibly because our focus was on curing other public ills than drug addiction or dependency. Possibly all of the above. Now that we might know why, what are we going to do about it?
2
I have been clean and sober for 29 years. Marijuana, prescription drugs, alcohol, or any one of the illegal drugs all bring you to the same end if you start using them to escape. Crash and burn! I know because I use them all. While intervention does help it does not work if the person is not ready. What is interesting is that one of the largest rehab centers in the United States is in Minnesota which is Hazelden. One last thing, I have found from being in the rooms is the more money you have the less you think you have a problem. I am not saying that going to a 12 step program is the only way to get clean and sober but if you are sick and tired of being sick and tried it will help you get there. There is a jazz song and the title is "All things in moderation and moderation is the first thing to go."
4
Marijuana?
1
Please don't go there, Mimi. If Wade felt that marijuana was a problem for him, then it was. Let's not segue into a discussion of the legalization of marijuana. That's a different subject.
4
Mimi, yes. Even if marijuana were legal everywhere, it is recognized that it can be addictive for some. Same for legal booze and legal opioids and benzos.
Wade, I believe there are many types and reasons for denial. Not just money. Maybe the role one plays, the profession, the religion. In a sense it is cognitive dissonance. Maybe i am a good Catholic, cop, Doctor, mom...whatever, having a substance use disorder conflicts with my private and public persona. It is hard to cut through that. Also, if one is religious one might think s/he is not praying hard enough if she cannot stop. Or if one is tough and enforces the law, how can s/he not tough it out. Or one tries to heal others but not oneself.
My child's pediatrician lost his license because of drug abuse. I know a nurse who died of alcoholism. I prayed weekly at Mass for help with my drinking. Luckily I found sobriety. How? I do not know. God? Friends? Family? Self? Treatment? AA? Probably a combination. It is a shame that Prince had to suffer.
Wade, I believe there are many types and reasons for denial. Not just money. Maybe the role one plays, the profession, the religion. In a sense it is cognitive dissonance. Maybe i am a good Catholic, cop, Doctor, mom...whatever, having a substance use disorder conflicts with my private and public persona. It is hard to cut through that. Also, if one is religious one might think s/he is not praying hard enough if she cannot stop. Or if one is tough and enforces the law, how can s/he not tough it out. Or one tries to heal others but not oneself.
My child's pediatrician lost his license because of drug abuse. I know a nurse who died of alcoholism. I prayed weekly at Mass for help with my drinking. Luckily I found sobriety. How? I do not know. God? Friends? Family? Self? Treatment? AA? Probably a combination. It is a shame that Prince had to suffer.
2
Drug abuse has two faces in our culture: the tragic and the entertaining. The former belongs largely to the past is framed within logical perspective; the latter has become the purview of late-night talk show hosts, tell-all biographers and academy award show personalities. Witness the hooting, cheering audience reaction to the very suggestion of drug use (and abuse) on late night TV and you will understand how far astray we have gone. It does not diminish Prince's talent and accomplishments to point out that there are hundreds of victims less prominent than he who die anonymously every day whose personal struggles are perhaps even more heroic than those of a superstar with all the advantages of wealth and power at his disposal. Stories like Prince's are becoming wearisome in both their frequency and in their timid view of personal accountability. Prince was human and if he couldn't take the pain at 57, perhaps like most others facing that inevitable reality, it was time to slow down. While it doesn't help that many doctors today function as licensed drug pushers, the choice to play prescription roulette is largely, tragically, a personal one. This holds true whether you are a rock star with bad hips or the guy next door who is struggling with depression.
27
"...the choice to play prescription roulette is largely, tragically, a personal one..."
I disagree. Patients pay doctors for mindful expertise and informed advice, and rely on it. Doctors need to be involved and caring, not just pill dispensers that are incentivized by drug reps.
That said, it might have also helped if Prince was seeing a psychotherapist as well as Jehovah for medical guidance.
I disagree. Patients pay doctors for mindful expertise and informed advice, and rely on it. Doctors need to be involved and caring, not just pill dispensers that are incentivized by drug reps.
That said, it might have also helped if Prince was seeing a psychotherapist as well as Jehovah for medical guidance.
1
As a physician and surgeon, I can tell you this is a very old and sad story. Most of us in medicine for any length of time have acquired problem pain patients. It becomes more complex when they are friends, family or otherwise "very special" patients.
I can't imagine the pressure that a super A-list patient like Prince, Michael Jackson or Elvis, could have put on their doctors. They could easily break down any customary professional boundaries to get what they want, and it would be almost impossible to resist them.
I'm sure that there are a number of doctors right now in Minneapolis who aren't getting much sleep.....
I can't imagine the pressure that a super A-list patient like Prince, Michael Jackson or Elvis, could have put on their doctors. They could easily break down any customary professional boundaries to get what they want, and it would be almost impossible to resist them.
I'm sure that there are a number of doctors right now in Minneapolis who aren't getting much sleep.....
32
Sorry, doctor, not much sympathy from here.
Doctors should not let pharmaceutical sales reps in their offices, should not take "free" samples, should not take payments from pharma companies.
On the latter, you could listen to the recent NPR program (http://www.npr.org/series/130598927/dollars-for-docs-how-pharma-money-in...
Physicians could join together to fight against TV and other advertising for drugs direct to consumers.
Please don't fob the problem off on "problem pain patients". They don't sign the prescriptions. You might also read the recent NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/03/business/fda-again-reviews-mandatory-t...
70% of Americans are on drugs of all kinds, and doctors sign the paper.
Only 1% of adverse effects are reported.
Statinvictims.weebly.com
Doctors should not let pharmaceutical sales reps in their offices, should not take "free" samples, should not take payments from pharma companies.
On the latter, you could listen to the recent NPR program (http://www.npr.org/series/130598927/dollars-for-docs-how-pharma-money-in...
Physicians could join together to fight against TV and other advertising for drugs direct to consumers.
Please don't fob the problem off on "problem pain patients". They don't sign the prescriptions. You might also read the recent NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/03/business/fda-again-reviews-mandatory-t...
70% of Americans are on drugs of all kinds, and doctors sign the paper.
Only 1% of adverse effects are reported.
Statinvictims.weebly.com
8
would be almost impossible to resist them.
asking them to leave and not come back is impossible ?
youre forced to over-prescribe opiates ?
which is against th law ?
asking them to leave and not come back is impossible ?
youre forced to over-prescribe opiates ?
which is against th law ?
2
Nah. I ain't buying it.
2
This is devastating news a Man known as an Artist who had the whole world in the palm of his have had to die alone of Pain.
7
everyone dies alone
3
Having run a long term residential addiction recovery facility for a few years this all sounds so familiar. What seems to be the key missing element in Prince's life was someone who cared for him in a very personal and intimate way. Fans don't do that. Their entourage does not do that. The latter, while not always successful in accomplishing recovery, I found made the difference in getting started on the path to success. Seems Prince started the process, but his need for 'privacy' and control may have in fact killed him. Sad, but a teaching moment for others RIP.
18
"Mr. Freed, the blogger, said he could hardly believe reports of the painkiller dependency."
Seriously?
Physicians wrote 259 million opioid prescriptions in 2012, triple the number two decades ago and enough to provide every adult in the country with a bottle of these pills. "We have now this incredibly unusual public health crisis," says substance-abuse expert Meldon Kahan, "that's essentially caused by physicians."
Seriously?
Physicians wrote 259 million opioid prescriptions in 2012, triple the number two decades ago and enough to provide every adult in the country with a bottle of these pills. "We have now this incredibly unusual public health crisis," says substance-abuse expert Meldon Kahan, "that's essentially caused by physicians."
6
Narcan shot? Smells like an opioid overdose to me; probably went the same way as Heath Ledger... essentially these pills are heroin that you take by mouth. The sad thing is that so many people get unintentionally addicted after being prescribed opioid pain killers for things like operations and its so addictive that they can't kick it. Those that don't have the money to keep taking the pills switch over to heroin.
2
I have chronic pain, and have had it since I turned 30. I have scoliosis. I have seen cranial-sacral osteopaths, massage therapists, an acupuncturist who is an MD and uses acupuncture in a unique way based on knowledge of anatomy, a postural reconstructionist, a Shiatsu specialist, a PT, a Chinese foot massager, a reflexologist, and I practice Iyengar yoga (meditation in motion) -- all to stave off pain.
I am terrified of addiction, having grown up in the 1960s in a sea of alcoholics, apparently self-medicating the traumas of WWII. Therefore, I have long shied away from doctors who will happily write a prescription for some drug (or offer a surgery that will leave me with chronic pain). Terrified. I have avoided orthopedists like the plague. I don't want to hear their unimaginative rap, or be given their deadly pills.
I am terrified of addiction, having grown up in the 1960s in a sea of alcoholics, apparently self-medicating the traumas of WWII. Therefore, I have long shied away from doctors who will happily write a prescription for some drug (or offer a surgery that will leave me with chronic pain). Terrified. I have avoided orthopedists like the plague. I don't want to hear their unimaginative rap, or be given their deadly pills.
6
Sounds like an optimal and safer approach to pain. I wish doctors were more knowledgeable of alternative therapies (especially acupuncture and yoga) so more addictions and death could be prevented. Instead many of them are bought by the pharmaceutical industry.
Wow. I wish I could find an acupuncturist who was also an M.D. I do have an excellent cranial-sacral osteopath though and yoga really is the best thing one can do to stay healthy and limber. The pills are cheaper though and insurance pays for them, which is the bottom line for most people. We're lucky to have good insurance with a flexible spending account. Most people don't.
1
I have scoliosis too, and have been in pain from that for 30 years. No surgery and only an Aleve from time to time, exercise as able, rest as able and mostly just sucking it up, working full time at a desk job. I hear you. No surgeries or addictions for me either.
I am surprised and disappointed to see the drug dependancy and drug addiction used interchangeably in this article. Patients with chronic pain are made to become dependant on narcotics and opiods by the doctors who prescribe them. And all one needs to do is read the possible side affects of Percocet or Oxycodon or even Buprenorphine to get that death by "slowed breathing" is a serious risk. Prince reportedly suffered chronic hip pain that was undoubtedly excurtiating due to his drive and world class performances.
I think this article is premature; we should wait for the toxicology report. That said, when one pain medication doesn't effect the pain anymore, its routine for a Doctor to up the dose, or add an additional narcotic to the mix, or both.
It is VERY possible Prince died using what was precribed, as it was prescribed. To automatically label him as an "addict", a term usually reserved for people taking drugs recreationally, or without a proper prescription, is, in my opinion, WRONG.
I think this article is premature; we should wait for the toxicology report. That said, when one pain medication doesn't effect the pain anymore, its routine for a Doctor to up the dose, or add an additional narcotic to the mix, or both.
It is VERY possible Prince died using what was precribed, as it was prescribed. To automatically label him as an "addict", a term usually reserved for people taking drugs recreationally, or without a proper prescription, is, in my opinion, WRONG.
30
I hope I misread this article - it sounds like the information came from Dr. Howard Kornfeld, presumably in violation of our expectation of confidentiality when seeking medical help. And as others have noted, it's all speculation anyway - but on the front page of the Times? Unworthy.
9
As a physician who has treated many patients abusing prescription opioids who were started on them for legitimate pain complaints, I find the attempted treatment of Prince described in the article a burlesque of appropriate treatment if it is true.
First of all, it is hard enough for these patients to terminate use of these drugs even if they want to much less because other people are telling them to.
By sending his son to see Prince and arranging a doctor to clear his whole schedule to see him, Dr. Kornfield was treating Prince as VIP and it's been repeatedly found that doing so sabotages treatment as it gives the message such people are special in terms of their disease.
Unless Prince was getting his drugs through illicit means, and there is no indication this is true, did Dr. Kornfeld or anyone else try to contact to the doctor prescribing them to see if he or she felt there was a problem?
Finally, as a specialist in pain management, I can tell you that if patients are abusing opioids they were started on for legitimate pain complaints, it is impossible to try to get them off them unless other methods of pain management are introduced at the same time. There is no indication Dr. Kornfeld's program offers such services.
First of all, it is hard enough for these patients to terminate use of these drugs even if they want to much less because other people are telling them to.
By sending his son to see Prince and arranging a doctor to clear his whole schedule to see him, Dr. Kornfield was treating Prince as VIP and it's been repeatedly found that doing so sabotages treatment as it gives the message such people are special in terms of their disease.
Unless Prince was getting his drugs through illicit means, and there is no indication this is true, did Dr. Kornfeld or anyone else try to contact to the doctor prescribing them to see if he or she felt there was a problem?
Finally, as a specialist in pain management, I can tell you that if patients are abusing opioids they were started on for legitimate pain complaints, it is impossible to try to get them off them unless other methods of pain management are introduced at the same time. There is no indication Dr. Kornfeld's program offers such services.
10
Isn't it time to legalize marijuana on a national level?
4
Steve - I have suffered from a seizure disorder for most of my life (61 now) and based on what I read in the press Prince had epilepsy when he was younger. My sense is that once you have a disorder like Epilepsy, your probably more sensitive to abusing / using medications than the average person. I take several seizure medications (Keppra, Depakote and sleep aid) and am extremely careful what I put into my body. If Prince did have this condition, though private.....it would be nice to have a better picture about his true state of health. Though much better than when I was young, there's still plenty of ignorance and discrimination on those who suffer from Epilepsy. I've seen it first hand.
Thank You
Thank You
4
A cursory review of Dr Kornfeld's website in fact indicates that his practice incorporates a myriad of other pain management techniques/therapies.
1
Where is the moonshot to conquer pain ? We invest billions in gleaming cancer centers around the country run by smugly polished doctors in white coats, but we don't invest in cancer pain research and in the treatment of chronic pain in cancer survivors affected by debilitating nerve damage. We have a rapidly growing diabetes industry first producing millions of diabetics through sugar addiction, and then making billions by treating them with insulin and dialysis. Almost all diabetics will develop painful neuropathies, but there is no concerted research effort to prevent nerve damage. NIH funds a brain initiative with hundreds of millions of
Pain is a disease by itself. It continues to exist even if the underlying cause is long gone, tormenting millions of sufferers. Opiates are the last straw, condemning to a life of misery, side effects and addiction. It took Prince's beautiful mind from us, and so many more. Let's hope this is a final wake up call.
