New Painkiller Rules Postponed: CDC Mystery Or Politics?
http://knpr.org/knpr/2016-01/new-painkiller-rules-postponed-cdc-mystery-or-politics
Addiction to painkillers, the kind that are prescribed such as oxycontin, or illegal, such as heroin, is on the rise in the United States.
While a recent report from Nevada says cases of overdoses are on the decline, that is not the case for heroin. Heroin overdoses rose from 19 in 2010 to 52 in 2014. And for years, Nevada has ranked near the top in the number of deaths from painkiller overdoses per 100,000 people.
That’s the backdrop for a recent decision by the federal Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC was all set to release a new set of guidelines in two weeks for prescription painkillers.
Then, it changed its mind.
Now the CDC will do something it has never done before. It is holding public hearings, and taking comments online about its proposals.
The question becomes: what does the public know about addiction that scientists who study addiction don’t?
And does it even matter, especially in Nevada?
Las Vegas Doctor Mel Pohl has treated those with opioid addiction for decades. He has also authored last year’s, “The Pain Antidote,” which prescribes managing pain rather than drowning it out with drugs.
“I think it’s absurd that a governmental agency that’s based in science that looked at the scientific data and came up with a proposed set of guidelines is now being subjected to this really reactionary response that has frankly been somewhat politically and economically motivated,” Dr. Pohl said.
Support comes from
He said many people have come to believe that painkillers are the only way for them to control their chronic pain; however, Pohl said studies have shown that people using opioids over the long term do not see an improvement in function or ability to live their lives.
“Here we’re looking at a very emotional response of people who suffer chronic pain and who have been mislead to believe that this is a good solution,” he said.
Dr. Andrew Kolodny, senior scientist at Brandeis University; current chief medical officer at Phoenix House, a drug addiction treatment center, has no doubt pharmaceutical companies who profit from American’s opioid addictions are behind the delay by the CDC.
“This is not something the CDC wanted to do,” Dr. Kolodny explained, “The CDC wanted to release its guideline in January. The reason they opened up the docket is because they were pressured to do so by industry-funded organizations.”
He said the opioid manufactures see the guidelines as an economic threat. According to Kolodny, the pharmaceutical companies have seen profits from opioids soar over the past several years and new guidelines could threaten that profit stream.
Dr. Kolodny believes the reason there is an epidemic of painkiller use is doctors started aggressively prescribing opioids without knowing the risks of addiction.
“Most of the prescribers were acting with good intentions, they were responding to a brilliant marketing campaign that mislead the medical community about the risk of putting patients on opioids medicines long term, especially the risk of addiction was minimized,” he said.
He said many doctors are eager for the new guidelines as a way to push back against patients who are pressuring them to write more prescriptions.
According to Kolodny, many patients feel like the CDC is trying to “take their painkillers away from them.” He said those patients believe the opioids are helping them, when in reality, many are actually harmed by the painkillers.
“Some of these patients truly believe these opioids are helping them, because when they don’t take their opioids they’re feeling pain and discomfort,” Kolodny said, “Whether that means the opioid is really treating their pain, or whether the opioid is treating withdrawal pain is difficult to say.”
He said the general public doesn’t realize that opioids have the same impact on the brain as heroin. He believes if they did, they would have a different reaction to guidelines.
“If the public and the prescribers understood that these were essentially heroin pills, they would be in favor of much more cautious use,” Kolodny said.
Guests:
Dr. Mel Pohl, author of “The Pain Antidote”; Dr. Andrew Kolodny, senior scientist at Brandeis University; current chief medical officer at Phoenix House, a drug addiction treatment center.
Filed under: General Problems
Chronic pain affects 100 million people in the US- but the only coverage by the news media is aimed at the heroin epidemic. Chronic pain is a true epidemic, but no emergency guidelines for its treatment or studies! Patients and physicians best know what works for their care- Not arbitrary, one size fits all medicine for everyone!
