What we saw on the news tonight, we could most certainly relate too: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50155446n
The rise in over medicating the nations veterans has surged nearly 270 % in the last 12 years. Whenever you go to the VA for a medical problem, you get all kinds of thing prescribed to you. You walk through the door, tell the doc your problem, get examined, and "poof" you get a prescription of narcotics, with refills. Then begins the abuse. Then you go through your prescription , go back again, and "poof" another refill. Before the patient knows it, they are addicted.
Then it is realized that the first prescription is no longer affective, or the pain has worsened and "poof" you get something else stronger prescribed...Before you know it, you are on as much as 8 different pain killers all at the same time. Going to the VA is like being a kid in a candy store.
You are depressed, suicidal, you hallucinate, you can't sleep at night, but once you do fall asleep you will sleep until the late afternoon. Even worse is you are more confrontational and abusive towards family and friends.
Another fellow veteran friend of ours, was recently hospitalized. His wife demanded he go to a civilian hospital, it was learned that the VA had over prescribed his blood pressure medication and he nearly died.
The same was also the story for my father in law, after he did pass from heart failure, we learned just how much medication the VA had prescribed, and was still sending to his home.
Below is a map the dark orange areas are the facilities with the worse cases of abuse :
The VA Hospitals in
Oregon,
Las Vegas, NV
and in Alabama
All have the highest rate of narcotic/prescription drug abuse.
If you know a Veteran who you believe is being over prescribed pain killers, and are possibly addicted to them then please talk to them. Encourage them to get help, Before they hurt themselves, or some innocent person.....
-JUGM
I was aquatinted with one like this at one time. It was, sadly, like watching a perpetual train wreck. Poor soul was all over the place mentally and you never knew from one day to the next what he might say or do.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very thoughtful post. Thank you.
Unfortuantly its the same with active duty and dependents, I can recall when the kids were babies, and they had a cold or ear ache...we would be given literally bags full of medication + extra refills.
ReplyDeleteJUGM,
ReplyDeleteThis is so true, granted it's nice not to have to pay for RX's. I believe there needs to be control over what's going out to retired, active duty and civilians. Along with a system to identify drug interactions. There have been so many times when given a medication it's not check against the existing medication being taken. We need to do better for all of our soldiers. They protect and fight for this country, we need a medical staff to make sure they receive proper care, medication, and follow up.
Unfortuantly the VA and Active duty medical facilities mostly uses PA. ( physican assistants). Not even real doctors. Or, as in another news article I read, they get doctors, who are not licensed properly or put them taking care of one certain type of patient when their specialty is something totally different. Correct, we need to take better care of our retired and active duty- it really is crazy and out of hand.
DeleteMy wife and I go to a civilian doctor. She was in the Navy and I was in the Marines , but she gets insurance from the state as a teacher so we just go to town. The nearest VA facility must be in one of the cities but I don't know where it is, actually.
ReplyDeleteIf there is not an actual hospital, then there is at the least an out patient clinic. I am glad you guys don't go to one. The kids and i don't as well. If the general population knew exactly how bad the veterans were getting treated they would be outraged.
Delete