Dopesick Season 1 Episode 2 Breakthrough Pain

Dopesick season 1 episode 2: Breakthrough Pain

The second episode of the Dopesick series, titled Breakthrough Pain, follows the story of a small town in Virginia. Patients suffering from chronic pain rely heavily on OxyContin to manage their symptoms, while local drug dealers are quick to exploit this high demand. The episode examines the backstory of how the system became so dysfunctional and how the doctors unknowingly played a role in the opioid epidemic.

In this episode, we are introduced to several new characters, including a DEA agent, a pharmacy technician, and a doctor who are all involved in the opioid epidemic in various ways. The DEA agent is trying to track down an illegal drug operation, while the pharmacy technician is struggling with the ethics of filling prescriptions for OxyContin. Meanwhile, the doctor struggles to balance the needs of his patients with his own ethical concerns.

The episode highlights the breakthrough pain that patients experience when their medication stops working or loses its effectiveness. This pain can be so debilitating that patients are willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on more pills, including turning to the black market.

The show also delves into the history of Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, and their marketing tactics, which led to the over-prescription of opioids. We see how the company aggressively marketed the drug to doctors, lying about its safety and effectiveness. This resulted in an exponential increase in opioid prescriptions and ultimately led to the opioid epidemic that has devastated communities across the United States.

Throughout the episode, we see the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic on individuals and families. We meet a grieving mother whose son died of an overdose, a teenage girl who is struggling with addiction, and a family who is dismantling their own house looking for pills after their prescription runs out.

Overall, Breakthrough Pain is a tense and emotional episode that highlights the complexities of the opioid epidemic. It takes a hard-hitting look at the devastating impact of Oxycontin on communities across the United States and highlights the responsibility that pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and society as a whole have to address this problem.