Opioids, Inc. (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
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- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2020
- Pushing opioids. Bribing doctors. Making millions. FRONTLINE and the Financial Times investigate how Insys Therapeutics profited from a fentanyl-based painkiller up to 100 times stronger than morphine - and how some Wall Street investors looked the other way.
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“Opioids, Inc.” tells the inside story of how Insys profited from Subsys, a fast-acting fentanyl-based spray that's been linked to hundreds of deaths. Tactics included targeting high-prescribing doctors and nurse practitioners known as “whales,” misleading insurers, and holding contests for the sales team: the higher the prescription doses they got doctors to write, the larger the cash prize - despite the dangers to patients. But as the documentary traces in unprecedented detail, the scheme fell apart: With federal prosecutors using anti-racketeering laws designed to fight organized crime, Insys became the first pharmaceutical company to have its CEO sentenced to prison time in federal court in connection with the opioid crisis.
#Opioids #OpioidCrisis #WallStreet
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NOTE: An earlier version of this description misstated the strength of Insys' painkiller.
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Im a recovering fentnyl addict from south Florida and i have a year and 5 months clean
Good for you man. Hopefully your still there.
Congrats bro keep it up. This shit is killing like generations worth of people now. Its fuckin hard to stay sober, but life is worth living.
Well done. Dade City. Me 2.. all of above.. 2.5 yes subby's saved me...
Keep on fighting. One day at a time. I've got 10 years clean.
I never got above roxy's an opana but it's been 8 years clean for me, Brother 👍 the damn Subutex helped me. I NEVER took the subs as prescribed though , I took it at first then, I lowered it down on my own until no longer needed! The God Damned Dr. kept trying to push them on me. I simply took them as I felt the need then, Never went back to the Dr.
Now my teeth are falling apart no matter how much I spend to try an save them. They say the suboxone does that, IDK
One of the unfortunate side effects of the entire opioid epidemic is that, now, people who legitimately need pain medication cannot get it or have great difficulty getting it.
So true. In many cases it causes those patients to get "illegal" meds or needlessly suffer. Do they really think that having people getting it from a person with no medical license or ethics is a better option?
Exactly. most of the people who are overdosing are getting their drugs off the streets from cartels
@@pneulancer definitely not today 2022 we have so many pill mills / pill presses and they use fentanyl and today people drop like flies
Which is the reason we are in a heroin/fet epidemic bc doctors now underwrite or dont even prescribe it for fear of being arrested
Cvs sucks
The quality of Frontline documentaries is just… mindblowing. They set the bar so high, leaving PBS’s American Experience and Frontline as the super heavyweights in this category.
They're BBC-level quality - the highest praise for TV docs.
Agree! All aspects (reporting, narrative, cinematic) this story was riveting.
Dude we know it's good that's why we're here. Either contribute to the topic or stop clogging servers
Could not agree more
I started doing drugs since my teenage. Got addicted to heroin for over 8 years. Also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my mom recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment
actually saved my life. 6 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.
Amen God bless people. Save your health save your mind. Life is better without heroin, cocaine,alcohol and cigarettes.And you have more money in your pocket. God bless everyone who has rejected the devils intentions to be addicted to alcohol and cigarettes etc which can cause so much damage to health.
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Germany. Really need!
Yes I'm very sure of Dr.benshrooms
I hate that psilocybin gets grouped with drugs like cocaine and heroin. Mushrooms are a remedy, not a vice! I'm really happy for you that your mom wanted to help you...I hear of a lot of a lot of family members or so called friends shutting an addict out of their life, which since most addicts do it to mask emotions to me is the worse thing someone can do to an addict.
How do i reach out to him? Is he on insta
5 and a half years for the top man when other heroin dealers get life, where's the justice in that?
Heroin dealers are just carrier mules who get arrested in airports!! Top men/kingpin hire best lawyers or even bribe judges to get lenient charges!!
@Yeah, I Know no, idiot.. everything is legal. As long as you have a prescription. But without prescription then no, percocets are very illegal such as heroin is. You're probably 12 tho so I understand the confusion.
@Yeah, I Know Yes really. Heroin used to be sold over the counter at your local pharmacy way back when it was first created.
@Yeah, I Know heroin is sometimes prescribed, medical name diacetylmorphine
He's a "Top man" remember ? ... aka the ELITE aka the 1% .... Aka = 🤢🤮
Meanwhile millions in jail for cannabis related crimes, pathetic world.
@Lazar Cvetkovic It's always about $$$$$ .
Well I mean if you get caught with opioids without a prescription you get hit way more heavily than with weed.
Weed in personal amounts is usually a misdomenor.
Opiates are an instant felony.
Only people who get felonies for weed are selling/moving huge amounts to sell or involved in other illegal stuff
Jeffrey, it is the US (!), not the world. Here in Germany there are no ppl in jail for canabis.
Everything is upside down and the snide out. It is pathetic. The Cabal has keep real technology from us. Keep us dependent on dangerous drugs. Human nature is just that.,
Actually it's a pathetic America!
As someone who lost 4 friends to overdoses, it’s incredibly difficult to watch the demeanor of some of these people. There’s either a lack of remorse or in some cases outright bliss in knowing that they were making money off of people who were struggling. The way the nurse practitioner spoke was friggen disgusting
The thing is, if you're weak enough to not be able to drop something that is killing you. Whose fault is it really?
Agreed
@@partyhardplayhardgaming8106 it has nothing to do with being "weak". That's the narrative and lie you've been fed by big pharma. Instead of admitting their drugs were addictive and killing people, they blamed the people.
