Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America with Beth Macy Ep. 201

For the last year, people have been asking me, “Have you watched Dopesick? Karin, you have to see it!” So, I subscribed to Hulu and started the series and also read the book on which the series is based.

The true story is incredibly disturbing and tragic and heartbreaking.

Author Beth Macy exposes how Purdue Pharma, the makers of Oxycontin, convinced doctors their patients had virtually no chance of becoming addicted to their new “wonder drug.”

But, it wasn’t true.

I knew some parts of this horrific story from reading Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opioid Epidemic and interviewing Dreamland’s author, Sam Quinones in episode 95 of the podcast. He connects the dots between prescription medications and heroin addiction.

In Dopesick, we witness this play out in graphic detail.

Most of you know, I’m no fan of Big Pharma. Of course, I’m thankful for medical advances which have saved millions of lives. But, as we’ve talked about in prior episodes, pharmaceutical corporations exist to make profits for their shareholders—or, in the case of Purdue Pharma, to increase a family’s fortune.

We must take this reality into account when we consider pharma’s marketing and messaging—regarding psychiatric medications, of course. And, as Dopesick demonstrates—even when a doctor writes us a prescription for pain pills.

If you doubt this, if you think maybe I’m a bit hyperbolic when it comes to all this pharma stuff, please listen to this episode!

Beth Macy

Website: https://intrepidpapergirl.com/ 

Dope Sick on HULU

Dr. Karin

Website: http://loveandlifemedia.com/

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