As someone who lives in KY - Many "clinics" in eastern KY have been closed for being pillmills. Some were seeing 1000s of patients a day and doling out hydro and oxy's like candy. The gentleman who delivered me (in another state where he was well known as an ob/gyn for infertile couples) came to KY solely to work at one of these and will now be spending quite a bit of time in prison for doing so. There has been a real problem especially in areas not economically stable and where many do live in constant pain from working in the mines, etc. The problem comes when you can make more on the street selling drugs then it costs in obtaining them and that is many times more than you can get working, on ssi, etc.

The flip side to all of this is that all schedule prescriptions are reported, amounts closely controlled, time restrictions on refills, etc. combined with a total fear of being arrested all leading to increased pain and disability. Many remaining pain clinics only will do proceedures now and won't prescribe anything, even if warrented. Hence why I turned to ops at one point. Fortunately, my doctor and I have come to an agreement and I live more pain free than I have in 4 years (now down to a 2-4 on average from averaging 8-9).

When my mother had her knee replaced, right after surgery when the pain started they gave her percocet 2.5's!!! They didn't want to give her anything stronger in case she got hooked! The doc changed that immediately after a phone call, but that is the general attitude - if you take pills you are an addict and will be treated as such by your boss, your doctor, your pharmacy, many friends, and by the drug taskforce. There is no differentiation here - taking medicine and being dependent is the equivalent of being addicted. The good thing is that most er's and walkins will still help in an emergency, but be ready for a lecture on only receiving meds from one doctor at one pharmacy or else you could be cut off. My doctor even came in and challenged me once on scripts I had gotten. Fortunately I could justify every one and he was happy, but that is becoming more and more common.