Addiction is NOT a disease it's a choice that leads to a form of possession read the book pharmakia the spiritual dimension of drug use
@@partyhardplayhardgaming8106 the problem with your statement is I don't agree with the disease point of view because it's a choice that you decide to make however I do think that over extended periods of time you get kind of a form of possession it's kind of like the story in the Bible where it says you can remove the demon from your house it will roam to and fro looking for a home when it comes back to you if your house is not in order it will bring along with itself seven other demons stronger than itself and re-enter its home that's why every time someone relapses it's that much harder for them to get clean and that is a book quote out of a scientist / pastor named Robert Orem in Sarasota Florida and the name of his book is pharmakeia the spiritual dimension of drug use
My aunt was on fentanyl patches for years, she had cancer. She ended up in a nursing home, they stopped her pain meds cold turkey and within 72 hours she was dead. She was 84 years old.
That's messed up. "we can't treat you because we don't trust our employees"...
That is just inhumane and irresponsible! Who cares if an 84 year old was addicted to pain meds? Why should a person live their final years in pain? The pain probably killed your aunt. Awful death.
Good fucking god. Can you imagine the wd from that. She should have been able to die comfortably. It’s one of the reasons morphine is giving to people in hospice.
@@lynndinovo3500I think they don't care about her being on addictive meds, it's about employees using her meds. They take people off cause they think their employees might use it
WTF why would they do that? I hope you sued the nursing home.
Heather Alfonso’s entire demeanor is what terrifies me about the healthcare system. There’s a willful and snide lack of understanding that the shady profiteering she took part in was in any way out of line-and she’s only troubled that others profited more and she was shortchanged. So many troubled and morally skewed people in the population and a fair number are charged with caring for people at their most vulnerable moments.
💯
She disgusts me...
She shocked me 🥴 Its really sad to see how we cant even trust our healthcare profesionals to care for their patients and their wellbeing
Looked her up on facebook. She gives herself to Allah and scams people still. What a piece of work she is
@@vopenacattleco Then she hasn't given herself to Allah
I broke my wrist my freshman year of high school and had a doctor that gladly would give me way more pills then needed and I ended up hooked. Almost 7 yrs sober now
thats awseome! But how did you do it?
@@r0bmc745 i was the same, broke my back in high school...went from tramadol to tabs to blues in 5 years. I couldnt do it cold turkey, i had to take methadone but now im a year clean off methadone and feeling better and better each day...i still get kinda anxious but Kava extract helps with that.
Good job grasshopper.....I have 8 years clean
@@verapaige7915 congrats!
When I was a teenager (20 years ago) my best friend had dental surgery, and was given an entire, full bottle of Vicodin. Needless to say, it was used more recreationally than medically. He even got a second full bottle after complaining about ongoing pain to the dentist. Two full bottles, when all he really needed was maybe 5 pills for pain management during the 48 hours following the surgery.
Whoever is fighting with their own demons I pray you get through it! I know sobriety is hard and I know some people feel it’s damn near impossible for them. Just please don’t give up on yourself 🙏
Ty so much
🙏 🙏 🙏 im recovering addict sigh. I cry myself to sleep often. Sometimes it's hard to push on sigh.
@@kenrickbaughman992 you’ve made it here so far and I know you can keep pushing on! Please don’t give up on yourself! You’re not alone 🤗🤗🤗
@@BeeVan-YT thank you kindly 🙏
It's sad that Diana Hampton died like that. Casting her as simply a victim that was better off dying than being exposed is ridiculous. I remember reading about her having an innovative approach to veteran drug cases, although it's not easy to find the source anymore. It's bad enough drug users are told both they have a disease and that they're going to jail which will somehow help them. When the person signing the warrant and overseeing your conviction is committing the same so-called crimes, you realize your being held accountable by conviction was a complete farce. We met once, she was nice. She didn't deserve to die and it wasn't better for her to die. It would have been better she survived, come to her senses, and we could have had a long discussion on one of the many hypocrisies of our government.
The narrator is great. He could be reciting groceries list and they would be gripping.
more like GRIPPING a GROCERY bag lolololololol
Whats his name?a
@@almappes3396 Tunak Ali-Bimbimsalabim.
Griminal Criminal No, it’s Will Lyman; he has a very distinct voice.
@@almappes3396 It's Will Lyman per the credits at the end, and he is awesome!
Honestly the punishment is pathetic. 5.5 years for causing incalculable misery and death? Absolutely pathetic.
He did nothing wrong
@@laetrille What do you mean? Oh you're being sarcastic, lol. Good one!
Berlicof was the guy in charge of sales & he only got 26 months. Even with cooperation, he deserved a minimum of 5 years..
I was expecting a life sentence! argh! This guy was a murderer and drug dealer!
@Douglas Jones ...unfortunately if you are a black teen.20 years + for weed or low level drugs.2 different justice system.
Once we got legal cannabis in Montana, I was able to detox from legal opioids in 2016, and I did it on Twitter. Now, I'm permanently suspended by that app but still having a wonderful life without being constantly sedated. 💙 ☺️ Thanks for being here.
Before my back surgery, I was prescribed 60 percocet every month for three months. SIXTY. My back surgery was scheduled for that third month. I started taking the pills for the pain and slowly found myself wanting one even when I wasn't in pain. I couldn't wait to get home and take a pill even when my pain wasn't that bad. I got scared because I knew I was slowly forming an addiction. I flushed what I had left and chickened out with the surgery. Four years later in 2021, I finally decided to have the surgery but I found a new and more reputable surgeon who didn't prescribe me any pain meds before the surgery, and I was completely ok with that. After my surgery, he only gave me enough for 1 week and it was very do-able for me.
When I was addicted I was doing 20-30 pills DAILY.
@@alexm566 wow that’s too much. How do you feel when you take all that ?
@@brownjames3420 Barely anything, but if I stop it was death. My whole body feels like it's being tortured with 1000 nails.
@@alexm566 You developed Addiction Damn
@@brownjames3420 yup, I remember the night I said I'll stop and then woke up middle of the night with massive panic and everything feeling all messed up. that's how I knew I no longer had a choice.
We lost our son to herion overdose mixed fentanyl 2 years ago. He was 26, we fought for 10 year's to get him help. RIP TREVOR.
