CDC Issues New Guidelines to Address Opioid Epidemic

Melissa, I am the author of the above commentary, and for what it's worth, I chose to post anonymously because of the stigma that is often associated with the use of opiods even when prescribed by one's physician. Regardless, I did want to add that I have tried the TENS device and therapies on several occasions. I have been to numerous Phyical Therapists through the years as well. My physician has also attempted the use of accupunction as well. My phyician is a product of Duke's medical program with multiple specializations including Pain Management and Pain Medicine. I have turned down Oxycontin and Fentanyl in the past as while they are suggested for my condition they work too well and I like to feel some pain so I don't risk damaging myself further doing a physical activity that could worsen my condition. My concern with the government's involvement in something such as pain management is that each patient in individual and so is their pain. Without my meds, I would not be able to be involved in my children's lives, nor able to help out my spouse as one should. Whe someone suffers pain at these levels, there is great depression associated with it when there is no relief. I have talked to other patients in my circle, and they have indicated everything from buying illegal drugs to losing their desire for living should they be forced to go without their therapy and no longer have their pain relieved. Trust me, nobody who finds themselves on an opiate therapy wants to be there. It's the end of the line after everything else has been tried. Nothing is more depressing than under going multiple surgeries that do not work, and with the costs of healthcare today, I have known folks who have had to sell their homes! Don't get me wrong, I am a compassionate person and I feel for the lives of addicts and their families who are drug abusers, but why should we sacrifice the care of good citizens and make them suffer, or worse, for the actions of addicts who abuse these drugs and suffer the consequences. Regards the suggestion of NSAIDs, it's right there with the other methods towards pain relief mentioned above, if they worked than the problem would be solved. Nobody, except addicts who have mental health issues similar to alcoholics, would want to live on opiates if they hadn't already tried NSAID options as well. Sincerely. F.R.

I am a pain managed patient. Without my prescriptions, I will be on the couch or bed, in pain, unable to walk. Unable to drive my kids to school, unable to walk with my low-impact weights along with my wife and dog each night. Unable to participate in my life nor contribute to my country. I have been through every other option, electro-therapy, physical therapies, nerve numbs and kills, etc. My condition is non-surgical. The discs in my back are slowly fusing together and my neck is permanently damaged from a broken C1 that didn't take my life or capability to walk as it did Christopher Reeve, but instead left me with a lifetime of severe pain. Inoperable pain that is only numbed with opiate pain therapy. Thus, I am a long-term pain managed patient. I am regularly urine tested to make sure I am not taking any other drugs or alcohol, routinely subjected to pill counts to make sure I am not taking more than I should or sharing with others, subjected to a routine battery of physical and psychological testing to make sure the medicine there are no negative effects on my body or mind and so forth.

I cannot understand the CDC or what their agenda is regarding these new policies, or suggestions of best practices. We are told through the media that the legalization of marijuana in a few states along with the medical use legalization in even more states has resulted in a multi-billion dollar income deficit for the illegal drug cartels. However, it doesn't take much research in that same media to find out that pain managed patients who can no longer afford their prescription drugs, whether it is due to ObamaCare or some other cost increasing mechanism, are turning to illicit drugs for pain relief, particularly HEROIN. Many deaths from heroin overdose, either due to potency issues or bad additives in these sorts of street drugs have increased radically over the past few years. Suffice to say, it's a policy that all buts assists in making up the lost revenues suffered by the drug cartels around the world, and at the same time abandoning the quality of life for millions of law abiding Americans who depend on their doctors to offer them the care and compassion dictated as a priority by their profession. And let's not play ignorant with the weight of quality of life, we have lost so many good souls to suicide because they could not tolerate the physical pain, true agony, in their lives. Is the CDC willing to accept the fallout of their new recommendations? Remember, we are not talking about street addicts who will kill for their crack, heroin or PCP addicts. We are talking about millions of Moms, Dads, Brothers, Sisters...family. Law abiding, productive, functioning, contributing Americans who use these medications when no other options exist. I can tell you, as a pain managed patient, there is no shame in using these medications, not to mention that when you are on these meds long-term, the myth of a "high" or some sense of euphoria is just that, taking medicines like oxycodone, oxycontin, hydrocodone, etc. do not present one with any such feelings long term. A natural tolerance develops and it's just like taking an aspirin each day, you only notice that your pain levels are greatly reduced.

And on the topic of aspirin, it's comical to pain managed patients to read CDC pundits and their supporters in recent press suggest aspirin and ibuprophen (brand name Motrin) for managing pain. Aspirin in can cause internal bleeding if taken long term and in any sort of quantity. Tylenol (or acetaminophen) in quantity is proven to cause liver damage, as well. It's a sad tale of ignorance when we look at such replacement therapies, as well as when we look to the accidental celebrity overdoses incurred over the past decade. When coroners look at cases such as Heath Ledger and find massive quantities of drugs such as Xanax and Hydro- or Oxycodone in their systems we can't reach any other conclusions other than stupidity or a suicide attempt but we most definitely look to these people's deaths as to reasoning for removing such medications from the market. All one needs to do is ask, "how many accidental overdoses do we see with pain managed patients who use such medications?" The answer is negligible because pain managed patients are just as serious, just as educated and just as cautious as are self-medicating patients such as diabetics or any other patient who is forced to take any medication on a regular basis to improve their quality of life. Just ask yourself this, would we consider taking that diabetics medication away from them because a group of people have found away to abuse that medicine for "recreational" purposes thus leading to their demise.

Emergency Rooms are seeing greater numbers of "accidental" overdoses because drug addicts are abusing a medication that helps millions of Americans to lead normal lives, just as those same ER's see overdoses for cocaine, heroin and other drugs which are being abused by those people on the fringe who choose to abuse drugs instead of responsibly using them if they should be using them at all. It's time for Americans to be responsible for their own actions instead of making those who are, suffer the consequences of those who aren't, particularly when it directly impacts one's ability to live with less pain, and thus contribute to life and enjoy their life, something all Americans have a right to.