This OxyContin Salesman Of The Year Doesn’t Regret His Work (HBO)
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- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2019
- Just after he was offered a job at Purdue Pharma, Michael Andersen was watching the news with his wife when a report came on. It was about abuse of Purdue’s pain pill OxyContin, the product he would be convincing doctors to prescribe to their patients at his new gig.
“So we had to think about that," he told VICE News. “I mean, is this really what we want to do?”
Ultimately, Andersen not only took the job at Purdue, but he went on to be one of the company's most productive employees. He even received an award for Salesman of the Year in 2008. For a time, that netted him large bonuses from the company.
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The way he says “that will knock you out, but for me it barely takes off the edge” is scary in many ways
He claims he takes it for the pain...why would a normal person then get knocked out? Sounds like a drug addict.
@@socrates_the_great6209 u get a tolerance to opioids fairly easy but once your tolerance increases that is when u know u r addicted physically and will have withdrawals
This guy sounds like me 10 years ago, he doesn’t know how big of a problem he has yet... he’ll learn,
Just means his tolerance is extremely high
He’s probably able to hide his addiction well.
Now you know why he was salesman of the year - half of the commenters are actually convinced by him that he's a good guy
This is the most accurate, underrated comment.
I don't know that everyone thinks he's a good guy so much as they feel sorry for him. The interview wasn't long enough and the guy wasn't pressed hard enough by the interviewer for us to know whether what he did/does/says is excusable. With that said, I think the reason why he was probably such a great salesman is he's the model patient for this drug. For much of his life he was truly suffering from pain, and this drug changed his life for the better. Now he can be a functional human being and even become a sales rep for Big Pharma. He doesn't look or sound like an addict. He's not going out (as far as he allows us to see) and shooting up to chase that high. This guy probably needs that medication to be a normal person with a full life. So when he's selling the stuff he truly believes it and is a living embodiment of why it works. If that's the case, helping spread the message about this drug that helped you is a noble thing to do - that's where he's coming from. The dude seems to be in complete denial about the harm and potential harm of this drug and seems to think that, with everything that's happened, it was still worth it. That'd be just sad, not evil. Then again, he could've been an enabler and looked the other way when he saw and understood what was happening. Or worse - maybe he actually liked profiting off shady doctors, sought them out, and pushed others to prescribe more aggressively for no reason. We don't really know. But they don't get into that when they're at the former doctor's office. Missed opportunity.
@@paulhuang2030 a "functioning addict" is still an addict . He is addicted , he is an addict . If he was suddenly cut off , like has happened to countless people , he would go into withdrawal and if he didn't have the contacts and access that he has then he would most likely end up buying pills or heroin on the streets and eventually dying from an overdose or a "bad batch" , just like 1000's and 1000's and 1000's of others . The only thing that makes him any different from anyone else is his contacts and access he has.
@@shari9721 some people with chronic pain are meant to be on it long-term and obviously will develop a tolerance/dependency, much like ADHD and Adderall, or even SSRIs. They can't have a normal life without them but deserve a normal life. Doesn't make sense to group them together with drug abusers.
He's handsome even now. I'm betting 10-15 years ago he was absolutely stunning.
These drugs aren't dangerous because they're addictive, they're dangerous because nobody told people they were addictive and doctors handed them out like candy
It was more that they were specifically marketed as NON-addictive, Purdue faked statistics and studies to make out oxycontin was a new non addictive revolutionary painkiller, it was all bullshit and they knew it.
Most people know they are addictive but it’s not known that it is the exact same addiction as heroin addiction. By the time I found out they were essentially the same thing it was too late, I was already hooked. If they were forced to out a Warning label that said “the addiction from this drug is the same addiction as heroin” they would lose 90% of their business
And because these sales people told idiot doctors they weren’t
Definitely dangerous because they are both.
In 2001 I was prescribed oxy after getting wisdom teeth removed at 18 . My dad didn’t even let me fill the prescription. They were giving it for everything and anything
Let this guy know my cousin passed away a few months back at the age of 30 he started using OxyContin when he was 14 and the addiction struggles ruined his life for the following 16 years until he finally succumbed and died from infection related to shooting heroin. He had tried to get clean countless times.
I feel for you RIP your cousin
For what reason was he prescribed OxyContin when he was 14?
Sorry for your loss but I know people that have been on pain meds for 20 years or more and they aren't doing street drugs.
@@pursedelighted8313 Because they haven't been cut off yet. They'd do it too, if they really do have severe pain and it's impossible to live with. As someone with chronic pain I can tell you that there's pain so severe that you just cannot cope with living for another second longer.
Don't blame the sales reps. Blame the manufacturer, who knew the risks and hid it from everyone, including the reps.
That moment when you sell it so well, you sell it to yourself.
Candy you have to be sold to sell
😂
True
100%
Lmao
I worked in the pharmaceutical industry from 2002-2014 and witnessed this entire epidemic skyrocket.
The main issue with this is that oxy kept being promoted as an extremely low addiction pain killer..meanwhile Purdue knew all along they were lying.
they had doctors say cigarettes were good for you for years
Non-addictive? Totally not so. It was billed as 'better' for many reasons, being non-addictive wasn't one of one. We've known Opiates are addictive as hell since before any of us were born.
It was a scheduled narcotic for one thing but more importantly saying that they promoted it like that is sort of like saying that you could promote bullet shots to the head and doctors could be fooled by it. the medical research is so absolutely conclusive I have not seen any ads that said it was non-addictive if you have an example I'll gladly concede I'm wrong but every pharmacy in the country the DEA every physician and every med school knew exactly what this stuff was addictive as hell so I'm sorry there's no way to blame them directly for this in terms of marketing. If you watch this very video the salesman himself talks about how addictive the stuff was, they keep it in safes and locked up in hospitals along with any other opiate
@Sho Yu Weeni
They did....all out now in the discovery of the lawsuit.
But hey....even Purdue and the Sacklers need friends to defend them.
Good for you!
Some people still defend Monsanto today...🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
They probably can't read or don't have internet.
I’m 25. The number of families of kids I grew up with absolutely destroyed saddens me. Dozens of families where the mom or dad was on an opioid that led to their children and or themselves become addicted to not only pills but heroin breaks my heart.
Addiction is fiction.
