FDA HHS CDC all say patient consent should be obtained before tapering rx #opioids except in rare emergency cases. Many drs & hospitals aren't following this guidance. Here's a letter that protected my rx. Please feel to use it or the research it contains: docs.google.com/document/d/e/2…
Federal Health & Human Services tells doctors: "Avoid insisting on #opioid tapering or discontinuation when opioid use may be warranted": "CDC Guideline...does not recommend opioid discontinuation when benefits of opioids outweigh risks." 
HHS & CDC both tell doctors to "consider individual patient situations" & to "avoid misinterpreting cautionary dosage thresholds as mandates for dose reduction" when prescribing #opioids.
.@US_FDA identified harm caused by rapid tapers or discontinuation of rx #opioids, including "serious withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled #pain, psychological distress, and #suicide." FDA added new warnings against rapid tapers/discontinuation. fda.gov/drugs/drug-saf…
#ChronicPain at least doubles risk of death by #suicide. Higher the pain, higher the risk. This is a "normal" symptom of abnormal pain, exists in people w/o depression or anxiety, & isn't an indication you've got bad "coping" skills. Please tell your MD about suicidal thoughts.
Like the press & public, doctors often overestimate the risk of #addiction thru medical use of #opioids. Large studies show the risk is "very low," as Am Cancer Society puts it. Study of +1 million found 99.4% took opioids post-op safely & didn't even refill their rx.
Study published in Am Journal of Med (2016) reviewed +1/2 million cases & found 99.7% safe use. 0.3% developed non-addictive misuse or #addiction thru medical use of #opioids. Study found "readily available" info that helps drs screen for patients at risk. amjmed.com/article/S0002-…
Patient abandonment is a form of malpractice that occurs when dr terminates a patient w/o reasonable notice or excuse & w/o time for patient to find a replacement. "Patient resisted tapering" is often considered a "reasonable excuse" for terminating care. nolo.com/legal-encyclop…
Here's advice "Physician's Weekly" gives doctors about how to terminate treatment w/o "patient abandonment." The #opioid contract most MDs require contains language that protects them against abandonment allegations.
If you're forced to taper w/o consent or if you're harmed by dosage reductions, remember that the organization you pay for medical care is responsible for your "continuity of care." You likely pay a hospital or clinic, not an individual doctor.
If you've been forcibly tapered or if the denial of effective #pain med is causing you harm, contact the hospital or practice that employs your doc via their website or email the Medical Director. Here again is a sample letter: docs.google.com/document/d/e/2…
If you've been forcibly tapered / denied FDA-approved med & all else fails, file a complaint w/ your state's med board (find via Google). If you like everything else about your doctor, say so. Med boards need to better understand the harm rx limits cause people in #pain.
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