Pain is a disease by itself. It continues to exist even if the underlying cause is long gone, tormenting millions of sufferers. Opiates are the last straw, condemning to a life of misery, side effects and addiction. It took Prince's beautiful mind from us, and so many more. Let's hope this is a final wake up call.
4
When I grew up in the 60's and 70's the drug dealer was a guy or gal down the street. as we move forward with the cartels and gangs the drug problem is further ensconced in society at a more organized level. But there is a chance that dealer will get caught.
Today however, the real drug dealers are now the Pharmaceutical Company and there is no interdiction with them or the Dr's who are the street level dealers. They are untouchable. So while we lament the loss of a tremendous artist in Prince, or Michael Jackson or Elvis we continue to turn a blind eye on the real problem. Heck there measurable amounts of pharmaceutical drugs in our water from being flushed through our systems; yet we focus on the "illegal" drug trade, why?
Today however, the real drug dealers are now the Pharmaceutical Company and there is no interdiction with them or the Dr's who are the street level dealers. They are untouchable. So while we lament the loss of a tremendous artist in Prince, or Michael Jackson or Elvis we continue to turn a blind eye on the real problem. Heck there measurable amounts of pharmaceutical drugs in our water from being flushed through our systems; yet we focus on the "illegal" drug trade, why?
6
Sorry, but you are wrong.
Doctors, particularly those who would write prescriptions for pain medicine, are in fear of their license being taken, their jobs being taken, and their freedom being taken away by the DEA.
It is not easy to get medicine for pain. Do you realize what a person has to go through? This country better change how it looks at this situation, and I don't mean by cutting everyone off of their medicine. The reason you know about a lot of these cases is that this is exactly what happened. The doctors freaked out because some went to jail for long sentences and they cut off the medicine to the patients. The patients did not stop using the medicine. They bought it on the street, and then they went to heroin. Some of them started dying, and then more of them were cut off, and more started dying.
Suppose instead of just cutting these people off, and instead of forcing them to stop, they just had their doctor monitor them and make sure they were getting the right amount? Doctors are afraid to treat pain, some won't do it at all. Some people won't see the doctor for fear of being discovered as a drug user. Anyone who uses these medicines for a certain period of time will become dependent. For a lot of people, they work, though, and for some, it's the only way they can go to their jobs. I don't mean a job where you do splits, though I don't judge those people either. I mean a job where you do physical labor all day. It's mostly those people who suffer.
Doctors, particularly those who would write prescriptions for pain medicine, are in fear of their license being taken, their jobs being taken, and their freedom being taken away by the DEA.
It is not easy to get medicine for pain. Do you realize what a person has to go through? This country better change how it looks at this situation, and I don't mean by cutting everyone off of their medicine. The reason you know about a lot of these cases is that this is exactly what happened. The doctors freaked out because some went to jail for long sentences and they cut off the medicine to the patients. The patients did not stop using the medicine. They bought it on the street, and then they went to heroin. Some of them started dying, and then more of them were cut off, and more started dying.
Suppose instead of just cutting these people off, and instead of forcing them to stop, they just had their doctor monitor them and make sure they were getting the right amount? Doctors are afraid to treat pain, some won't do it at all. Some people won't see the doctor for fear of being discovered as a drug user. Anyone who uses these medicines for a certain period of time will become dependent. For a lot of people, they work, though, and for some, it's the only way they can go to their jobs. I don't mean a job where you do splits, though I don't judge those people either. I mean a job where you do physical labor all day. It's mostly those people who suffer.
1
Hazelden is based in Center City, Minnesota.
Like 'forever' known as the Crème de la Crème for treatment of addiction, not in terms of elegance so much as for true substantial treatment.
Not the Mill Valley, California 'Recovery Without Walls' place,
but a hop, skip and jump from Prince's place of last-minute desperation.
Like 'forever' known as the Crème de la Crème for treatment of addiction, not in terms of elegance so much as for true substantial treatment.
Not the Mill Valley, California 'Recovery Without Walls' place,
but a hop, skip and jump from Prince's place of last-minute desperation.
2
Stars push themselves so hard and they're not realistic about the body's limitations as they age. We the fandom do not help matters either, expecting our celebrities to look and act the same as they came on the scene decades ago. To be 57 years old, had hip surgery, dancing and doing splits in heels is insane.
The irony here was that Prince was on the few entertainers that didn't need to dance on stage to hold your attention. He was such a great artist you were transfixed just watching him play his guitar or the piano. I would have gladly watched him in concert for two hours doing just that. What a lost.
The irony here was that Prince was on the few entertainers that didn't need to dance on stage to hold your attention. He was such a great artist you were transfixed just watching him play his guitar or the piano. I would have gladly watched him in concert for two hours doing just that. What a lost.
115
"To be 57 years old, had hip surgery, dancing and doing splits in heels is insane."
Prince hadn't done the splits for a very long time - maybe decades. Please read the article properly.
Prince hadn't done the splits for a very long time - maybe decades. Please read the article properly.
1
It is just so sad. And so unnecessary, however it happened.
5
It's so unfortunate how the ego can stand in the way of doing what is sensible, safe, and prudent. If this report of Prince abusing pain medication is true, he was going down a dangerous path and doing his best to hide it. A concoction for danger. It's all so tragic. How many people have died this way? For every celebrity you hear about, think of the thousands of others who have made this mistake. If medical care had more comprehensive integration of information, with computer assisted assessments only accessible by authorized medical personnel, perhaps these drug abuses would be caught much more often before they take a life.
4
I would love to be suffering from the pain that Prince had to be taking the pain pills!
I find it incredible that so many of these "artists", "entertainers" etc. suffer from some sort of pain issues. They are multimillionaires with the world at their finger tips and they consume pain pills and often enough illicitly. What a shameful and disgusting private lives these people lead.
I find it incredible that so many of these "artists", "entertainers" etc. suffer from some sort of pain issues. They are multimillionaires with the world at their finger tips and they consume pain pills and often enough illicitly. What a shameful and disgusting private lives these people lead.
9
What a wonderfully (un)informed opinion.
14
I'm pleased to hear that you know precisely what it was like to be this man, what it was like to suffer his pains. Perhaps you should write his autobiography.
17
Got Judgement?
12
Regarding the issue with the doctor: either this article or elsewhere, it states that Dr. Kornfeld could not clear his schedule for that day and planned to come out the day after, and in the meantime, he had contacted a local doctor (in addition to having his son fly out there) to evaluate and help Prince before he could come. I don't think it's such an egregious thing that he didn't jump on the first plane and go to Minnesota. He had other patients, too. They might not have been as famous, or perhaps they were. But they were human beings, someone's father, brother, daughter, wife, whatever, who also deserved this doctor's attention. What kind of doctor would he be if he just dissed patients under his care to take care of a potential patient just because that guy was famous and rich? I think Dr. Kornfeld acted properly under these circumstances. In any case, considering that Dr. Kornfeld's son found Prince dead, it would have been too late, even if he had come out there.
7
I do not in any way want to pretend to be an expert here, but Prince's "clean" lifestyle, his shunning of alcohol and marijuana on his tours, may have been in part because he recognized on some level his own tendency toward addiction. What happened when he was given prescription painkillers proved that he was right.
The doctors who prescribe these medicines can certainly point to the vast majority of their patients who take them, get the relief from pain that they need, and have no problem with addiction. But then there are those that do have that problem, as we see here, as we see in the current opiod epidemic. What is needed is a greater awareness on the part of the medical profession of the fact that not all patients are alike when it comes to these medicines; that instead of just handing them out to everyone after an operation there should be more work toward a way of determining the risk factors for addiction and thus modifying or eliminating the painkillers prescribed for that at-risk population since they might lead to greater problems than pain.
The doctors who prescribe these medicines can certainly point to the vast majority of their patients who take them, get the relief from pain that they need, and have no problem with addiction. But then there are those that do have that problem, as we see here, as we see in the current opiod epidemic. What is needed is a greater awareness on the part of the medical profession of the fact that not all patients are alike when it comes to these medicines; that instead of just handing them out to everyone after an operation there should be more work toward a way of determining the risk factors for addiction and thus modifying or eliminating the painkillers prescribed for that at-risk population since they might lead to greater problems than pain.
7
"They would only notice small things, like that he stopped doing splits."
a 57 year old man doing the splits would draw my attention and concern. i don't care how fit. a 57 year old man not doing the splits would seem prudent. he was such a great performer i guess he couldn't bear to slow down.
a 57 year old man doing the splits would draw my attention and concern. i don't care how fit. a 57 year old man not doing the splits would seem prudent. he was such a great performer i guess he couldn't bear to slow down.
4
Print media that doesn't change will become extinct, and someone at the NY Times has apparently gotten the message.
While the headline suggests the story is about Prince's addiction (shhh!), it's really just another serving of celebrity gossip. We're treated to a rare insider's look at Prince's world, which is like being the first on the scene at one of Saddam's ruined palaces. Unfortunately, readers never get what the story seems to promise, which is a word picture of the moment when Prince collapsed in his elevator.
How much longer are the media and the public going to indulge themselves in this death fest?
While the headline suggests the story is about Prince's addiction (shhh!), it's really just another serving of celebrity gossip. We're treated to a rare insider's look at Prince's world, which is like being the first on the scene at one of Saddam's ruined palaces. Unfortunately, readers never get what the story seems to promise, which is a word picture of the moment when Prince collapsed in his elevator.
How much longer are the media and the public going to indulge themselves in this death fest?
11
Yes, lets brush aside the tragic much tooyoung death of an American icon. WHat is it with people that object to this coverage? If you dont like it dont read it.
7
While I was not a big Prince fan, certainly the extensive interest in his life and death merits news. We are, in fact, a somewhat celebrity-driven culture, wouldn't you say
Also, I wouldn't go nearly as far as to state that if print media doesn't change, it will become extinct.
That sort of statement seems somewhat couched in frustration, as if you'd like the print media to die.
But print media has an important role to play, and I hope and believe it will continue.
Perhaps from your point of view, print must change or it's the death knell, but many people continue to read print as well as on line.
Personally I enjoy reading the NYT in all its forms,
Also, I wouldn't go nearly as far as to state that if print media doesn't change, it will become extinct.
That sort of statement seems somewhat couched in frustration, as if you'd like the print media to die.
But print media has an important role to play, and I hope and believe it will continue.
Perhaps from your point of view, print must change or it's the death knell, but many people continue to read print as well as on line.
Personally I enjoy reading the NYT in all its forms,
6
Part of the continuing tabloidization of one of the world's formerly great newspapers. All this, for a pop star? If one of our great authors died under similar circumstances, would it get anywhere near the coverage Prince's death is getting? How much more do we need to know now? He was addicted to prescription pain-killers, and he hid it. If there was criminality on the part of the prescribing doctor, the authorities will ferret it out, and then you can report it as straight news. Do an investigative series on the abuse of prescription drugs. Leave the rest to the National Enquirer.
9
Leave your snobbery at the door. The man was hugely talented and important to American culture. If Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney died, the coverage would be huge even though they are pop stars. Sorry, but this mans life touched many others and he brought joy to millions of people. And again, his life is worthy of NY Times coverage. Maybe we can learn from his mistakes. He was human after all.
19
MM - Sorry, bad comparison. Prince on par with Dylan or McCartney? Either way, my point is about milking this thing for every trivial detail and angle that it's worth, and featuring it so prominently to boot. I read somewhere that when Hendrix died, the story was on p.27 of the Times. There are way more important things going on in the world. Can we get some perspective?
1
I remember Harper Lee's death being widely reported and she died of natural causes in her 80's. If she had died of a drug overdose at age 57 I bet her death would have received the same amount of endless coverage and speculation as Prince's.
3
This is such a shame. It is almost inevitable that all concerned (which is a lot of people) will speculate about what might have been. We do not have the capacity to revise what happened to claim this talented man's life. We have only the capacity to learn. We hope.
2
To find that Prince's death was apparently preventable makes it just all the more tragic.
10
Terribly sad. He avoided illegal drugs but was destroyed by prescription pain relievers. It is too bad he did not get better pain management treatment.
9
This doctor needs to be up before the california medical board for blabbing about his potential patient. Completely outrageous.
7
It is truly sad that genius seems to require demons. A post mortem examination exposes those hidden and elusive devils in their backgrounds. We deify them, we idolize them, we celebrate then, but they are still humans subject to all of our frailties.
May he rest in peace and may he forever be in our minds and culture.
May he rest in peace and may he forever be in our minds and culture.
1
Death of the Entertainer. Who gave everything he had (his life) to be that magic image people had of him. Without that image of Perfection, we are nothing.
2
9 years ago my husband died from a prescription drug overdose. He hid his addiction well. How may more years and lives have to pass before something is done to stop this?
8
You can't stop adults from destructive behavior, as it just takes you down too!
2
I just don't understand. I take pain pills for chronic pain. I have for years. I have never taken more than is prescribed. I cannot imagine in a million years taking enough to die. The only reason to take more would be pain. Maybe Prince's problem was unendurable pain. From what the article says, he was not a person in search of a high.
10
And some people have just one drink. I, on the other hand, would just keep on going and going and going and I could not understand people that just have ONE. I'm sober 3 years.
You're normal and lucky.
You're normal and lucky.
10
you are limited in th amount of drugs you take
your dr wont give you more than you need
guys like prince, micheal jackson, elvis, etc get all they want
your dr wont give you more than you need
guys like prince, micheal jackson, elvis, etc get all they want
2
I am not limited by what my doctor prescribes. I have spare pills lying around. I am limited by not needing or wanting to take more. It is not the supply of drugs that is the problem it is the demand side. That was why the War on Drugs failed. The authorities just tried to cut back on the supply of drugs and created a billion dollar criminal empire supplying demand.
1
He really would have been better off if he HAD been a regular marijuana user. While not a powerful pain reliever, it still provides some relief, is not physically addictive, and won't kill you if you use too much.