My Dad was on Oxy after years of battling back pain. Then came his major surgery inserting a steel rod to his spine. More pills prescribed for the rest of his life. His daily dosage became so powerful to maintain everyday life. It was unbearable. I drove him to his dr appt each month to sign off on his Rx. By law, he needed a driver. He stated many times he wished he had never had the back surgery. Dad passed away in 2020 from a massive heart attack. Meanwhile my stepson in his 20s stole his granny’s painkillers and overdosed and died. I’ll never forget the call. It’s a sobering moment in time. Sadly. I hate pills!
Something marketed with that fiction?
It’s so weird watching this and then watching Dopesick and seeing everything that this guy is talking about
omg right!!? after doing years of research on how this epidemic started & who’s responsible i tell ppl who are interested or who are ill informed to watch dopesick cause it lays it out perfectly!
Couldn’t agree more.
Very weird. He still hasn't moved past his sales brainwashing either 'we can't deny pain patients for that ONE addict' - as if he were still quoting the bogus 1% statistic. So this guy can allegedly manage to avoid addiction and use it as pain treatment.... what does that imply about the other people? How convenient that he also happened to be the sales rep. So weird, man. Is this guy just a shill prepared to go to any length?
@@jennalyn6704 So someone who's a daily user because of his pain, and also knows about the chemistry involved, is less reliable to you than a Hollywood produced TV show using actors and script writers that ultimately write the show with a defined antagonist for ratings, and whose whole profession is to make believe and exaggerate?
@@jameskohlermusic Doesn't seem like he's "brainwashed" at all. He knows more about this subject than almost anybody, and his life is one made bearable by newer opioids. You, on the other hand, seem much more like the definition of somebody brainwashed.
Lol , What do you know the oxy salesman is addicted to Oxy
Epic exactly. Shit I was addicted to oxy when I was younger and you would have never known it
let me break your back, put you in pain snd ask to suck up the pain. Only who have gone through pain, know the pain.
Buddy I am a right leg amputee take that shit somewhere else
@@brandonkostinsky2373 My brother is leg amputee. all his body is filled with metal to repair fractures , he does squats pretty fine. You have clearly not gone through the pain people have gone through. The chronic pain is something else, it will destroy your soul piece by piece. Then you will wonder why are you still living. death is much better.
S Sandhu The mind is stronger than any pain. I wish you the best
Yeah, one look at his house and I can tell immediately why he doesn't regret his work. Not a single sincere bone in his body.
Houses are fictional.
Im only 32 years old and i grew up in a well off area. 14 of my friends are now dead because of opioid overdose. Mostly from fentanyl because its all they could find (or they were fake oxy's with fentanyl). But it all started with real prescription oxy for them.I will always rememeber the day 2 of my best friends started snorting oxy. I was in grade 10. They asked me to try but i thankfully didnt, usually i would have. but within a month one of my friends was dead and the other was in rehab so i never touched it. fast forward and by the time I was 24 years old, 14 of them were no longer here. I ended up drinking heavily becoming an alcoholic and lived a super lonely existence for a while. I have a tough time making friends now, because all i know is loss (i think - still trying to figure out why) I ended up getting sober a few years ago and I feel like im just figuring out how to do life properly. Just want to end this by saying this man has no idea what oxy has done to normal people like me and I have never even tried it.
I feel your pain bud, I’m 34 and I can’t believe how many of my childhood friends are dead now. Just lost another one a couple weeks ago to fentanyl disguised as oxy. When I was young they told us pot was the gateway drug, my experience suggests otherwise, just about everyone who got into hard stuff started after being prescribed opioids.
@@Nick-ig4wzI’m sorry for your losses. Reminds me to be mindful; ‘everyone is fighting some sort of battle so be kind’.
Snorting foxy is not the way it is was supposed to be taken. As a doctor, we were told to ameliorate patients discomfort if possible. Once opioids were freely prescribed to alleviate pain. Now, they are never prescribed because we don't want to get sued. It's the patients who truly suffer from constant pain that suffer. Constant pain is nothing anyone should have to deal with. If opioids can alleviate that pain, I would trade dependence on them to chronic pain any day of the week.
@@bigtalk2598 I love how you say "we were told" - Admittance of coercive persuasion aka brainwashing. We need doctors with minds of their owns looking out for the best interest of the patient. It really doesn't matter how Oxy is taken, the fact of the matter is that it's just as strong as heroin developed for profit, killing people who pop it OR snort it. If i sold heroin to someone and they die, im in prison for ever, if you prescribe oxy to someone and they die, you get rewarded.
If pain is your argument, chronic pain can be managed by other things over heroin. Kratom is the answer. I have gotten many of my friends off opioids with the help of kratom. The friends who wouldn't try it are the friends who are dead now. But the government is doing all it can to keep that movement brushed under the rug.
I used kratom to get off alcohol and I take it daily now as an anti depressant for the last 3 years. Kratom truly has changed my life. If you want to save some lives tell your patients about kratom but I know you probably have been coerced into to never mentioning anything good about it. Kratom should be first choice and synthetics should be last resort....
But wait that wouldn't make any sense because Kratom actually works and betters peoples lives... so how the heck would you guys make any money on THAT am I right? You need to give them synthetic drugs that keeps them trapped in the system for life until they die in your hospital paying your paycheck. And mind you that all these synthetic drugs are originally derived from a safer natural compound, and those compounds were sythensized in their most potent forms FOR PROFIT. No body even knows this. okay end rant
Overdoses are fictional.
Rule Number 4 - Never get high on your own supply
What are rules 1 to 3
Well that depends on what kind of profits you are looking for
@@thehomeplatespecial597
Listen to the 10 Crack Commandments by Biggie Smalls.
Number 6, that goddamn credit, dead it. You think a crackhead's paying you back? Shit, forget it.
Hahahahahhahahhaha
Would love to see a follow up with this guy seeing him dealing with the withdrawal symptoms
Aaron Kaihau my back hurts!
@coffeine 100%!!! the only way he gets those kinds of prescriptions is cause he was in that business & knos what drs are corrupt. i bet u my life savings that if i went to the dr who is prescribing him his exact cocktail that i could get a script in 1 visit. he better hope & pray his dr doesn’t go down (although i’m positive he knows more than 1 of these drs who still exist)
@@jennalyn6704 not if your a junky , he’s a business man who fictions , your a kid who wants to get Hight . 2 different ppl
@@LooseChronik not if ur a junky??? so you must think that cause he’s a clean cut businessman that he’s not addicted or won’t get addicted huh? newsflash it only takes a few weeks to become physically addicted. it sounds like he’s been on this cocktail for awhile .i guarantee you he’s addicted. if you took those meds away from him right now like any other addict he would be going into withdrawals.
