An Uncomfortable Look at the Opioid Crisis and the Lives it Impacts
Dopesick is a fictional series about the Opioid crisis in America over the past 30 years. It is based on a nonfiction book by author Beth Macy. The characters are mostly each a culmination of several testimonials from those impacted by this crisis. The characters behind the most aggressive and conniving push to sell these drugs are based on the real life Sackler family.
At the center of the story is Dr. Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton), who has opted to stay in his small Virginia town long after the loss of his wife. He is known and respected by the families of the town, many of whom work in the local mine or support family members who do. He is very familiar with the potential for addiction by those who take any type of pain killer.
Dr. Richard Sackler (Michael Stuhlbarg) develops a painkiller formula that is marketed as the drug OxyContin. It is more potent than other leading drugs on the market, but Purdue uses its resources (and takes advantage of some structural and organizational weaknesses in the Food & Drug Administration) to get a special label claiming that fewer than 1% of patients ever get addicted.
The company incentivizes the sales force with aggressive bonuses and compensation to spread these claims primarily in areas where the population is hard workers who also just happen to be poor and uneducated. One of these areas is Appalachia where Dr. Finnix treats his townspeople. One of these patients is young Betsy Mallum (Kaitlyn Dever). When Betsy is injured in a mining accident, Dr. Finnix prescribes OxyContin.
His patients begin to have positive changes. They are in less pain, are sleeping better, and claim that they have no symptoms of addiction. Dr. Finnix, and many of his colleagues, begin to prescribe the drug more and more. As these numbers bring record profit to Purdue Pharma, the company develop and distribute higher and higher doses. To counter any claims of addiction, they bring in marketing experts who create imaginary conditions to explain away any arguments against prescribing the drug.
The true turning point in the story is when Dr. Finnix is involved in a car accident and begins to take OxyContin himself. It isn’t long before he becomes addicted. He takes his patients off their prescriptions to horde their pills. This is discovered and he loses his license. With no ability to prescribe the drug and his primary income lost, he is forced to either quit, or to find alternatives through rehab.
While Dr. Finnix’s journey is unfolding, District Attorneys Rick Mountcastle (Peter Sarsgaard) and Randy Ramseyer (John Hoogenakker) investigate PurduePharma. The show’s format brilliantly bounces back and forth from the launch of OxyContin in the late 20th century to the current civil suits against the Sackler family. (The series ends with the Sackler’s offering $4.5 billion dollars to settle the various suits. This total has since increased to $6B.)
Dopesick is a tough watch, but an educational one. Several of the characters are never able to overcome the impact of OxyContin in their lives. This includes addicts but also those who helped Purdue meet its lofty goals. Among those are Purdue sales reps, Amber (Phillipa Soo) and Billy Cutler (Will Poulter.)
The series is incredibly educational, but very intense. Please take the trigger warnings seriously.
For any viewer who has had a family member impacted by the opioid epidemic, please be aware of The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for more information.