18
He could have actually gotten a lot of benefit by using it with his pain medicine. He wouldn't have had to use as much, nor would he have had as many side effects. Unfortunately if you use cannabis for pain, your pain management doctor will drop you like a hot potato for fear of the DEA. Then what do you do? You get put on a black list and no one will prescribe for you.
So you go to find someone that will prescribe whatever you want on the street. It isn't regulated, you have no idea how much is in it, and you can't guarantee it's going to be the same exact thing you used to take. The guy or gal selling it will tell you it's the same thing, but these opioids are all a little different. Taken in combination, along with alcohol when you can't get anything else, and you can stop your breathing very easily if you don't know what you are doing.
Where is the sense in this? Why do we care if someone is addicted yet maintaining themselves? How long will the Puritan fear that someone might be high somewhere in the world cloud the judgement of the people who allow the DEA to dictate to doctors what they can and cannot prescribe? Everyone's privacy is being violated left and right, everyone is on a list that anyone at the pharmacy can see, although they don't tell you how it's bandied about, of course, and anyone in that chain can flag you as a doper.
So you go to find someone that will prescribe whatever you want on the street. It isn't regulated, you have no idea how much is in it, and you can't guarantee it's going to be the same exact thing you used to take. The guy or gal selling it will tell you it's the same thing, but these opioids are all a little different. Taken in combination, along with alcohol when you can't get anything else, and you can stop your breathing very easily if you don't know what you are doing.
Where is the sense in this? Why do we care if someone is addicted yet maintaining themselves? How long will the Puritan fear that someone might be high somewhere in the world cloud the judgement of the people who allow the DEA to dictate to doctors what they can and cannot prescribe? Everyone's privacy is being violated left and right, everyone is on a list that anyone at the pharmacy can see, although they don't tell you how it's bandied about, of course, and anyone in that chain can flag you as a doper.
1
No, regular marijuana use may not kill you, it may only make you lose your memory, judgment, and develop paranoia and psychosis.
2
Where is the moonshot to conquer pain ? We invest billions in gleaming cancer centers around the country run by smugly polished doctors in white coats, but we don't invest in cancer pain research and in the treatment of chronic pain in cancer survivors affected by debilitating nerve damage. We have a rapidly growing diabetes industry first producing millions of diabetics through sugar addiction, and then making billions by treating them with insulin and dialysis. Almost all diabetics will develop painful neuropathies, but there is no concerted research effort to prevent nerve damage. NIH funds a brain initiative with hundreds of millions of dollars, but where is the pain initiative ?
Pain is a disease by itself. It continues to exist even if the underlying cause is long gone, tormenting millions of sufferers. Opiates are the last straw, condemning to a life of misery, side effects and addiction. Opiates are millennia-old drugs, where are the new drugs ? They took Prince's beautiful mind from us, and so many more. Let's hope this is a final wake up call.
Pain is a disease by itself. It continues to exist even if the underlying cause is long gone, tormenting millions of sufferers. Opiates are the last straw, condemning to a life of misery, side effects and addiction. Opiates are millennia-old drugs, where are the new drugs ? They took Prince's beautiful mind from us, and so many more. Let's hope this is a final wake up call.
213
As a pain physician myself, I would be satisfied if medical schools took pain seriously enough to require their students be educated in it. As an article in Tuesday's Times showed, they still are opposing this.
And yes there are drugs newer than opioids. NSAIDs which are very effective for anytime of bone pain and anticonvulsants and SNRI antidepressants which are far more effective for the neuropathic pain you mention than are opioids despite the widespread belief that opioids are always the optimal analgesics.
And yes there are drugs newer than opioids. NSAIDs which are very effective for anytime of bone pain and anticonvulsants and SNRI antidepressants which are far more effective for the neuropathic pain you mention than are opioids despite the widespread belief that opioids are always the optimal analgesics.
3
Until you've suffered the kind of pain you speak of, it is easy to judge. Pain in the last few years has consumed my life. I recently had one joint replacement & will need another. Yesterday I had a cortisone shot & it worked. Today I woke up & for the first time in too long felt lucky to be alive. I have tried all the alternatives, diet change, MM, accu. etc. with no luck.
4
Steve, not for everyone, not without debilitating side effects like severe cognitive defect (Gabapentin, Lyrica), perforated digestive system, which kills you right away (NSAIDs), live failure (too much tylenol) or suicidal depression/emotional instability (SNRI's). If all of the above is OK for the patient, fine. But if low dose opiates have worked for years and continue to work, with no side-effects and limited, if any, tolerance issues, why damn them to hell when taken as directed for intolerable chronic pain? Ninety percent who take opiates long term as directed are no more dependent on them than you or anyone else would be on your diabetes or blood pressure medicine. Prince refused surgery that might have helped him at an earlier stage because he is a Jehovah's witness. He had a failed "bloodless surgery" hip operation. There is no doubt he was in severe pain and was being correctly medicated for it with strong painkillers. He could not have implants because of his religious convictions. He could not have surgeries. He was dependent, not addicted. I know people who never get out of bed now because of pain thanks to the "far more effective" you are so sure of.
2
I have read many comments from people who blame his inner circle. I strongly doubt Prince would blame anyone. Look, he was an incredible artist but also just a human being. He became addicted to painkillers as so many have. There is really no need to demonize his close friends and family or doctors. He kept this issue to himself and frankly, who knows where he was getting the drugs. Prince is free from pain now and his legacy of music and faith lives on. Blaming others for not helping him is not what he would want.
10
Prince was not vegan, but vegetarian. He was also not strict about having meat in his presence, or maybe there were exceptions. Both are highlighted in this article of what's in Prince's fridge: http://heavytable.com/whats-in-princes-fridge/
These inaccuracies make me wonder about the accuracy of the rest of the details in the article..
Something the article didn't include, which I've read elsewhere and seems important - he needed additional hip surgery and wasn't getting it because he couldn't have the surgery without blood transfusions, which were against his religion.
These inaccuracies make me wonder about the accuracy of the rest of the details in the article..
Something the article didn't include, which I've read elsewhere and seems important - he needed additional hip surgery and wasn't getting it because he couldn't have the surgery without blood transfusions, which were against his religion.
8
Elvis, just some bloated white guy pill head.
While Prince was super-clean and spiritual, just floating spiritually above it all.
Sure....
While Prince was super-clean and spiritual, just floating spiritually above it all.
Sure....
4
This is so heartbreaking. He was an artist with a stunning array of talents. It appears that he just couldn't help himself and his friends and employees couldn't attempt to help him until it was too late.
When someone like David Bowie dies, we know he had liver cancer and it's easier for us to accept his death and go through the grieving process. But, when someone like Prince dies and we know or suspect it's from a drug addiction or overdose, the loss is so profound it makes it harder to let go of him and allow the normal process of grieving to take place.
He was so brilliant in so many aspects of his life and business and so foolish in this one, unfortunate and deadly aspect. He turned out to be so very human.
When someone like David Bowie dies, we know he had liver cancer and it's easier for us to accept his death and go through the grieving process. But, when someone like Prince dies and we know or suspect it's from a drug addiction or overdose, the loss is so profound it makes it harder to let go of him and allow the normal process of grieving to take place.
He was so brilliant in so many aspects of his life and business and so foolish in this one, unfortunate and deadly aspect. He turned out to be so very human.
7
But Bowie's death may also have been due to drugs, albeit years after the fact. He never hid the fact that he did prodigious amounts of cocaine during the '70s. Contracting Hepatitis C as a result of cocaine use was not uncommon, and Hep C can develop into liver cancer. We just don't know.
For me, the most important things about both these artists were their incomparable musical gifts, their lifelong creativity, their willingness to use the music industry for their own ends (and those of their fans), and their ability to help us literally reimagine the world. It doesn't matter to me how they died, although I wish both could have been with us for much, much longer.
For me, the most important things about both these artists were their incomparable musical gifts, their lifelong creativity, their willingness to use the music industry for their own ends (and those of their fans), and their ability to help us literally reimagine the world. It doesn't matter to me how they died, although I wish both could have been with us for much, much longer.
7
It's hepatitis from the needles, not from the cocaine. He may have put cocaine into needles that were shared among other people, but cocaine on it's own won't cause hepatitis.
2
Does it make a difference how people who used cocaine in the 80s contracted Hep C from their drug use? It may have been from dollar bills or straws used to snort the drug. The important thing is that people who used cocaine contracted hepatitis, a blood-borne pathogen.
If you have lived with a musician for over 45 years like I have, you get an inside view of what the brain of incredibly talented people looks like and acts like. Often, these people don't use common sense when it comes to things as simple as if they strain their muscles from over playing, they won't stop or lessen the playing, thus resulting in taking something for the pain or wearing supportive braces. In Prince's case, the idea of wearing high heels both because of his height and his persona, took him to needing painkillers when it affected his hips and feet. It probably never occurred to him that he should ditch the heels. Because many musicians work nights, and most drink while playing, that takes its toll over the years of not getting enough sleep or sleep at appropriate hours. Most musicians have drunk too much over the years during the whole course of their life or used other drugs. It is like their brains are wired for insecurity along with the talent. It is hard being married to this type of person or even being in their inner circle as manager because these people by their very nature are usually very stubborn. and no one is going to tell them how to do anything, including their music or their life. The few that live past the age of 80 without being dead or having been in rehab for one drug or another are far and few between.
8
And then there's Keith Richards...
Still confounded by the status we give to "stars" who, by most normal measures, are not healthy and not good role models. Yet, America pours out its adolescent cultural heart to its entertainment "heros" with valiant codependency.
4
I recently had surgery and it was explained to me like this: anti-inflammatories bring down inflammation, thereby bringing down the pain. Pain killers "kill" pain. Opioids: you're still in pain, you just don't care.
5
I don't know who explained it to you but whoever it was wasn't quite correct. Anti-inflammatories can reduce inflammation but can have an analgesic effect even when there is no inflammation in present. In fact, the most commonly used analgesic in this country,Tylenol, appears to have few if any anti-inflammatory effects and we don't really know how it exerts its analgesic effects.
4
Some pain is not reached by any pills, physical and emotional. I have seen people writhing in pain unrelieved by medication and cool hearted doctors throwing up their hands worried if they address it they will be stepping over the new laws. We have become cruel towards pain sufferers. They are entering a world of shame faced seekers of relief, even onto death.
2
Tylenol also happens to be a big component in a lot of drug overdoses, as you know. Too much and your liver is toast.
I have much experience with very potent pain meds. It seems Prince did too. what baffles me is that he died from drugs he knew well. any opiate addict(pills here--not street drugs) knows the difference between a big dose and a deadly one. I am the same age as Prince was. I take pain meds for the same reasons he did.
I am perplexed because the difference between even a large dose--and a deadly one is big. say ten times bigger. either Prince made a BIG mistake or this is a suicide.
I am perplexed because the difference between even a large dose--and a deadly one is big. say ten times bigger. either Prince made a BIG mistake or this is a suicide.
5
Neither I nor anyone yet knows the full circumstances of Prince's death so we can't comment on them.
However, as a pain management physician I have encountered patients who overdose on prescription opioids not because they wished to die but because they were having so much pain they thought taking more of the medications than what was prescribed would alleviate it.
However, as a pain management physician I have encountered patients who overdose on prescription opioids not because they wished to die but because they were having so much pain they thought taking more of the medications than what was prescribed would alleviate it.
154
It is my understanding that a patient can take ever-increasing doses of opiate medication due to the medication becoming less effective over time. This can lead to the therapeutic dose becoming equal to the fatal dose.
4
we dont need to know the full circumstances. he had a wake up call on the emergency landing and shrugged it off. all to keep his image in place.
I sympathize with anyone living with chronic pain. I know from experience that it can make your life hell, and I understand that you'll take anything to be free from that pain for even a short time. So, I don't condemn Prince if he relied on pain pills for the relief he needed.
Why isn't there a pain reliever, stronger than aspirin or acetaminophen, that is not addictive? Millions of people live with chronic pain, and the development of a non-addictive pain medication would be worth billions of dollars, I would imagine. So, the incentive is there. Lives would be improved. Lives could be saved. Why don't we have something yet?
Why isn't there a pain reliever, stronger than aspirin or acetaminophen, that is not addictive? Millions of people live with chronic pain, and the development of a non-addictive pain medication would be worth billions of dollars, I would imagine. So, the incentive is there. Lives would be improved. Lives could be saved. Why don't we have something yet?
3
There are: anticonvulsants and SNRI antidepressants. And although we are country that believes medications are the answer for everything, in fact there is far more literature supporting the use of things like physical and occupational therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain than there is supporting the use of opioids for this.
2
And they don't always work for everyone, respectfully. I'd like to see what it would be like if there were studies that didn't have limitations. I'd like to see just how much different things would be if we lifted the stigmas and asked the patients real questions they could answer without fear. I'm sorry but I've been on this carnival ride a long time with someone I love and they won't give this person enough medicine. I've seen what she is like with more medicine and it is a hundred times better than with less. Instead, she is condemned to live life at a quarter of her potential if that. She is mostly at home in bed or on the couch. We have asked for more treatment so she could do physical therapy and the like, to increase her functional capacity and they say yes to therapy but no to more drugs. Seems to me that the dr is more concerned with the DEA than my loved one's mental and physical health. They pretty much said so to her. She is not worth going to jail over.
Sorry no empathy here. Another rich guy that could afford all the opoids he wanted, meanwhile publicly advocating a pristine lifestyle. This is reeking hypocrisy.
There is no science and treatment of addiction. This is costing our country millions of dollars right along with the science and treatment of obesity. Either you have self control or you do not. I have been involved with several addicts and I won't even date a "recovering" alcoholic anymore. Sick of walking on eggshells. If you want to kill yourself, go right ahead.
There is no science and treatment of addiction. This is costing our country millions of dollars right along with the science and treatment of obesity. Either you have self control or you do not. I have been involved with several addicts and I won't even date a "recovering" alcoholic anymore. Sick of walking on eggshells. If you want to kill yourself, go right ahead.
