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Drug Dealer, MD

How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop

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About this listen

Three out of four people addicted to heroin probably started on a prescription opioid, according to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the United States alone, 16,000 people die each year as a result of prescription opioid overdose. But perhaps the most frightening aspect of the prescription drug epidemic is that it's built on well-meaning doctors treating patients with real problems.

In Drug Dealer, MD, Dr. Anna Lembke uncovers the unseen forces driving opioid addiction nationwide. Combining case studies from her own practice with vital statistics drawn from public policy, cultural anthropology, and neuroscience, she explores the complex relationship between doctors and patients, the science of addiction, and the barriers to successfully addressing drug dependence and addiction.

Full of extensive interviews - with health care providers, pharmacists, social workers, hospital administrators, insurance company executives, journalists, economists, advocates, and patients and their families - Drug Dealer, MD, is for anyone whose life has been touched in some way by addiction to prescription drugs.

©2016 Johns Hopkins University Press (P)2017 Tantor Addiction & Recovery Education & Training Medicine & Health Care Industry Pain Management Pharmacology Physical Illness & Disease Health Substance abuse Mental Health Medicine Health Care

Critic reviews

"A short and feisty book... Drug Dealer, MD offers a welcome mix of bracing pragmatism and well-judged sympathy, not least for patients and doctors caught in the vortex of institutional forces." ( Wall Street Journal)
All stars
Most relevant
Great pace and ordered storyline. Wish there were more doctors in the US with her ethical approach and clear understanding of what a pernicious demon big Pharma is and continues to be.

The research

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as i said. very informative. giving a great description of historical events and cases which ponder the mind. also heeding us for future problems. i can really assist this read

extremely informative

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I would have loved to hear a further chapter on the US Gov approach to this, as wider society is affected this becomes a Pub Health issue, however the same “street” drugs in marginalised communities resulted in mass incarceration. The book was a valuable insight into the mechanisms which trap people in addiction.

Sound insight based book

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interesting examples, bringing insight into the world of addiction. overall, i thought this was a very good and useful book.

very interesting

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I would have loved to hear Dr Lembke narrate, that would have been nice.
I found the stories useful, insightful and interesting. The reality of the opioid epidemic in America is frightening.
Being from the UK noticing the brand of the drugs being used rather than the pharmaceutical name, was interesting.
If you work in, or have or know someone who has an addiction, a good read/listen.

Honest and captivating

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