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Incredibly sad.  And yes, quite a waste. It seems like Fentanyl has overtaken plutonium as the most dangerous substance on the planet. 

That said, not trying to pick a fight -- just an honest question: why should pro athletes be tested for anything other than PEDs?  

 

Not trying to pick a fight either but even your correction is misguided IMO. I am making an assumption here but doubt anyone on this board knows anything about Skaggs personally. What we do know is that he had TJ surgery in 2015 and was more then likely prescribed some form of opioid for pain management. Not saying this is how it all began for him but having had multiple surgeries in my life time with both fetanyl and oxycodone being prescribed (not together of course), I can see how easy it is for people to join the 2 million+ who are currently addicted in this country. Fortunately for myself, I was educated about the dangers and limited the use. Most recent surgery I used nothing but CBD to manage the pain/inflammation (highly recommend by the way). 

Just not a fan of people judging someone who may have started their journey to opiod addiction via a doctor's prescription. "Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes"

Before any writes offs Skaggs as a drug addict who made his own decisions drugs can own you. It may not have been his choice to take opioids. They may have been prescribed as part of recovery from surgery.

When I saw the news the first thing I Googled was, “Did Skaggs have Tommy John surgery?” Skaggs died from taking prescription drugs a person can become addicted to in a matter of days. It could turn out the Angels or a doctor associated with the Angelscould be found complicit in his death.

It’s not MLB’s job to test for anything but PEDs. But the Angels and their medical staff had responsibility to make sure Skaggs didn’t become addicted to drugs that were part of his recovery. 

The shite is about to hit the fan on opioids ...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/j...pioid-abuse-lawsuit/

A friend’s son with a 160 IQ was on his way to an Ivy League lacrosse career until he tore his ACL. He was prescribed opioids as part of recovery. After dropping out of college, six years and several trips to rehab he died in his mother’s arms of an overdose.

 

Last edited by RJM

How about this from Brad Ausmus:  "Quite frankly, I had to Google what fentanyl was."

I can believe the coaching staff wasn't aware Skaggs was abusing painkillers--high-functioning drug abusers aren't necessarily easy to spot.  But for the Manager to say he had never even heard of fentanyl?  That seems like he's in CYA mode.  (But maybe I'm being too cynical...)

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story...lcohol-skaggs-system

coachld posted:

Just not a fan of people judging someone who may have started their journey to opiod addiction via a doctor's prescription. "Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes"

Really agree with you coachld.  Many, many people caught in the opioid trap took their first steps there through a doctor's legitimate prescription for a bad back, etc.  At some point, it isn't really a "choice" for the addict anymore and they need help.  Team doctors and other healthcare professionals working for the MLB (and for colleges) need to be on the lookout for signs of this.

From what I understand he was not on a prescription, but he was being given the "prescription" drugs by somebody on the training staff in the Angels locker room to manage pain. Odds are that there are others on the team who very well could've ended up in the same situation. I would assume the family hiring a lawyer would be the first step in finding where the drugs were coming from. Whether the trainers were getting it for him at his request or they were saying take this for the pain - if it turns out a trainer was providing the drugs a $h!tstorm is about to hit the Angels. 

I have to write a bit on this subject since my son had two friends in the last couple years who have passed r/t Fentanyl, both college baseball players. First I understand that when a tragedy happens everyone looks for someone or some entity to blame. MLB is a large organization ranging from young men just starting out on adulthood and more mature men, my wonder is what is being done on a teaching level for legal and none legal use of opioid drugs along with just drugs in general? We now have the legal/recreational use of marijuana and some of the stronger compounds of this are very potent. The heading MLB drug testing a shame? from what I have seen there is a growing number of people who are reproducing meds to look like prescription pills and other illegal drugs that would not normally have Fentanyl but are added. Fentanyl is a very strong med and only takes a couple of grains over what would be a normal level to kill someone.

I also have to say I get the injury aspect and the wanting to overcome any obstacle these players have to continue on with their dream IE pain! We say abusing painkillers, was that the case or was a med acquired that was a fake with the Fentanyl added? Let's broach a question of drug testing, is everyone tested ? are some overlooked because staff may know they are but need that particular player? This is an ongoing problem with collegiate and I am sure professional sports.