Dan c , sorry for your loss 🙏
Addiction is a terrible beast. May the Lord reach down and comfort you as you heal. †
Sorry to hear that. Wish y'all better days.
I am so sorry. The death of ones child is the worst thing any parent can go through & the pain never goes away. We are not meant to bury our children
I'm sorry for your loss.
5 years or less in jail to make billions?? where do i sign?
Out in 16 months I bet.
fed jail too, probably minsec martha Stewart shit, but you have to serve 85% of your time before you are eligible for parole in fed system tho
More like 18 months with good behavior
Posh jail
Like wolf of wall street
With tennis court and gym and all the goodies
Can you live with the fact of all the people will suffer from addiction and withdrawal and death 💀. It’s evil. The devils work man. Friggn sad.
These meds have given me a large part of my life back. After 20+ spinal surgeries and procedures have left me with scar tissue limiting my movement cause of pain.
Addiction, is a side effect that is not a concern for people like me, as I will never live another day without this medication. As soon as I'm not able to control my pain through medical means, is the day my grave should be dug
Merry Christmas Paul , I know how you feel ❤
@@shanewells9067 you as well
May 2023, bring you and yours a better year than the last
Cancer is not the only thing that causes severe pain, the kind of severe pain that needs to be managed for the rest of one's life.
Indeed. Back pain and the associated leg and foot pain from spinal stenosis is one example. Destroyed discs and sciatic nerves can never be repaired and there is a limit in how many laminectomies you can undergo.
I thought opiates were also for end of life care
@@robertcuminale1212opiates were absolutely not indicated for chronic pain
That rap video alone should have dropped the stock price by 90%.
BECAUSE IS NOT THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR THE RAP MUSIC??
@@stephenjoke7965 no because it sucked
@@stephenjoke7965 sounding dumb
I thought it was a joke. The fact that it was real and produced by that company gave me serious douche chills.
So cringe 😬
There's so many villains in this story that I can't keep track of them all.
B
Kids and ADULTS don't do drugs.
@@Angela-kr6im unless it's the necessary evil. But then you are left with the addiction.
This makes me so mad I can’t finish watching this there were so many Drs down here in Fl and their pill mills made them VERY RICH
Dr. George Peterson’s recent addiction
As a chronic pain sufferer and currently have a constant headache/migraine since March 26 2018. It averages a level 3. I now never say itvis a 10, because there is a spike that is worse than the last spike. I also have lower spine pain. I have zero nerve reflex in both arms and both legs. I have went from working 72 hrs per week to 30 hrs a week. I have never liked alcohol and have never done nothing heavier than Marijuana as a teen in the 80s. After joining army I never touched drugs of any kind. It took me 12 years and three doctors before I was able to get pain meds. Now I take 1 5mg oxycodone every eight hours. I have to choose between working or sleeping. I need two oxys and two flexeril to either get 3 to 4 hrs of work or 2 to 3 hours of sleep. I have no idea if or when I will get a dosage increase and/or pills per day. I have bipolar is one issue that is flagging the government, which is imposing requirements that need to be met before any positive changes. I never get a "high" from my pain meds, I do get a high from the flexeril. Asva pain sufferer with bipolar suicide is a frequent battle. My wife, daughters, grandchildren, and my faith in God our creator and Saviour is what keeps me from suicide. The government needs to make some guideline changes that makes it easier for people who have no history of alcohol or drug abuse to get opioid meds for pain treatment.
I am so pissed. These men were charged 5 years or less in prison for starting the Opioid pandemic in America. If these same men were black, poor, and came from the inner cities, they would have been given life sentences. the hypocrisy is for real!
That nurse practitioner is gross, she should be arrested.
she's nuttier than a walnut grove for sure...and I'm a psych nurse trust me lol
@@TheMabes69 I think she was sampling products
This type of medicine should not be prescribed by a nurse practioner anyway.
@@xeno4746 the people who employed her are just as guilty if not more. But they were smart and hired a Muslim nurse practitioner to be the fall guy.
@@TheMabes69
@14:12 This is a "health care provider." She is Greedy, Wicked and Evil Incarnate
So called 'Health Practitioner' Heather Alfonso: "Duh, Screw the patients, show me the money. My kids are more important than there lives." What a despicable attitude for a healthcare provider.
also the "I got $83k, which isn't a lot considering how much everyone else made" -_- she destroyed so many lives and was only upset that she wasn't paid as much as other doctors for it. oh well, she's been charged to pay back $2.5 million. just desserts.
I just watched this documentary and was so disgusted by that comment as well. She should have her license revoked.
She is a disgrace to the health care field.
@@patpeifer7871she’s a disgrace to the human race
RE comments about people with legitimate pain: I agree you shouldn’t be denied meds to treat it, just beware that opioid addiction is going to happen to you no matter your situation because once it binds with the receptors and they are taken away, you will be in withdrawal. It is fact based in science. I’ve seen many people with real pain become addicted. I wish there were more ways to help you.
Much love to you all.
Here's a problem they don't seem to be addressing at least so far. I'm a pt with daily chronic pain, due to fibromyalgia & severe arthritis in my back & neck, L hip & L knee. The hip is bone on bone. I can't even get a temporary hike in my meds when the pain is severe! I'm no addict; I take the same dose as when I was referred to a pain mgmt dr in 2019. Bc of the mis-application of pain drugs by both drs & addicts, I have to suffer, often becoming bed-ridden. Innocent pts pay for the greed & addiction of others! 15:37
I’m going on 5 years clean, and still rebuilding my life after losing so much and dealing with so much pain but my children deserve a mother who is sober and present in their lives so I’m praying for all the addicts and ex-addicts struggling, just know that there is hope ❤️🙌🏽
Congratulations 🎉🎈🎊 God Bless you and God watch over you in Jesus name. ❤️
Congrats! That’s a huge accomplishment
I hit 1 year last week.
Keep it up.
