subject: Intractable Pain Care with Narcotics: A National Emergency [print this page] Intractable Pain Care with Narcotics: A National Emergency
State governments and many physicians are worried about the increasing numbers of adverse outcomes precipitated with use of opiates. Not since the days of the Civil War have so many people been addicted to opiates or has their use resulted in so many terminal events. It is a true national crisis.
Although all are concerned, the FDA, clinicians and patients each have different perspectives and obligations.
The FDA is obligated to assess the effectiveness and safety of opiate products entering the market. It must offer recommendations to the government for creation of legal regulations regarding these products.
Clinicians want to offer safe, effective medications without the burden of special training, certification, and documentation of product use. Moreover, physicians do not wish for the burden of special scrutiny or oversight regarding use of these products.
Patients wish to be pain free, without side effects, especially death.
Drug companies are lagging relative to creating opiates that are both effective and safe without inducing euphoria, addiction potential, or associated impairment including respiratory suppression (with death). Presently, they can offer no solutions to these challenges.
We can only hope that much safer products are on their way. Otherwise, new legal actions will decrease the number of physicians willing and able to work with these products to address legitimate patients. In the interim, when visiting with your doctor discuss alternative and complementary medicine approaches that may lessen use of opiates, decreasing the risk of related adverse outcomes.
Contact us with comments. Otherwise, refer to us, Tweet our work, Facebook and social bookmark us.