It would be excruciating because he has severe chronic back pain
He's a salesman, his company mislead and lied and he made a lot of money from them, of course he doesn't regret what he had done.
I was working as a surgeon during the Oxy years. I owned and operated my own Medicare Certified Surgical Center.
I cannot understand why fellow physicians would be "hoodwinked" into thinking that Oxycontin was not addictive. That is ridiculous.
Their so-called "1percent" addictive rate is not matched by the science. The actual addictive rate is about 10-12% of the population. it is remarkably consistent over generations.
I did a lot of (painful) bone and joint procedures, osteotomies and joint replacements. I prescribed narcotics for years.
But I used them in the same framework that I had presented to me in medical school and during my surgical residency, which was at a VA and Army hospital.
I was never approached by an Oxy salesperson. I would just have said NO, I won't go.
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
Retired surgeon
If this guy was the #1 sales rep, he did NOT report diversion as mandated by law. Talking to someone currently taking opioids about their livelihood from selling opioids isn’t the flex some may think. Purdue lied about how addictive oxy was, how effective it was, and how deadly it was. This guy says thousands of chronic pain patients shouldn’t suffer because one person may get addicted. He’s got those numbers flipped. Hundreds of thousands died so no chronic pain patient ever had to go without. And the strawman argument about getting rid of opioids. Literally no one is legitimately promoting that policy. This guy is biased in every meaningful way; he’s financially benefiting and he’s dependent on opioids. Come on!!! The pretty little lies we tell ourselves so we don’t think about the damage our actions cause…it’s very sad.
You hit the nail on the head. The points he raised were weak and misleading. It's the journalists fault also for not asking the right questions that you mention above. Lame reporting really.
Well said!
Good point. Its gotten so bad that my own doctor said he would rather have me in excruciating pain than addicted to opioids.
Well said. He's still "selling" both in his actual post-Purdue work and in this video, taking zero responsibility, claiming to have 100% pure intentions, and being very careful to dance around the actual truth - "aw gee I sure hope nobody ended up getting hurt from pills this shady doctor sold to them that came from me in the first place, but how ever could I have known!" I'm not sure if he actually believes all this or is just lying.
Either way (and I realize this is a heavily edited short clip - @VICE News if there's a longer version please do share), would have been nice to see the interviewer push back or follow up some more, as it stands this is basically a positive-PR piece for Purdue & the Sacklers. It is a legitimate issue that patients who do need strong pain relief may have trouble getting it because of overcorrection from the insane prescriptions that went out before them, but like you I've never heard anybody - including friends/family directly affected - saying "get rid of all opiates"...missed opportunity to call the guy out on that one.
Hadn't thought of it that way so thanks for that. Oxycontin probably was/is a groundbreaking drug that could transform the lives of those suffering from chronic pain sufferers for the better, if used judiciously. But then they got greedy, killed thousands, probably cut off access for many who need it, and created a stigma around those who truly use it for pain management and fear from those who truly need it.
That dudes hair and glasses make him look like a character off of "Hey Arnold!"
Gerald?
I knew he looked familiar 😄
Just shouts he needs attn
It looks like a man weave ijs😂
And he speaks like 5 languages
Did you know: That people who are in pain, looking for drugs to ease said pain, are also "drug seekers?"
Yep, it's amazing how doctors can tell someone the pain level THEY are in... Nevermind actually listening to the patient, lets just list them as drug seekers. This system is very flawed and this who epidemic is blown way out of proportion. Doctors hand out SSRI's like candy (that are addictive) but that's okay. The stigma around pain medication is nothing more than a false narrative being pushed because addicts cannot blame themselves, they'll blame everyone else BUT themselves.
Who’s is here after Painkiller movie
after dopesick series, bro
I love how theu dont bring up tje fact that purdue lied to doctors about its addiction potential. People like this guy lied to doctors about its addiction potential and that is what the major problem was.
oh but he didn't know anything at all...he's completely innocent 🙄
Like the salesman was an opioid user herself. He surely knew the risk. However he also knew from first hand experience that the pills are only supposed to be taken in moderation.
You think doctors were actually unaware of what OxyContin does? Don’t be ridiculous.
Doctors should of known opiates are addictive and not listenedto the drug company.
Pesky facts.
"gotta wipe it off, it's dirty." no need to say more.
Nice..
That was an ironic statement
Lmao its dusty😂😂😂😂
You wrote my mind!!!!!
Ex-pharmaceutical rep here but not Purdue. Knowing how quotas and sales goals work I see two reasons why he did very well. The first is due to his quota being low because "...the territory hadn't been worked in a long time...". The second was the fact that he had one doctor started writing a huge number of scripts, enough to be trafficked to OH. He may not have had a large dollar number of sales but the percentage increase would be huge, we don't know.
LMAO. Vice, you killed it. In the interview, the editing, the filming. Yeah. I’m dead (haha!). But also... it’s clear the #1 salesman is in denial, an observation based on his body language. It would be much more honorable for him to admit that he feels bad for doing all this and that he was one sort of a victim-perhaps two sorts: one as a salesman and one as a patient. If he could admit either of those, he’d be on his way to admitting OxyContin salesmanship is no better than any other sort of addictive drug pedaling. It just goes to show how much of a vice grip the government has on people’s minds by controlling depictions of morality and ethics through legislation.
He's a legal drug dealer.. also, who's worse? The cartels or the buyers...
He's not in denial, he;s just an addict who also made millions selling it.
@@scotttillman01 or maybe he takes his medications properly instead of abusing them like some people do (or as some doctors cause by mis-prescribing)
LOL @ "Oxy salesman of the year". I know a few dudes who'll probably rival him and will gladly fight him for that title 😂
Buahahahaha
Great thing to be proud of. Maybe you guys can fly and start a business in Africa?
@@adrenalinpump7601 LMAO.. Awww why are you so salty son? The irony in your saltiness is that why would they go to Africa when their largest clientele base for such a business right here in America or Europe 😂😂
🤦🏻♀️
that's sad. I just lost a friend yesterday to fentanyl.... wanna laugh some more?