3
Understanding the difference between dependence & addiction is important, especially for those who suffer from chronic pain and attempts to manage it. That there is a stigma attached to managing pain control using prescription meds doesn't help anyone. It's likely that Prince's friends & advisors, like those of so many in the public eye, endeavor to protect Prince the person AND his image.
Prince Was known to be a very private individual. This quest for privacy while in the public eye can be nearly impossible to maintain for those who virtually live in it. This might have prevented him from seeking better pain management from medical professionals whose expertise was in pain management. The secrecy that accompanies addiction can be confused with that of the secrecy to protect one's public persona. It is being assumed that Prince might have died, at least in part, from mismanagement of his pain management meds. This may have been totally avoidable if he had better medical oversight and management of his pain.
Unfortunately, the new federal opioid prescription guidelines may place more people at risk than they will help as individuals with chronic pain may begin shopping for means to manage long term pain conditions.
Prince Was known to be a very private individual. This quest for privacy while in the public eye can be nearly impossible to maintain for those who virtually live in it. This might have prevented him from seeking better pain management from medical professionals whose expertise was in pain management. The secrecy that accompanies addiction can be confused with that of the secrecy to protect one's public persona. It is being assumed that Prince might have died, at least in part, from mismanagement of his pain management meds. This may have been totally avoidable if he had better medical oversight and management of his pain.
Unfortunately, the new federal opioid prescription guidelines may place more people at risk than they will help as individuals with chronic pain may begin shopping for means to manage long term pain conditions.
2
I have used painkillers after surgery several times over the years. Every time, after 1 day of use at the suggested dose, I found that dose was no longer effective. In order to get the same pain relief I needed to double it. At that rate I would be an addict headed for an overdose in no time at all! Needless to say, the constipation and general stagnation of my body caused me to flush the rest down the toilet.
Is the best we can do for pain relief? Doctors are truly in a bind over this and surely need some training on how to deal with it.
Is the best we can do for pain relief? Doctors are truly in a bind over this and surely need some training on how to deal with it.
2
No one could tell Prince anything, even years before his addiction. His blessing and curse was to be in absolute control of every aspect of his life. It is good to hear that "those close to him" tried to intervene, albeit too late. I feel Dr. Kornfeld and his son are not too blame, regardless of the illegality of carrying prescription drugs across the border. I hesitate stating who is to "blame", or even if that's even the appropriate word. At least we have his recorded musical legacy to console ourselves. Hopefully, his estate can get sorted to give us more of our required "fix". We're jonesing.
I have known so many people whose lives have been severely damaged or who have died after being prescribed opioids to treat pain associated with legitimate illnesses and injuries. The medical community needs to rethink the use and supervision of the use of opioid medications. The justice system needs to rethink dealing with the consequences of opioid addiction. And, we all need to rethink our reactions to those who are suffering from something over which they are truly unable to exercise much, if any, control.
6
One thing that's never discussed in these painkiller dependency stories is what effect do they have? Are they getting high? And what painkillers - ibuprofen or something else?
People taking pain meds often don't realize how much Tylenol they're taking. Where the opiates don't do any physical harm, the Tylenol can kill your liver. I'm wondering if that's what happened to poor old Prince...
2
Opiate abuse is a higher contributer to deaths than liver failure.
No, it's not. Check the CDC on liver failure deaths.
3
This sounds so similar to Michael Jackson's story. The details are different but the need to be "perfect" and to constantly perform rings true in both cases. I think they themselves separate from their bodies and believe nothing can happen. I am afraid even if doctors were honest, he probably wouldn't listen.
2
What made me said was learning that it was his friends who turned to an addiction doctor for help. Where was his family? This story just gets more heartbreaking. RIP, Prince.
Prince had a problem with pain; the pills were an attempt to manage it.
8
Such a sad story, but I admire the deep, detailed reporting.
It's a great shame that the decision for an intervention took so long, though given Prince's force of personality, I can understand it. A reminder that no matter how much someone deflects your concerns, sometimes you have to distrust they're saying, trust what your eyes and common sense are telling you, and pull rank (if necessary) and step in.
It's a great shame that the decision for an intervention took so long, though given Prince's force of personality, I can understand it. A reminder that no matter how much someone deflects your concerns, sometimes you have to distrust they're saying, trust what your eyes and common sense are telling you, and pull rank (if necessary) and step in.
3
As long as Congress is in bed with Big Pharma, nothing will ever happen to stop our pill popping culture. Nothing. Money talks louder than peoples' live in the USA. Great country isn't it?
8
Will be interesting to see where/how he got his oxycodone or similar. My et is his Dr was prescribing them, or at least most. Bet there is a Dr peeing in his or pants right now.
Somewhat unfair to all, so much stigma, so little openness around thie Oxy/painkiller addiction. Had spinal , and later hip wirk, took the pills for 36 hrs then cold turkey. They felt tooooo good. Maybe some god will come from this with increased funding of support clinics, open discussion of options, issues and support.
Ciao
Somewhat unfair to all, so much stigma, so little openness around thie Oxy/painkiller addiction. Had spinal , and later hip wirk, took the pills for 36 hrs then cold turkey. They felt tooooo good. Maybe some god will come from this with increased funding of support clinics, open discussion of options, issues and support.
Ciao
1
Ah, pain medication. So seductive. In recovery from alcohol and recreational drugs for more than twenty years, I was given Percocet for a broken toe. After a few days the pain was lessened but I kept taking the med. Then for a day or two I doubled up on the med even though I had no pain at all. Then it hit me. A big danger sign from my earlier addictions. Dead stop, meetings, no pain, no drugs. A dodged bullet. Now, after perhaps 20 more years of sobriety, I feel empathy for Prince. I know his pain and fear. A tragedy. RIP.
186
Freeman, thank you for sharing. I also have many years of sobriety (24 years, 9 months and 13 days to be exact) from alcohol but it was a hard battle-one that I'm still vigilant about. But like you, I feel lucky that I did dodge that big bullet, I hold my sobriety very close and I don't judge. Addiction is addiction and it doesn't matter if it was alcohol or pain medication. No addict starts out with the intention of becoming one. And the comments on here that are lacking in empathy ARE disheartening-but also baffling to me because the statistics don't lie. If one has made it to adulthood and has never been faced with the pain of a friend or family member's addiction, you are either extraordinarily lucky or you are not looking. Very few (2?) knew that I was an alcoholic until after I checked myself into a rehab in a brief moment of clarity. By the conventional standards of "success," I was the poster child during the day, but I drank 2 bottles of wine every night by myself in my house, alone. And I hurt myself and the two people whom I loved the most. Freeman, my sincere apologies for infringing on what you shared with my longer reply. But unless more are honest or aware or show some empathy, nothing will change.
1
Fregan-that scoundrel, "autocorrect," changed your name to Freeman in an earlier reply I made to your comment which hasn't appeared yet. Sorry!
1
You are right about the big risks that past drug abusers take, when they have the need for pain relief associated with some new legitimate pain source. But for those over age 40 who have never had any drug abuse history, there is less than a 13 % risk of getting addicted to those pain pills. When those pain pills are given to young people or to previous addicts, they must be given very judiciously. You were very smart to figure that out before you got into trouble.
When the CDC last month issued new guidelines for opioid prescribing, Center for Disease Control Director Thomas Frieden M.D. noted in the New England Journal of Medicine, "Initiation of treatment with opioids is a momentous decision and should be undertaken only with full understanding by both the physician and the patient of the substantial risks involved." I sought treatment for two neurological conditions in the early 2000s, when OxyContin was being jammed into the medical market. I was assured by high-level pain experts that there was little risk of my becoming addicted because I had "legitimate pain," but within a couple of years I was being prescribed massive doses of fentanyl. Not many people make it off fentanyl. I'm able to manage my pain without dependency producing drugs, because I have learned to work within my limitations. In Prince's case we still do not know the results of the toxicology screens, but reports from associates serve to remind the public of the importance of considering one's penchant for using substances to drive oneself past one's own limits. Unfortunately the human animal is not built to jump off stage risers in high heels for more than three decades without sustaining chronic injury. However artistically independent Prince was, a little humility is called for to accept the limitations of the human body and mind.
2
Ok, but why? If that is what he did, and that is what he loved doing, why should he be limited when he could take medicine and continue doing it? I realize there is an inherent and maybe unshakeable idea that dependency on drugs is a bad thing, but we don't say that about insulin. We don't say it about thyroid replacement hormone. They help your body do what it can't do any longer. Why is it that pain is ok? If he had access to the right kind of help, and was able to be managed without prejudice, he might be alive today. He'd have had a save kit with him, and his doctor would know what he was taking at all times but there would be no legal ramifications for such. What would the difference be?
Perhaps Prince obtained all of his opioids legally. Perhaps not. It's unfortunate that our culture can't think through the epidemic of drug addiction. As it is now, if someone is caught with such drugs, he is treated predominantly as a criminal. Only if he is found dead with these drugs do we treat him as a victim of a terrible disease.
3
The medical community has known for over a decade that "The War on Pain" was resulting in an epidemic. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical lobby is the most well-funded group in D.C. during a time when an ideology of self-service, rather than public service, reigns. As long the pharmaceuticals are lactating, the hungry will feed.
2
Opiates and opiods are all generic. No big pharma company makes money off them. They do off drugs like Lyrica, though, which have horrific side effects, and off new, supposedly pain-suppressing anti-depressants (ditto), both with low tolerance thresholds so that you have to continually increase your dose. Read this and think hard about what side of the issue big pharma is on, and from where we are getting our information. It is quite normal for big Pharma to fund studies that damn a medication once it becomes generic in favor of another version of the same drug, or, better still, a more expensive new one that doesn't work except is debilitating, very high doses.
If doctor's had prescribed marijuana instead of opioids, maybe the purple one would still be among the living. Sad...
3
When Prince was taken to the hospital the doctor should have had him committed for 48 hours since he was a danger to himself. For too long the media has failed to shine a light on the drug crisis. All over the country people die everyday. This situation is bigger than Flint, Zika and AIDS combined.
4
As far as I'm aware, no state law would have allowed him to be committed unless he had specifically indicated the overdose was a suicide attempt. And even then if he said he was no longer feeling that way, it would be hard to hold him against his will.
3
All the money in the world could not save him. Once a pickle.....
People, especially fans, expect superhuman capabilities from the stars they follow and adore. Stars, on their part, usually thrive on such adoration, which itself becomes a drug of sorts. In this complex milieu if one were to throw in a drug dependency, it becomes a toxic environment that results in a downward spiral.
It is too early to say if Prince suffered through the process outlined above and maybe there are other reasons why he met with his untimely end. He was a major force in the world of music. Maybe the tragic end might have been averted had he reached out for help earlier on.
In any case RIP musical genius.
It is too early to say if Prince suffered through the process outlined above and maybe there are other reasons why he met with his untimely end. He was a major force in the world of music. Maybe the tragic end might have been averted had he reached out for help earlier on.
In any case RIP musical genius.
2
This is not news it is a family tragedy. I wish everyone would drop all talk of Mr. Nelson and allow him the privacy in death he sought in life. Talk about his music, talk about his business acumen but let's stop talking about the human who is now at peace.
8
Purple pain, purple pain...
I have several friends who many years ago got off the roller coaster, but they say pain meds have never been so permissively passed out by doctors in their lives. I remember doctors only giving my mom Advil for her pelvic exenteration because they didn't want a terminally ill woman to get addicted...I am so sick of a sick medical industry!!
I have several friends who many years ago got off the roller coaster, but they say pain meds have never been so permissively passed out by doctors in their lives. I remember doctors only giving my mom Advil for her pelvic exenteration because they didn't want a terminally ill woman to get addicted...I am so sick of a sick medical industry!!
6
I read so many comments after he died expressing certainty that it wasn't drugs because Prince "wasn't into drugs." They uncritically accepted the explanation that his plane landed in Moline for a few hours because he had "the flu." Maybe he did not start out recreationally, but the fact is once you are addicted to opioids, you are in their throes until you do something about it.
3
I consider the fact that Prince was an intensely private person; I consider the fact that large portions of this article are "facts" knitted together with speculation; I consider the fact that autopsy findings have not yet been released and I wonder whether this is really news or just published, highly-public, gossip.
9
Not one sentence devoted to his apparently unmanaged chronic pain. Not one comment from someone who suffers from chronic pain. On what other kind of story can you neglect to interview the one type of person who might be able to speak directly to what the deceased might have been experiencing. So, several things are obvious from the reporting: first, nobody suffers from chronic pain, and second, you've made a moral judgement about the victim and his perceived weakness.
22
And there lies the problem. We ARE way too quick to make moral judgements without recognizing the nature of addiction and that many opiate addicts became so to overcome chronic pain. It IS dismaying to see a lot of these comments that are void of empathy and understanding-understanding first that there but for the grace of God (or just really good luck) goes any of us. Fregan did share on here-more should because it is impossible for me to believe that no one else has been touched by addiction.
2
Clearly he was in denial; percocet and oxycontin should both be as illegal as heroin and cocaine except in extraordinary circumstances but expect no DEA change on this as they are too profitable. Meanwhile they are working to make kratom a successful painkiller illegal as it is a threat to Big Pharma.
2
That is the most irresponsible thing you could say. Asking for all of these things to be illegal would cause so much misery and death. Why? So a few people can feel they are above the rest? They can break their leg but suffer for days and put that pain in the account in Purgatory to avoid Hell after death?
The first part of your statement makes the second part a big disingenuous. Kratom should stay legal, and it should never be subject to the ridiculous laws we have around opioids. Those laws, as you can see from this story, have caused the problems, not the people using them for pain.
The first part of your statement makes the second part a big disingenuous. Kratom should stay legal, and it should never be subject to the ridiculous laws we have around opioids. Those laws, as you can see from this story, have caused the problems, not the people using them for pain.
2
I feel terrible for Prince. It is very easy to get hooked on post-operation pain meds. I was in excruciating pain and luckily my two operations worked out perfectly. I barely had to use the pain meds I was prescribed (oxycodone) and, in addition, I was totally afraid of getting started with those meds. I can't imagine the pain of stage craft -- for me it felt like ground glass was in my hips; it was agony. Poor Prince, RIP. Let it rest and let us not sensationalize this. He succumbed to an addiction, because of his physical pain.
