Continuing our conversation with all of you this morning about what it is like in your community, what are seeing, what are the problems and what do you think the solutions are . Those with experience with opioid, professionals and all other. To dan, a medical professional in hawaii. Line. S for waiting on the go ahead. Caller good morning. Thank you cspan for letting me talk in this forum. Was a cardiopulmonary specialist for 45 years and recently retired. 197075, 80, 85, i remember working in hospital emergency rooms, you saw many, many, many overdose patients. He patients we saw, i assisted treating, were patients from the African American community, the well, all spanics, as the ghetto areas. Wasnt a back then it problem. Apparently nobody thought nything of it, it was just a ghetto problem. Ah, just those people. Cases where opioids and where were they getting the opioid . From the street. No one bothered to research because it wasnt and im not trying to be a this, but s saying its a white problem or a black was. Lem, but it it was not a white problem. It didnt hit the white yet. Nity now suddenly, as it hits the affluent community, its a problem. Question going back to the days when aids first problem, it wasnt got aids, hudson suddenly it was a problem. Host can i ask you, doctor, i our guest when i asked her what makes it an epidemic, a crisis, she said the Alarming Number of overdoses that rise 1999. That is what caller back then in the 1970s, was a fee for Service Industry and physicians got well Services Back in those days. Now with healthcare being so on reimbursements, doctors have found ways to try recapture the patients and with patients visiting for back pain, instead of ordering medicine, they dont get reimbursed for, they order edication that gives them an addiction, they will come back to the Physicians Office and get a reorder. To that is the only way they will apture a fee is to get that patient back in the office and get the medication ordered again. And that arena, that is the real problem. Like healthcare is notoriously of, healthcare treats symptoms, not the problem, the physicians the office. Why isnt attention paid to that of the issue . The physician. Overprescribing, making opioids available, addicted . Eople why doesnt the government look at that aspect and try to egulate physicians from over prescribing. Thats cdc what about the guidelines that came out about somebodyng, dont give enough pills for seven days or give them enough pills for three days and make them come back and see you. Caller who enforces that . Is my question. Host yeah. Yeah. Because it is a guideline, not a regulation. Doctor, i will leave it there and go to ken in california. Ken, good morning. Caller hello. How are you . Host doing well, ken. Story. With us your caller okay. Well, when i was about 18, i was by a gang and my neck was and n, my back was broken so im basically my whole body metal and i have chronic debilitating pain. The c. D. C. Of my medication has been cut back 60 because the doctor is saying that theyre being told by their attorneys that ctors conferences hey will be shut down by the d. E. A. If they exceed the c. D. C. Were basically all being treated like trug abusers or drug addicts and that have legitimate use for the drug consist no longer get what we need. Before, ken. D that these are guidelines from the c. D. C. , you can find it on the at cdc. Gov. Elaine, go ahead. Caller i just recently got out hospital, but ive had, i or seven , six surgerys from aorta to my knees, had aneurysm fixed recently. From one of the results from prior surgery was severe leg, theyy in my right cut a nerve or something. Make a long story short, this hospital, i the came in the o. R. , the recovery they gave me morphine for the pain and it worked. Icu, they quituma giving me morphine and put me on milligrams of oxycodone, that is what i was taking at home. I was in excruciating pain, just excruciating pain. Of my history, i had a ackground of what is pain and whats not. Make a long story short, i my sister and said, this is not working, i want to get a of here and get in hospital that will treat me. She called some people at the someone and they had from the Administration Come down to talk to me because it like the nurses were just reading from a playbook and everybody has to and nothing, but this. And so i told her about the i told her what they were doing prior to her visit with me and she said, i said, why dont they prescribe morphine and like out of the a lot of she said, people who take morphine get addicted. Said, ive taken oxycodone for nine years and im prescribed 40 milligrams and i only take 15 to 20 per day, does that sund like a person who has problem . Tion anyway, she told the nurses to milligrams of morphine, i had one dose and on home because it stopped the pain. Ann, good morning to you. Hello. I worked as nurse assistant in texas. Had over there lots of cleanings. The doctor who sometimes doctors re very often they treat symptom. Somebody come and say, im in ain, they give them medication for the pain and they dont give ofm medication for the cause the pain. Sually patients are very poor, have good hey dont medical insurance. Vancouver. R in hi, cspan. This is not only opioid, it is is onality disorder that extremely my first addiction happened when i was my big wheel d on when i was trying to make it go faster than it was designed