Friday 21 January 2011

Medical Students And Addiction

I've done it a handful of times now,... given talks to medical students about my experience of addiction and treatment.
I've given talks to an auditorium of second years before, and yesterday my GP asked me to talk to some fourth year grads.
I do it because I've experienced prejudice in A&E before, and because these students are just so naive!
Some of the questions they ask... one yesterday asked what diamorphine is ??
Humans are prejudice, and doctors are only human, I know that when you need to go to A&E and you tell them your medical history and that your on methadone/heroin they're attitude changes straight away, you don't get adequate pain relief and your treated with a 'well you did it to yourself' attitude.
I learnt in the end, to just not tell them you were an addict.. which obviously isn't good if your not being honest with them, what if they are treating you with something with a known contra-indication to methadone/opiates/subutex etc..?!

I went in after breaking two ribs coming off my bike a few years ago and after telling them I was a heroin addict etc I was left screaming in pain for HOURS... and told if I didnt stop moaning I would be escorted out!
Now I know, if I hadn't mentioned that I would have been seen by a doctor and given some pain relief while I waited.
I walked out in the end and just scored, it was easier, and helped the pain....

Anyway, these students mouths always hit the floor when I tell them about what I used to do, explaining about injecting heroin and crack at the same time, and how good it feels.
They cant believe people take more than one recreational drug at the same time!
I always make sure they understand that it's not only the lower end of society that end up heroin addicts, but plenty of doctors/nurses/lawyers too.... especially anaesthetists!

I told them all about Ibogaine too, and how it's the only thing that's ever helped really.. out of ten odd trips to rehab, years of counselling and psychotherapy a plant from Africa has the power to break addiction!

Maybe, I planted a seed in one of they're heads, and they go on to work in addiction, and start researching Ibogaine... you never know!


10 comments:

Gledwood said...

are they that stupid

wow

i thought you'd know diamorphine

fucking idiots

no surprise

has the ibogaine worked?

remember with a speedball dopamine is +400%, double the +200% of crack or the +70% of heroin but heroin alone isn't just dopamine its other shit

hope all ok wid u

Sid said...

Hey Gleds, how u doin man?

Yeah, a fourth year med student that didnt know what diamorph is, apparently it's only really used for heart attack patients though nowadays..I had to explain the difference between and opioid agonist and antagonist too! To explain how the transition from methadone to buprenorphine can be difficult... what precipitated withdrawals are etc,.. I know more than them about it all!
I told them about being an advocate for diamorph prescribing etc.. how prohibition obvs doesnt work etc.. It's important, they are so naieve!

Yes thanks, im on day 10!
Had a day of craving really bad yesterday, just took a big Ibo booster and put some acupuncture needles in my ears, a valium and a spliff... it worked..

Interestingly, a lot of people post ibo smoke cannabis, it really helps, especially with RLS, you forget about it for a few minutes at a time.. just to have a break from the constant thinking thinking thinking about how ill you are and heroin gets a bit much sometimes!

I never really got into crack luckily, if someone offered me a pipe i'd take it but wasnt a big deal, I used to shoot snowballs but stopped when I got so paranoid I smashed my mobile phone up cos it kept making that noise on the radio.. even with the battery out.. freaked me right out! Then I realised I should porobably stop!

Sounds like your doing really well, gear wise!?

I had some of that dodgy benzo gear, or whatever it was cut with, a few weeks back, I lost a day, smashed my laptop and had a massive row with partner cos I was so out of it.. scary shit, what the fuck was that cut with!? Some anti-psychotic by the feel of it.. largactil or somethin!

BMelonsLemonade said...