OMG I am so sick and tired of these IDIOTS trying to reduce or eliminate opioids for pain! Leave us alone! Those of us who suffer from daily, 24/7 pain from chronic conditions are having a hard enough time just trying to survive, reduce or eliminate our pain meds will surely be the end for many of us. The DOCTORS that ran the pill mills are to blame. They were out of control because of pure GREED and now those suffering in pain are being punished. It’s not right. I am so angry and frustrated about this situation but I have little impact on the idiots that are determining my future and well-being. I have made phone calls, written letters and filed complaints to anyone involved in this situation but naturally I’ve had NO responses. It seems the people that are suffering in pain have NO rights. All because of doctors that put profits before ethics and the well-being of their patients. Thank God for people like Steve the Pharmacist!! He’s fighting the fight for all of us!!!
Most patients like myself take our opioids to simply dull the pain enough to make life bearable. I understand what opiates are and for medical professionals to state that patients are too stupid to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies is an insult to myself and countless other pain sufferers. This is the “information age”,and anyone who cares about themselves and the people who are close to them will ask questions and or seek out information on the Internet.
In my case, I would be totally immobile without the use of opiate pain medications and I know this because I have tried to live without them before, and For all those people who say that it’s just in our heads, I dare you to live a day in our shoes. It’s my belief that all the physicians who are opposing the use of opiate pain medication to treat chronic pain are more than likely trying to sell something else like surgeries or theropies that don’t work, trust me,I’ve been there before too. There is not one case of chronic pain that is the same, just as every single patient metabolizes medications differently. So the treatments are usually hit and miss till a doctor finds a treatment regiment that works. Some patients might use very low doses of opiate pain medication along with physical therapy and other patients may need higher doses and are unable to do physical therapy. The point is ” if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Let the doctors do their jobs, they have sworn to do no harm and to help improve quality of life.
I have heard this all before. I have bone on bone pain all over every joint. I have had to have my hips replaced as well as in a few months both knees and after that the ankles get surgery and I have to fit the hands as well as elbows into my schedule, The elbows have been done two times but didn’t suffice. Look if I am taking a pill THAT FOOLS me and tells me there is no pain but I have to take for the rest of my life. I TRULY DON’T CARE. These scientist have not been able to stop my inflammation but they know “all” about the only thing that has put my pain in check! I was in a wheel chair before the pain meds NOW I’m not. I am so unimpressed with the medical community! The only thing that I know for sure is I take a pill 2 times a day and I can get thru the day in much better shape than before the pill! I don’t care what you call the pill heroin,dog sh-t or morphine. If it works I want it. They keep sending me to occupational & physical therapy and I leave in worse shape than I arrive. It has never helped but they put down my pain meds. Why. Just because people are abusing them doesn’t mean I AM!
LEAVE ME ALONE! They should POLICE THEIR DOCTORS AND PHARMACIST AND MANUFACTURERS and leave me out of there issues. I am not giving my pills to anyone can they all say the same thing. I lived in florida during the whole pill mill fiasco it wasn’t the patients that were at fault THE DOCTORS AND PHARMACISTS were the gate keepers BUT THE GATE WAS WIDE OPEN! STUFF THAT IN YOUR PIPE CDC and smoke it!
like they said Steve these are only guidelines and they are not MANDORTORY ….we did hold them to that with our efforts …. as we all still fight this battle , like I told my doctor today I’m fine ,but what if another medical issue attacks my body…this is why I still fight the fight for other people that are a lot worse then me …and that is why we can-not give up on this mission. He was so proud of me for my efforts …a warrior for all people , just because it does not fall in your own pain spectrum TODAY you might be that other person tomorrow …so let’s fight for all…
FIGHT THE CDC our doctors are trained to do their job so let them do it ….go fight the health of the nation CDC and leave us alone our life’s are bad enough without your added stress …
AMEN
JUST SAYING
So upsetting comment from someone who has never experienced pain. This doctor does not mention the many people who has spent thousands of dollars on alternate forms of treating pain such as acupuncture therapy chiropractic psychology medication herbals and everything that is available to them but still need something for pain because they are permanently injured or ill. Doctors do not want to spend money to fix patient. This may be an insurance issue so therefore the patient should not suffer. Let each individual choose how they feel and want to treat their pain if within reason. Also not mentioned is other medications that are prescribed that are not opioid that make changes in your brain. Such as gabapentin and muscle relaxers and antidepressants. Suffering is inhumane and that is the issue