131
It is important to distinguish between dependency (which would be true of any drug taken regularly) and addiction. It is also important to take into account that Prince was a Jehovah's witness and traditional surgical approaches with high success rates were not open to him as a result.
3
I was the same way. I took a pill or two the day I came home from the hospital after surgery. After that, a few aspirin. I heard too many horror stories to take the chance.
I just saw "Purple Rain" again in the theater last evening, having seen it and experienced the exhilarating musical times during its first run. What a magnetic and mesmerizing performer! It's a rock-and-roll cliché that artists are surrounded by copious drugs and sometimes taken down in the process. That Prince lived an assiduously clean lifestyle and eschewed drugs in general makes waking to this story especially tragic and poignant.
I cried when he performed the title song during the movie last night, unlike the first time when Prince was a soundtrack to my wide-eyed enthusiasm to reject youthful baggage and passionately experience a wider freer world. Back then it was a love song, a siren call to Life. Last night it was a bittersweet swan song and a "sign o' the times".
I cried when he performed the title song during the movie last night, unlike the first time when Prince was a soundtrack to my wide-eyed enthusiasm to reject youthful baggage and passionately experience a wider freer world. Back then it was a love song, a siren call to Life. Last night it was a bittersweet swan song and a "sign o' the times".
15
When I posted a few weeks back that my husband and I had confiscated a bottle of opiates that a dental surgeon had prescribed for our then-teenage son after routine wisdom tooth surgery, several posters accused me of "child abuse." In reality, we'd recognised that our son had been given far too many pills than he would need to get over the brief period of pain that followed the procedure.
Even more dangerous is employing opiates to treat chronic pain such as joint or lower back pain, because by definition tha pain continues cer a period of time, thus,increasing the likelihood of addiction. There are other methods, including pharmaceutics, osteopathy and PT, of controlling, even if not curing, such discomfort. And yes, I do know what I'm talking about, because my husband and I have both had either joint or lower back problems, as have my sister and brother-in-law.
Opiate addiction is an epidemic that is being aided and abetted by the pharmaceutical industry and, unwittingly, the medical profession. The tragic death of Prince, a great artist who, rather than courting addiction, rejected drugs, alcohol and meat, should be a wake up call. If we really want to hi or his memory, we will stop the casual prescription of these dangerous, addictive, potentially lethal, medications.
Even more dangerous is employing opiates to treat chronic pain such as joint or lower back pain, because by definition tha pain continues cer a period of time, thus,increasing the likelihood of addiction. There are other methods, including pharmaceutics, osteopathy and PT, of controlling, even if not curing, such discomfort. And yes, I do know what I'm talking about, because my husband and I have both had either joint or lower back problems, as have my sister and brother-in-law.
Opiate addiction is an epidemic that is being aided and abetted by the pharmaceutical industry and, unwittingly, the medical profession. The tragic death of Prince, a great artist who, rather than courting addiction, rejected drugs, alcohol and meat, should be a wake up call. If we really want to hi or his memory, we will stop the casual prescription of these dangerous, addictive, potentially lethal, medications.
29
While I agree with what you are saying the truth is somewhat different. Some folks with debilitating pain and some surgeries require those meds. The insurance companies and the docs can write for pain pill and it's covered. While Physical and Occupational aren't. Also not covered is Acupuncture, Massage, Chiropractic, TENS units, Meditation and compounded agents. It is a sticky wicket for those with chronic pain because the environment they are in now is telling them to not take pills, but leaves them with little other choices than to, "Buck up and take it."
2
Buck up and take it is the only option anyone is ok with. Look at the comments section of this article. I wish that everyone could have the same kind of pain other people suffer with on a daily basis for one month's time. The catch would be they would think it was forever. They would change their tune in a day or two.
To me, there is no honor in heroics of this type.
To me, there is no honor in heroics of this type.
1
As someone who has had chronic pain, I have done pt, nerve blocks, diet, botox, acupuncture and surgery. The most affordable and effective intervention (with the exception of one surgery) was opioid pain management. There are many benefits to oxycodone and opioid meds and these treatments should remain available to those in pain. Yet they need to be monitored which can not be done when people and meds are being stigmatized. I no longer have pain and so I no longer use drugs but still feel that they are a great option in the right situation.
Perhaps "the flu" Prince experienced was actually withdrawal that he was trying to do on his own. Then when he realized he couldn't function without his opioids, he took too many and his brain shut down body functions and he died. I'm not a doctor, but my husband got addicted to Oxycodone after knee surgery, and the withdrawal process (he later described it as flu-like) had to be managed very carefully.
41
I took Percocet after surgery and experienced flu-like symptoms on withdrawal, as well as maddening insomnia. and this was after only 4 or 5 days of fairly light use. I remember lying in my bed wide awake on the eve of a very important and full work day thinking "I could just take a couple of pills and deal with coming off the stuff when I have time to lose a few nights sleep." I cannot imagine what it would take to come off a longer-term or heavier use and I know how luck i am that I had the ability to shut that 2-am voice down.
1
Prince was obviously a very gifted person, and a very giving person. What a terrible shame that he could not have found recovery help right in Minneapolis instead of flying someone in, or sought help earlier. It's all too late for the what-ifs, and it's all terribly sad.
6
Pain killers. It is a two part problem. First, pills are for pain, physical in nature not emotional or psychological. As a person with irreparable joint damage and arthritis I know this pain. I don't use prescription meds anymore because of the second part. Their use almost cost me my life. There it is, they are KILLERS.
I am saddened by this news but even more bothered that so many of you are correct and that the new enemy isn't always the street corner thug with a twenty bag, but the very medical professionals that are wooed by the might and money of the Med Giants.
For any of you that suffer, and you know who you are; please take a minute to think of those you will leave behind. Prescription pain medication(s) will kill you. Peace.
I am saddened by this news but even more bothered that so many of you are correct and that the new enemy isn't always the street corner thug with a twenty bag, but the very medical professionals that are wooed by the might and money of the Med Giants.
For any of you that suffer, and you know who you are; please take a minute to think of those you will leave behind. Prescription pain medication(s) will kill you. Peace.
16
the meds are safe and effective if used properly.
3
Bob R:
Is the use of opioids really so cut and dried? The comments here seem to indicate otherwise . . .or maybe it's just difficult to use these drugs "properly" after you start them.
Is the use of opioids really so cut and dried? The comments here seem to indicate otherwise . . .or maybe it's just difficult to use these drugs "properly" after you start them.
1
Most people will be fine. It's the laws and rules that cause the problems. I don't see what difference it makes if this is for psychological or physical pain, if we really get into it. The reason the people die is they can't get enough relief and the doctor says no. Then they get it in other ways. That's the whole story in a nutshell. That's why so many people are using heroin now.
We've had a war on drugs for over fifty years. Has anything changed? It seems there is nothing different except we've criminalized doctors and pain patients and made it all worse.
We've had a war on drugs for over fifty years. Has anything changed? It seems there is nothing different except we've criminalized doctors and pain patients and made it all worse.
"A master of image control, Prince started shaping the narrative right away."
It's sad. We are all so afraid of what others will think of us, that our lives have become a public relations broadcast. Covering things up and living in a narrowly defined "narrative" however shows a fearful, insecure attitude. This will only lead to greater weakness. I am glad that the truth about Prince has finally been told. His shame would not allow him to address the problem himself, before it was too late. Americans need to be reminded that no one is perfect, we are all flawed, and we all deserve compassion. At one time our Judeo/Christian heritage forced us to accept ourselves and one another with humility. Sadly, our digital society does not.
It's sad. We are all so afraid of what others will think of us, that our lives have become a public relations broadcast. Covering things up and living in a narrowly defined "narrative" however shows a fearful, insecure attitude. This will only lead to greater weakness. I am glad that the truth about Prince has finally been told. His shame would not allow him to address the problem himself, before it was too late. Americans need to be reminded that no one is perfect, we are all flawed, and we all deserve compassion. At one time our Judeo/Christian heritage forced us to accept ourselves and one another with humility. Sadly, our digital society does not.
4
Good reporting, but I'll wait for the autopsy report for the last word on Prince.
RIP kind sir. Thanks for the music.
RIP kind sir. Thanks for the music.
11
I still hate all of this--there's no happy ending here, regardless of how many additional details keep emerging. However, I appreciate how thoughtful and respectful this article is to Prince, his family, and his fans.
24
Here in Minneapolis, it was as if Prince was other-worldly, half-man half-god, without the possibility of any flaw, including pain, much less addiction. Imagine the pressure those expectations place upon someone who was, in fact, despite his genius, as real as the rest of us. But he was always determined not to let people down. He was known for that here and elsewhere. That meant he had to try to live up to a reputation as a super-human, and that can't be done. The saddest thing about this is that a man as generous and giving as Prince (and he was well known for those qualities around here, too) had to endure so much, despite all his fame, all alone.
339
I think you sum it up beautifully, and what seems to be coming out again and again is that while he strove to protect that super human reputation, he still engaged as a human on so many other levels. He remained decent and accessible, aloof maybe but still kind, and did very human things like opening up his studio to the public for small concerts and discussions, attending the local church, and knocking on doors to engage strangers in religious discourse. I think he genuinely loved people, his community and his city. In some ways he was more human than many people I know.
4
While I feel bad about Prince's death, I do still blame him for relying on his religion to claim that gay marriage is wrong. He spent an entire career using gay imagery to make money and then he comes out against gay equality. Apparently being against gay marriage is part of his religion but being a drug addict isn't.
5
Drug addiction WAS against his religion, hence his conflict and his secrecy about dependence on LEGAL prescription drugs.
None of this has anything to do with his ACT, which was not his real life. He was married twice, so he was not presumably gay. I don't know what "gay imagery" you mean. He wore flashy clothing on stage and makeup, but so do many actors and performers.
None of this has anything to do with his ACT, which was not his real life. He was married twice, so he was not presumably gay. I don't know what "gay imagery" you mean. He wore flashy clothing on stage and makeup, but so do many actors and performers.
2
Sometimes it is better to remain quiet, or very quiet, or simply silent.
3
When did Prince ever state any animosity towards gays? Never. Throughout his career he worked with homosexuals. He treated everyone with individual kindness, not judgment. His stated religion is irrelevant because in later years he stated that he was studying Eastern and African religions and found knowledge there. I think that he gravitated towards the Jehovah sect because of his close friendship with Larry Graham. Prince probably saw Graham more as a father figure and wanted to connect to him on a deeper level, so he embraced Graham's religion.
3
Reminds me of a similar death that should not have happened - Michael Jackson.
Those closest to Prince should have been looking out for him to the point of being proactive in their efforts. Too little, too late just doesn't cut it.
5
Isn't it sort of hard for the yes-men around these demigods to "intervene"?
These prescription opiates are awful. The completely immoral Big Pharma industry makes billions off them, and keeps pushing them.
Obviously, nobody, nobody, should be left with intractable pain. But there are alternatives in many cases, and cannabis is one. Not for everyone, of course, but it's a viable alternative for some. And it is unconscionable that it continues to be criminalized anywhere. Period.
Obviously, nobody, nobody, should be left with intractable pain. But there are alternatives in many cases, and cannabis is one. Not for everyone, of course, but it's a viable alternative for some. And it is unconscionable that it continues to be criminalized anywhere. Period.
11
There is little evidence cannabinoids are effective analgesics at all much less as effective as opioids or other legitimate analgesics such as the NSAIDS, anticonvulsants, SNRI antidepressants.
You've never been in intractable pain, obviously. I have, for four years, searing nerve pain. Prescription opiates have saved my life, and without a doubt, the lives of many of the eight million chronic pain patients who take them. For me cannibus is useless.
Several of Prince's friends denied he ever used drugs.
5
I think they mean "illegal drugs" like marijuana or cocaine.
Most people do not count prescription drugs legitimately given by a doctor to be "abusing drugs".
Also, it seems he hid this drug use from even his closest friends.
Most people do not count prescription drugs legitimately given by a doctor to be "abusing drugs".
Also, it seems he hid this drug use from even his closest friends.
3
Is that even relevant now? Dr. Kornfield confirmed that Prince wanted rehab for pills addiction.
1
It seems like just yesterday I was mourning Philip Seymour Hoffman over the same thing, and now Prince. Addiction can hit anyone, and touches everyone around them. While these celebrity deaths are tragic I hope they can have the positive effect of spurring congress and the medical community to realize how widespread this problem is and how much further we have to go in both understanding what causes addiction and learning how to combat it. For every public death like this there are so many more dying in the shadows or suffering out their addictions in private. Worst of all, sadly and tragically for most people the current treatment models for addiction are woefully inadequate.
11
If a person like Prince with all his resources and support suffers like this imagine what it's like for those who have neither and still succumb. I personally don't know anyone who is addicted to pain pills, at least I don't think so. We as a society many times blithely dismiss those addicted to opioids, any type, as weak and simply need to pull up their bootstraps. I don't believe it's that easy. We need to open up our eyes, and hearts.
13
What does that even mean? Should people be able to take that much pain medication? Should we find better medications? Prosecute? Not prosecute? Treat? Not treat? Hearts open, what is the solution? I'm sure it's not 'give everyone whatever pain medication they feel they need because pain is bad'.
I agree that Prince was a great talent, and I don't want to be too snarky, but way too much deep social meaning is being read (and written) into this. Rock, pop and hip-hop performers dying of overdoses is an OLD story - it's practically commonplace. It happens a lot, and has happened a lot in the past. And, guess what, it's going to happen again in the future.
5
Famous, wealthy celebrities have access to drugs of all kinds, that we ordinary folks cannot imagine. They have doctors who fawn on them (what doctors doesn't want to say "I treat so and so, the celebrity"?) -- they have staffs and entourages who indulge them.
They also have vast wealth to buy anything they want. Usually, there is nobody around who can tell them the truth -- if you say anything unpleasant, you get fired.
Prince wasn't married or in a long term relationship -- had no children -- lived alone in what looks like isolation and for many years. He was 57 and expected to be able to slither around on a stage like he did at 25 -- denial of the aging process. Remember, in his film "Purple Rain", his character's name was "The Kid". Prince wasn't a kid anymore and hadn't been in decades.