to good. Made me feel i didnt know at the time, you later i foundears out that i couldnt walk away from a glass of whiskey, you not walk away from it. If it was available, i would use it. Get nly reason i didnt into hard drugs, it ruined my alcoholism. So for me, the reason im you had one call earlier, the man sounded broke my heart to him is do ay the 12step program, it works, does work. It happens when you least expect it and you will survive. A way. S host thanks, peter. The medical profession, good morning to you. Caller good morning. Name is christy and im the addictionanager of an Chronic Pain Program in houston system and hospital applying Treatment Program for peep welchronic pain amazing. S been he results weve had, and this program anywhere in the country professionals could be associated with Treatment Professionals in large help systems. Have physical therapy, we have pain physicians yoga, a we have traditional nd a Treatment Program. The largest chronic pain meets at our ing facility. So easy. Ion is host okay, christy with her ideas. Gale in tennessee. Good morning. Hard all my life, worked too finally three years ago, i got into a pain clinic, and they are very strict. Finally, on morphine, which i could admit, but i never got high. I never understand what they are. Alking about i never experienced anything like it. Host so you are managing it, taking anything you need for the pain . Caller yes. And all of these people being overdosing, i am afraid theyre going to close out the pain clinics, and then i do not know what i would do. Host taking a look at the headlines from around the thetry, this is courtesy of museum here in washington, this is the newsday paper in long an alleged dealer charged in killing a high school student. There is this from the Daily Courier observer, a new york paper, drug bust success. It says a monday rate on a pine with theartment ended seizure of and then there is this aom the daily dispatch, felony drug charge for a local acenesswoman, who owned an of diamonds store, she is being accused by the police of selling fentanyl. So that in the paper. There is also this from the Pittsburgh Tribune review, festivalrelated Overdose Deaths continue to spike as officials seek ways to keep substance off the streets. The story out of the Courier Press was quote out of indiana, indiana, itt of says Public Officials a acknowledge that it took the much publici outbreak of hiv to help turn the perception on the issue. It goes on to say that lawmakers are focusing on the Needle Exchange program in house bill 438, a proposal, they say, would make it easier to establish programs is local Health Officials deem it necessary. It passed the Indiana House chamber and will go through the legislative process on the senate side. By the way, the indiana governor, eric holcomb, talking about the issue in his state of the state address as well. [video clip] problemcomb this is a that has taken an enormous toll across the country, and indiana has not escaped the pain. Since the 2000, deaths from drug overdoses have increased 500 , and we are 15th in the country and overdose fatalities. This epidemic causes ripple effects with devastating impact on our children and families, our cities and towns, our schools, government agencies, health care system, and our health care costs. Hoosierl fashio, we have heroes on the front lines saving lives everyday. They include the Public HealthSyringe Exchange programs in nine indiana counties. One, carla, who is here with us tonight. Thank you for your unwavering service to those who are battling addiction. [applause] gov. Holcomb and that is why we will give county officials authorities to establish Syringe Exchange programs to ensure that the people making those decisions of those closest to the problem, but we need to do more, much more, so we are going to attack this problem on all. Ronts prevention , treatment, and enforcement earlier this month, i announced the creative of a senior executive, reporting directly to me, to oversee the executive, and im pleased that a former longtime ceo of Goodwill Industries has agreed to join our team. I cannot think of anyone who has a better mix of skills and experience to fill this critical role. To limit the amount of controlled substances, prescriptions, and refills, enhanced penalties and commit those of those who commit pharmacy robbery and u policeg indiana state labs in fighting the epidemic. This is something we can and must win if were going to take indiana to the next level. Host the indiana governor talking about opioid abuse and heroin abuse in his state. What is it like where you live . Dave in ohio, good money to you. Go ahead. Good morning to you. Go ahead. Caller i have been involved in Pain Management most of my life. I was split up the middle. I went through a telephone pole on my motorcycle, and i had a to on me atl dropped work. And my general practitioner, he sent me into Pain Management, and it was a wonderful thing for me. You follow the medicines as prescribed, and they do a urine test on me and make sure my levels stay at what they are supposed to be a, and it shows that im taking my medication as prescribed. Then over the years here, now, i am almost 60 years old now, and i have been in this program, and it has done wonders. I have been able to make a , and asand as a result a result of Pain Management. As a general practitioner, my doctor