Warning: This Drug May Kill You (2017) User Reviews (14)

Think opioid addiction is someone else's problem? Think again.

[Kevin_Maness · 6/10 · 2 May 2017]

This HBO documentary is an OK introduction to opioid addiction as it exists in 2017. It's only an hour long and features a handful of families sharing their stories of addiction. In each case, the opioid addiction started with individuals being prescribed opioids for pain relief, but without needed education, support, and oversight. Individuals were prescribed high doses of multiple medications for too long, and they became addicted and then progressed to heroin when the prescriptions are cut off by the doctor and the (now) addicted person learned that heroin is cheaper than buying pills on the street.

I hear this story all the time in my work with people with substance use disorders. It's like a bad dream that recurs over and over again. But it's real, and I'm only seeing a drop in a larger ocean of pain.

I do wish HBO had gone ahead and made a 2-hour film (at least) with more in-depth information, including how the drug works in the brain/body of the addicted person, why one person becomes addicted and another doesn't, what kinds of treatment are most effective in supporting long-term recovery, the ways for families and other loved ones to support people in addiction and recovery, and the kinds of policies and programs needed to reduce the incidence of addiction and to help those who are addicted, etc. (I know HBO touched more on these matters in their 2007 Addiction movie, but that was 10 years ago.) It seems unfortunate to me that the movie introduced the problem with so little to say about what can be done to address it. Especially at a time when the current Republican government seems hell-bent on cutting insurance coverage for addiction treatment!

In a nutshell, this isn't a bad place to start if you've heard about the so-called opioid epidemic but don't know anyone affected and feel that the problem is someone else's and could never happen to you or your loved ones. But, it leaves a ton of questions unasked and mostly unanswered.

Shocking to see how ill informed we all are about this problem

[charmarche · 5 May 2017]

As one who recently had spinal surgery and was offered pain killer (30 day supply!) upon discharge from the hospital and given no warnings about possible consequences, I was shocked to learn in the film how legally and professionally dispensed medicine can become addictive in a matter of just a few weeks, sometimes in a matter of days.

The film should be seen by everyone or otherwise more people will stumble into the unknown darkness of addiction which has devastating consequences for the individual involved, of course, but also for the immediate family as well.

This is a spiral of disaster and it is amazing that it can all happen so quickly.

Big pharma's bucks and their collateral damage

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 7 May 2017]

This documentary looks at several middle class families and how well adjusted people had various illnesses of short duration and ended up addicted to OxyContin, then buying pills off the street when their doctors finally identified them as drug seekers, then to heroin as a cheap alternative, and then either ended up dead or in multiple relapses.

The illnesses involved were kidney stones, a cyst, and a C-section. The problem is, in the 1990s the manufacturers of the new opioid drugs were telling doctors that these drugs were not addictive over the long haul and that they could be prescribed freely for chronic pain. This is not to discount the usefulness these drugs have had for people in truly horrible long term pain due to cancer or car accidents, but M.D.s were passing prescriptions out like candy for a few years to people who didn't really need it and found themselves addicted in as little as one week.

There are stories of addiction, getting clean at clinics, and then relapsing at some point once released. Stories of children having to take care of and see their mother in a state that no children should have to endure, the stories of heartbroken survivors when the addict takes a fatal overdose.

There is also a look at a support group for parents who have lost children to this drug. The survivors are truly shell shocked, almost in disbelief that their Mayberry like existences would ever be permeated by drug addiction.

I can't remember if the documentary mentioned it or not, but you can't help but notice that everybody in this documentary is white and at least middle class. It could be because doctors have bias that makes them suspect non-white or poor patients. You also can't help but notice that all of the addicts here are offered rehab rather than incarceration.

This documentary is worth watching not because it breaks new ground, but because in spite of the warnings and the settlement with Purdue, the maker of OxyContin, ten years ago, this epidemic is still with us.

An amazing film that shines a light on a sad yet hidden epidemic

[nrutt · 10/10 · 5 May 2017]

I loved this film- although the material is incredibly heavy, it presents the footage in an incredibly graceful and interesting way. The film essentially uncovers a hidden problem that exists in the USA. Moreover, the film is all about the victims of the opioid epidemic as opposed to focusing on experts which really provides the viewer with a candid understanding of what is happening around us. It is a must watch!!! Bravo to the filmmakers-

Amazing and important film!

[sandygolinkin · 10/10 · 3 May 2017]

Warning: This Drug May Kill You is an absolutely outstanding film. What is happening with prescription medications and how addictive they can become is horrifying. This film could save the life of one of your loved ones - it is a 100% MUST SEE! It is informative, smart, well paced, and brilliantly tells a hard, but "must be heard" story. Perri Peltz did an exceptional job bring this very sad, but real story to life. She is to be congratulated. Amazing work! If you know anyone who takes too may pain killers or is using heroin - help them by seeing this incredible film. You could save a life.

Incredible look into a pressing issue in America

[ethanrutt · 10/10 · 7 May 2017]

Something often overlooked now given a real run through. I loved the movie's message but the actual movie blew me away! 10/10 on all fronts! The cinematography is incredible. It is such an important issue that is not given a lot of attention in this political America we live in. Everyone needs to watch this movie. truly changes your views on what heroin has become.