This salesman had absolutely no medical training and no pharmacology training. Please tell me how that makes him qualified to speak with your doctor about a potential substance for your medical treatment? The system needs to be overhauled.
You can say that about any drug they sell. It’s up to the drs to do any additional research not blindly believe a salesperson
@@VHale-yz7hc the doctors were being lied to by purdue pharma, saying that oxycontin was a less addictive opioid. purdue was supposed to be the one responsible for researching the drug since they developed it, and they actively lied to and misled doctors. after a while it was obvious that they had been lying but at the point the damage was already done and oxycontin was well established in the industry and there were millions of patients addicted to it. what were the doctors supposed to do then? just cut off their patients with chronic pain and let them go through horrific withdrawals after being addicted to oxy for years? purdue and the sacklers are 100% percent to blame. they should all be in prison.
@@noobkin997 I'm not from the USA, but in my country doctors know about these things. They are usually "persuaded" by pharma industries with money, travels, curriculum etc
"no medical training and no pharmacology training", those are never requirements to become a drug dealer, which was what this guy was...
@@brunomedeiros5026 What you describe is exactly how things got to the point they are at, but now it is illegal for drug companies to provide these benefits and kickbacks.
In my country its illegal for a pharmasuticle company to promote drugs through or even to doctors.
Being interviewed by Jebediah Townhouse must be a thrill
This comment wins everything
He’s hooked. And doesn’t even see he’s an addict.
I was thinking the same thing. Have his scripts undone and visit him again in a year and see what's going on. Probably still there, but blowing through his retirement savings to feel the same.
I'll bet he knows where all of his bottles are at all times and may have extras stashed somewhere.
You can definitely tell he was a salesman... almost had me convinced for a second 🖕
Well, I suppose all drug dealers are salesmen with the ablity to persuade... hes no different...
I’d be in denial too if I was this guy, how terrible would he feel if he faced the truth
They should be forced to have a warning on every prescription that says “the addiction from this drug is identical to heroin “. By the time the drug addict finds out it’s the exact same addiction it’s too late. I never would’ve even considered taking it if I knew how powerful it was.
It's easy to say no more opioids until you need them.
@G So you are the person that makes them look bad for people that really need them. Good job!
@G you pay for someone's Porsche with that habit. Been there. Good luck with your addiction.
@G Didn't know people smoke Oxy
You need them and everyone around you says "bye bye" to how you really were in life when you turn to the drugs.
The mob here wouldn't mind if I comment on my own thread would they?
Thanks to the magic of trying to convey a complicated opinion through a short text, the mob has done what the mob does.
What I am saying is, let's not be extreme either way. For those who need it, let them have it. Over reaction leads to honest needs not being fulfilled. Not saying anything else.
Don't smoke oxys folks. Consult you physician, your mileage may vary, batteries not included.
oxycontin took my soul and everything in between. 9 years later i have it back. still has a small part of it though.
A. If it still has apart of your soul then you don’t have your soul back
A. Proud of you bro
Dang Shame idk what that shit means
Dang Shame not a duh moment if you called me something I’m not lol
A. keep going sir. Today is a present. Find something competitive that you can get into. That might help. If we can return to a child like state that will help, too. I seen two boys going down the street, a younger one was much shorter and his older brother had the scooter. I said to them, the taller one should give the scooter to the younger kid. I bet if you gave work to the kid he would work hard to get his brother's scooter. Get that scooter.
I read this as "Oxytocin Salesman", and it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that this wasn't about marketing and selling oxytocin/Pitocin.
When my son was young, he had a tooth ache and the dentist prescribed Vicodin. Like NOPE. He does not need that kind of pain killer for a tooth ache. I tossed that in the trash.
“Barely takes the edge off” Yet he’s still golfing. This man is the very definition of an addict, and someone with zero empathy or regret for what he’s done. Karma will catch up to him
Mhmm couldn't agree more
So what he should be laying bin a bed all day not able to live his life. There are people with chronic pain
@@VHale-yz7hc degenerative disc disease can literally be treated by ibuprofen and a hot water bottle. pain doesn’t kill. opioids do.
@@superbearisalwaysthe You don’t know wtf you’re talking about. A cut off head can be treated with ibuprofen and a hot water bottle too but it’s not much use.
@@JJ-ti5lh yeah you know what needs to be treated with morphine and oxy more than once a day? nothing. the only clients who should receive that should be on hospice.
My husband died while using heroin for his pain. He was labeled "a drug seeker" even though he had 2 different chronic pain disease diagnosis. We thought it was because he had a sleeve tattoo. That meant he couldn't get medicine for his pain, so with no insurance and little money he did what he had to do...THAT'S REAL. That's what America's health care system is driving people to.
I'm so sorry praying for you💗
Absolutely spot on and right... and it's a barbaric system. It is REAL as you said. Awful. It's so awful. Sending good energy to you.
Yeah him saying "drug seakers" as if he's so much better than them. He's literally doing the same drugs? Im sorry you and your husband went through that. I hope you're doing okay. I hope our health care system gets better sooner than later.
Same
as much as i hate to say it most people who are “drug seekers” are people just trying to deal
with pain and become addicted
Wow. They weren't pain patients, they were drug seekers. Maybe they started off as pain patients 🤔 then got hooked on something that was lied about from day 1. Maybe their insurance stopped and they were forced into withdrawal, and with the way they kept upping the doses its unbelievable in this day and age
There's something very wrong when the system allows salespeople to visit doctors.
Doctors should be making decisions based on what's needed and what's cheapest for the health insurance / patient.
Do you think thats non-fiction?
"Gotta wipe it off, it's dirty."
In SO many ways, sir, in SO many ways.
Well that and hes a junkie lmao
Percy's comment=💯%BADASS
LMAO I really want that OxyContin pen with the pull-out equianalgesic conversion chart 😂
IKR
Would save me time pulling out the Wikipedia equianalgesic chart
😂😂😂 Me too
Better than alcohol abuse
Imagine the dope man tryna help you out w his conversion chart and scale in your living room lol
Chronic pain is worse than being addicted. Prove me wrong.
As a victim of of oxy's I now live with the pain rather than be a slave to pills. Plus I noticed the pills seem to intensify the pain when they wear off which makes you take more and then you build tolerance. The pain increases along with the pill intake and the cycle continues.......till 80mg oxy plus 10mg vicodin and a benzo is breakfast!