He was in so much denial of his age and mortality, that with a 300 million fortune .... he didn't bother to have a will. Do you think Prince didn't have lawyers, for his music rights? Of course he did! They could have easily knocked out a basic will for him. Heck, you can download the forms today on the internet. He didn't want a will, because that means accepting aging and death and not being "The Kid" any longer.
They also have vast wealth to buy anything they want. Usually, there is nobody around who can tell them the truth -- if you say anything unpleasant, you get fired.
Prince wasn't married or in a long term relationship -- had no children -- lived alone in what looks like isolation and for many years. He was 57 and expected to be able to slither around on a stage like he did at 25 -- denial of the aging process. Remember, in his film "Purple Rain", his character's name was "The Kid". Prince wasn't a kid anymore and hadn't been in decades.
He was in so much denial of his age and mortality, that with a 300 million fortune .... he didn't bother to have a will. Do you think Prince didn't have lawyers, for his music rights? Of course he did! They could have easily knocked out a basic will for him. Heck, you can download the forms today on the internet. He didn't want a will, because that means accepting aging and death and not being "The Kid" any longer.
2
Your point? As John Donne said, "Any man's death diminishes me." Prince was a beloved person and performer, so it's natural that people want answers. We've learned more about him in his death than in life, sadly.
4
Prior to the inevitable ranting about how bad narcotic pain relievers are and recommending more restrictions, may I quote my former pain management physician (post surgery) who has hundreds of narcotic using pain patients: "Never seen an overdose death from anyone taking medicine prescribed for them at the prescribed amount each day."
28
That tells the story. Prince's ability to obtain almost unlimited narcotic pain killers and his isolation led to his death. I would guess he had to use uppers in his stage shows to counteract the downers. An old story often repeated..
1
That is a rather flippant, if ill-informed, comment from a so-called pain management physician who sounds like he/she specializes in short term pain "management" and not patients with long term, unrelenting pain and the very complicated issues that ensue. Or your "former physician" just holds "former views" on the issue of successful pain management.
1
The arrogance in that physician's observation (duh) is that a certain percentage of his patients will not use the opiates as prescribed and in those instances they are potentially lethal. Which is not his fault, but it should be his concern, and maybe he could display a tiny inkling of understanding regarding addiction and its tragic potential consequences. The ignorance regarding alcoholism and addiction in medicine is rather staggering if hardly surprising.
1
Enough, enough already. What is wrong with this country? Can't you recognize suffering when you see it for Christ's sake? How many more loved ones do we ALL need to lose before we realize SHAMING people and STIGMATIZING them is NOT working?
That this man and so many others felt the need to hide their pain and suffering, only to be proven right, once he'd fallen is beyond shameful. It will only be when we remove that stigma, bring out the pink bracelets, bring out the love and support so many suffering deserve will we even BEGIN to address a reversal of this suffering and loss of life.
Not to even mention how many of those suffering like Prince are the same people we've sent to fight all our wars all over the world and have returned with deep pains that many can never even imagine. Who are we to judge someone's suffering? Not I.
That this man and so many others felt the need to hide their pain and suffering, only to be proven right, once he'd fallen is beyond shameful. It will only be when we remove that stigma, bring out the pink bracelets, bring out the love and support so many suffering deserve will we even BEGIN to address a reversal of this suffering and loss of life.
Not to even mention how many of those suffering like Prince are the same people we've sent to fight all our wars all over the world and have returned with deep pains that many can never even imagine. Who are we to judge someone's suffering? Not I.
55
What? He got more than enough pain Killers.
Using powerful drugs to relieve debilitating pain has to be distinguished from using drugs recreationally. As soon as you use the word 'addiction' to talk about a rock and roller, you're evoking the latter. Anyone who lives in chronic pain knows that the best you can pray for is the former. We need more resources devoted to better behavioral, psychological, and pharmaceutical treatment to relieve suffering. Now. Yesterday. The language used here further stigmatizes pain sufferers trying to function and fighting drive away the demons that lead too many of us to depression and suicide. Since the new initiatives tightening up on opioids, people who need help are having a harder time to getting it because anyone looking for pain management is assumed to be an addicted recreational user. Language matters. Prince didn't get effective help managing his pain fast enough. And it killed him. There's your headline.
92
I could not have said it any better myself. I am a 41 year old disabled woman who's life is forever altered due to my needing TEN different spine surgeries in the last 8 years so that I may walk normally again without a wheelchair or a cane. Unfortunately, not one of the surgeries eased the debilitating pain I was suffering from every moment of every day. It was to keep ke walking and it was understood the pain would only get worse. My heart is breaking for this man because I know exactly what he was battling and where his head was at. I am going to guess he was given pain meds years ago just as I was given them. I am going to guess that yes they helped him have some sort-of quality of life without pain; however, like any other person taking a med for am extended time, his body became physically dependent on them and also built up a tolerance to them. Same thing w myself. Because I have built a tolerance to certain dosages, my pain doctor has to adjust them from time to time to allow pain relief to continue. He was NOT a junkie and he was not addicted , he was dependent bc of years of use and he was in PAIN! ALL he wanted I am sure was for the pain to go away. I know it's all I pray for knowing that it will never happen . I hope we can take this tragedy and learn something from it and stop labeling and stereotyping folks like myself who just wanna love life again somehow.
9
Well said Nellie!
2
Thank you so much for writing this post!
2
It seems he was very isolated, as he wanted to be, which could have been part of his demise. He was obviously in more pain that he wanted to let on. It appears he wanted help, unfortunately it came one day too late.
Very, very sad. RIPrince.
Very, very sad. RIPrince.
2
I think his isolation and privacy left him very much alone and led to his death.
1
I watched PBS's showing of "Little Girl Blue," a documentary about the life, addictions and death of Janis Joplin. I thought of Prince throughout. Artists whose gifts and burdens involve not only singing and performing but actually BEING for an audience may always be in danger of addiction because at some point, the exposure and pain overwhelms the ability or inclination to deal with the pain. I have often thought of Janis and Prince as "angels of feeling." In "Little Girl Blue," Bob Weir described Janis Joplin as "the singularity." Prince was a singularity or at the place of singularity - the razors edge is a tough place to be.
10
If only it were true that drug addiction only afflicts wealthy celebrities.
1
Wasn't that a great documentary about Janis?! She just seemed like a very sad, lonely person.
4
Why did Dr. Kornfeld send his son -- someone who is not a doctor -- rather than an actual doctor?
I'm not sure whether or not Prince had already passed away in the elevator when he was found, then after the ambulance arrived he could not be revived, but perhaps if a medical doctor had found him in the elevator, they would not have had to wait for EMTs to revive him, and he would be alive. Even if not, why send one's son rather than a doctor?
I'm not sure whether or not Prince had already passed away in the elevator when he was found, then after the ambulance arrived he could not be revived, but perhaps if a medical doctor had found him in the elevator, they would not have had to wait for EMTs to revive him, and he would be alive. Even if not, why send one's son rather than a doctor?
4
The impression I get is that the doctor had obligations- as in other patients that also needed attention. They were doing what they could to accommodate him. You can't solve this in an instant. If the stories are true then Prince also chose to leave the hospital a week before against the doctor's advice. It seems as if this was all just too late. He was dangerously ill and the people around him waited too long to reach out.
Such a loss.
2
I think this piece is premature. It really is all speculation until toxicology reports come back. It is disrespectful to assume addiction by piecing together bits and pieces of stories. His music was genius and he followed his own path - I think we owe it to him to honor his privacy right now.
13
As sad as Prince's addiction was, the fact that it was "legal" drugs illustrates misguided enforcement efforts against marijuana.
We never read about people so addicted to pot that their lives are at risk, or that they overdose on it. The reason is simple - pot is not toxic and there's no virtually no risk of fatal overdose, even when eaten in quantity.
So how is it that the pharmaceutical industry legal sells substances that are addictive on their own, and have been shown to be gateway drugs for heroine and other opiates. But pot requires law enforcement to fill prisons with people whose crime was having a couple of joints on them.
We never read about people so addicted to pot that their lives are at risk, or that they overdose on it. The reason is simple - pot is not toxic and there's no virtually no risk of fatal overdose, even when eaten in quantity.
So how is it that the pharmaceutical industry legal sells substances that are addictive on their own, and have been shown to be gateway drugs for heroine and other opiates. But pot requires law enforcement to fill prisons with people whose crime was having a couple of joints on them.
15
Actually you're right. People usually don't die of marijuana but it does lead to the use of much stronger drugs which at times does kill the person. Thankfully the industry does sell pain pills. Would hate to go through a major surgery or even a minor one without them.
3
You no longer go to prison for pot -- not a single joint, or the quantity that an ordinary person would have for their own usage.
Anyone in prison for marijuana possession is a dealer, who had pounds of weed in their home or car.
Anyone in prison for marijuana possession is a dealer, who had pounds of weed in their home or car.
1
Concerned, that may be the sentencing situation today for pot on its own, but there are lots of people serving long sentences triggered by minor marijuana possession, perhaps under "three-strikes" laws. If pot were entirely decriminalized, those "third strikes" would not have happened.
Two thoughts:
First: As a Prince fan, I find this story deeply painful. Prince meant so much to so many people. I wish he was still with us. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy yet was really struggling with this disease of addiction.
Second: the unfettered availability, rampant overprescribing and abuse of prescription drugs has become a serious problem in this country that needs to be addressed. The US accounts for 5 percent of the global population, yet we consume 75 percent of the world's prescription drugs. In the US, more than 15 million people abuse prescription drugs. More people die from abused prescription drugs than from heroin, cocaine and amphetamines combined. The type of opioid pain pills that likely killed Prince were responsible for more than 10,000 deaths in 2010.
We need to confront the fact that we are the most heavily medicated and addicted society on Earth by reducing the sale and overprescription of these drugs, and increasing the availability of treatment for those suffering from addiction.
First: As a Prince fan, I find this story deeply painful. Prince meant so much to so many people. I wish he was still with us. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy yet was really struggling with this disease of addiction.
Second: the unfettered availability, rampant overprescribing and abuse of prescription drugs has become a serious problem in this country that needs to be addressed. The US accounts for 5 percent of the global population, yet we consume 75 percent of the world's prescription drugs. In the US, more than 15 million people abuse prescription drugs. More people die from abused prescription drugs than from heroin, cocaine and amphetamines combined. The type of opioid pain pills that likely killed Prince were responsible for more than 10,000 deaths in 2010.
We need to confront the fact that we are the most heavily medicated and addicted society on Earth by reducing the sale and overprescription of these drugs, and increasing the availability of treatment for those suffering from addiction.
43
Having suffered hip pain - which leaves one with just enough energy to take a shallow breath, I feel so so sad for Prince. He had to contemplate and deal with the loss of his magnificent, sinuous mobility as a consequence of hip surgery, which is truly the only thing that would have alleviated the pain, the pain demanding drugs.
12
Surgery often doesn't relieve the pain, also.
2
"Associates said that Prince’s dedication to religion, in addition to his commitment to pure living, may have contributed to a sense of shame about his growing dependency on medication."
I'm sure this was the case. And it's really a tragedy on more than one level. Not only did a genius pass too soon, his legacy will be varnished, especially with the tabloid culture/mentality we live in today. This should not be what the man is ultimately remembered for. If we take away anything from this, it is that under the right circumstances opioid dependency can happen to anyone.
I'm sure this was the case. And it's really a tragedy on more than one level. Not only did a genius pass too soon, his legacy will be varnished, especially with the tabloid culture/mentality we live in today. This should not be what the man is ultimately remembered for. If we take away anything from this, it is that under the right circumstances opioid dependency can happen to anyone.
11
It's looking more and more like the biggest pushers of opiates are people with the letters M.D. after their name. They have become enablers of addiction which drives the profits of the drug companies.
You know the old joke, "Doc it hurts when I do this." The Doc replies, "Then don't do this."
Best medical advice in the world.
When your body hurts, its' telling you that something is wrong. It's telling you it's time to rest and heal. We don't do that. We take a pill and keep going. Then whatever is causing the pain intensifies and makes the pain get worse. Then we take two pills, then three. Then we get hooked on the pills. The pills are so expensive, we then buy heroin on the street because it's cheaper and readily available. And so it goes.
There are so many opiates in use that the drug companies are selling pills to offset the chronic constipation caused by them. We can't even go to the bathroom anymore without medication.
When does this end? People are dying from prescription opiates. Millions have become addicted. How many more have to die before we put a halt to this madness.
Some people experience severe, chronic pain caused by cancer and other conditions and these drugs allow them to have a life. That is a legitimate, medical use for them. Most of the people that get hooked aren't dying of cancer. Their knee hurts, their hip hurts, their back hurts and here come the pills, and the coroner.
You know the old joke, "Doc it hurts when I do this." The Doc replies, "Then don't do this."
Best medical advice in the world.
When your body hurts, its' telling you that something is wrong. It's telling you it's time to rest and heal. We don't do that. We take a pill and keep going. Then whatever is causing the pain intensifies and makes the pain get worse. Then we take two pills, then three. Then we get hooked on the pills. The pills are so expensive, we then buy heroin on the street because it's cheaper and readily available. And so it goes.
There are so many opiates in use that the drug companies are selling pills to offset the chronic constipation caused by them. We can't even go to the bathroom anymore without medication.
When does this end? People are dying from prescription opiates. Millions have become addicted. How many more have to die before we put a halt to this madness.
Some people experience severe, chronic pain caused by cancer and other conditions and these drugs allow them to have a life. That is a legitimate, medical use for them. Most of the people that get hooked aren't dying of cancer. Their knee hurts, their hip hurts, their back hurts and here come the pills, and the coroner.
13
Sophistic and sophomoric logic.
The drugs are perfectly legitimate, logical, and exceedingly useful for acute pain of all types.
The problem is the doctor who prescribes too much, refills too much, and allows patients to take too much. This is complemented and compounded by an uninformed patient. Both should be taken to task - especially the former.