Congratulations
I'm five years clean and no one gives a shit. You're lucky to have people who care
They ruined it for people in real pain and need them
Who is to say which person's pain is legitimate and which isn't? Drug control robs individuals of the freedom to make independent choices regarding the most critical healthcare issues. As far as I'm concerned, the buck stops with me on matters relating to my own health. I won't hesitate for one second to take whatever steps I must take in order to medicate my pain and enable myself to live a normal, healthy life. Life is too short to spend every day in bed moaning in pain waiting for a doctor to finally have enough empathy to put his license at risk for me.
@@johnlecoque9516 none of this is about pain except a pitch to make for selling everyone 2k dollars a day for something worth almost nothing in cost. this sold what you take because you have to for so much money that no one would have chosen this product.
if you have real pain now it is possible that you will not be able to find a doctor who will help you.
@@timothybucky7170 , Yes , and what is being done Against the Disabled/ Chronic and Intractable Pain disease patients of the U.S. is Unconstitutional and a Human Rights Violation. The Insufferable Movement
@@LDuke-pc7kq Agreed, even though less than 1% of us with severe chronic pain abuse our prescriptions* and yet we are treated as criminals. The CDC didn't even bother to differentiate between pain patients & addicts...
* excluding those who take a month's prescriptions with a bottle of wine to go home...
Everyone has overreacted and now people are being denied proper pain medication when it is truly needed.
I can appreciate that Heather was honest about being in it for the money and didn’t get on camera faking remorse.
I have a complete lack of respect for her.
Was a $200 a day opiate addict for almost 5 years. Amazing I'm still alive or not in jail ... 4 years clean. Trust me, if I can do it anyone can.
im 4 days into methadone WD, went from heroin and oxy, to a methadone clinic for 12 years. down to 9mgs from 150mgs, and have jumped off at the 9 mark.. will i ever feel normal again? able to be happy or just content with out an opioid?
@@81vintage you will. Trust me. The trees will become greener, music will sound better. The smell of coffee and grass will be more profound. The way you view and cherish normal life will come back, I promise.
@@wilsonzack21 thank you, it just seems like I’m gonna be stuck in this mind cloud and anxious body for ever. I can’t even remember what it was like not to have an opiate in my system… but thank you I needed to hear the re assurance
That’s great dude I took lortab 10 for 15 yrs been clean for 1 yr and 1/2 Suboxone works
@@81vintage content dude I took that shit for years suboxone for about a year I’m ok but it’s different ???? Don’t feel the same
Unfortunately I have lost all trust in doctors, whenever I find myself hearing a pitch for some new drug they want to prescribe me, I tell them I need at least a week to do my own research on what exactly it is because I don’t trust all the praises a doctor will give. People should always be extra careful and have time to do their own research.
@ Melissa Skillens
You're doing it backwards. Do your research first, going into a Drs' office allowing them to know you know what you're doing - and tell them what you want. And why.
@@lizziesangi1602 thanks for that dr.
Never gave any doctor any trust
Lizzie Sangi Someone would have to go to school for years to be that level of prepared. Say someone goes in with gastrointestinal trouble. Do you really expect a lay person to be well-versed on all the classes of meds that treat such a condition? It makes more sense for the person to do more research after the fact. That way, when the patient hears, “I want to recommend [a new proton pump inhibitor,” the patient can go home l, do their research, and see the doctor is pushing a brand new expensive one rather than one with the same mechanism of action that is 100x cheaper.
There are just too many complexities for a patient to be knowledgable on everything before the visit.
Every day and every week there is always some new drug being advertised on television. I'm sure you've seen them during your time off from work or during the evenings when your winding down after work. Makes one wonder if these brand new drugs really do what they're designed to do even with the wide range of side effects.
Frontline always doing the best #1 👍🏼
The message I get from this is that I can spend one to five years in prison and still have more money than I would if I continued working for the rest if my life.
These kind of activities should be categorizes as a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY.
Ddrt1554 Addh6 Exactly
The perpetrators should be given a lethal injection of their own drugs.
or murder. if anyone else in the world sells someone a drug that kills them... that's murder. not when you have money tho i guess
@@BEEBEE159
Not to Worry. KARMA with have its Justice!
Did you ever hear of disabled Americans who actual need these medications? Prescribing these medications for those that need them is a tremendous act of compassion. The problem is people who don't need them working hard to be prescribed these medications. You cant blame a doctor for believing someone whose acting just like a disabled person who is in terrible pain.
They need to pay for the treatment for all the addicted patients too
Right on they need to step up and fix it.
They could start with me. I have over half a million dollars in medical bills from 4 hospitalizations, detox, and rehab
And the dead from overdoses.
@Joey Dunlop you have obviously never had to deal with this. My sister has been prescribed pain medication for almost 4 years by her doctors for a serious illness. She takes her medication per instructions, and in no way wants to have to take these pills yet has no option. She was told point blank by a doctor that once she no longer needs them he will have to taper her down or she will 100 % go on to buying off the streets due to the body becoming addicted. Luckily her doctor will help. Not everyone has that kind of doctor which leads to buying off the street. So no not everyone is begging for more and more. Do some research and stop being so judge mental
@Joey Dunlop I actually do have first hand experience, but that is my business, and I can say I’ve never been happy about the situation. I had to try more than once to get off the prescribed medication without going crazy from withdrawals. Everyone is different not all addicts want to live that life, and that is first hand knowledge
I at one time had become addicted to fentanal patches. I remember this because i would wear one patch for three days, as required, then put a new one on. The problem was i would still leave the previous patch on so as to get every once i could. What broke this habit was i became allergic to the addhesive on the patches.
I had to go through withdrawl before my doctor would put me on another druf for chronic pain managent. I'm very lucky to have survived this powerful drug.