I have been finding ways to slow tolerance down. I cut some pills to 3/4 dose, and skip a dose here and there and do other little things like this, enduring some pain in order to keep my meds working at the same dose. I have severe pain from MS and can't do without pain meds, but doing these things really works to help beat back tolerance.
I always wondered what happened with the black kid from Hey Arnold!!
Gerald Martin Johanssen!
It’s the guy from kid and play
He got hooked on oxycontin and his cartoon character deteriated
Oh look at that! Lucky him! He can still get them...everyone who had chronic pain got taken off and was told to suck it up!
Just like so many that I know.
@@420frankp disgusting isn't it! I know people who had cancer who were taken off of them and only got them back when they went to Hospice care for their final days! It's sick and twisted! I understand you want to keep them from the hands of the users but don't punish the people who need them!
As a long-term chronic pain sufferer, I actually admire this guy! The government wants to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and save a few druggies, while causing untold numbers of legitimate patients to suffer needlessly!
Want to see the real results; check out the number of less overdoses vs suicides by suffering patients. It’s virtually a net-zero! Only difference is that it’s good, honest, hurting people dying now, instead of junkies! Way to go, Uncle Sam! 🙄
The problem starts, when these policy makers/state legislators (most of them ARE NOT PRACTICING DOCTORS) write ridiculous guidelines that have no scientific basis in reality, and yet this crap ultimately becomes the governing way... this forces doctors to make ridiculous choices in the treatment of chronic pain. This problem is made worse by pharmacies refusing to fill scripts for patients (established and new, alike), or grosser even, use extradition practices like this: I don't care if your most expensive medicine is given to you for free by this pharmacy, because if you don't get all your scripts at THIS PHARMACY, then we won't serve you, anymore for anything!
If more people don't start speaking out against this targeted hurting of chronic pain patients, it will be too late.
Monitors of Decorum & Decency EXACTLY!!! Amen & Amen!!!
This guy is extremely delusional for a grown man.
There should be little/no sympathy when he realises he can't take these for life. It will be missery
Yeah he did it for the chronic pain patients. What a hero.
He is completely addicted. Would like to see him quit - his withdrawals would be horrible.
He's likely dependent if he's been on opioids for an extended period of time in order to relieve pain. But there's no evidence to suggest that he's addicted. Withdrawals can occur in the absence of addiction.
He will taper off slowly.
"Gotta wipe it off its dirty" it sure is bud.
You do realize this guy is a former Perdue sales dude right? He'll obviously say the right things..he's programmed to. This is a shill story - Woes me
@Jonathan Haynes What about cigarettes? There is a reason why they're not advertised and they're sale has been restricted. Companies are responsible for how they market their products.
Jonathan Haynes It is their fault when they advertised it an non-addictive and incentivized pushing it to as many people as possible
luke So its not wrong of them to advertise an opioid drug as non-addictive and push it to as many people as possible whether they need it or not?
luke If youve been on oxycodone for 10 years youre an addict bud. Youll find out if you ever run out. Btw why is oxycodone such a miracle when more effective opiate medications existed before it??
There are people out there who have lobbied in their areas to have all opioids banished except for dying of cancer. I know of one woman who successfully demonstrated in her area. Later, she got in a car accident and found herself stricken with severe chronic pain. She tried and tried, but no doctor would prescribe her an opioid, no matter how terrible was her suffering. It's an understatement to say that her writing shows how much she regrets what she did.
This guy should be in prison with the doctors. He is lying to himself, but that is not an excuse. I know two doctors convicted/lost licenses. This guy should be so proud. Disgusting. Having seen a person PRESCRIBED 140mg a day FINALLY withdraw, after multiple overdoses, this guy needs to be put in a room and ALLOWED to withdraw. Then sent to prison for his pride of sales award.
So the patient goes to the doctor, goes to the pharmacy to pick up the meds then personally takes the meds.... yet somehow the doctor is at fault here? Unless the doctor held him down and forced him to take the medication, it was the person's choice to take them or not. It was also the persons choice to CONTINUE to take them as well.
Analogy: You buy a high performance car from a car dealer and the buyer wrecks the car driving at high speeds ending their life 6 months later. Does the car salesman go to jail? Does the manufacture go to jail? The answer is no. It was the drivers responsibility not the car salesman or the manufacture. So tell me again how a doctor should go to jail for prescribing a medication that the end user choose to abuse?
This guy better cut back on the oxy. Imagine him in 20 years, man is gonna be taking 15 a day if he doesn't slow down
@Dreamstate Oxycodone doesn't damage organs you nitwit. Alcohol destroys organs, especially the liver.
irony at its finest
@@DoctorChained oxycontin does affect the brain, liver, and kidneys but not to the same level as Acetaminophen. Add acetaminophen to oxycodone and you get percocet. Oxycontin is less damaging than percocet but is still damaging.
@@xxaidanxxsniperz6404 It really doesn't. But okay.
@@DoctorChained I'm currently studying pharmacology and am interested in knowing all effects. Acetaminophen is more deadly than oxycodone and that is a fact. But oxycodone itself is dangerous too. Just the facts.
Product sells itself sons. 🤨
You are a disgrace to the White Race. Find your roots son.
"Good" Product. Bad product has excuses
This man should absolutely be ashamed… it’s pathetic that he doesn’t see the impact these pills have had ..
He said it." this barely takes the edge off". Opiates clog the judgment and allow you to rationalize the things you do. I speak from experience.
Opiates only knocks out when you haven't build a tolerance yet. I've had to take Oxy at around 180mg/day for chronic pain and it only had the potential to knock me out during the first two weeks of treatment, afterwards, it really only took the edge off from my pain, so your experience is as cloged as his.
@@kirsehd2494 They don't work for long-term pain. 180 mg a day will make you withdraw pretty hard. I bet you didn't intend on getting there. I was referring to his ability to justify things in your head. As an opiate addict, you become not able to see certain things.
I speak from experience too, and that's bullshit. They don't "clog judgment" in the way that alcohol does, for instance. Withdrawal, or the desire to avoid it, will cause you to rationalize any number of harmful (and self-harmful) behaviors. Meanwhile, use disorder and addiction are different animals from dependence. And they can work very effectively for long-term pain.