The drugs are perfectly legitimate, logical, and exceedingly useful for acute pain of all types.
The problem is the doctor who prescribes too much, refills too much, and allows patients to take too much. This is complemented and compounded by an uninformed patient. Both should be taken to task - especially the former.
1
That sort of joint pain can be just as bad as any other chronic pain, and doesn't go away when you're not moving. After I fractured my kneecap and got surgery to fix it, I thought I could tough it out and not use opiates at all, but within minutes of the femoral nerve block that anesthetized my leg wearing off I was disabused of that idea by pain that left me howling in agony. I was lucky that I recovered with no persistent pain and only had to take them for a few weeks, but not everyone who's suffered such injuries or gradual damage over years is so lucky.
3
In 1935 Bill Wilson summed it up in three words in the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" when he described alcohol as "...cunning, baffling, and powerful." And so it is for the disease of addiction no matter the substance. Not the pat answer some may seek when they ask how and why Prince but it may have to suffice.
6
1. Another very talented person - who rightly earned his wealth and fame - but who in the world outside of his/her field was arrogant, ignorant, and just plain stupid enough to flush it down the toilet by not reaching out for any help.
2. I've never understood how people as smart as him, at the top of the pile with wealth and fame, and who have many paid handlers and staff, allow this to happen. No one close to him saw this? I doubt it very much.
3. I do not accept the argument that it was not his fault, and that they had no control over the situation. That is sophistic nonsense. With his money, large retinue, and obvious intelligence he most surely did - but he clearly chose not to do anything about it for concerns of public or private reprisals or psychological damage.
4. Why the "doctor" from California didn't come personally is beyond me. My god, he sent his son who is not a doctor?
2. I've never understood how people as smart as him, at the top of the pile with wealth and fame, and who have many paid handlers and staff, allow this to happen. No one close to him saw this? I doubt it very much.
3. I do not accept the argument that it was not his fault, and that they had no control over the situation. That is sophistic nonsense. With his money, large retinue, and obvious intelligence he most surely did - but he clearly chose not to do anything about it for concerns of public or private reprisals or psychological damage.
4. Why the "doctor" from California didn't come personally is beyond me. My god, he sent his son who is not a doctor?
2
Perhaps the doctor had commitments to patients under his care in California, to whom he felt an obligation NOT to drop everything for a new patient who happened to be a celebrity. That seems like the ethical course of action to me.
So Prince was a drug addict. What else is new. Sport professionals loose all respect and contracts the moment they are caught but when singing loud songs and getting 15 year old kids brain washed and making a fortune then it is OK to be an addict.
7
"getting 15 year old kids brain washed"
How so?
How so?
2
Are there not two broad types of drugs? Pain killers on the one hand and cocaine and heroin on the other.
A person becomes addicted to pain killers following his/her need to find relief from pain, as Prince did following his hip surgery. A person so addicted differentiates this addition from those addicted to cocaine and heroin. Such a person can then justify his loathing of those addicted to the latter.
A person becomes addicted to pain killers following his/her need to find relief from pain, as Prince did following his hip surgery. A person so addicted differentiates this addition from those addicted to cocaine and heroin. Such a person can then justify his loathing of those addicted to the latter.
1
This is a very sad story about Prince. I grew up listening to him in the 80s. His cause of death pain killers. Reason for painkillers? Jumping on stage with high heels and doing splits. WHY on earth do splits. Can'e they just sing and be happy? Can't the public be happy just listening to his music? Do you think Beethoven or Mozart and all those playing just beautiful music are jumping off the pianos and doing splits? He would be still with us today if he just did not act so stupid and trying to please the crowd with circus like stunts. If he wanted to sing music and do splits he should have had a lifesize puppet to do the splits while he sang.
5
Ah...youth. I am sure that 25 year old Prince had no problem AT ALL running in high heels and jumping off stages.
He was hugely entertaining at that stage of his career, and of course, you don't worry about a slim, energetic, flexible young man doing splits or contortions on stage. He was an entertainer -- this was his "act".
The problem is 30 years later. It sounds like he tried to keep up his youthful act, when he was far from youthful anymore.
I also wonder in retrospect -- he wasn't married or even in a long term relationship (at 57) and never had children, despite his wealth and despite his religious leanings (which clearly point to family as the highest good). He lived alone. He was, perhaps, in denial of aging. It can be very hard for some people to admit they are older, and can't carry on with the things they got away with at 25.
He was hugely entertaining at that stage of his career, and of course, you don't worry about a slim, energetic, flexible young man doing splits or contortions on stage. He was an entertainer -- this was his "act".
The problem is 30 years later. It sounds like he tried to keep up his youthful act, when he was far from youthful anymore.
I also wonder in retrospect -- he wasn't married or even in a long term relationship (at 57) and never had children, despite his wealth and despite his religious leanings (which clearly point to family as the highest good). He lived alone. He was, perhaps, in denial of aging. It can be very hard for some people to admit they are older, and can't carry on with the things they got away with at 25.
2
This is so very sad. We are losing millions to opioid abuse through the legal prescription of painkillers. I had cancer surgery four years ago and thus had a serious dose of painkiller, far more than I needed. After a couple of days of needing it, I found myself reaching for it when I didn't need it because it made me feel great, ready to climb mountains. So I crushed the drugs, then dropped off the container at the local police department.
It is not the high you may have experienced from illegal drugs. While I worry about too much of a crackdown on opioid prescriptions for those who need it, we need to find something that doesn't make people feel so great that they can't walk away from it.
It is not the high you may have experienced from illegal drugs. While I worry about too much of a crackdown on opioid prescriptions for those who need it, we need to find something that doesn't make people feel so great that they can't walk away from it.
7
The police log in where the drugs came from. Wouldn't it have been less invasive to just toss them and recycle the container?
No, they specifically ask that drugs be turned in so they can be processed and disposed of so they pollute land or water resources.
I'm not convinced that the police log whose name is on the prescription, and even if they did, who cares? I've turned in old dog prescriptions as well as human ones. I'm sure the police have better things to do.
I was given a prescription for 30 pills (opioids) after I had wrist surgery. I took one and I got so violently ill I threw the rest of them away. Other media outlets talked about how Prince had trouble eating. I totally get why that was the case. These medications are volatile. There were so many instructions on the prescription I was given...take with food, blah blah blah. I took it with food and still got sick. Prince lived such a "clean" life and these poisons from Big Pharma are the reason he is no longer with us. It's sad. Will someone be held accountable?
2
1. your GI reaction is a very common one. The meds are not volatile in any chemical or medical sense.
2. these meds are perfectly safe if taken for a short time and as directed.
3. they are very dangerous if taken incorrectly OR if prescribed incorrectly.
2. these meds are perfectly safe if taken for a short time and as directed.
3. they are very dangerous if taken incorrectly OR if prescribed incorrectly.
3
I had the same experience. I can't tolerate opioids and it is a pure mystery what other people enjoy about using them. They make me nauseous and give me violent nightmares. But that's me. I also can't tolerate cigarettes and don't enjoy alcohol or marijuana.
Clearly there are a lot of people who get something -- relief? pleasure? numbness? -- out of using opiods, or it wouldn't be this big a problem.
Clearly there are a lot of people who get something -- relief? pleasure? numbness? -- out of using opiods, or it wouldn't be this big a problem.
1
I hope you didn't throw them away in the trash or flush them down the toilet? Those methods of disposal are harmful to our environment. Better choice is to return them to your doctor, or deposit them in a medication dropoff set up for that purpose. My town has a kiosk at the police station where one can get rid of unwanted prescription medications.
Just completed reading Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic by journalist Sam Quinones, and no doubt we have an already out of control pain killer/heroine epidemic in this country. But again, our Congress just sits and does nothing. There are strategies we could pursue---one being more tight regulation of drug companies---but no, we must focus on repealing Obamacare.
11
So repealing ObamaCare that would pay for treatment programs would solve the problem.
I guess you similarly believe that stopping payments for chemotherapy is an effective way to end cancer.
I guess you similarly believe that stopping payments for chemotherapy is an effective way to end cancer.
I think his comment about repealing Obamacare was sarcasm.
1
Leave him alone.
8
"Such insistence on maintaining his independence may have made keeping a secret easier, they said."
Secrecy is the hallmark of any addiction. In recovery myself for over three decades, I've seen what happens when the comfort of a substance consumes your life. I can only imagine the personal hell Prince was feeling, torn between his professed values and the relief he found in something that enabled him to function--at least for awhile.
If everything in this article is confirmed, I hope it sparks renewed interest in the science and treatment of addiction--be it alcohol, pills, heroin--and reduces the ongoing moral stigma. Here in New England, there is a heroin addiction of monumental proportions, with some young people dying from overdoses at the rate of four a day, according to the Boston Globe.
But I hope that the imminent interest in the cause of Prince's death does nothing to detract from his total body of work, love for his fans, and fierce advocacy for the rights of artists.
Secrecy is the hallmark of any addiction. In recovery myself for over three decades, I've seen what happens when the comfort of a substance consumes your life. I can only imagine the personal hell Prince was feeling, torn between his professed values and the relief he found in something that enabled him to function--at least for awhile.
If everything in this article is confirmed, I hope it sparks renewed interest in the science and treatment of addiction--be it alcohol, pills, heroin--and reduces the ongoing moral stigma. Here in New England, there is a heroin addiction of monumental proportions, with some young people dying from overdoses at the rate of four a day, according to the Boston Globe.
But I hope that the imminent interest in the cause of Prince's death does nothing to detract from his total body of work, love for his fans, and fierce advocacy for the rights of artists.
238
How do you NOT see the hypocrisy in your NOT backing the legalization of a harmless drug, marijuana, after being addicted to legal drugs much, much more dangerous? Do you realize just how many people have lost their jobs/freedom over a drug that if used with just a modicum of restraint, can even be beneficial?
Step out of the way, you are part of the problem.
And, anyone undertaking drug use has to only exhibit self control, as you would with cake. One piece is plenty! I feel no remorse for anyone who chooses to end up like this. If it were not this drug, then it would have been another, odds are.
I also get tired of people buying into these people's problems....they don't have any real problems. Maybe people who say they have problems....maybe.
Step out of the way, you are part of the problem.
And, anyone undertaking drug use has to only exhibit self control, as you would with cake. One piece is plenty! I feel no remorse for anyone who chooses to end up like this. If it were not this drug, then it would have been another, odds are.
I also get tired of people buying into these people's problems....they don't have any real problems. Maybe people who say they have problems....maybe.
Thank you.
Creative people sometimes bear an enormously heavy emotional burden. Those who find themselves chosen by fate to see the world from a unique perspective or feel the world with uncommon intensity often pay a price that includes existential alienation and anxiety.
Drugs may seem to help, at first, but they will eventually turn on you, often in a deadly fashion. Nor are money and fame the keys to happiness.
What is the way?
That is the question each and every human being must answer...
Drugs may seem to help, at first, but they will eventually turn on you, often in a deadly fashion. Nor are money and fame the keys to happiness.
What is the way?
That is the question each and every human being must answer...
74
Except that chances are good that he started taking the pills not to deal with an "emotional burden" but for physical pain. Then he got hooked. And then kept taking opioids in greater doses because his body begged him to. Physical addiction is a lot simpler, both in occurrence and treatment, than matters of "existential alienation and anxiety."
I am an extremely creatiive person. Artist, designer and attorney. You are just throwing out excuses for indulgent behavior.
2
In his memoirs (On Writing), Stephen King dispells the myth of the "creative genious' "special" needs. As a recovered alcoholic, he goes on to blame this "Hemingway syndrome" as a lame excuse he himself used to continue drinking and drugging. King says that he learned that everyone suffers the same existential pain--including the man who plows his driveway.
this idea that very creative people are somehow more prone to addiction because of the "heavy emotional burden" is not only false--but dangerous. All addicts all share a painful existance. To say that Prince was "special" is what we in AA call "terminal uniqueness"--and this is what I believe killed him. Being "the great one" put up a thick wall between Prince and the many recovered addicts who could have saved his life.
this idea that very creative people are somehow more prone to addiction because of the "heavy emotional burden" is not only false--but dangerous. All addicts all share a painful existance. To say that Prince was "special" is what we in AA call "terminal uniqueness"--and this is what I believe killed him. Being "the great one" put up a thick wall between Prince and the many recovered addicts who could have saved his life.
3
I'm sorry the intervention came too late and I hope it doesn't compound the grief his loved ones feel. My ex had a prescription drug addiction, to adderall, not an opiate, but it changed him greatly. Unfortunately his family wasn't in a position to help intervene, so I called the doctor whose name was on the pill bottle and had a long talk with her.
She didn't compromise his privacy, but she took in the information I was giving. It took a little more than that for him to find the reason to get off the drugs completely, but it was a first step that I'd recommend to anyone with a loved one struggling with a prescription drug addiction.
She didn't compromise his privacy, but she took in the information I was giving. It took a little more than that for him to find the reason to get off the drugs completely, but it was a first step that I'd recommend to anyone with a loved one struggling with a prescription drug addiction.
66
Prince died too young and the world lost a tremendous talent as a result. I am so sad that he was not able to get relief from his addiction. I have to wonder though, what went on during the decades of enablement around him as those close to him looked the other way while he sunk deeper into his dependency on pain pills.
It would be great if we didn't expect so much of our rock stars. It is very sad to me that Prince felt the need to keep up an image and a front for his adoring audience, and used pills to keep up that endless show. I hope you are finally free of pain now Prince. Rest in Peace.
It would be great if we didn't expect so much of our rock stars. It is very sad to me that Prince felt the need to keep up an image and a front for his adoring audience, and used pills to keep up that endless show. I hope you are finally free of pain now Prince. Rest in Peace.
190
I am actually so sad that he was not able to get relief from his pain.
The addiction would only have been part of it.
Strange. Michael and Prince. Competitors in the business, both suffering in the same ways.
The addiction would only have been part of it.
Strange. Michael and Prince. Competitors in the business, both suffering in the same ways.
3
It's not just Prince. There are way too many people who feel they need these medications, can't live without them.
1
Pills and cocaine.
