. @drdrew - Before you comment on pain medication again, please take some time to educate yourself. The last thing we need is for another figure in the media furthering the stigma that quite literally threatens our lives. I will post some links but first, let’s cover the basics:
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1. Opioids do work for chronic pain & in many cases, esp intractable pain, are often the ONLY effective treatment.
2. Pain is pain is pain. Cancer patients are no more worthy of relief than patients with other, often just as painful, diagnoses. The FDA has confirmed this.
1. Opioids do work for chronic pain & in many cases, esp intractable pain, are often the ONLY effective treatment.
2. Pain is pain is pain. Cancer patients are no more worthy of relief than patients with other, often just as painful, diagnoses. The FDA has confirmed this.
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3. The rate of addiction in CPPs is NOT 30%!! Studies range from <1% to 6%.
4. Dependence =/= addicts who don’t keep going back to a drug. Dependence develops with a number of medications and it isn’t a reason not to prescribe it.
5. Doctors DO screen for family history!
3. The rate of addiction in CPPs is NOT 30%!! Studies range from <1% to 6%.
4. Dependence =/= addicts who don’t keep going back to a drug. Dependence develops with a number of medications and it isn’t a reason not to prescribe it.
5. Doctors DO screen for family history!
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6. This is NOT a prescription crisis and overprescribing alone is not to blame for this overdose crisis. Contributor? Yes. Sole cause? Absolutely not.
7. It is now FAR easier to access illicit fentanyl & heroin than it is to access pain medication for a legitimate condition.
6. This is NOT a prescription crisis and overprescribing alone is not to blame for this overdose crisis. Contributor? Yes. Sole cause? Absolutely not.
7. It is now FAR easier to access illicit fentanyl & heroin than it is to access pain medication for a legitimate condition.
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7. The medical community is so afraid of the DEA that even many patients on their death beds are now being refused adequate treatment for their pain. When they do receive a prescription, many face harassment, stigma and refusals to fill at the pharmacy. It’s unconscionable.
7. The medical community is so afraid of the DEA that even many patients on their death beds are now being refused adequate treatment for their pain. When they do receive a prescription, many face harassment, stigma and refusals to fill at the pharmacy. It’s unconscionable.
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8. Intractable pain patients, many on stable doses of pain medication for years/decades are being refused further treatment when it has been the only effective treatment. Their Options? Suffer, suicide or go to the street. We’re literally driving patients to illicit drugs.
8. Intractable pain patients, many on stable doses of pain medication for years/decades are being refused further treatment when it has been the only effective treatment. Their Options? Suffer, suicide or go to the street. We’re literally driving patients to illicit drugs.
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9. Pediatric patients are also being heavily impacted in this climate of opioid-phobia. They are suffering horrific pain as doctors are fearful of being accused of “creating an addict”. It is leading to more complex medical & psychological issues that will span their lifetime.
9. Pediatric patients are also being heavily impacted in this climate of opioid-phobia. They are suffering horrific pain as doctors are fearful of being accused of “creating an addict”. It is leading to more complex medical & psychological issues that will span their lifetime.
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10. The media can’t seem to sort through popular anecdotes that are based on decade-old data vs actual facts. Prime example: 80% of heroin users did NOT start with pain meds. Not anymore they don’t. Around 50% now initiate with heroin itself.
THE LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED!
10. The media can’t seem to sort through popular anecdotes that are based on decade-old data vs actual facts. Prime example: 80% of heroin users did NOT start with pain meds. Not anymore they don’t. Around 50% now initiate with heroin itself.
THE LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED!
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11. The numbers are out there. The CDC, FDA & HHS all agree that opiates are appropriate in chronic intractable pain. As I stated above, I’ll post some links, but would need hundreds of tweets to provide the breadth and depth of supporting data information. So here are a few..
11. The numbers are out there. The CDC, FDA & HHS all agree that opiates are appropriate in chronic intractable pain. As I stated above, I’ll post some links, but would need hundreds of tweets to provide the breadth and depth of supporting data information. So here are a few..
Addiction and dependence are so distinct that they actually occur in different parts of the brain!
drugabuse.gov/publications/t…
drugabuse.gov/publications/t…
Landscape has changed. Here is the data from Allegheny county, PA (Pittsburgh)
And data from Mass, Ohio & Philly that shows the number of overdose deaths now nearly all involve illicitly manufactured fentanyl:
Mass: 85%
mass.gov/files/document…
OH: 99%
mcohio.org/Fentanyl_Outbr…
Philly: 84%
phila.gov/health/pdfs/ch…
Mass: 85%
mass.gov/files/document…
OH: 99%
mcohio.org/Fentanyl_Outbr…
Philly: 84%
phila.gov/health/pdfs/ch…
Overdose rate vs prescribing rate
What this graph (or any statistical study) fails to capture is the number of pain patients we’ve lost to suicide or complications of having their medication force tapered or abruptly discontinued. @PainPtFightBack has kept a list of hundreds.
What this graph (or any statistical study) fails to capture is the number of pain patients we’ve lost to suicide or complications of having their medication force tapered or abruptly discontinued. @PainPtFightBack has kept a list of hundreds.
Why did the addiction rate not rise in Germany as prescription rates surged? Because supply alone cannot create an overdose crisis, perhaps?
reason.com/2019/08/02/as-…
reason.com/2019/08/02/as-…
Pain patients can’t even find a primary care doctor without having to call and ask if doctor treat them if they’re being prescribe opiates by another physician. That’s right, we have to ask them whether or not they’ll discriminate against us & refuse care.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…
jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…
Last one for now. I could go on all night with study after study, presentations, statistics, etc. But what I hope you’ve gathered by now is that the knee-jerk policy making is killing patients. And that your comments only perpetuate the stigma we face.
reason.com/2019/07/18/the…
reason.com/2019/07/18/the…
Updated to add: Please excuse spelling/grammatical errors.
We need an “edit” function within Twitter. As I read back through these, I’m cringing at some of the errors....just like Sr Mary promised I would, way back in the 7th grade 🤣
We need an “edit” function within Twitter. As I read back through these, I’m cringing at some of the errors....just like Sr Mary promised I would, way back in the 7th grade 🤣
