Dopesick [Hulu]

Looks good, decent cast.

You only have to walk in to a Doctor's surgery in Ireland to see how crooked the whole system is, the place is like a billboard for the various drugs companies, completely wrong.

Thanks, I will check it out, it's on Now TV.

Reasonably enjoyable first episode. Be interesting to see how the show goes. Does not paint the Sackler's in a great light, as expected

I've watched the first two. I like it but the non-linear storytelling can be frustrating. A few times I either missed the year change and was confused by what was happening. Or thought I'd missed a year change but hadn't.

I'm also not convinced by Betsy's storyline. Of course the oxycontin couldn't keep working. Pain has a purpose, and in her case the pain is to prevent her exacerbating her injury while she heals. Taking oxy so her brain can't recognise the pain and then going back to hard strenuous work would be making her injury worse. So of course the oxy would stop being effective. She's not a good example of the flaws with the drug.

I also from personal experience wonder how accurate a lot of what we're seeing in 1996 is. I was given oxy once in hospital. It was horrendous. People who I was talking to when I had taken it describe how within half an hour I was clearly mentally affected. I felt weird and awful. I don't even remember if it took my pain away. It just made me feel a sick drunken feeling. And as it wore off I scratched the skin on my arms from itching. I refused to take a second dose. It's horrible stuff.

I also from personal experience wonder how accurate a lot of what we're seeing in 1996 is. I was given oxy once in hospital. It was horrendous. People who I was talking to when I had taken it describe how within half an hour I was clearly mentally affected. I felt weird and awful. I don't even remember if it took my pain away. It just made me feel a sick drunken feeling. And as it wore off I scratched the skin on my arms from itching. I refused to take a second dose. It's horrible stuff.

There is a cohort of people that have opiod allergy and it can kill. Very disconcerting from a person I know who's been through it.

I am unfortunately suffering an ongoing issue that neuropathic meds have a diminishing effect on. The 1st time I was prescribed OxyNorm was in may 2019. I was in hospital, in the most extreme and debilitating pain I'd suffered up to that point and it was honestly an incredible experience in how the pain was just off.

Gone, my pain stopped. That sounds great but the truth is the underlying cause wasn't treated. I was sent home and then back to the hospital again on a yo-yo for a few months.

Lots of tests, intervention via pain specialists and so on. The causal factor still hasn't been treated. Every single intervention has been pain management, from pharmaceutical, to manipulation, nerve blocks and rhizotomy.

Almost 3yrs in at this point, and currently bed-ridden with pain. My last rhizotomy failed. The neuropathic meds do an ok job of dialling pain down to a manageable level if I make sure I restrict myself and keep activity to a minimum.

OxyContin and OxyNorm are the meds I'm prescribed for breakthrough pain and they work fantastically well, at killing pain but, they also really place a burden on a person as they really do impact how you function. High, stoned, vacant, junkie... That's what I would end up as if I took the meds as scripted, rather than managing to keep them for only breakthrough pain.

I can totally appreciate how and why people end up addicted to them, and it's moniker of "Hillbilly Heroin" there really is a euphoria sometimes that in addition to the pain relief it gives me? Is incredible.

I'd be very cognisant of the danger that those effects could bring when it's used as a recreational drug.

TLDR: Great medication but only in appropriate circumstances and control. Opiod allergy sucks 😁

*This post was written from bed whilst on Oxy, so my opinion may be clouded 😂

was out yesterday stateside I believe

Well besides the Sackler's of course. Just reading up on it some of the characters are based on some people that were interviewed for the non fiction book it was based on.

last episode today if you are visiting the USA

but the first 3 are now on Disney.

It really is an excellent show. Takes concentration as they jump to the different stories over different time periods often enough.

Absolutely brilliant so far. I mean, it makes you lose your faith in humanity somewhat, but the storytelling and acting is masterful. Richard Sackler is horrifying in this, like a kind of ruthless, stone-faced android with a human skin. If he had been overseeing a meth cooking operation, he could have been an alternate Gus Fring in Breaking Bad, except Richard's actually a real guy as well.

I've seen the entire season and it just keeps getting better. Brilliant television, Michael Stuhlbarg is fantastic as Richard Sackler.

Rather scary to think that a powerful and much valued drug, in the wrong hands, can be so destructive.

Went to the states and finished the series. This deserves to be seen by everyone, one of the best series I've watched in years.

excellent tv

I'm onto ep-7, will watch it later, not sure if I'll finish it as I like to leave something to watch for another night and I haven't much atm besides this and Dexter

Great series, Keaton is very good and Michael Stuhlbarg also very good as the socially awkward and weird 'villain' of the show - solid performances all-round in this one really

Brilliant series. Have to give it up to the actor playing Richard Sackler. It's terrific performances all around, but his portrayal stands up there with the best, in my opinion. His speech at the very start about the creation of a new drug for the treatment of moderate and chronic pain reminded me of There Will Be Blood and Daniel Plainview's, "I'm an oil man..." speech. On the surface, it sounds like it's an intention to make the world better, but it doesn't take much insight to sense the great evil and greed behind the words.

Aye, that's Michael Stuhlbarg, I mentioned him above, he's been in some good tv stuff - [Boardwalk Empire, Your Honour, Fargo ..] plus a bunch of movies.

Perhaps they were precisely like that? Many filthy rich people are known to be eccentric and completely out of touch with reality, lacking empathy and playing life like it's a game.

Tbh, I preferred their scenes to most of the ones featuring Bridget Meyer ... I just didn't care about her back story and felt that was highlighted way too much. I felt the amount of Stackler scenes was just about right, they are the root and cause of the entire scandal after all. Also, they kept it from getting a bit boring, I mean if the story followed Bridget or Rick & Randy much more than they did I might have dropped out at some point.

Yeah every Weds is a new ep on Disney+

Brilliant show. Great acting all round.

Booksmart?