The PainKILLER Podcast: Recent Episodes
Brett Opie
Long before COVID-19 made headlines, a lesser known epidemic had its grip on the country. The opioid crisis kills 130 Americans on average daily and cost the U.S. economy $700B in 2018 alone. Join Brett Opie, Change Agent, Dr. James Gillespie, Researcher and Scholar, and a new guest each episode as they examine the crisis and ways to prevent the unnecessary and tragic deaths it has left in its wake.
Prescription opioids too often lead to life changing events. Our guests from Episode 3, Andrew Ermlick and Sophia Lerdahl, are back to dive deeper into Andrew’s path from the OR to the ER and to discuss how stigma often inhibits addicts from getting the help they need.
Imagine having an injury or going in for an elective surgery and it changing your life forever. Sadly, many people do not understand the risks and potential hazards of oral opioids. In as little as three days, an individual can develop an addiction that could drastically impact, or even end, life as they know it. Join us as we discuss upstream prevention and reflect on one individual's journey from back injury to addiction and recovery.
Addiction can be lonely. Now throw the novel coronavirus into the mix. This may explain why opioid overdoses are up as high as 200% in many parts of the U.S. since the rapid spread of the coronavirus in March. Addicts are isolated from support structures; treatment center availability is reduced by 30-40% and anxiety is at an all-time high. All of this can lead to relapse which leads to higher overdose risk. Today we examine a global pandemic’s impact on America’s opioid epidemic with Sally Thoren, Executive Director, Chicago Services, at Gateway Foundation and Dan Rabbitt, Senior Project Manager, Health Policy, at Heartland Alliance.
Long before the novel coronavirus had its grip on the world, the U.S. was quietly dealing with its own epidemic: opioids. Join us and special guest Dr. Keri Donaldson, CEO and Founder of Prescient Medicine, as we discuss opioids, the deadly toll opioids are taking on the country and what we might do to treat, and ultimately, prevent addiction.