It was the segment with the Nevada Judge that stood out for me. Can't believe she was taking those empty canisters, given to her by that rotten pain doctor, scooping out the remains of this stuff and then injecting it in herself! Wow. From what I've read about her death, she died not from an overdose but a severe arm infection although she had a lot of this Subsys inside of her. The arm infection most likely brought on by using all those syringes. It's so shocking who becomes an addict, it doesn't matter what station of life you're in. Its so sad what these addicts go through to get this stuff. 😔
Suprisingly straight forward for a executive
The disconnect from both the company and the doctors from the deaths of their products is morally bankrupt
Agreed
There is a lot to said about this. Disconnect is one of them but also all of this people have no moral, is almost like they are no humans. I don't believe the female Dr. That had her head cover. She has no remorse about the whole situation, incredible!
The company provides the product and the Dr decides how much to give the patient with instructions. If the patient doesn't follow it, that's on them. It's cold be hey were adults here.
For-profit healthcare in action.
They don't give a fuck. As long as they got their greedy hands on that all mighty dollar, they could care less about what happened to their consumers..... oh excuse me "patients". 😐
Nurse practitioner NO ETHICS.LOL.She still doesnt get it when pressed by interviewer.
I know, explaining WHY she needed money and therefore wrote prescriptions (rationalize/justify) wasn't a very smart thing to do, even if it WAS true.
@@abdimalikgurhan3194 aryaa see tahay sbx..😅
The - nurse practitioners - "along with doctors" are paid separately by collection companies.
Google her
You know those type of questions like "is stealing wrong" on questionnaires? She's the type that would struggle with such a question. Total psychopath.
I was prescribed Tramadol for fibromyalgia a while back as a 32 year old male. I knew nothing about it, the Rheumotologist said it was non-addictive and a very effective pain killer for my level of pain. Id never taken pain killers up to that point aside from alcohol. I ran out of my prescription on a friday, tried to call the doctor for a refill but wasnt able to get it in time for the weekend so i thought "ok, no biggie, ill just take ibuprofin instead". And that night the withdrawals started, uncobtrollable shakes, i thought i was having a seizure because id never experienced anything like that at all, or maybe i was having a seizure. And the worst withdrawal symptom was probably the restless leg stuff when i laid down to go to sleep, sweet mary that was horrible. That weekend without the tramadol was pure hell man. Id never gone thru anything like it. Refilled my prescription on monday, took it and it was over. They said it was non-addictive.
sry to hear that... now imagine the fentynal withdrawls.
What a frightening story. I constantly fight against taking prescription drugs and only take them after researching them. Thank you for sharing and reminding not to let my guard done
@@dantemagliari1073loved the restless legs the yawning and the sneezing 🎉🎉😂😂💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊💊
How about jailing the doctors who wrote the prescriptions?
I watched this documentary because I wanted to understand the opioid epidemic in the US. I had seen the suffering users undergo but didn't quite get some of the factors contributing to it, the pharma angle, so to speak. Now it's clearer. It's sad and enrsging.
Thank you PBS/Financial Times for this. piece.
Same
What's more saddening is the US population percentage vs the world. Yet the US consumes almost 60%+ of the hard core painkillers. Imagine that.
Look at the obesity epidemic, mental health epidemic. The US solution is: prescribe lots of Meds. Health Insurance is hard to obtain. Imagine if you have Weight or Mental Health challenges. Employers (under cover), will "call you back, once their decision is made". Which means thanks for applying but no, you don't get the job (in many cases). Someone may be trying to better themselves and need Health Coverage.
Very sad situation.
It is very hard to understand the situation living outside the US. Many bad things are happening in my country but I cannot imagine something like that. It is just so different
Idk why drs are prescribing fentanyl.
I am a chronic pain patient. I do not abuse drugs nor am I addicted and I cannot get pain meds for relief. I'm sick of hearing about opioid addicts. They are not mt problem. Chronic pain is.
@@youtubeuserzzzz i'm in AZ, and i pay $172 for my own medical and dental insurance.
Basically he was angry that there weren’t enough patients experiencing unbearable pain to make his sublingual fentanyl launch “successful.” 1. That’s disgusting. 2. Try doing some market research ahead of development.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
@@booognish Yes he did. Every single one of them knew exactly what they were doing.
So if there weren't enough pain, you will create pain.
These chemicals are like the new world spice traders:
Tobacco
Spice
Tulips
Sugar
Corn syrup
Cotton
Coffee
Chocolate
Opium
...
And now Fentanyl
we have to create a hole to fill which doesn't really exist, and we will call it loneliness. then we will create the cure and sell it the masses...and we shall call it Love.
Doctor got me hooked on opioids back in 90s and after 20 years using it turned my life upside down .
Will Lyman (the narrator) is an absolute PBS classic, reminds me of watching documentaries as a little kid. I genuinely think that without PBS this country would be in a far worse state than it is, it's not just about public media, it's about public media that serves the people.
Notice how it didn’t matter until someone of high status overdosed
People of high status overdose everyday in this country. It’s when they overdose & DIE that the headlines are made. Perhaps if thousands more “high status people” overdose & die this War on Drugs might be impacted positively(?)
They didnt start covering it untill the white suburb kids started to die off. Government and media aaaaand now we have a problem.
Oh of course
If you're white with money you can bypass a lot.
My dad and brother died from Dr. Holper's fentanyl prescriptions and that doctor went to prison after finally killing a judge with his fentanyl prescriptions.
“This additional money was something I needed”. But she was a health professional!? Shouldn’t they only prescribe medicine if really needed and in the best interest of the patient?
YES A GOOD DOCTOR WILL BUT THIS LADY IS GREEDY N HAD 5 KIDS SHE SAID,SHE HOPEFULLY HAD HERSELF FIXED!!!
Well like the sales VP said, they targeted medical professionals who were vulnerable. When people lack money and when they can get away with it, their integrity gets compromised. There are always gonna be some doctors who will do that.
No excuse what they did !
Sure, as long as that doctor can make a profit from the prescription sold. That's big pharma for ya!!
Sick
It doesn’t get much sadder than this…people came seeking help and were sucked into a cycle that killed them… 💔 God have mercy 🙏🏽
Great work guys. Great true story. Caught by people with character and honesty.
