Not What the Doctor Ordered

Released as prescription drug misuse was emerging as a major public health concern, Not What the Doctor Ordered examines how communities across Tennessee responded to what was then one of the highest rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States. The documentary follows coalition leaders, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, pharmacists, insurance representatives, and others as they describe the challenges of identifying and addressing a growing epidemic.

Through firsthand accounts, Not What the Doctor Ordered explores issues such as doctor shopping, prescription drug diversion, overdose prevention, and the state's early prescription drug monitoring program. Produced before the opioid crisis became a national emergency, the film offers an early look at the warning signs, community partnerships, and prevention strategies that helped shape future responses to prescription drug misuse.

Note: This documentary was released before the opioid crisis evolved into the widespread public health emergency seen today. Since then, the epidemic has progressed through three major waves recognized by the CDC — beginning with prescription opioids in the late 1990s, followed by heroin around 2010, and then illicitly manufactured fentanyl from 2013 onward. Many researchers now also describe a fourth wave, characterized by polysubstance use involving fentanyl mixed with stimulants such as methamphetamine or cocaine, as well as sedatives like xylazine. Although U.S. overdose deaths have declined from their peak in recent years, the illicit drug supply remains highly unpredictable and opioid-related harms continue to pose a major public health challenge.

Accompanying Information:

"The most abused categories of drugs are pain relievers, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers, but any prescription drug can be abused and if combined with other drugs and substances the results can be tragic."

"I'd say most people, especially young naive people, do not understand the dangers of these drugs. When you mix even small doses of an opioid and a benzodiazepine, you can get synergism. So, rather than 1+1 is 2, the effect may be like 3 or 4, so it's an exaggeration of the effect. so that can result in severe toxicity, coma and death.

"I just wish there was a way I could reach out to more people and teach them that lesson and remind them of the tragedies that can occur due to prescription drug abuse. You’ve got to prevent them from starting to prevent them from dying and that’s the bottom line: just don’t start it, just don’t go there."

"The abuse of legal drugs is outpacing the use of illegal ones. Recent data from the Monitoring the Future Survey [PDF] showed seven of the top 10 drugs High School seniors are misusing are prescription or over-the-counter medications. A 2007 study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported 5.2 million people aged 12 or older reported they used a prescription pain reliever, non-medically, in the past month. Many addicts say their habits began somewhat accidentally."

"When we did the survey, the results from the kids' surveys were completely different than the adults surveys because the parents are just unaware of what the kids are really doing. I think they're in denial about it or they don't know, it's one or the other."

"Prescription drugs shatter the image of who a drug dealer is and how to handle the crimes they commit. Sometimes it isn’t easy to spot. Prescription drug crimes are often subtle and not always obvious to law enforcement officers, who are more used to street crimes."

"The one issue that is dealt with most is what they call doctor shopping … obtaining multiple prescriptions or overlapping prescriptions from multiple providers without the providers being aware of the other."