@@hughmac13 Ok keep telling yourself that. Yeah, long-term alcohol use does some bad stuff. But opiates are far more seductive and cunning in the way they alter your brain chemistry. The future in pain meds is partial agonists but even they are super harmful.
@@williamhamill813 I'm not talking about long-term use and abuse of alcohol (which is often fatal). I'm talking about alcohol's intoxicating effects. Aside from sedation, opioids don't produce the same symptoms of inebriation. And, when opioids are used for the treatment of chronic pain, they're not used to achieve inebriation.
It's not what I'm telling myself. What I'm describing to you are the facts of opioid pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. All manner of things affect brain chemistry. To talk about that mundane phenomenon with in tendentious terms like "seductive" and "cunning" gives it a character it doesn't have.
The only benefit of partial agonists is that it dissuades abuse. That's valuable in some instances but useless in others.
The first half minute of this video tells you all you need to know the guy says this would knock you out but barely takes the edge off of for me that just means The dude is already addicted
Poor bastard
I got off Nicotine and cry from the headaches, he'll have a much worse time
I don't think he thinks he isn't addicted....what do you do for chronic pain?
Of course he is addicted. Anyone that take opiates on a chronic basis is going to be dependent on them. Being addicted is not the issue as long as you are truly uses the drug for its intended purpose. If you take the amount necessary to deal with the main issues and are not doing it to get high.
@@MusicByJC I mean there are issues with being addicted, even if you are not using to solely get high...the system is at fault if people cannot access the correct treatment for their conditions and instead are medicated. This whole crisis is the accumulation of many different problems all thrown together
I used to be addicted to oxycontin for number of years. The high is so good on them but the withdrawal is pure nightmare. Now i stick to scotch and weed.
Wait until the withdrawal from scotch begins. haha
Happy for you man
Alcohol withdrawal is worse than opioid withdrawal.
Try some mdma
Drowsy_ Mouse
I’ve tried ecstasy late 90’s and early 2000 when it was popular around after hours clubbing in vegas. I hate it the fact that was impossible to sleep afterwards the next day. And the next day i would feel really really down.
I quit once i felt like my heart was gonna stop, i mixed it with liquor i guess.
Good scotch & weed i think is the best high so far. And specially if you end the night with a good steak. Sleep is deep, kills depression & anxiety.
Of course now i have build a high tolerance so Need to slow down i realize.
He's trying to rationalize a massacre, because he was taking care of his family.
he is so blind sighted by his own situation to be able to see the biger picture.
I think you mean "blinded by his own situation..." blindsight is the ability of blind people to detect light or other visual stimuli. Blindsided is being struck suddenly as if out of nowhere ie your blindside as in football
@@jonmcd13 typical "Grammarly" extension automatic suggestion chosen without taking my time to proofread. haha Another lesson learned.
Can we get an update of this guy? Two years is a long time.
Sean HIcks I said above that this cat is no longer on what he's on in this video. Like me (I've been tapered down from over 400 mg. daily to 110...almost to the 90 mandate amount...I'm half sick 24/7 and it drains you down...that is probably his reality as well. No free lunches...the war on drugs (HA!!) squares are making us pay full freight. Peace.
Im pretty sure hes not dead or in jail, like any colombian or mexican drug lord would, eventually...
Why don’t you just take kratom
The problem what the fact the company lied about it being addictive and pushed doctors into prescribing it indiscriminately not just for chronic severe pain but also for minor stuff like dental work and headaches. Which lead to normal everyday hard working folk who had never had a problem with addiction before, becoming addicted and deeply entrenched in a world they couldn’t survive.
you cant forget when gerald from hey arnold interviewed purdue's top salesman
No, I can't forget that a black person can't just wear their natural hair without it being a topic of discussion.
After seeing Dopesick this whole situation was crazy and should give everyone pause in the worldwide portrayal of Bigpharma as being completely trustworthy
I used to love snorting oxys back in the early 2000's.
@Pepe Lopez
Crush it n Snort it
Yeah I just recently discovered snorting and love it more than taking one orally.
@@MCrelationz i thought they made them so they turn into geln if you crush it up and that it's impossible to snort? Are you talking about the 30mg roxycodone?
@@manicmurph yes the blue m30 as well as k9 or alg 215 whatever it's called and the other types. SOME of them are like that with the gel which you would have to crush up as best as you can then leave it sitting in soda for like 24 hours but there are still instant release ones that crush up much better and that you can snort or pop with no issues
Snort or smoke. Too many people have trouble with it though.
He can GOLF?!?!?! He has NO IDEA what living with excruciating pain is like!
As a chronic pain patient & someone who took narcotics for years to control said pain, these drugs are extremely dangerous. They create such a powerful rebound pain from withdrawal that you can’t tell the difference between your genuine pain & the pain created from the drug. Medical marijuana saved me from this poison & made the transition bearable. If we want to discuss a long-term, realistic, significantly lower risk treatment option for pain patients, medical marijuana is the way to go.
MM doesn't work for everyone.
Agreed. Cannabis is the only thing that ever helped my post-endometriosis pelvic pain. I got dependent on tramadol....even morphine didn't help. My doctors stood by and let me get dependent on opioids - I had to do the cannabis for myself. Cannabis is a huge answer to chronic pain.
agreed.@@cosmicmuffin322
This dude's hair is killing me. He thinks he's the fresh prince
dead fish tell no tales he should jst cut it
Go back and visit this guy in a year and see how he is. He is already in the grip of addiction. I hope and pray that he doesn’t end up like the people that took his poison before him.
I wouldn't shed any tears. I worked there. If he was sales rep of the year, depending how long he was working there for. the top 10% of sales reps were making $60,000 a quarter in bonuses. He's probably a millionaire. That $10,000 Breitling watch he's wearing will buy him plenty of dope off the street if his doc cuts him off. You know it was a hidden secret that in clinical trials the drug was only lasting 8 hours instead of 12?
he isn't in the grip of anything except a physical condition - over which he has no control. He takes appropriate medications in order to maintain some quality of life. Or do you consider diabetics who rely on insulin to be "in the grip of an addiction"?
I feel the opposite…I hope his life does crash
i do hope i want to say karma is real
@@aspasialogica8416 rly you think is the same insulin and foking opioid my doc when i have pain i get ibuprofen or metamizole.
Imagine how rich you’d have to be, to be comfortable drinking water from your bathroom sink.