I can't believe they didn't use RICO laws on Wells Fargo when they opened all those checking accounts without authorization
Yea Wells Fargo got off pretty well scott free didn’t they
@@ditavalerio615 bucket of abortion juice
That's only for Black and Hispanics. Everybody else get a special arrangement and title. AMERIKKKA
@JAN III SOBIESKI Notice the Big Pharma not owned by a person of color were investigated and fined first. And now the rest have been warned.
Wells Fargo should have been made to give more credit during Covid because of their shady past.
Extremely addictive fentanyl: exists
Heather Alfonso: what "lines"? The speaker's money changes my prescription. I'm just gonna prescribe whatever gives me more cash.
My GAWD
I HATE her, she needs an attitude check
She’s evil. She’s only angry that she didn’t make more money. Totally evil and insane and stupid. But at least she went on camera to give us all an insight into the mindset of the people writing prescriptions. I worked as an administrator in the healthcare profession for over a decade, and it sadly doesn’t shock me to see doctors with no ethics. Many are corrupt. And just throwing prescriptions at patients is the norm now. It’s the profit model.
@@doctoroclock7732 😅😅for real its so terrible and tragic
They've now made it impossible for real, long-term pain patients, e.g. wife who needs a second surgery on the same area but it can only be done 2x in a lifetime, MS and a litany of other medical problems.
5yrs clean..opiods took my early20s all of my 30s got clean at 42yrs old. It took everything and everyone from me! But here I am today I will never go backwards
This brings back so many painful memories. I was one of those people waiting in line to get my opioid prescription. Thank God I was able to get through all that and lead a somewhat productive life. Although it's extremely hard sometimes. I feel that the damage I've done will follow me the rest of my life. I can only hope that more people are able to wean off and stay clean so they can get on with their lives. 🙏
God bless you
How you cook up a patch? In detail!
As someone who was fighting a 5+ yr addition to a lot of prescription painkillers I totally understand your concern. Big pharma will always care about the profits no matter what. I’m 7yrs sober now and was able to get back everything I lost with interest… and now I have a lot more than what I had before I started doing them… stay strong friend! Every day sober is a gift.
I know from experience how difficult it is. Still going through it. Stay clean man!
I was in a bad way with my addiction to Oxycodone. A drug called Soboxone saved me. The first time I took it I knew I'd found my savior. Some people who don't understand will say I just traded one addiction for another. That isn't the case.
Wow! Some of the people they interviewed are remarkably honest and frank about what they were doing. Either they've come to terms and accepted how bad it was, or they are truly remorseless!
They're truly remorseless they didn't serve any time for a crime they're still Rich they don't give a shit how many people they killed! Now you take a small time drug dealer just trying to make a living they get 20 years plus, these suits get five years and under and probably didn't serve half of that!
Once these Illegal drug lab Owners, Dealers & Smugglers ENJOY THEIR EASY- MAKING WEALTH, THERE IS "NO REMORSE" EVEN They are Caught & Jailed & Soon the Corrupt U.S. Justice System WILL RELEASE THEM, So the CONVICTED DRUG- OFFENDERS WILL RESUMED THEIR DRUG BUSINESS AGAIN. When CAUGHT Again, it Serve & Activate the Law- enforcement System of the US Govt to keep Govt- Employees Working. --No Ending Solution in U.S. CRIMINALITY WORLD.
Considering how KRONIE-CAPITALISM is (nowadays), and how Politician's are so easily bought, I would bet on REMORSELESS...
No they are the worst of the worst,first they did what they knew was wrong,then when they got caught they rat everyone else out to save themselves and did,why would you like about it now 😂 Lol,of course they are going to be up front bc now they get paid again for their story, lifetime crooks and our system let's them get away with it
Truly remorseless and still out there running scheme on ppl, I'm sure. They got off because they told all. They have nothing to hide now and why try it's public knowledge. Lying on here would be pointless and ridiculous, best believe though, they aren't now honest ppl.
Something that this documentary didnt mention is that when you take an existing medication with an existing copyright thats about to expire and allow competitors to manufacture it, something companies can do to renew that copyright and maintain their monopoly on the market is to tweak the formulation slightly, all they have to prove is that the new medication isnt worse then the first, it doesnt have to be better.
RIP salena, Molly, Malcolm, Kyle 🕊 they all deserved way more time then they got for their role in the opioid crisis
What is the difference between a drug dealer and a pharrmaceutical CEO? One is at the corner of the street in the other one at Wall Street!
The difference is that the average street dealer makes far less money.
only difference is high priced lawyers
The government
The difference is if you do fentanyl from the dealer you die
Just as much, if not more blame goes to the doctor writing endless scripts. While your outrage is just, it’s still grossly misplaced.
I'm 3 months sober from black tar heroin. I no longer take suboxen either. I finally feel normal and I'm happy. It did not happen over night and it was a struggle but it is possible that's all I want to say
I've never taken subs for a long time until now..I been on it since may 2020 when I detox now I take a 1/4 am and pm..half a strip a day..I took vivitrol for 4 months and relapsed..this time I hàd to stay on subs to keep me safe and now I do want to get off bc it makes me feel like shit even that Lil bit but I have to know I'll be ok
Congratulations 🎊🎈🎉 and I hope you are still clean!! God Bless you and God watch over you in Jesus name.. ♥️
Hope this finds you still sober and healthy. Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS and keep up the great work!💯💯
Congratulations
Hope you're still clean!! How was it coming off subs? I'm thinking of starting MATs
Perdue Pharma basically did the same thing, except when they paid doctors speaking fees, the doctors actually spoke at conferences. The Sackler Family should have been prosecutor just like the CEO of Insys.
I swear the general public needs this more than youtube nerds looking to learn. But the sad truth is the ones that are going to the most impacted by bad prescription culture are way too fucking ignorant, and abysmally reluctant to actual learning.
FrontLine is a service to the community. Thank you.
