Hold all the (pain pill) presses

Q: I heard there was a big influx of counterfeit prescription pills on the market — pills that look like the real thing but are fake. Is that true, and how dangerous is it? — Jason D., Annandale, Maryland

A: It is true. Since there’s been a crackdown in Florida and elsewhere on pill mills that cranked out scripts for legally manufactured pain pills, and because responsible doctors are growing more conservative about prescribing them to patients, there’s been an increase in made-in-theu.s.a. counterfeit pills.

The Drug Enforcement Agency says that an influx of pill-making machines is what’s pushing these deadly counterfeit drugs onto our streets. Industrial-grade pill presses can turn out 170,000 pills per minute.

The worst part of it is that fake pills often are laced with fentanyl, which is 25 to 50 times more powerful than heroin and is responsible for thousands and thousands of accidental overdoses.

Most pill presses and synthetic fentanyl are made in China. So Chuck Rosenberg, an administrator for the DEA, went to China last January and met with officials about keeping synthetic fentanyl and pill presses from being shipped illegally to the U.S.

In the meantime, if you’re dependent on opioid pain pills, see your doctor about getting treatment for your addiction, and do not buy these drugs on the black market.

Q: My orthopedic surgeon says it’s all in my head, but I swear, after my recent spinal fusion with a new disc, four screws and two posts, I get more achy when the weather gets cold and rainy. — David M., Rome, New York

A: There’s ample anecdotal evidence of the relationship of rainy weather to joint pain: People have said for generations that their arthritis acts up when it rains.

What happens when it rains is that barometric air pressure changes (barometers have been predicting storms for a long time) and the moisture in the air (humidity) becomes more dense.

So what physical changes could account for the rain/pain/joint problem? One orthopedic surgeon in Brandon, Florida, believes that changes in barometric pressure affect the fluid in your joints, causing swelling, and nerve receptors in those joints react, registering pain.

So, David, know that once you’re fully healed up from your surgery — stay on your physical therapy! — you won’t be a walking barometer.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.