A Sip Of Morphine: Uganda's Old-School Solution To A Shortage Of Painkillers

[sekio]

In the United States, drugmakers have flooded the market with powerful, sophisticated opioids. And that's fueled an epidemic of addiction. But across Africa many patients can't afford even mild painkillers — let alone medications to help people in extreme pain.

Uganda has come up with a solution that goes back to basics with one of the world's original painkillers: morphine.

The government mixes a powdered form of the drug with water to create a drinkable analgesic that officials say has provided patients with effective relief without giving rise to widespread addiction. Just as important, it's cheap.

At a medical clinic in the capital, Kampala, Nurse Resty Nakanwagi pulls out two bottles of the stuff and sets them on a table in front of a patient.

"So, this is the morphine," Nakanwagi says. "You are going to take this every four hours, okay? Then at night you make it a double dose."

Nakanwagi typically provides a two-week supply of the liquid for patients to drink at home.

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[Cream Gravy?]

Saw this article. Makes sense. Wow, a shithole country has better solutions (no pun intended) to pain problems than the “greatest” country in the world! Why am I not surprised?

 

[KS78]

Some may consider the U.S. as a shit country and Uganda as a lovely country.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

another country with basically legal unregulated opioids. no heroin epidemic. but explain to me again how doctors treating pain in the middle and elderly aged chronically ill are responsible for 19 year olds slamming fentanyl.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

I don't see why they can't just grow their own poppies. I bet there's not only an entourage effect (as in cannabis), but it would be cheaper, and more so, the effects last much longer than just morphine.