I broke a rib once, cracked it on the back side. The next day, I could not even sit up to get out of bed. I thought it was my back, maybe my shoulder...all I knew is it hurt like a motherfucker. My ex got up, cooked up my morning shot, and while I lay there, gasping through the pain...he hit me in the neck. Even a big, fat shot of dope did not stop the pain. I still could not even sit up. I called an ambulance, but they were too busy. (No shit...they said they could not come and get me then...it was in New Orleans, and in their defense they called back six hours later, but by then I had already made it to the hospital.) Friends carried me out of my bed, and into a taxi that took me to Charity Hospital. After waiting forever...they finally saw mw, and ended up keeping me in the emergency room for a number of days; they suspected endocarditis. (turned out to be a false alarm). I told them I was on methadone right away, and they denied pain meds right away. In the middle of the night, I was in so much pain that I could not take it. My back was killing me, and I was lying in bed...seemed to make it worse. I asked a nurse if I could please just have some aspirin. She told me, "No way, junkie. We are not giving you anything for the pain." Are you serious? They were serious. Not even aspirin for a junky in some hospitals. Make us suffer, I guess. Not that my status as an addict had anything to do with a fucking broken rib....

Sid said...

Wow! I cant believe they actually said that to your face... theyre not allowed to do that at least over here!

So it seems this is quite a common experience..It is better to say nothing at all.. just don't tell them youre a junkie ans you will at least then get treated with some dignity and respect!

Fractured ribs hurt like fuck too!

Gledwood said...

BMelons that stinks, but I've already done my own doctor rant dated saturday or sunday, it refers here

hey sid i gave melody her own link the other day... uhhhhhhh!!!

it's my personal ibogaine from the membrane brain pane drane again (ane) doing it. Ukkkkkk.

I just went NA. I told them all how the 12 steps strip away denials guilt and reasons for relapse which is why people say "my friend hasn't got the program but they aren't an addict" (programme with mmmmme on the end is starting to piss me off)

then i said by being an addict you are handing your happiness to a cunt on a mountain bike

i hope now they realize i get it i do get it i'm not lying i get it bloody hell why would anyone go to na of all places and fantasize

not being able to stop laughing during the share might not have helped but hey

least i'm happy

hope you are too

cannabis i can't do it really doesn't like me!

Gledwood said...

I think diamorph will come up as an addiction med before ibogaine ever does... cancha just imagine the official view on "facing issues" through a "deligium"... hmmm might take a while to get through them bastard MPs that one...

Sid said...

Yeah, theyre just not going to give the go ahead to an intense hallucinogen are they... plus the drug companies don't like one time cures, only daily maintenance drugs that make money..

There is a lot of research going on into isolating the active chemicals in Ibogaine, 18 MMC, I think is one... theyre trying to get the opiate re-setting bit out of the hallucinating bit... but a lot of people would argue that it's the hallucinating, psycho-spiritual bit that does the job as much as the releiving of acute withdrawal symptoms...!

konner said...

Iboga aint a cure though, it's a tool, cuz many ppl relapse when it wears down, they say depression is the hardest!

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of when I went into A&E doubled-up with stomach pain.

For two hours after I mentioned my habit, I was left in agony while a series of interns tch-tched - the duty doc told me he knew it was all a scam to get a shot and I wouldn't fool him!

When even the most hardened medical cynic appreciated Olivier couldn't act like this, I was admitted. A doctor brought me 30mg of diamorph, talked at length about "his friend" who'd got a bit familiar with his pharmacy cabinet - what advice would I give this chap?

After 5 hours of vomiting and twisting, somebody finally examined me. Turned out it was a bug I brought back from Africa and I was rushed to the specialist unit 100 miles away. By then, my condition was critical.

After a fortnight of tophole treatment in an isolation ward I was right as rain. But the consultant said if I'd left it a few hours longer I'd be dead. Just as well I was too fucked to walk out the A&E, as I'd tried to, let the fucking duty doc know I could cop my own gear. Keep up the lectures - addicts suffer some horrible prejudice.

Sid said...

Thats terrible... I guess it's a universal thing then, this prejudice we face...

They see it is self inflicted, so why should they bother... well, because we are still human?!

And yes, that's why I will do these lectures, someone has too, and judging by their complete lack of knowledge when it comes to drugs it seems pretty essential too!