Article of interest to the Pain Management Community

[Kalvin]

I ran across this article last week and I’ve been meaning to get over here and post it, if you guys already know about it and have seen it, I apologize. This article should be of great interest to people in Pain Management and to all of us chronic pain sufferers in general. These regulations could set some very troubling precedents.


“In an unusual move, the Washington State government is developing regulations meant to stop doctors from prescribing higher doses of powerful — and often dangerous — pain killers for patients who are not benefiting from them.”

"Experts in pain treatment and drug abuse prevention say the growing use of long-acting pain killers like OxyContin, fentanyl and methadone has been a crucial factor in a nationwide epidemic of overdose deaths, largely from the abuse of such drugs.Nationwide, fatalities from prescription drug overdoses are the second-leading cause of accidental death behind car accidents and, in some states, are the leading cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

“The effort in Washington is also directed at controlling how doctors use narcotics to treat legitimate pain patients, not at people who illegally obtain the drugs for recreational use. While many patients benefit from pain killers, there is growing evidence from studies, including one in Washington State, that others suffer significant side effects, including lethargy, increased sensitivity to pain and, in the most severe instances, potentially fatal overdoses.”

“The regulations would not affect how narcotics are used to treat patients with cancer or those at the end of life because experts agree that such patients should receive as much pain medication as necessary.”


Source and full article is at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/business/29pain.html

[Tuckamore]

Thanks Kevin,

Thank you for sharing this information with us. My concern right now is for the residents of Washington State. But this is only the beginning. If they are successful in passing these regulations every state in the nation will soon follow suit. Soon only the the criminals will have access to narcotics. You can be assured no bill or regulation will top them. It will be the chronic pain patients that will suffer needlessly.

I couldn't agree with Sandee more, yes, well said. Our government is moving slowly, inch by inch to control our health care delivery system. It has been so subtle that much of it is going unnoticed.

Unfortunately as our medical records are becoming computerized this cannot help but allow accessibility to our government and savory characters. What is happening to doctor patient privilege? It's true that not all physicians are competent but still treatments and medications should be between a patient and their doctor. If it is the physicians that are incompetent than they should be not be allowed to practice medicine. We patients should not be made to pay for their incompetence.

Certainly our health care should not dictated by our government. They cannot run the country. How can they be trusted to determine what is the right or wrong medication for us?  And more importantly why should they be allowed to do so?

I hope that the residents of Washington State will fight these regulations tooth and nail. I also hope that CP advocacy groups and associations will join this fight. We all should watch for these coming regulations in our states.

Like  Sandee I don't have the answers but I know this proposed regulations are not them. I am as outraged as Sandee. I'll try to find more information on these proposed regulations in Washington. If I am successful I will report back.

~Tuck

[Sarajmt]

Well said Sandee.  

[sandee1818]

Thank you Kalvin for posting this. It was very thoughtful of you to think of us:)
I can't believe the recent intrusion that the government has taken in our health care. Our medical care has no place in the government's hands. The DEA has intruded to the point that the Doctor's are scared to help CP Pt's and has limited what medications they can prescribe and we can take. Now the government is going to step in and tell us who can and can't be in pain management. it is utterly ridiculous. I can not imagine this happening ten or twenty years ago, the public would have been in such an out roar that they would have thought twice. But today in my opinion people just do not stand up for their rights. We have to stand and say no, no more!
I mean I would love for the drug abusers and diverter's to be weened out of PM but realistically I don't see how it can be done without hurting the legitimate CP Pt's.
Just like the drug screens we have to take, there are so very many that have false positives and are dropped from PM completely with no where to go for treatment or help.
When the government gets full access to our medical care then we will have huge, huge problems.
I do not know the answer other than for us the public, society to stand together and demand the government stay out of our health care as they have no business there what so ever.
I am astonished that more people are not outraged over this, I definitely am!

[Sarajmt]

Thank you Kalvin.  This is a bit chilling.  I'm not on those drugs mentioned.  I got myself off fentanyl because of the lethargy, I was a zombie.  BUT there are very many people on this forum who use it correctly and desperately need these drugs to function.  I am just one isolated case.

I do not like this at all.  Why don't they focus their efforts on the pill mills and the street drugs.  Is it because we have no voice.  Are we silent or just not heard.  Whichever, we need to be heard and be heard loudly on this issue.  Our pain treatment should be between our doctors and us.  PERIOD.  

I don't know about the rest of you but I can tell you I've become very leery of how government is intruding in our lives.  According to Rep. Pete Stark there is no limit on what the government can do and how far they can intrude into our lives.  See this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RInJFpeuksk

We need to get government out of our medical care.  Let one of them suffer unbearable pain day to day.  Then lets see how they feel about fentanyl, oxycodone et al.  

This is getting scary.