I hope this doesn’t seem racist or anything like that, but this really is an American problem. One moment doctors are allowed to do what in Europe would be classed as loose/reckless prescription (basically legalised drug dealing), the next the feds are busting them left right and centre.
In Europe, though its not perfect, things are more balaned with regard to legitimate prescription for health problems – there are checks and balances against loose prescription/diversion, but at the same time doctors are free to prescribe what is needed to make the patients better.
On the occasions when drug control has become a “world” problem this has been because Washington has used economic pressure to interfere in the running of European countries as they have a mixed free market / public sector economy.
Getting hold of controlled pain meds for legitimate medical purposes is not a problem in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark or any similar European country. It is not even a problem in Malaysia and Singapore which once enforced the death penalty for minor drugs posession. There is more contention over medical use of cannabis but that is because it has even more recreational potential the USA (which ironically now tolerates it in some states) makes a big fuss about the world enforcing drugs control.
In some cases, where there is a risk of diversion or drug seeking by the patient, their prescription amounts are limited and the patient is made to reattend the pharmacy at a shorter interval to obtain repeat prescriptions and every last pill is counted to avoid hoarding or stockpiling. if the patient is not fit to attend the pharmacy (for instance they are in severe pain limiting their mobility) they are admitted to a residential healthcare facility and the drugs are brought to them under supervision. Thats what would have happened to a similar middle aged woman in a European country, OK it might not be fun when the rest of the patients are 80-100+ but its not a long term stay once she is better she is taken home.
I work in a place where we take on such patients from the hospitals (so they do not end up in a busy general hospital which isn’t a nice place to be long term). I won’t deny it can be difficult for younger patients especially those with any history of mental health problems or recreational drug use to get hold of some pain medications but even then this is just because the doctors do not want to cause or feed an addiction, not because they are scared of feds or anything like that.
If American folk want the healthcare nearly everyone else in the world has, they have to vote for it and pay for it in their takes like everyone else does.