Warren you nailed most of my thoughts

[ncarolinarn · 2/10 · 8 May 2018]

This class of drugs are right behind Antibiotics as helping mankind survive. Primitive cultures have used opiates for thousands of years. Coca-Cola, opium dens, coca plants chew the leaves, etc. for not hundreds but 1000's of years. In my opinion I believe this is the next crusade and diversion political flag saying we care about you. You can't legislate morality or intelligence. People are creatures of doing the opposite (herd effect). Again IMO some judges kid or Congress persons' kid dies now it's rah rah rah let's get those bad bad drugs and protect the stupid creatures. No you won't share Jesus with them that might offend someone. We'll paint a broad brush and get everyone even though the few idiots make the majority suffer. Make sense?? Let the be to their own devices and accountable for their choices. How the heck can you stop a fool? They'll kill themselves trying. Mean time guilt and stigma to control the herd mindset. Try surgery without opiates folks. What about alcohol??? Oh heck no we tax it. Think people. You're being manipulated and swayed this way and that.

movie about opiate addiction

[holly-42007 · 9/10 · 8 May 2017]

I found this movie to be extremely well done. It covers three families as they struggle with a loved one addicted to opiates...they started taking pain killers, then moved onto the less expensive heroin. Most films like this have a lot of newsy talking heads explaining how the viewer should interpret all of it. I liked that it had none of these, just a few black cards with statistics.

THe movie is really a fast paced must see, especially for those with kids. Keep them off any prescription pain killers, or at least monitor carefully and throw the rest away (not into the toilet to contaminate our waters!)

If you are looking for a good documentary that moves along, and really informs, this is it. It's a gem of a short film.

Powerful and shocking

[cliff177 · 10/10 · 3 May 2017]

This documentary is a cautionary tale about opioid addiction that packs a real punch. This isn't just another story about drug addition, it's a look into the lives of people who unwittingly became addicts due to medication they were legally prescribed. It's very powerful, very upsetting, and does a great job of shining a light on this problem. It's well worth an hour of your time.

Compelling Doc on Important Topic

[jeffsemail-09831 · 10/10 · 4 May 2017]

This is one great documentary. I couldn't stop watching as the subjects and their stories are so compelling that it's impossible to turn away. It's about the current opioid epidemic that's sweeping the country and taking lives of otherwise healthy productive people. The hook of the drug is insidious and grabs people like a Venus Fly Trap. The irony is that many if not most of the cases could be avoided if the doctors and hospitals that dispense the drugs so freely were more cautious about giving them out and providing adequate guidelines as to the potential hazards involved. In other words many of the cases of addiction which sometimes led to death, could be avoided. At one point I had tears running down my face as I was so moved by the stories of loss and sadness that all I wanted to do was hug my kid with the thought of putting a protective wall around her. Thank you HBO and kudos to the production team. Well done.

A clarion call that needs to be seen far and wide

[fanaticfilm-46887 · 10/10 · 3 May 2017]

There are images from this film that I can't get out of my head. A toddler crying and screaming as her mother remains motionless on the grocery floor. The pain on a mother's face. The glazed look in someone's eyes. This film does what documentary does best, and that is to tell a human story. Seeing the personal pain experienced by these families is deeply affecting. It's shocking to learn how this private hell began with a visit to a doctor and legitimately prescribed pills. I'll never think of addiction in the same way again. This film is a clarion call and needs to be seen far and wide.

PROPAGANDA!!!

[LoveFilmYesterday · 1/10 · 17 November 2022]

This film is a propaganda piece that completely harm all current patients and future patients, because the number one reason that people go to the doctor is because they have PAIN! Pain derives from many things...onset or chronic illness, injury, malpractice in treatment of an illness or condition, and surgery pain from complications. The fact is that it is rare that a patient becomes addicted to the opioid pain medication, because the brain is not able to produce the level of dopamine that gets rid of pain naturally in the body, so the opioid fills in the dopamine receptors and pain subsides so the patient can FUNCTION once again. The patient does NOT get high from that, because the brain is merely placed back in balance. The only time that a person gets "high" from opioids is when the patient doesn't have a dopamine deficiency where the brain is permanently unable of being able to produce its own dopamine and therefore gets an excess. That is rare! A very important fact that all the propaganda doesn't ever state is that ADDICTION IS GENETIC and it only occurs in ~1-4% of the entire population. Most people who become addicts from pain medications are already addicted to something - alcohol, gambling, or drugs.

A searing indictment of our failed war on the wrong drugs

[seamusm-54327 · 9/10 · 3 May 2017]

Provocative, unflinching and at time utterly heartbreaking, Warning This Drug May Kill You takes us deep inside the lives of four American families shattered by the prescription opioid epidemic, the worst drug crisis this nation has ever seen. It is an hour long indictment, expertly delivered, of a culture and system that sold us on dangerous medications, got us hooked and then tried to dodge responsibility. We're still trying to dodge it, pretending that our drug problem is imported, and that a wall can stop it, when indeed the fault lies in ourselves. This is a challenging and important film. It should be made required viewing for our state an federal lawmakers.

Opioid addiction - a growing epidemic and how it can impact us all

[cliffstuartgelb · 10/10 · 3 May 2017]

Warning: This Drug May Kill You was EXCELLENT!! It should be mandatory viewing for all parents and children of a certain age.

I would use words like chilling and scary to describe what I saw. And if you think it can't happen to you or your family you are sadly mistaken.

Opioid addiction has become a scourge in this country. It's reaching pandemic proportions and it cuts across all demographics in society.

As someone who has lived through multiple replacement surgeries (both hips, my left knee and my right knee later this year) and who has been prescribed Opioid pain killers after these surgeries I know how easy it is to become dependent on them.

And as an aging athlete suffering chronic pain it would be so simple to use Opioids as a daily crutch.

As the parent of a 12 year old boy I am especially concerned about this horrific problem.

Director Perri Peltz dramatically illustrates how families are impacted by this addiction problem.

It's scary and touching at the same time and if you are a parent and you aren't moved by seeing this there is something wrong.

Time to empty your medicine cabinet.

This doc was a great public service and should be seen by everyone.