who sent me there, i cannot thank them enough for sending me through that program. We tried the areas ways of different things, but with the damage that was done from all these accidents that i could not function without the opiates, but anyhow, i started to notice here in the community, are we start reading in the paper, i have been around at different parties, riding a motorcycle, and stuff like that, and people say, oh, i am in so much pain. Well, talk to your doctor, they have a Wonderful Program called Pain Management. Out, yeah, they kicked me they took my urine. So i can watch them, and i can tell with the addictive personalities. The one woman a couple of calls before, where you get the high from the stuff . I do not get high off of it. I am prescribed enough i mean, it does not take all the pain out host dave, how often do you have to go back to get another round of prescriptions . Caller i have to go in every three months, and then i have got to call once a month in, and i have got to go physically get the prescription pad itself. Host what if you call your doctor after two months and said, i ran out, i need more. What would happen . Caller i would be kicked out of the program because i did not take it as directed. Host sorry, dave, i thought you were finished. Talking about managing his pain through a Pain Management facility. On twitter, let me show you some reaction, Jason Anderson why not put prescriptions in electronic monitoring . Vivian says, who can afford and offices in every three days or even every 30 days . A law that should be people should have to go through physical therapy or chiropractic for pain first before getting ed drugs. Mary says, watching this today, so sad, so sorry. Another acupuncture can change pain perception. I have to pay outofpocket for it. Mary is next. Go ahead. Caller my name is mary, and i have had chronic pain for the last 15 years pretty much. My i learned to live with pain, like, at a level 4. I get back injections. , and ifain medication you are in chronic pain, you are going to have to live with it at a certain level. That is just the way it is. Oris not about getting high anything like that. You just have to learn to live with it at a written level. And go on your life and walk and exercise. And not hurting all the time. Ok, sophia in maryland, good morning to you. Are you there . Caller hello . Host you are on the air. Caller oh, hi. How are you doing . I am calling because i really think that we have i have an idea for a solution to the program i mean, the problem. I know that some people have suggested this before, and it would go a long way, the indiana governor with a about treating say about would treating addiction as the medical illness that it is. I think it is important to decriminalize addiction, and i think that doing so would take pressure off of our prison and it would help things on so many levels. War on drugsg the and instead creating a peoplecentered solutionbased program that helps people out of their addiction, be a Prescription Drugs or be it to recreational haieroin, cocaine, etc. I think helping people out of their addiction would solve problems, and i think that that is the way to go. I think trying to put more people in jail is just taking people of color in people in impoverished neighborhoods out of neighborhoods and out of society, and i do not think that it best solution. Host ok. Ryan in maine. Good morning. Go ahead. Share your thoughts. Caller hi. Talking about the treatment as what isfar available host how do you know that, ryan . Is that the situation in maine . Caller certainly. I think it is that way in a lot of other places. But in maine state, there is only one currently with less and 20 bed than 20 beds. People are turned away. Managers of these facilities say that is almost a death sentence. It could be a death sentence to turn someone away at that point. They have to wait two or three months to get a bad, and they are bed, and they are desperate people. Nd that, you look at the host getting treatment beyond the detox . Caller yeah. Host halfway houses. Caller you deal with this for the rest of your life. Host ryan, you said it is really bad. Describe it. Caller describe it . Host you said it is really bad where you live. How bad . What have you heard, what have you seen . Caller well, it is coming in a, know, i it is, you would say it has probably taken 20 of the workforce and the 40s, age0s, population, 20 of those people out of the mix of society. They are living a different kind of lifestyle. It is killing a large percentage isthose people who are or severely inhibiting their prospects for the rest of their lives, their health aspects. Host go ahead, ryan. Caller after care is what i was really cant give out, longterm about,ing to speak longterm, alternative care for their addictions, counseling, so problem,explore the the Mental Health at least half many addicts are dealing with some kind of underlying thatl Health Component makes them, you know, become addicts. Host ryan in maine. Take a look at what is happening around the country in some of the states. Mass. Gov tweeting this out learn about the Opioid Epidemic with the interactive version of the chapter 55 report. You can see how the country and the state there him of the situation, what it was like in 2000, and how it has become redder, more of a situation across the country in 2015. And then