The war on opioids began around 2010 when the Centers for Disease Control announced there were over 16,000 opioid-related deaths.
That’s a big number – but not all of those deaths involved opioids alone. Our first guest, Angelika, suffers from a painful joint hypermobility condition called “Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.” Despite having a traumatic biking accident, she refused to go to the emergency room, fearing that she’d be labelled an addict, that her opioids would be taken away, and her pain would be left out of control. Author and journalist, Maia Szalavitz, then joins us. She’s written about the war on drugs and how it’s hurting patients who need them the most.