It's the best long running television program in this history of the medium.
60 min on cbs has made lots of bad stuff over.
Pill mills: Legitimized suburban crack houses.
OMG .....YES.
Wade Guidry a thing of the past now.
@@My_Alchemical_Romance yeah you right.
@@My_Alchemical_Romance .. not completely but most yes.
Patrice Marie ooooolllolllllllll
Got a spinal compression fracture at 15 and was treated w/opiods for years. I started abusing them after the first year. I probably did need them, but in hospital and briefly after discharge…not YEARS. I used off and on well into my 20’s and early 30’s. I didn’t get clean until 2017. I very easily could’ve overdosed, it’s a miracle I’m still alive. The scary part? ALL of my Rx’s were legal and it was incredibly easy for me to get them, even after the crackdown on the prescribing of opioids. People saw my fused spine and assumed I needed them, not that I was abusing them. It’s sick, and this doc is painful to watch 😢
Can you imagine the amount of meds Heather Alfonso is on?
I have less hope for humanity every day.
Lexi Cat humanity is long gone the governments have always been the head of drug dealing, we live in a world that is just about money nothing more, we just pawns in reality to them, their drugs cause cancer then when we die our organs are sold illegally, can’t hide from our impurities of congested lies and disgust to humanity.
its okay guys reality is just a hologram. You can relax now.
Facts Lexi!!! Faster and faster too... Smh
@@danielnieuwenhuis2266 This is so insightful
Never trust a company whose name sounds like “incest.”
although blunt, i appreciated the willingness of Heather Alfonso to be shamelessly honest and just say out loud the ugly truths regarding the nature of the situation instead of trying to wrap it up in a pretty box or tap dance around it
I'll agree with most of the other commenters on here that this is hands down one of the best documentaries that I have seen on this particular subject. Congrats to PBS for showing us that it is still possible to report news and keep opinions out of it. Very refreshing in our divided country. I was absolutely sickened at some of the things that I learned as I'm sure most of you were especially the bonuses and payouts for convincing doctors to increase their doses. That absolutely should be prosecuted as criminal behavior. As a chronic pain sufferer myself I can understand that these medicines can if taken properly and at the prescribed times be beneficial however one must always weigh the pros and cons of anything. There are some people that will be more prone to addiction than others. If you're in a chronic pain situation my advice would be to start as low as you possibly can and take the medicine as it is prescribed. To me that's the best way to determine whether or not you will become to dependent or addicted on something. I enjoy reading from other commenters that also are in chronic pain situations and love to hear opinions about how they are dealing with their situations as well. Blessings to all stay safe and healthy.
Things go wrong but I admire your openness . Can someone tell me if there is a documentary about the same problem in Europe? I've searched but found nothing.
Jeez - between this and the "what went wrong?" doc - you guys are crushing it. Please stay balanced and opinion free - what the world needs is just the facts.
A terminally ill patient should be able to buy any drug he wants.
I agree. And chronic pain sufferers should have quick legal cheap access to opioids and cannabis and Kratom
They also shoud be permitted to kill themselves.
@@joepollock9151 You can get suicide assistance in Australia..
Agree with you strongly
@@suzanne296 Finally someone else agrees also..
Terminally ill and anyone dealing with chronic pain..
These are people aren't of weakness, once you take, on a roll of addiction.
The root of most addiction are discontent , emptiness , sadness and low self esteem ect.
I’m in Florida. I saw firsthand what these pain pill mill Doctors did to people. So many people have died and countless lives destroyed due to addiction. Dr. John Kapoor deserves to spend decades in prison. He is a menace to society. The fallout from the opioid epidemic will take generations to wade through.
Same, but in Southern Cali :/ fent is the new heroin there and sadly me and many many many people I know and don’t know, personally, got stuck in it. Drugs do NOT discriminate!! It can be ANYONE, it isn’t a certain type of people, but especially people with untreated non/severe mental health issues :( it’s so sad
death sentence i dare say
FL here I saw it first hand and got caught up in it but now my pain is being properly by my primary doc
As a “victim” of the “ opioid crisis” I am unable to get the medicines I need to have SOME quality of life, due to DEA OVERREACH AND CDC’s “Guidelines” (not laws!) meant for the opioid naive patient-AND WHICH GUIDELINES SPECIFICALLY STATE NOT MEANT FOR LONG-TERM CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS, CANCER PAIN, SICKLE CELL DISEASE, POST-SURGICAL PAIN, HOSPICE. Unfortunately, we’ve all been thrown into the “addict” category. Can you IMAGINE a hospice patient dying in excruciating pain, and have a nurse say, “Well, you don’t want to die AN ADDICT, DO YOU?” True story. My God! Show MERCY to the suffering! This is cold-blooded MURDER. The pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction, and killing people by withholding pain medicines. And THIS IS BEING TAUGHT TO OUR YOUNG INTERNS-your children’s future “caretakers.” BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID.
@@gailmarie4039 there’s still red vein kratom u can get at any gas station if it came down to it. Another reason why all drugs Need to b legalized u made a great point for that
Excellent reporting and it’s a dark dark place in the human heart when greed takes over and the pulse of the conscience is dead 💀!
Yup
Amen to that.. But one day they will have to stand in front of God and face judgment! And all the money in the world will not save them!! ❤️
@@barrett7893 Exactly they will have to give an account of what they did and then the judgement consequences.
Capitalism is wonderful but it only works if it is paired with morality.
Greed can do crazy and evil things to people sadly.
Horrible hurting people! Once take unable to quit!
I think it would be a shame if suffering people could not take advantage of modern medicine and get the pain relief that they deserve.
The problem with pain meds is you need a higher dosage over time to manage it. Patients that need the relief are just as suceptible to addiction as over prescribed patients. The root cause of the pain isnt resolved with pain pills, just managed.
This is a fantastic documentary- the best I’ve seen in a long time. PBS still got it!