addiction medicine, a group, tweeted out this picture of dr. Corey weller, who was part of our coverage earlier this week, of the haieroin task force, quoting him as saying we called 111 medicals and found out that an average less than one hour was dedicated to addiction education. That was dr. Corey wallers testimony. This in virginia, seven different bills in the house of delegates take aim at the opioid state. C in that that is some of what is happening across the country that you can see on twitter. Let me show you down in georgia how the governor talked about it in his state of the state. Eal there are those issues that have an influence over at the state level. One such area is an ongoing epidemic that ravages the hearts and minds of not only individuals but also the communities that they touch. It is an epidemic that high in hindsight, and ensnares the victims without regard to age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, neighborhood, or station in life. Opioidferring to the addiction epidemic. Many communities and individuals must now contend with this. Last month, i signed an executive order directing the department of Public Health to issue a Standing Order to allow oxolone, the emergency drug to reverse opioid overdoses, to be dispense overthecounter by pharmasset across the state. [applause] gov. Neal i requested that the georgia board of pharmacists remove naxolone from the dangerous drug list and rescheduling and as a schedule five drug, which is exempt. They quickly to fill this request, and because of that action, lives have already been saved. During this session, i asked that we not only codify that into law, but that the provisions of my executive order be strengthened and that our current Prescription DrugMonitoring Program also be strengthened and that more education on the Physician Community of the dangers of these powerful drugs take place. Host georgias governor there, state of the state. Helen is joining us from that state. Were you listening to your governor there . Caller yes, i was. Host what do you think about how he and other state officials are addressing the problem . Caller well, all i can say is that i have been on oxycontin for, like, 18 years, and i am a fibromyalgia patient. I thought for years to find somebody to diagnose it, period, and i was denied Social Security disability. I was in a couple of Car Accidents back in the 1980s. But what i want to say is i hate taking this medication. I hate it. I would much rather have a full life living, functioning, you know, working but i barely function. I was bedridden for years. Overuse theirhat medication, i think it is because they want to be free, completely free from pain. They do not want to deal with any pain at all. And if they are prescribed Pain Medicine, they use it up, and then they have to go to the end of the month with no Pain Medicine, so they are looking for, you know, other means of getting Pain Medicine, to get them to the next month. Overuse understand this and getting high business because i just take it as prescribed. I always have. Host ok, helen. That is something we have heard from other folks who have been managing their pain years with opioids. From the medical profession in indiana, hi. Caller good morning. First, i think the doctors in the medical field are very much aware of dangers. They are treating them bedside every day. Communities,ral kids are starting on various drugs and or Pain Medicine at an early age. The Rural Communities do not have programs for anyone under 18. If they do have programs, they are very hard to find. Parents are trying to figure out where to treat their children. They do not know how to get referrals. I have been getting the schools on board with education programs. It is a great first step for the younger generation. I know a lot of people that have been in long term addiction. They usually start on oxycodone or something whenever they some type of Traffic Accident or some type of emergency that puts them needing pain medication, and they say they did not know that you could get so addicted, especially on oxycodone. We are educating the patients before treatment. Host i hear your point. Let me ask you, though, you said doctors are well aware of the risk with this. Is it because of it rising to an epidemic situation because they are hearing more about it . Why are doctors be more careful about the prescriptions . Caller even a few years ago they do community assessments. I am sure every hospital in the nation does community assessments. Nursing, nursing students do it everyone doesnt. They know the problems our communities. They keep track of them. If we check the numbers were they, we have to use statistics from last year or the year before. It takes a little while to gather the data, but they see it in our yards, they see it in the big hospitals, in the rural hospitals. A year or two ago, we were saying addiction, overdose be one of the top leading cause of death. Host right now, a leading cause of accidental death. More than 40 americans ive seen a number as high as 80 americans in the New York Times die every day of drug overdose. Donald, you are next in michigan. Good morning. Caller good morning. People do not realize some will get to the point where they have to go to the opioids. I mean, i realize we have a huge problem in our state as well, but sometimes it is a last resort. But i think if people