If you feel pain you have compassion for others in pain. He wanted to help people who were suffering.
I talk to a lot of chronic pain patients as an insurance agent, and I actually agree with him. Some people will abuse the medication with devastating consequences, but for others it's the *only* thing that makes life tolerable due to their chronic pain. Those drugs shouldn't be heavily marketed to people who don't need it, but we also shouldn't be putting up walls to make it difficult for those who *do* need it.
should just let people decide what is best for themselves . if people want to get high who cares let people use what they want in their own bodies
@@commissaryarrick9670 maybe, but you need to be well educated of the consequences of taking this junk. Not being encouraged by the fda and doctors.
No one with half a brain would take this this trash or heroin or meth. But you need the information.
@@commissaryarrick9670 yeah people can't really make an accurate decision when they're trusted doctor is pushing oxy while claiming it's not addictive.
The dose will stop working eventually, no matter how low/high and you’ll need more. Then your sensitivity to pain will actually INCREASE. Then, at the highest threshold of dosing, your respiratory system can’t take it and the dose has become lethal. Your only option is to stop. But your prefrontal lobe has become dependent and you’ll feel like you’re dying unless you take methadone. And then you’re hooked on methadone
Truth
Such a fascinating story. Major kudos to Vice on this one.
Also, Michael (salesman) was really interesting and layered...more stories like these please!
Phil A
Although vice can be annoyingly left at times, they do cover some interesting stories. I don’t get why they had to cut some personnel recently. It’s such a good show/channel.
@C B Do you think Vice would have had more luck if they didn't go far-left? I think in today's climate, a lot of media outlets have to have an "extreme" opinion to get shares. Look at BBC. They don't have any fears of being cancelled but their stories have gone ridiculously far left.
C B
Yeah CNN is a joke now. Fox News seems to be doing well though.
@C B Ah, I see. Thanks for the info.
@C B Cnn= radical left bias. Just say you have zero idea what 'radical left' means and be done with it.
He's a drug dealer/murderer - plain and simple. He made a lot of money and didnt care about the devastation he caused. He knew exactly what he was doing.
He says he tried everything, did you edit out where he said he tried CBT and physical therapy? Because those are front line treatments and you didn't show him mentioning them
It's Not Hard to Sell The Dope Everybody Still Wants.
Duh.
Joey Owens yep that is nothing to brag about 🙄
People have this stubbornness that the best person is one who is never wrong, and in that pursuit, people will almost never admit their mistakes and any discussion on personal responsibility triggers a defensive response. In my opinion, I think much more highly of someone who can critically find mistakes or areas of improvements in themselves, admitting to mistakes and actively take steps to improve, rather than someone who claims to never make mistakes. The problem is that culturally, this is the case, but it manifests everywhere: the politicians who admits mistakes are the ones that gets tossed, the employee that admits to mistakes are the ones getting fired. So our entire incentive structure is built around never admitting to mistakes and always pushing blame to others, and whoever can do this best wins. To me, that's a toxic priority
Thanks to social media and the abundance of false information, many now gravitate towards people that can affirm a position relentlessly. Even if they are proven wrong, they just attack the facts to be false. Narcissistic behavior is now widely accepted and humility is frowned upon. Turn the other cheek? Im gonna smack you first!!
Same with..👶😢💔💵👶💔
*The Corrupt Business of*
*Children Protective Service's* please look into that people.. especially if your lower income and ask for any government assistance you're more likely to be a target.
. it's like a list..they used...
( almost like a shindler's list)
that's not supposed to be a joke..
it's really that hard on but income families that get victimized by this corruption going on behind the scenes you would have to again do research.. because that's who they go after the lower income families that don't have them money or the knowledge.. how to fight a system that's run by our own government..
PLEASE look up on .
RUclips video
*Podcast Host Alex Jones*
talking to
*Senator Nancy Schaefer*
Thank you
✌️ Peace ✌️ out 🙁🙏💓
Graduated high school in 2000 and left for the military and anytime I wrote home or called home back to Baltimore I heard nothing but sad stories of people I went to school with hooked on this stuff.
The issue is, take it away from him.
It depends on the person and their mental fortitude.I caught a rare spinal cord disease at 15 and was on opiates for almost 15 years. I was on oxy's back when they still offered the 160mg and shit worked for a long ass time. I slowly got better, stepped down the dose, and I am off.You have to go into pain "management" knowing and reminding yourself that it's temporary but I completely understand why some get hooked, it's hella addictive and I could have continued taking them forever but I didn't want to live that junky pill life.I have a 15 year old son and too much left to see and do.It took me almost two years to learn how to crawl stand and walk again so the slight detox from the opiates wasn't bad.I was paralyzed and on a ventilator with no way to communicate other than blinking for months trapped inside my own head.When they took me off the ventilator all I did was beg my parents,doctors, and nurses to let me die.They ended up sedating me and put me back on the ventilator because I wouldn't slow down and breathe but after no talking for months the only thing I begged for was death.Its still hard to have sympathy and empathy for people who suffer with pain because the first thing that pops into my head is if you aren't begging for death it ain't that bad.Once you've flat lined twice, overheard Drs tell your parents that you might not live through the night, begged for death,told you would never walk again and spend almost two years proving everyone wrong it changes your perception on EVERYTHING.I place such a high value on the smallest of actions, because when I couldn't scratch my face that was itching like hell from the opiates, and I couldn't tell anyone to scratch it for me and had to lay there screaming in my head it made me realize and appreciate how awesome it is to scratch your own nose whenever you like. Some people need money,big fancy homes,cars, and toys to be happy.All I need to be happy is my health and the ability to scratch an itch whenever I need to. It's the little things.
This is amazing man. By far the most strong person I’ve seen on this app. Congratulations.
He said he tried all these things for his back he shoulda tried cannabis
Emile Buch I agree, but it doesn’t work for chronic pain. I’m in pain every day and I just deal with it. I do have medical marijuana and I do not use opioids. The last prescription of pain pills I had was after dental surgery and they didn’t help the pain either. The thing that helps the most is yoga stretching and a small therapy ball. It helps a lot.
Wait, he knew that the drug was highly addictive and he was dissapointed that "drug seekers" (not junkies or drug dealers) where hanging out at a doctors office?? How come he is not considered a drug dealer himself that helped create the opioid pandemic??? How come vice news let him appear as a good guy and not responsible for the death of thousands, and therefore a criminal???
