Drug Dealer, MD

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

By: Anna Lembke MD

Narrated by: Callie Beaulieu

Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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)

Excellent overall book on why the opioid crisis reached epidemic proportions.

Interestingly told through real life stories one can see what went so terribly wrong with a system that spawned the Opioid Epidemic. Corporate greed is only part of this tragic story.

Before you decide not to buy....

....this book is actually pretty good. The title is horrible. I had to read a lot of reviews before making up my mind. The last thing I want as a healthcare provider is to buy a book that berates me for trying to survive a system that seems rigged against both health and care. I was sure by the title that I was going to demonize all prescribers. But that's not what happened. The author gives a global, balanced and compassionate view of this mess called an opioid crisis and does so in a way that reflects insight and clarity. Don't skip this one. Despite the title, this book gives power to knowledge and can pull one closer to the surface from the depths of opioid prescribing dispair.

Excellent with just a couple of misgivings

Really great overview of the problem. Only criticisms are: 1, several medical terms mispronounced by the reader which was a bit jarring, and 2, an offhand comment about insurance covering “even gender reassignment surgery but not addiction treatment” as if gender dysphoria was a trivial and frivolous, not a serious and life threatening, condition (news flash - it very much is life threatening, and treatment, including surgery, is recognized worldwide as being lifesaving).

Insightful

Very insightful. Having this background knowledge about addiction and treament will help me in my career as a pharmacist.

Excellent Exposition

Dr. Anna Lemke's title tells you exactly what to expect. I rarely read or listen to any book more than once. I listened to her excellent exposition twice during a three-day road-trip.

First, a couple of negatives: Be forewarned that the book sometimes comes across a little like a textbook, which is not a major deterrent for people eager to delve into the topic. Two long case studies might have worked better broken into smaller sections with some of the heavier statistics and analysis interspersed. The audio could use a little more energy, and there's some distracting "popping" in opiates. These are minor issues.

On to the positives: Dr Lembke spares no one, not even herself, in her brilliant analysis of how the failings in U.S. healthcare have created professional patients. She emphasis how our dysfunctional system promotes an identity of lifelong illness and misuses designations of disability rather than acknowledging and treating fixable problems. Her presentation is organized, thorough, focused, and well articulated. I applaud her courage in calling out The Joint Commission for their contribution to the debacle by making pain the fifth vital sign and pushing opiate treatment. From drug seeking patients to profiteering professionals to insurance companies that won't cover addiction treatment, there's plenty of blame to go around.

The last phrase of her title, "And Why It's So Hard To Stop," is an ominous predictor of the painful battle ahead in revamping the many failings of our system. Our president would be well-advised to give Dr. Lembke an appointment with a lot of power and money, currently wasted in less noble pursuits, to help heal this national disgrace.

Would Recommend

This was so insightful and a good read/listen. Would definitely recommend everyone listen to this

Much needed book to explain the underlying cause of opioid epidemic

I’ve read Dr Lembke’s book Dopamine Nation as well. It’s his book better explains the underlying causes of the ongoing opioid epidemic and what healthcare providers can do not to perpetuate the cycle. It helps to also know what an individual who suffers with addiction goes through and raises awareness of how we can help.

review from a pain physician

Dr Lembke manages to successfully illustrate the many factors involved that created our current mess of a healthcare system. It was startling to listen to her rattle off defense mechanisms that I realize I have used accurately. Definitely a great listen if you want to be more self aware.

Great read

I just read “dopamine Nation,” which I think is a very important book for those of us who struggle with low level addiction (sugar, phones, etc).

So of course I thought I might gain more insight by reading this book. As a physician myself, I must admit that I have been guilty of not knowing as much as I should about drug overprescribing, but all of us relate to what the author discusses regarding physician time constraints, the misinformation by pharmaceutical companies, the absence of resources for addicted patients, and the broken health care system
under which we all practice.

eye opening

It is interesting to view the opioid crisis through the eyes of a doctor. I learned much that I wouldn't have realized otherwise.

Great book