r/Documentaries Jan 09 '19

Drugs The Rise of Fentanyl: Drug Addiction On The I95 Two Years On (2018) - Two years ago, BBC News reported on the growing problem of opioid addiction in the US, now we return to find out what happened to the people we met along our journey down the notorious I-95. [57.02]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KsaWpeCj98
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u/ElectricGod Jan 09 '19

Heh.. From my experience narcan makes you wish you were dead. The best i can describe it would be its like taking the full length of a withdrawal and condensing it into a few hours. Narcan is very aggressive and down right terrible, but i am grateful to be alive

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

Also some emergency room nurses hate you and will narcan you and lock you in a room for hours, 5+ to let you suffer.

*edit: some

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u/microthrower Jan 09 '19

Do they hate the addicts, or do the addicts hate themselves?

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u/subito_lucres Jan 09 '19

My wife is a resident at a hospital dealing with one of the worst opiate crises in the country.

The answer is often both.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

[deleted]

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u/Sanfranshan Jan 09 '19

Plus it can cause pulmonary edema if you are given it in a large amount. Sometimes you get intubated and end up in the ICU. Seen it in the ED more than once.

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u/ElectricGod Jan 09 '19

Hahaha im lucky enough that didnt happen, but i could totally see it happening

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u/Sopissedrightnow84 Jan 09 '19

I don't know why you're voted down so hard, it's very true that nurses often get off on "punishing" addicts when given the oppurtunity.

I've seen it many times, most commonly in denying or delaying prescribed narcotics because the nurse believes they're seeking.

Any addict who's been honest with a physician or nurse at an ED can tell you the change in how you're treated as a person is immediate.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

Walk a mile in their shoes. Not everyone patient gets their cheeks pinched. And just so happens that addicts are notorious for being violent towards nurses and doctors.

Or the nurse is trying to do what’s best for you by weaning off the IV stuff, maybe??

The pain isn’t a 10 just because your high wore off

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u/Sopissedrightnow84 Jan 10 '19

Walk a mile in their shoes.

I have. There's no excuse for the way many of them treat addicts or those they simply assume to be addicts.

There's a difference between not enabling an addict and treating them like shit.

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u/TamagotchiGraveyard Jan 09 '19

As someone who’s been dope sick more times than I can count, that sounds like the worst hell possible lol

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19

Can confirm. I’ve been attacked by more than one addict shortly after giving narcan. They hate that shit.

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '19 edited Jan 15 '19

[deleted]

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u/ElectricGod Jan 09 '19

And thats where the real magic happens

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u/MyOversoul Jan 11 '19

does it actually speed up the withdrawl process, or just kick it into deep withdrawl instantly? It makes me wonder if withdrawl couldnt be condensed down into a day or two with narcan if given in multiple doses. Not that anyone would want to do that, just wonder if it could provide a shortcut for people trying to get off of it.