Tag: opioids

Society, Treatment

DEA’s Stance on Pain Explained

Kerrie Smyres

Anyone with pain that requires opioid treatment must read this article on the DEA’s stance on painkillers. In fact, I think everyone who lives in the US should read the article.

Entitled “Treating Doctors as Drug Dealers: The Drug Enforcement Administration’s War on Prescription Painkillers,” this 35-page journal article overflows with illustrative information. Print it out and grab your highlighter. The time investment is well worthwhile.

Here’s the abstract:

Since 2001, the federal government has accelerated its pursuit of physicians it alleges are contributing to an increase of prescription-drug addiction. These highly publicized indictments and prosecutions have frightened many physicians out of the field of pain management, exacerbating an already serious health crisis—the widespread undertreatment of severe chronic pain.

[via Kevin, MD]

Meds & Supplements, News & Research, Society, Treatment

Sunday’s 60 Minutes: Pain & Desperation

Kerrie Smyres

Richard Paey, a chronic pain patient who is serving 25 years in prison for his frequent refills of pain meds will be interviewed on Sunday’s 60 Minutes. He was charged with prescription forgery, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and drug trafficking.

Ironically, the same judicial system that prosecuted Paey is now supplying him with more pain medication than he took before his prison term.

The show airs at 7 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 29.

Meds & Supplements, Treatment

Balancing Compassion and Cynicism in the ER

Kerrie Smyres

Unless a migraine is intolerable, a migraineur won’t go to the loud, bright, frenzied ER. Who would willingly subject themselves to that without desperately needing pain relief? But for most migraineurs, the visit is a harrowing back-and-forth between patient and staff. They don’t get their pain treated adequately and they leave furious with doctors and nurses who question the legitimacy of their complaints.

While patients know what their own pain is like, ER staff don’t know the individual, but the patterns of many people. Some of these patients are truly in pain and others are looking for a fix. The patterns leave an imprint so that even the most compassionate doctors and nurses struggle to be caring, not naive, and cautious, not cynical.

Using migraine patients as an example, Kim from Emergiblog, who has been a nurse for 27 years, fights to balance this contradiction. Although she is sympathetic to chronic pain patients, she can’t forget the times that she’s been fooled. She illustrates the dilemma eloquently and has terrific tips for chronic pain patients to get better care in the ER.

[from Jessica via Migrainepage]

Meds & Supplements, News & Research, Treatment

An Opioid Without a “High”

Kerrie Smyres

Nubain, an injectable opioid, was effective for managing chronic pain in a recent study — without euphoria, sedation, tolerance or psychological side effects. Injecting Nubain daily, participants’ with previous level 8 to 10 pain had their pain reduced to a level 2 or 30. And the drug is already on the market.

It sounds too good to be true, but my heart still leapt when I read the Reuters article. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Society

Assisted-Suicide Ruling Gives Hope for Treating Chronic Pain

Kerrie Smyres

Pain management docs and advocates for treating pain with narcotics when necessary see a glimmer of hope in last week’s Supreme Court decision to uphold Oregon’s assisted-suicide law. This ruling might help defend doctors, pharmacists and patients in jail or awaiting sentences for drug trafficking. An effective defense could advance society’s understanding of using narcotics for pain control.