Addiction is sad but so is chronic pain.
Drug dealor admitting that he is the plug between pardue and the doc. N what they do nothing its his job AMAZING
the idiot is strong with this one AMAZING
When they changed from OP to OC, and added the coating, let's just say it made things difficult.
@Josh Frank lol right on man. I remember the Macgyver days.
Yeah there's right about when I switched to heroin.
@Andy Trullinger. Yeah, those were the days man...it always blew my mind how much the original ones smelled and burned on foil like heroin.
He looks and speaks precisely like someone I’m being forced to collaborate with at work who I know is not to be trusted.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Never sacrifice integrity for wealth.
Three friends in three years gone, all did oxy in College for fun.
Sean Weatherall :( im so sorry
"All did oxy in college for fun" ... says a lot
Lost a Cousin
Good riddance
first last What else are the poor slaves of the ruling class meant to do to forget the helm they live in.
Because of all of this, legitimate people in pain have a horrible time getting pain medication.
AS A DENTIST, DRUG SEEKERS WERE MY BIGGEST PROBLEM. I HAD A WOMAN WORKING FOR ME WHO WOULD CALL PHARMACIES AND CALL IN DRUGS WITHOUT ME KNOWING. PATIENTS WOULD STEAL PRESCRIPTION PADS OUT OF DRAWERS, WHILE I SAW ANOTHER PATIENT!!! I QUIT DENTISTRY TO GET AWAY FROM THIS HEADACHE AND PROBLEM, IT BECAME THAT BAD. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN THE PATIENTS LIE TO YOU ABOUT THEIR PAIN??? ANYONE CAN HAVE A TOOTHACHE AND MANY TIMES ITS LEGITIMATE, AND DRUG SEEKERS USUALLY HAVE VERY BAD TEETH TO BOOT!!!!!
Good job for not giggling at that hair!
Show this video to the reporter in ten years and watch him squirm.
It's just some hair...doubt he'll lose too much sleep!
I can usually take Aleve and then I'm good.
However, Sometimes I can't sleep due to pain.
I feel so sorry for anyone who has legit pain and can get a prescription.
God Bless People, Who take pain meds because of pain!
Kid, from Kid 'n Play, interviews former OxyCotin salesman of the year.
I was an active drug user for many years and have worked in the field of recovery for many years now.
I can tell you he is not wrong. The population that is being forgotten here are chronic pain patients. Not all chronic pain patients deserve to lose access to their medication because some abuse it. It is up to us as a society to tackle this problem, and we are, the best we can. We are in the infancy of taking on alcoholism and drug addiction. Many hundreds of years from now we will have solved this problem. But for now, we are in the medieval times of this crisis and we will feel the growing pains. There is no magic wand.
This is classic drug rationalizing. And how would he know if his back still hurts after surgery if he's been high for 15 years.
That’s the problem. It’s not because “one person may become addicted.” EVERY patient who uses opioids in the long term will become physically addicted. He probably is himself! I’d love to see his reasoning after he quit taking that poison for a few days.
come back in 15 years and see how he feels if he is still alive
Love how he blames addicts that his work caused for being "the wrong customers". What a joke
dying on acid Yeah, I love how this guy looks so wooden as he pops one pill into his mouth...LOL...and has a glass of water to wash it down with like a good patient.
No, he keeps a pill fob with a nice combo...he crushes them up (he's not a needle guy) and got his straws...
Every addict (me included) I know has a ritual; I have to have a half iced glass bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola after I have my morning necessaries...Tootsie pops in between. We like sweets, and not just when we're dope sick...as our morning fix wanes but we need to stretch it out a little to conserve, sweets tickle the reward center and distracts you.
This cat was putting on a show, and not a very convincing one.
The point about him being paid per each perscription reminds me of how policemen will unlawfully arrest people and army recruiters will recruit unqualified people if they have quotas to fill.
I wasn't making a moral statement for or against either the army or police. It was just a comment that if people in any job are tasked with reaching a quota involving people it creates an immoral incentive for the salesmen/LEO/recruiters/religious missionaires/religious proselytisers like the mormons and the jehovah's witnesses/door-to-door salesmen/etc to reach those quotas by immoral and unethical means.
(Frankly I think with large organisations though as long as the organisations are decently run organisations with competent employees/members, they can saved if reformers can remove the canker like people inside the organisation and bring about organisational reform from the top.)
Yeah scumbags come in such a nice variety these days
@@Steven-nx6cw The army is to literally no difference they dont know who they are killing. I'm an ex marine had a pretty great experience however I never considered myself to be a hero
As soon as he said "degenerative disk" i felt bad for the guy (his life is gonna get a lot worse in the next couple decades)
My grandpa had the same thing and watching him cry was horrible. He refused to take any painkiller and lived in agony. It got to the point where he wouldnt sleep due to the pain and after many days he would pass out from exhaustion. Before he finally stopped being able to walk without a walker he would make me get him a shopping cart and he would rest his whole torso on it while walking because that was the only way he could actually walk around the shopping store (he refused to use a rascal scooter)
My father in law is the same way, he cant be on his feet for more than a few minutes. He cried the other day because our son his first grandson wanted to spend time with him and he cant stay more than a couple minutes because of the pain and our son had a melt down cuz he just wanted to spend time with his papa. Its been awful to watch him deteriorate, we worry about him every day
He is one tough man, most succumb to the drug
@K6H702 only under hospice care did he finally accept oral morphine with ativan to compound the effects. The nurse basically explained that he may not have much time left so getting addicted won't be a problem. He was a proud man and watching him cry out of pain was bearable. Watching him cry out of shame from having to have his bowel movements cleaned in bed was heart wrenching. I was the only one he would let touch him since im the only male besides him and I would tell him "you changed my diapers when I was a baby im only repaying the favor" and he would give a half hearted chuckle.
I loved him and my grandmother, they raised me because I didnt have a dad and my mom worked 12 hour days.
Degenerative disks are not a big deal and were probably not the cause of chronic pain for this guy or your grandpa.
@@davidthomas9960 That's a very narrow minded view. No doubt you've some personal anecdotal evidence skewing your objectivity.
Medical conditions can vary in severity, contributing factors are numerous and difficult to calculate and pain tolerance can vary wildly from person to person.
A common cold can be a sniffle for most, but it kills a tiny percentage of people.