Obscene: "In 2016, seeking to curb opioid misuse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced guidelines outlining a maximum safe dosage and strongly urging doctors to avoid prescribing for chronic pain unless death is imminent." nyti.ms/2E2sg0a@maiasz
Re stiffing of pain patients on needed meds: "In the rush to reduce opioid misuse, it is easy to forget that millions of people have safely taken these drugs for years. Data show that less than 8 percent of chronic pain patients become addicted..." nytimes.com/2019/02/09/opi…@maiasz
“We have less mercy for people who have chronic pain and are on chronic opioids than we do for somebody who’s using heroin in the streets right now,” said Dr. Kertesz When the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease
Main message in this @maiasz piece can’t be said often enough: Abruptly lowering opioid doses (or cutting patients off altogether) is terrible, terrible medicine. nytimes.com/2019/02/09/opi…
A few points are worth elaborating on. /1
Important piece by @maiasz on why reducing #opioid prescribing alone will not solve the #overdose crisis but can cause very real harms including rising fentanyl & heroin related deaths in context of unsafe drug supply & suicide.
In an effort to reduce opioid addiction, doctors are cutting back on pain pill prescriptions. But many patients with chronic pain are suffering and in some cases suicidal as a result.
When the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease: In an effort to reduce #opioids #addiction, doctors are cutting back on #pain medication, by @maiasznyti.ms/2E2sg0a via @NYThealth
Since the early '90s @maiasz has been one of the smartest, important voices in America about addiction, narcotics, #HIV and now #opioids . Her latest piece is a must-read.
When the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease: In an effort to reduce opioid addiction, doctors are cutting back on pain medication — and sometimes leaving patients to suffer.
When the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease: In an effort to reduce opioid addiction, doctors are cutting back on pain medication — and sometimes leaving patients to suffer.