I refuse 2 pay 4 cable and my over the air reception sucks. thank whoever 4 the upload. and once again to PBS 4 'fair and balanced' reporting.
mamie monrovia : I agree- cable is insanely expensive. We have always had the ‘basic’ cable plan- no extras like HBO, etc. and our bill is still ridiculously high (and whenever the bill increases because a promo expires, I negotiate it down to a more reasonable cost). Satellite TV isn’t really an option for us (not sure if it costs less). At one point, Comcast was the only cable provider where we lived. Finally AT&T became available, and we switched. But it’s basically a monopoly where I live - you have 2 options, that it- which basically allows the 2 companies to charge whatever they want.
Except when it comes to politics .
@@mamiemonrovia7654 SO AGREE & some think Im crazy. I tell them theyre crazy for paying all that $$ monthly for something I can get off the internet for free!
watch being mortal tough to watch if you don't cry during that one yur not human
I like my drug dealer to wear a tracksuit and operate out of a council estate, not wearing Armani living in a mansion.
These people are beyond evil. The harm they have caused is immeasurable. When you lose a loved one or go through the hell of withdrawal yourself, you truly understand.
And today the govt allows fentanyl to pour over the border!
This situation isn't funny, but that rap video had me ROLLING 🤣
The doctors are even more guilty than the businessmen who were charged.
They ruined it for people in real pain and need them
The prescriber writes the scrip. It’s not OTC. It doesn’t excuse his business practices but the prescriber calls the shots. A prescriber put it best to me: I’m not whoring myself out for a dinner.
Amen to that!!
Only 6 years? Thats a slap on the wrist.
6 years will work out to 16 months.
Same jail/spa as Martha Steward had.
no, it was 5.5. may be pobation may come way earlier
Clearly someone who's never spent any time in prison.
I got 10 for 6 of his fucking pills, thx judicial system
Of the hundreds if not thousands of people who died as a consequence of OD… they probably lost a collective 10,000+ life-years
what about terminally ill cancer patients and people with life threatening traumatic injuries?
Even these people telling you what they did know how disgusting they are for doing it.
Brutal honesty… 😮
I'm sorry, I just _can't_ stop hearing "Yom Kippur" and "incest".
She says “she needed the extra income” as if she worked a minimum wage job 🤷🏻♀️
She said she needed the money cause she had 5 kids and her “significant other” was basically a lazy slob.
@@CereCerebration I guess trash sticks with trash. She doesn't even understand what she did wrong
I can't stand that lady. It feels like she didn't do anything wrong and is only upset because she didn't make more money out of it
A silly #@×*!
She's addicted to the most addictive substance on earth... money.
RIP Kieth-859 Everyone misses you! You'd be proud of the man your boy has become.
You get what you INSPECT, NOT what you EXPECT!
I grew up around people who became addicts that went to prison under mandatory minimum sentencing. They served more time than him. His sentence was an absolute slap in the face to all Americans.
Exactly my take away... 5 1/2 years? Are you fucking joking? Thats 3 served with good behavior. How many died? How many lives ruined from addiction? How many more lives negatively impacted by loved one being addicted? How much time and money spent on salaries of FBI agents and support staff, judicial system staff, medical staff, counselors, treatment centers, employers, landlords, caregivers, support givers, froends, lovers, kids, and on and on and on. Five and a half years. Why fucking bother! What a disgrace. What a pathetic joke our criminal justice system has become. What bullshit we've been told since birth that no one is above the law. Hahaha! LIES! TRUMP WALKS FREELY IN SOCIETY TODAY, 9.12.22 AND THIS JERK GETS 5 YRS. TRUMP HAS OVER A MILLION AMERICAN DEATHS ON HIS HANDS FROM GROTESQUE MISHANDLING OF CV19, 30K+ LIES, AND NOW STOLEN CLASSIFIED DOCS SEIZED AT MARA LAGO! NUKE DOCS FOR SALE! MENACE TO SOCIETY! OUR PPE
They aren't billionaires I guess. Sad.
This video popped up in my YT suggestions today the very day I am clean of opiates for 5 years. My neighbor is a prison guard and he claims that Fentanyl is more addictive than heroin. After surviving colon cancer and being on heavy duty opiates I agree.
All I can say is: "But for the grace of God" there I go.
So now we have elderly and disabled chronic pain patients being denied opioids which are the only things that will relieve constant pain. The war on opioids has caused many of these patients to commit suicide because doctors are now afraid to prescribe any opioids . They are harassed by the government and fear losing jobs and licenses. The crack down on opioids has hurt a lot more people than it has helped.
I had a friend Hooked on this stuff back in the day she actually worked for pharmacy. Took her years to get off opiates
Whoa...that music video of the sales rep really sums it up, they were dressed as drug dealers. The whole thing is gross.
I LOVE titration.
Not just prison,freeze there assets too or they will do it over again.
How do you like capitalism now??
@Maxwell agreed. HOWEVER these medications are needed by many people. myself included. due to health issues, which because of when it was EASY to get them, made a bunch of junkies. yes there are alternatives, being on a fixed income, many of those arent covered by my insurance. this is a MAJOR mess which will take time to correct. time to get the ball rolling.
Never happen Corporations Pay Lobbyists Who Manipulate Politicians who appoint Judge's that make Certain their Wealth,Power and Freedom Stays Protected. Only Poor Minorities amd the Powerless go to Prison and serve Long Sentences and Sometimes Life for a Small Fraction of the Tons of Drugs and Misery these Devils Pushed.
@@Gcanno both sides so this sadly my friend. No innocent parties. I stand by saying the junkies screw my chance of getting the help I need for my chf , diabetes as well as multiple other health issues. And I was born with the type one diabetes
the real criminals are the government for privatizing healthcare and pharmaceuticals! These ridiculous for-profit systems are just begging for companies to commit fraud, and then people are shocked at the "evil big pharma" execs. Give me a break... they were despicable, yes, but only got that far because of how the government structures these sectors.