User Reviews

This documentary is very specific and does not represent the growing problem of how to treat people with chronic pain. It does, however, show what can happen when a fool for a doctor prescribes opiates in a unprofessional manner. Dr. Feelgood is neither a "dealer" or a "healer. He is what his ex-wife calls him, "a fool" and fools make very poor doctors. I gave this review three stars because structurally it is a sound documentary about Dr. William Hurwitz, a doctor who gave out lots and lots of pain prescriptions to his patients to help them with the torment of their conditions. My question about this documentary is why was it so necessary to be made when we are going through a period of history where there is a serious vilification of prescription opiate users. This documentary focuses on one particular pain prescribing doctor and whether he was a "dealer or a healer?". I believe it answers that sufficiently, but unnecessarily as the subject of pain pill distribution in today's society is so much bigger than this one justification of this doctor's behavior.

I don't feel that Dr. Hurwitz gave out often time incredibly large amounts of opiates for personal gain. I do believe he was negligent in seriously investigating who he was giving opiate medication to and how much was really necessary. By being as careless as he was he over medicated a number of patients and continued to give many patients drugs whom he knew were probably addicts. He unintentional hurt people by being so neglectful and irresponsible, but, never the less, he hurt people and I would consider this a voluntary manslaughter and I believe justice was served with the amount of time he spent in prison as well as having his medical license taken away.

He is definitely not the "poster child" for those doctors who, particularly in the 1990s and into the 21st century who dispersed huge amounts a various addictive drugs for their own monetary gain. He was a fool and somewhat of a egomaniac who did not want to listen to his colleagues about the over medication and often unnecessary medication of patients that either didn't need pain meds, were addicts or didn't need the large amounts he was dispersing.

I believe there is a serious need for pain medication for people with chronic pain issues in this country and now with the introduction, in most states, of legitimate pain clinics people are able to obtain the proper amounts of opiates and other pain medications under serious supervision so that they are relieved of their suffering and not treated as addicts or even convicts because of they happen to be unlucky enough to have to live with chronic medical conditions that require permanent pain relieving drugs. Let us hope these clinics are never shut down because pain medications such as opiates give many people a chance to live somewhat normal lives that they would not be able to without their help.