Who is to blame? I definitely can not put an answer on that one. Yes, we have to take responsibility for our actions but the makers of this horrible combo are truly demons knowing what the outcome can be. I can say for the two boys that were just barely 18 and Skaggs 27 no matter the age or reason/cause a true tragedy.

 

My own use of use of opi’s  

I was Given this  pain relief after I had a  

Carotid artery dissection —
which begins as a tear in one of the main carotid arteries of the neck, which allows blood under arterial pressure to enter the wall of the artery and split its layers. The result is either an intramural hematoma or an aneurysmal dilatation, either of which can be a source of microemboli, with the latter also causing a mass effect on surrounding structures.

aka the worst  head pain in your life - almost died from it — 

i knew the history of this drug and was  skeptical of it - I took it for 5 days and saw myself watching the clock till my next dose - it was scary - after 5 days I stopped and took 4 Advil’s every 4 hours that also did the trick . Just let’s  say that drug leads you to Another place and it wasn't nice .

my doc asked how is the pain - do you need a refill ? I’m like no I’m taking Advil .

 

c2019 posted:

My own use of use of opi’s  

I was Given this  pain relief after I had a  

Carotid artery dissection —
which begins as a tear in one of the main carotid arteries of the neck, which allows blood under arterial pressure to enter the wall of the artery and split its layers. The result is either an intramural hematoma or an aneurysmal dilatation, either of which can be a source of microemboli, with the latter also causing a mass effect on surrounding structures.

aka the worst  head pain in your life - almost died from it — 

i knew the history of this drug and was  skeptical of it - I took it for 5 days and saw myself watching the clock till my next dose - it was scary - after 5 days I stopped and took 4 Advil’s every 4 hours that also did the trick . Just let’s  say that drug leads you to Another place and it wasn't nice .

my doc asked how is the pain - do you need a refill ? I’m like no I’m taking Advil .

 

I had same experience after it being prescribed for back pain.  

Then I had an emergency room level episode and was given a dose of fentanyl. 

OMG. Indescribable. Made me want more back pain.

 

Six years agoI had an aortic dissection and four strokes. I was fortunate to beat the one in six odds. After five weeks in ICU and rehab I was sent home. 

My cousin, a doctor picked me up at the rehab center (I had to learn to walk again). After driving me home he wanted to see what I was given for medication. In his words they gave me enough Percocet to choke a horse. He took them from me. Percocet contains oxycodone and acetaminophen.

I was sick the first two nights at home. I called my cousin. each of those nights. He told me I was probably given Percocet for five weeks and I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

The prescription came from one of the top heart surgery hospitals in the world. I had the doctor who invented the surgery done on me. Another cousin, a pharmacist told me doctors typically don’t know shite about drugs. But they love prescribing them. They tend to buy into the sales pitch from the pharm rep. This puts the pharmacies in control.

When the investigation into the Angels ends I believe the shite is going to hit the fan on all of MLB. I’m betting Skaggs was getting painkillers under the table and it’s a common MLB practice. 

 

Last edited by RJM
smokeminside posted:
c2019 posted:

My own use of use of opi’s  

I was Given this  pain relief after I had a  

Carotid artery dissection —
which begins as a tear in one of the main carotid arteries of the neck, which allows blood under arterial pressure to enter the wall of the artery and split its layers. The result is either an intramural hematoma or an aneurysmal dilatation, either of which can be a source of microemboli, with the latter also causing a mass effect on surrounding structures.

aka the worst  head pain in your life - almost died from it — 

i knew the history of this drug and was  skeptical of it - I took it for 5 days and saw myself watching the clock till my next dose - it was scary - after 5 days I stopped and took 4 Advil’s every 4 hours that also did the trick . Just let’s  say that drug leads you to Another place and it wasn't nice .

my doc asked how is the pain - do you need a refill ? I’m like no I’m taking Advil .

 

I had same experience after it being prescribed for back pain.  

Then I had an emergency room level episode and was given a dose of fentanyl. 

OMG. Indescribable. Made me want more back pain.

 

Are you sure it wasn’t IV dilaudid?  Fentanyl is usually used for surgery or sedation. Fentanyl also comes in a patch form, mostly used for terminal pain. People love IV dilaudid (not funny).

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