Let's give Prince a rest. If he died of an overdose of opioids, probably because of the pain he was suffering and the fact he didnt eat that much, apart of not being that big. Aside, who cares the causes of his death? Very easy to do Monday Morning Quarterbacking, NYT and other press. Where were you when allegedly had this problem? Did you do anything about it? No, right? then don't all of a sudden become "concerned" and "investigative" now, when you werent before. After a genius like Prince dies, the reasons become irrelevant. let him RIP.
80
What a terrible attitude. I grok that you don't want Prince's legacy tarnished, but that's, frankly, quite selfish.
Even if opiates didn't kill Prince, it's pretty clear that he was addicted to them, perhaps for decades. Publicizing his problem might just help show others that no one is immune to the lure of opiate addiction. There are many people who suffer this addiction in shame, just as it seems Prince did.
Let that never happen to anyone again: if you suffer, tell someone. Don't let your shame shield you, let it be the catalyst to getting help. If Prince had done that, we would be having a much different discussion here.
Regardless, the importance of discussion opiate addiction far outweighs anyone's desire to preserve Prince's legacy.
Even if opiates didn't kill Prince, it's pretty clear that he was addicted to them, perhaps for decades. Publicizing his problem might just help show others that no one is immune to the lure of opiate addiction. There are many people who suffer this addiction in shame, just as it seems Prince did.
Let that never happen to anyone again: if you suffer, tell someone. Don't let your shame shield you, let it be the catalyst to getting help. If Prince had done that, we would be having a much different discussion here.
Regardless, the importance of discussion opiate addiction far outweighs anyone's desire to preserve Prince's legacy.
8
@Jorge Chiriboga
The NYT is a journalistic enterprise, not a member of Prince's inner circle of friends. It's responsible for reporting newsworthy events and issues, of which this is one.
The NYT is a journalistic enterprise, not a member of Prince's inner circle of friends. It's responsible for reporting newsworthy events and issues, of which this is one.
8
There is good reason for the "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" upon which you remark. If seems to be increasingly likely that Prince was, in fact, struggling with opiates prior to his death. And, in a scenario that will be sadly familiar to many, that addiction may have killed him.
America's opiate abuse problem is rightly refered to as an epidemic. The numbers are staggering -- in the last twenty years, deaths from opiate overdoses have tripled. If Prince's death prompts wider discussion? Great. I'll take what i can get.
America's opiate abuse problem is rightly refered to as an epidemic. The numbers are staggering -- in the last twenty years, deaths from opiate overdoses have tripled. If Prince's death prompts wider discussion? Great. I'll take what i can get.
1
Good coverage and good perspectives. But every day, this tragedy becomes more heartbreaking and infuriating. If Prince was in such grave medical condition that an LA hotshot was being rushed in, in the meantime, couldn't someone call an ambulance? And then to leave him, in that state, all alone for the night? When it comes to life and death, even superstar insularity shouldn't be an issue.
50
I agree - why was no one there with him that night to make sure he was ok? It's baffling.
1
Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
Prince Rogers Nelson.
Thousands of nameless people, all with families that love them.
We need to decriminalize drug addiction.
Prince Rogers Nelson.
Thousands of nameless people, all with families that love them.
We need to decriminalize drug addiction.
123
Decriminalize drug addiction?
Would it be OK for your surgeon, that is going to operate on you tomorrow, to have a prescription drug problem?
I can see if a person was blown up by an IED in Iraq or Afghanistan to have a opiate drug problem...but a regular who can't or won't handle life...no.
Would it be OK for your surgeon, that is going to operate on you tomorrow, to have a prescription drug problem?
I can see if a person was blown up by an IED in Iraq or Afghanistan to have a opiate drug problem...but a regular who can't or won't handle life...no.
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This has nothing to do with criminalizing anything. I believe Mr. Hoffman was a heroin addict, not addicted to prescription drugs (or at least, not ONLY prescription drugs).
Prince appears to have been abusing prescription pain meds. That is already "legal". But it can still kill you.
Abuse of prescription opioids is likely behind the rise in death rates among middle class white Americans as well.
There is something really, really wrong going on here, and it begs for much more scientific enquiry.
Nonetheless, whatever Prince died from -- it is a tragic loss for family, friends, fans. He was a great musician.
Prince appears to have been abusing prescription pain meds. That is already "legal". But it can still kill you.
Abuse of prescription opioids is likely behind the rise in death rates among middle class white Americans as well.
There is something really, really wrong going on here, and it begs for much more scientific enquiry.
Nonetheless, whatever Prince died from -- it is a tragic loss for family, friends, fans. He was a great musician.
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Phillip Seymour Hoffman died of an overdose of heroin, after years of battling addiction and a professed love of "street drugs", heroin among them. Prince allegedly died of an accidental overdose to prescription pain pills that were given to him legally by his doctors to treat severe physical pain from years of high impact performances. I don't think you can conflate the two.
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What exactly IS an "unflinching reputation"? Seriously...the adjective adds nothing.
And while eschew is a great word, the use of it in news copy serves only to show off not to communicate.
And while eschew is a great word, the use of it in news copy serves only to show off not to communicate.
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It is a very old, very apt, and perfectly acceptable word. I applaud its use.
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"Eschew" is a showy word? Who knew?
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I really don't care about Prince. What I do care about is the constant disregard for the real drug dealers in this country not being pursued by the DEA. Doctors with pads have been, continue to be the real culprit in leading cause of overdose death in this country. As a nation we consume 75% of the entire worlds prescription drugs. That is how broken our healthcare system is. That is why they don't want it to change. That is why they ruined the original ACA with riders that destroyed the core of it; Doctors must prevent more than treat. And the Corporate greed behind this is so blatant it defies logic how it is not the very first thing talked about on the evening news every single night. Go ahead and vote republican you idiots, at least the demos stand a chance at deflecting the enormous pressure placed on them BIG MONEY.
What a stupid, stupid America we have become.
What a stupid, stupid America we have become.
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Yet read the outrage about trying to limit doctors from prescribing strong pain medication. There are a hundred comments from people who say they couldn't live with the pain if they did not get large quantities of powerful pain killers for every comment advocating stricter dispensing regulations. Why are Americans in so much pain and the rest of the world gets by without huge quantities of pain killers? It's not that we have so many more terrible afflictions than the rest of the world, I'm sure.
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Your first callous remark weakens your argument considerably. Prince is a recently deceased, widely treasured artistic genius whose life's work enriched our lives with amazing music; who broke and transcended boundaries of gender, race, and musical style; and whose loss many of us are actively mourning. His contributions to our culture may not move you; puzzling, but fair enough. But it's hard to read the rest of your comment after a needlessly cold first sentence like that. That sentence reveals a shortfall in empathy for Prince and those who mourn him, and--sorry!--a shortfall in taste.
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99.9% of prescribing physicians are not drug dealers and are not making money on this - drug companies, and real drug dealers are. Physicians are confronted with a mix of genuine pain sufferers and the addicted and its not easy to tell them apart. There are only a few partially effective drugs to treat chronic pain and oxycontin and other opioids are not among them. They make the patient "feel better" with some pain relief until they're hooked and then they need the drug to "feel normal" again. Due to their limited effectiveness and high risk of addiction, the FDA should specifically ban their use for chronic pain, and only allow these drugs for treatment of acute pain: perioperative or post-injury or terminal cancer pain, administered in a hospital/emergency room setting. Right now the FDA: "is requiring a new boxed warning about the serious risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose and death. Today’s actions are among a number of steps the agency recently outlined in a plan to reassess its approach to opioid medications." Not enough - we need an outright ban on chronic administration outside of hospice care. Equating doctors with drug dealers is wrong on the facts and a reprehensible slur against a mostly selfless profession dedicated to helping patients.
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Just a guess that he was taking some medication advertised on the nightly news.
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There are no direct to consumer ads for opioids
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pain meds, especially opioids are not in the evening news broadcasts
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As far as I'm aware, it's illegal to advertise controlled substances including opioid analgesics on TV or radio.
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So sad that such a beautiful man and artist felt so isolated and unable to ask for help. May light perpetual shine upon him.
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Yes, it is unspeakably sad that a man of his character, incredible creativity, spirituality and commitment to others could not be offered better treatment for his pain than narcotics, despite his robust financial resources, the lack of which are an obstacle to care for so many. It is reflective of the larger, and unfortunately destructive, cultural context of the way chronic pain is treated by our present medical system.
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He did ask for help, it just arrived too late. Lesson: When someone needs help, they need it right then, not when it's convenient
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But for the fact that he was very rich, famous and influential Prince would likely have been stalked, stopped, arrested, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to prison like most men of his hue who possess or use illegal drugs. Instead like Janis Joplin, Jimmie Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and Phillip Seymour Hoffman he is dead from an apparent drug overdose. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama also escaped incarceration for their illegal drug activity.
Illegal drugs should be treated as a potentially chronic health problem like alcohol and tobacco. Drugs should be legally regulated for quality, education about abuse and misuse, prohibited for minors along with being taxed. Unless and until that happens those who use or possess illegal drugs should be equally treated by prosecution and incarceration by the criminal justice system.
Illegal drugs should be treated as a potentially chronic health problem like alcohol and tobacco. Drugs should be legally regulated for quality, education about abuse and misuse, prohibited for minors along with being taxed. Unless and until that happens those who use or possess illegal drugs should be equally treated by prosecution and incarceration by the criminal justice system.
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Perhaps Prince's death will contribute to a paradigm shift in thinking about feelings.
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You post about illegal drugs. Reports suggest that he may have had a problem with prescription pain meds. Getting caught up in this spiral is easier than you might think. I highly suggest the incredible book my NYT columnist John Branch: Boy On Ice.
1
W.'s problem was with alcohol not illicit drugs.
His handlers should have just called an ambulance. Duh!!!
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When they found him, they did. Duh!
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he lived alone. he was alone when he died--like most addicts....
Im assuming you were there.
1
'Prince assured his friends in the following days that nothing was wrong. He had the flu, his publicist said.'
There's no such thing, of course, as 'the flu' in its popular use. Usually, saying you have 'the flu' means you have nothing more than the common cold. Alternatively, more seriously and more rarely, you have influenza. If you do have influenza, then you have a serious medical condition that requires several weeks of rest. Nobody who has influenza breezily dismisses it by saying they just have a touch of 'the flu'.
Millions have died from influenza. Nobody has died from the common cold, unless they have such a weak immune system they have to live in a bubble. People need to learn the basics about our own bodies and about the common ailments that affect us. We also need to learn not to reach straightaway for a bottle of painkillers as soon as we feel pain.
There's no such thing, of course, as 'the flu' in its popular use. Usually, saying you have 'the flu' means you have nothing more than the common cold. Alternatively, more seriously and more rarely, you have influenza. If you do have influenza, then you have a serious medical condition that requires several weeks of rest. Nobody who has influenza breezily dismisses it by saying they just have a touch of 'the flu'.
Millions have died from influenza. Nobody has died from the common cold, unless they have such a weak immune system they have to live in a bubble. People need to learn the basics about our own bodies and about the common ailments that affect us. We also need to learn not to reach straightaway for a bottle of painkillers as soon as we feel pain.
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sometimes "the flu" is code for withdrawal for opiates, b/c that is how you feel when the drug starts to leave your system - flu-like symptoms etc...
1
"We also need to learn not to reach straightaway for a bottle of painkillers as soon as we feel pain."
Like so many others, he no doubt became addicted after receiving painkillers for hip surgery. Over-the-counter medications are just not going to cut it for the kinds of operations involving scalpels, saws and bones. In fact, one recent study found that Tylenol did not work for pain relief.
Like so many others, he no doubt became addicted after receiving painkillers for hip surgery. Over-the-counter medications are just not going to cut it for the kinds of operations involving scalpels, saws and bones. In fact, one recent study found that Tylenol did not work for pain relief.
1
Stella, thank you for mentioning the uselessness of acetaminophen for pain relief. Nor does it diminish inflammation. What DOES it do? It can shut down your liver: it's the leading cause of liver failure in the USA! Why they add it to so many preparations, both over-the-counter (Dayquil, Nyquil, etc.) and prescription (I was so surprised to learn that the "cet" in drug names, such as Percocet, indicated the presence of acetaminophen) is puzzling -- and dangerous.
Note to Prince's supplier: You can run, but you can't hide.
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(Not Mark) They may be prescription drugs that he obtained legally. He had (supposedly) severe hip pain. I've suffered from some awful hip pain, it is so bad you can't sleep and can't move, I cannot even imagine how he did his shows. Have been a fan since way back, just loved him. So sad.
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The problem is far greater than the supplier, even if he/she supplied one of the greater pop stars of the last three decades.
1
If the supplier was the pharmacy counter at the neighborhood Walgreen's, as suggested in numerous news reports, running or hiding would seem out of the question.
1
What a sad story. I know how seductive pills are when one suffers from joint pain. The problem is that they lose their effectiveness over time, prompting using greater or more frequent doses. Doctors rarely give one guidance or warnings. Not long ago, I left hospital after hip surgery with a large bottle of Oxy. One night I took some after having had wine with dinner and had a violent reaction. I should have known better, but I should also have been put on notice when I left the hospital. No one told me anything.
Prince's identity was wrapped up in his stage performances, so it is understandable that he was depressed that his pain would cause him to lose that. The medical profession needs to take more responsibility for giving people better direction and warnings when they prescribe opiod pills.
Prince's identity was wrapped up in his stage performances, so it is understandable that he was depressed that his pain would cause him to lose that. The medical profession needs to take more responsibility for giving people better direction and warnings when they prescribe opiod pills.
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While not negating your argument about the responsibilities of prescribers, your complaint that "no one told you anything" about not drinking alcohol with an opiod chaser is a classic dodge of personal responsibility. I think it is a safe assumption that you are an intelligent adult sophisticated enough to know not to do that. Or you could have just read the label on the bottle of the pills you swallowed.
11
Prescriptions come with instructions and warnings on the bottle, some with long enclosures. Most people are quite aware that these meds do not go with alcohol. "No one told me anything" does not place all the responsibility on someone else.
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"alcohol may intensify effect" is on every pain pill contained i have ever seen.
8