get educated on abuse, and what overuse it is really hard on your liver and different things. Went 40tunate because i years with back surgeries and all caps of problems, but i am one of the few, probably, who gets quite sick taking it. For me, it is almost impossible cure it i take it for one or two days, and i get so nauseous that i have to stop taking stuff, and i take very small amounts, but iness you have been horrible, horrible pain, you have no idea youve tried everything, steroid shots, chiropractic, therapy, and whatnot, and you get no relief. Your last resort, possibly, are these opioids or whatever they can prescribe. Ok, donald. Stan in florida. Caller thanks so much for having me on, greta. I want to highlight a huge conspiracy, that even sees man seems to be per to spitting income and that is the failure to enlighten the American Public about a study done by the American Medical Association which posted result of a Johns HopkinsUniversity Study that says that these dates in the west that half legalized marijuana for mental purposes have experienced a 25 reduction in overdoses. This is valid. Study. Actual scientific why do we not know this as a public . Host our producer is looking for that right now so that we can show our viewers. But we did show a story earlier a neurobiologist says marijuana can stall the opioid abuse crisis. Caller it is the solution. Host all right. Terry in pennsylvania. Good morning to you. What you do for a living . Caller how are you . Thanks for taking my call. I am a nurse at an addictions clinic. One of my biggest concerns is of the many, many people that are coming through seems to be so repeat they are you know, they come back in several times. Im just wondering at what age the public, the education ourem would start to bring drug addiction as a real issue and comes to be very en garde the agents because three or four times in your 20s. Host we will hear from ken next, who is in kentucky. These and you have a crisis, an epidemic in kentucky . Caller it is heroin and fentanyl, not Prescription Drugs. Your previous guess is Something Like how you go to your doctor and you are treated, they urineab test, you have tests. I am 71 years old. I have had numerous back trouble, six surgeries for colon cancer, and i take hydrocodone to manage it. Now i have to go to a doctor once a month to get my prescription, it is a 40mile round trip. I go to fill it, if i am one hour off, go to the drugstore, they say, come back in the morning, and we will fill it. If i have a good day and i do not need a pain pill, i still have to take it because if i dont, i will get a test, it does not show up right. If you stop somewhere, police treat you like a subspecies criminal. I never did nothing in my life, and that makes you turn against the police and all these others, and most of these Addiction Centers around here, people i know, they are nothing but scams. It goes for nothing. Host ok, well, ken, another viewer on twitter says Drug Treatment Centers are a booming business. There is a whole economy centered around the social problem. Here is that john hopkins study. The annual number of deaths from Prescription Drug overdoses is 25 lower than in states where medical marijuana remains illegal. All right, youve got to turn your tv down, otherwise, we are getting confused. We will go on to david in new jersey. Hi, david. Caller hi, how is it going . Thented to speak about Opioid Epidemic that is happening in jersey because right now when i was in school i am 24 years old around 17, i got prescribed it was everywhere. I had lots of friends that passed away. It is a huge problem here. But like the gentleman said with that study, i also was seeking to get out of it, and medical marijuana, i can tell you, saved my life. Methadone, which the drug for the is anywhere from three weeks to six weeks, depending on how long you use it, and it helped almost all the symptoms, it helped me mentally, and i just wanted to a test with that gentleman brought up. Host methadone, david, how does it work . Caller it is used as a longterm replacement therapy. Basically instead of doing the opioids, it is a strong opioid, but you go there and get it from government authorities. The structure that is there come i mean, they barely go you have to go to a meeting once a week. Everybody that goes there still uses. It is just a big moneymaking scheme. I mean, i am sure it is helped some people everybody has their thing, but i completely regret doing that. Host ari, david. Can all right, david. Kathleen in grand junction, michigan. Caller my niece died six years ago of a heroin overdose. Unfortunately, she actually had methadone. The thing of it is is the reason she died instantly is because the combination of the methadone and the heroin actually stopped her heart immediately as soon as she injected. The sad thing of it is that people are so the family members are seeing these people with the issues that they are having, they cannot call somebody and they, hey, i want my kid in treatment. I want my niece in treatment, and they know it is a problem. And without them being jailed for criticize, the family members are the ones that are knowing that their children or their family members have this problem, and they have no say so over the care of this person, and i think that should be changed. Host ok, kathleen. Axolone, as you know, is being used to reverse opioid