Marijuana cures everything, if your in LA all you have to do is call a weed doctor pay $200.00 cash (no checks) and walk to your nearest weed store. Last count over 800 stores they out-number Starbucks by 2 to 1. Oh I forgot you did do that, now you want something stronger.

A dentist has absolutely NO business prescribing Oxycontin. This drug was originally designed and marketed for end-stage cancer pain. I have had immense dental problems, and surgeries as well as all kinds of procedures, and there is absolutely NO NEED for a dentist to be prescribing oxycontin. I would have to take a second look at a dentist who did, or one that would prescribe pain meds over the phone. Most dentist around here are at least greedy enough to demand an office visit ($$$) before they will prescribe anything.

OxyContin is not a demon drug. It is a controlled-release form of the narcotic painkiller oxycodone and so doesn’t need to be taken as often. Oxycodone is a semi-synthetic alternative to Codeine. Combined with acetaminophen it is called Percocet, Endocet, Tylox, and Roxicet); with aspirin it is called Percodan, Endodan, Roxiprin and with ibuprofen Combunox, When mixed with another semi-synthetic opioid, thebaine it is called hydrocodone this plus acetaminophen is marketed as Vicodin, Symtan, Anexsia, Dicodid, Hycodan, Hycomine, Hycet, Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Novahistex, Hydrovo, Duodin, Kolikodol, Orthoxycol, Mercodinone, Synkonin, Norgan, and Hydrokon. There are not many effective alternatives to these pain killers, except for analgesics you can buy over the counter like aspirin, advil and tylenol. Doctors and dentists choose different forms and concentrations for various reasons. The point is they are all pretty much the same. One is not worse than or more dangerous than the other until you get into taking more than you are prescribed. Then the ones with acetaminophen are more dangerous because of the liver damage that is caused by acetaminophen overdose, not because of the narcotic. One solution to the Dr. shopping problem is better computerized control of pharmacies so that the doctor or pharmacist can quickly see if the person has multiple prescriptions from different sources. The major problem then is not the dentist but the abuser finding ways around the system, like purchasing over the internet which seems to have no controls whatsoever.

I see I failed to mention the most dangerous thing about pain killers. Whether you are taking codeine, oxycodon or hydrocodon, the most dangerous thing is mixing them with alcohol. This combination has caused many deaths.

From the research that I have done, I contend that opiates in general have been so over prescribed in the last ten years or so (starting with Oxy in 1996,under the guise of "pain management"), that they have now become an enormous health problem. Dependence, addiction and death rates due to overdoses have skyrocketed and OxyContin is the biggest cause of them all. Dentists should not be prescribing this drug at all - doctors/surgeons should not be sending patients home after every surgery with huge quantities of this drug like they often do now. I also know that the misuse and abuse of this very strong and addictive opiate is driving kids to Heroin, simply because it is cheaper, once they get addicted (the "Oxycontin TO Heroin" epidemic in Massachusetts is a prime example). The proposal to ban Vicodin and other opiates with acetaminophen is the direct result of these meds. being over prescribed, overused, and sitting in every ones medicine cabinets - making them seem harmless. They most certainly are not! In the hands of kids, these drugs are like loaded weapons, and the sooner we realize this, the better. The fact that 70% of patients in our local private rehab are WOMEN addicted to pain killers is proof that this is a health crisis that concerns us all - regardless of age.

My son was prescribed Ocycontin after removal of wisdom teeth. The prescription was in triplicate and was only for a few pills. My dentist's prescriptions are always for just a few pills to get you through the pain until a visit or after a procedure. My daughter has dental anxiety and again, the dentist prescribes 1 or 2 pills only to get her through the procedure. I was surprised that dentists could be a source for any large quantity of painkillers based on my own experience.

This article absolute BS-there are no Dentists who will presribe to an unknown over the phone. For so many different reasons-