“Life is pain…anyone who tells you differently is selling something” William Goldman, The Princess Bride Pain and addiction are intertwined. Prescribed medication for pain can be a route into addiction. In practice I regularly see people on multiple medications for pain, making treatment of their addiction challenging. Last year Public Health England found that one in four … Continue reading Pain management – cat among the pigeons
Tag: Pain management
Buprenorphine compliance rates
The following abstract popped up today. The purpose of the study was to look at factors associated with completion of the 6 month, primary care based program. What struck me was the completion rate--35.7%. For all the crowing about ORT, this seems really low. (And, they said this completion rate is consistent with prior studies.) … Continue reading Buprenorphine compliance rates
Overprescription of opioids is bad medicine
Keith Humphreys points out that the problem with the explosion of prescriptions for opioids isn't just addiction and overdose. They are often just not good medicine. Opioids typically have a miraculous effect on acute pain, but this does not necessarily translate to chronic pain relief, particularly as tolerance sets in over time. Even more disturbing, … Continue reading Overprescription of opioids is bad medicine
Balancing pain management and public health
I blogged before about the availability of opiates for pain management and the need to try to limit their diversion. While others have complained about draconian limitations on the prescribing of opiates and being too afraid to treat pain, I pointed out the explosion in opiate prescriptions and overdoses. It's a complex problem that demands a solution that balances the … Continue reading Balancing pain management and public health
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