overdoses. The maker hiked the price. Vox has the story. One has quickly risen from 690 when it hit the market in 2014 to 4500. Autoinjector. Irst First Responders can easily use it to save their own lives or the lives of other people. Marty in clearwater, florida. Good morning to you, marty. Caller good morning. Host what is it like in clearwater, florida, marty . Would you describe it as an epidemic . Caller i am a patient advocate, and i have dealt with state legislators as well as other individuals, senators on this. When you two separate two categories. , which is thet one that either takes prescription meds, heroin, whatever they can find, and then you have legitimate pain are people,d those like myself, who have had multiple surgeries. This is a last resort. We dont want to take it. We are to end up taking it the rest of our lives. And the problem is the law has cut us out of the loop. The American Pharmacy actually calls us opiate refugees, since 2014. So what the laws have done is , and i havect dealt with the dea as well as the state on this. I was invited to speak at one of the conferences. Have been so strict that the people that are legitimate, never done anything wrong, no criminal record, no drug record, they are being treated like garbage. And they cannot get their pain medication that they need to just survive. What people do not understand this when you are in pain, you dont get stoned. It is only when you take it as it is not prescribed that you might. Host that is marty theyre echoing what weve heard from other viewers. The law, listen to what the Maryland Governor, larry hogan, had to say. [video clip] hogan just under every surface of a Community Across our state and nation, heroin and opiate abuse has been taking lives in tearing apart families and communities. One of my first acts of governor was to create a heroin and Opioid Emergency Task force, and i want to thank Lieutenant Governor rutherford for his continued leadership on this issue. Thank you. [applause] gov. Hogan for two years now, together, we have all been committed, facing this crisis headon. Together, we made the investment to implement the recommendations of the Emergency Task force. Everye gone after it from angle, including education, treatment, addiction, and law enforcement. We have made strides, but this crisis continues to grow out of control all across our country. Must do more to. Ave the lives we need your help to enact the multipronged heroine prevention treatment and enforcement to pass thend prescriber limits active 2017 and the distribution of opioids resulting in deaths act. We must commit to doing whatever it takes to address this crisis, and no state can do it alone. Nearly all of my federal governors, of both parties, have to ask that the federal government finally get engaged in this national crisis. [applause] gov. Hogan this rapidly evolving threat is going to take federal, state, and Community Partners working together to find Real Solutions and to help save lives. Host Maryland Governor calling on federal, state, and local officials all getting together to address the opioid and heroin abuse in this country. We have been asking all of you to share your stories. What is it like in your community where you live . Is in massachusetts, westfield. Go ahead. Caller yes, maam. I have been clean and sober for four years now, and i believe that one person, not one treatment would be good for everyone. As for myself, i went to a methadone clinic. I had several times that i relapsed. People going to rehab or a detox, you do a spin drive, you know, a couple of days in, and you leave. That is called a spin drive. I suggest you work with those see what is good with them, whether a group home, whatever works for them. It is all individual. In massachusetts, they work with us fully. I believe that if we talk for ourselves, sponsor each other, and have someone who is actually been in their shoes, you will see that maybe we can help each , help find that part where we can get recovery. Host understood. Cheryl in brady bill, tennessee. The morning to you. Medical profession. Caller thank you for taking my call. I am a registered nurse, and for 15 years before that, i was a nurses aide and did a lot of lifting and working hard. I was born with a spinal deformity, and all of my children have that problem some of the same subluxation of the tissues around l5. I already had one son who was in the marine corps. He has been out for 10 years, and he has already had to happen back surgery. I have had two back surgeries. One dr. I had to doctors that come in nashville, tennessee, that would even look at me, and one who did the first surgery, he said that was the worst he had ever seen. For all intents and purposes, it had turned into a situation where my spine had slid plum off as one. I was supposed to work that night, and he said, you cannot work, he was surprised that i was even able to walk in there. But he redid my spine, put an into mych titanium rod spine. I have a second surgery a little over a year ago to make the pain better, and it only made it worse. The problem i see host cheryl, can i ask you how much do you have to take in painkillers everyday . How often do you have to get it revealed . It refilled . Caller i have to go monthly. Everybody, regardless who you are, you go to a pain clinic, days, 28to go every 30 days to 30 days. They do a urine test on