Dopesick
Beth Macy
A book-length account for readers who want more detail.
1996–2007 · Virginia and the Appalachian region
Appalachian communities & the opioid crisis
Public health & patient rights
Patients, families, clinicians and investigators confronted a growing opioid crisis as prescription painkillers spread through communities. Beth Macy’s reporting follows the human consequences and the practices of the pharmaceutical industry. Dopesick dramatizes the history through a mixture of real events and composite characters.
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The Story
When1996–2007
WhereVirginia and the Appalachian region
In this collection8 resources
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Dopesick (2021)
Film / television guide
A dramatized interpretation; compare it with the reporting.
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Blogs & Essays
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From the journal
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Blogs & essays
2 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
Jana Burson’s Blog
Review: Hulu’s “Dopesick”
An addiction-medicine physician reviews Hulu’s Dopesick and relates it to the books and history of the opioid crisis.
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Netflix Tudum · September 1, 2023
The research behind Painkiller
A production companion explaining the written sources behind the drama and its fictionalized approach. This dated article describes the context at publication, not the current status of litigation or settlements.
Outside CommentaryFree Article
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Books
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Books
2 itemsBeth Macy
Dopesick
Reported nonfiction behind the limited series. The book covers more communities and experiences than the dramatization.
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Barry Meier
Pain Killer
Investigative nonfiction about OxyContin and the opioid epidemic. Netflix identifies this book as a source for Painkiller. The publisher page gives edition and format details; it is a different book from Beth Macy’s Dopesick.
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Movies & TV
Movies
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TV & documentaries
2 itemsAbout these sources
Episodes, documentaries and title listings. Season and episode numbers follow the linked catalog and can differ by service. Air dates are separate from crime dates. Playback availability varies by service and region.
Film / television guide
Dopesick (2021)
Dramatized limited series inspired by Macy’s reporting. Some characters are composites. Hulu’s official page provides viewing access subject to subscription.
Fiction / DramatizationAccess Varies · Check Source
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Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & episode details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
Netflix · 2023 · scripted limited series
Painkiller
A fictionalized account of the U.S. opioid crisis, drawing on Barry Meier’s Pain Killer and Patrick Radden Keefe’s reporting. It belongs alongside Dopesick as a separate adaptation of the broader crisis; its dramatized characters and scenes are not individual case records.
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Audiobooks
Listen to a book connected to this story. Each edition below is matched to its author and audiobook source.
Audiobook
Dopesick
Narrated by Beth Macy
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Edition checked 2026-10-12
Audiobook
Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic
Unabridged
Audio edition verified at the linked source. The Amazon button is a title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed.
Edition checked 2026-10-12
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Fiction Work
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
Film / television guide
Dopesick (2021)
Dramatized limited series inspired by Macy’s reporting. Some characters are composites. Hulu’s official page provides viewing access subject to subscription.
Fiction / DramatizationAccess Varies · Check Source
Link Check PendingReport a Link (Email)
Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & episode details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
Netflix · 2023 · scripted limited series
Painkiller
A fictionalized account of the U.S. opioid crisis, drawing on Barry Meier’s Pain Killer and Patrick Radden Keefe’s reporting. It belongs alongside Dopesick as a separate adaptation of the broader crisis; its dramatized characters and scenes are not individual case records.
Fiction / DramatizationSubscription · Check Region
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Podcasts
Podcasts
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Social Media
BRING YOUR PERSPECTIVE
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News & Reading
More Reading & Audio
2 sourcesExplore book records, previews, library audiobooks and selected documents. Access labels distinguish free material from library loans and paid subscriptions.
OverDrive · Library Access
Dopesick — Ebook
Beth Macy. Related reading for Appalachian communities & the opioid crisis. Check participating libraries for this edition. Borrowing requires an eligible library card; availability and waits vary.
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Google Books · Catalog / Availability
Dopesick
Beth Macy. Related reading for Appalachian communities & the opioid crisis. Book information and any pages made available by Google Books; this is not a promise of full-text access.
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Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-16. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine, Google Books (case/title search), Scribd, Everand, OverDrive and hoopla (combined title search). Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait. Everand titles may need a paid subscription; a trial is not permanent free access. Scribd documents are third-party uploads, with uploader details noted where checked. We link to source pages and write our own descriptions rather than reproducing copyrighted books.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
1 itemsPatrick Radden Keefe / The New Yorker · 2017
The Family That Built an Empire of Pain
Long-form reporting about the Sackler family and the opioid business. Netflix identifies this article as a source for Painkiller. Read the original reporting separately from the dramatization; the publisher may restrict access.
JournalismArticle · Access May Be Limited
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Newspaper clippings
0 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
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Internet Archive
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Court document
Federal settlement documents: Purdue’s history
A Justice Department settlement document describes the 2007 Purdue Frederick misbranding plea among later events. This is a dated legal document, not a claim about the present status of every opioid proceeding.
Historical source
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.
Social Media
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