you. Your doctor is supposed to be pain board certified. In Nursing School i went to school a baccalaureate tennessee, and one of painive vital signs was assessment blood pressure, respiratory, respiration, and what is your pain level. And we were taught if you have a junkie that has been on drugs for years, on heroin, that person is dying from cancer, . Hat do you do you have to treat them for pain, you know, if they are in excruciating pain. I agree with marty, the lady who called a little earlier. She said it totally correct. They want to demonize everyone who has to take Pain Medicines. These people do not see me at 3 00 in the morning laying on the couch crying. The only person that sees that is my husband. I have to take a regular dose twice today, and it is opioid. Host ok, cheryl. We move onto sherry who is in louisiana. Sherry, the money to you. Caller good morning. That is the biggest problem there is, demonizing us who really need this medicine. The problem is you have people now the federal government excuse me has changed some laws that is going to, you know, supposedly cut down people going octor shopping, and getting these enormous amounts of painkillers, opioids. But those of us who really need it, you know, we do not have a cut, but you cannot even imagine how much pain we live in. And to demonize us because of the wretched ones that are abusing it that is just, you know, these people have got to Start Talking to us who really need it, not the ones that are abusing it. Host ok. Gary, who is in georgia, we have got five minutes left here in our conversation. Go ahead. Caller yes, maam. I would like to say i am a recovering alcoholic. It has been 30 years. Take oxycontin twice a day, i have the last 15 years. I have been a manual laborer my entire life, worked myself in the iron business. What wasntl you wrong with me. Take oxycodone number 10 oxycontins. He two i have been doing this for 15 years. I still have a certain amount of pain. Some days i might not hurt, just a very little, but i have a hip that goes out every once in a while. That is the only time i took three oxycontin in one day. It did not help my hip whatsoever. That is the only time out of 15 years i took three. Host all right, garys story. Great in maine. Caller i am a firefighter and emt in the National Capital area. Host what are you seeing . Caller in the past 15 months, we have administered more thean and naloxone than in 15 years prior to working. These are usually young people that are finding ways to get to opioids easily through family members prescriptions, not through chronic pain of their own. The fact is, i think it comes back to the idea of disturbing opioids for chronic pain. Opioids should be administered for shortterm recovery in cases like postsurgery. When you are getting the opioid for chronic back pain, you are toing for evictioan addiction present itself. The frustrating thing for me, seeing this every day, is this is completely preventable. Now what i personally see, not as a firefighter but as a citizen, is Drug Companies benefiting two times over. Host greg we read the story 500 ,naloxone going up the price. Caller it goes back to the same thing a couple of months ago, epinephrine, epipens had gone up before people were aware of it. Now you have Drug Companies developing and also selling the solution to the opioid crisis. So they are getting benefited twice over from this countrys own addiction problem. Greg, explain how it works. As an emt firefighter, when you arrive on the scene, and someone has overdosed. Caller when we arrive on a scene, we check for a sign of overdose, which are pretty obvious signs usually extremely shallow breathing or lack of breathing at all, or pinpoint pupils are signs of an overdose. We will immediately administer naloxone. It can either be administered dreck through injection, but the way that it is mostly given, and many police in the area have this as well, is it can be given through your nose, intranasally, that we have an atomizer we have at the end of a syringe, we have a preloaded amount of the medicine that goes right up your nose, and depending how far in they are into the overdose or deepening on how much they consumed, we can see a correction in seconds, usually minutes. But it is short acting, so we need to get them to the hospital directly after that time. We see islem is what we will go on a scene, administer naloxone, that person will wake up, think they are all better, and then they will walk away. We will bring them to the hospital, and they will leave again. Host great, i apologize for having to cut off the conversation there. Thank you for calling in, and everyone else who share their stories this morning. We have to leave it at that. Another washington journal coming your way at 7 00 am eastern tomorrow. The senateg you to Foreign Relations committee, gatling income and other hearing on u. S. Russia relations. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] by the way, that is not a criticism, that is an observation, and we want to get everybody on the same page relative to the election. The point is committed taken us a while to actually have a rush a pressure hearing, and we are glad to be able to do that today. The process of nominating its own people and establishing its own priorities. A lot of people are Trump Administration today. With deep knowledge of russia and want to welcome you in a