Your Chance To Influence Thinking On Opioid Restrictions

Today's post from nationalpainreport.com (see link below) looks at the opioid and medication abuse hype from another angle and gives you the patient, the chance to respond to proposed draconian laws which may prevent genuine patients from getting their pain killing medication easily in the future. This post applies to North American problems with opioid addiction and distribution but as you all know, whatever happens in the States doesn't take long before it influences what's happening in your own region. For those of you living in North America and are directly affected by any change in opioid (or other strong medication) prescription, it may be worth telling your story of what life would be like living without your neuropathic pain control. For the rest of the world...watch out...restrictions in the States will almost certainly be reflected eventually in your own area, even if it is only because the drug companies will have to change their distribution processes.

Pain Advocates Urge Patients to Comment on CDC Opioid Regulations Posted on December 14, 2015
 
 Now that the Centers for Disease Control has decided to open up the public comment period on its controversial guidelines on opioid prescribing, pain advocates are urging that people participate.

To comment, click here and view the “Comment Now” button in upper right corner.

One group that greatly influenced the CDC was the PAINS Steering Committee and Myra Christopher of the Center for Practical Bioethics emailed her followers on Friday ending with the following message.

“It is our hope that each of you and your organization will engage in this process, and I want to personally encourage you to do so. All of us are working to establish a new standard of chronic pain care – one that allows healthcare professionals and those living with chronic pain access to the full menu of treatment options, including opioids for those who benefit from them. We are all, however, also aware of the risks associated with these medications. It is important for CDC to get this right, and they need our help to do so.”

Jim Broatch is the Executive Vice President of RSDSA.

“I believe that the CDC’s decision to accept additional public comments regarding its proposed draconian Opioid prescribing policy is an overdue but wise move. Every day, I receive desperate calls from people suffering with chronic pain whose prescribers have arbitrarily cut their long-term opioid dosage without any previous discussion and do not offer another therapeutic option. It’s inhumane and malpractice. We have strongly encouraged the CRPS community to comment.”

Dr. Daniel Bennett is Chairman of The National Pain Foundation and its Global Pain Initiative.

“After years of inaction in a growing and very costly public health issue, it is encouraging the government is finally initiating discussion. Hopefully the public will arise to the occasion and educate our officials to prompt real action. We look forward, as The National Pain Foundation, in a partnership with the CDC, through the Global Pain Initiative, to provide the data that will move the treatment of pain into the 21st Century.”

Terri A Lewis, PhD, a frequent contributor to the National Pain Report put it succinctly.

“I invite chronic pain patients who rely on medications and are still alive, to offer their expertise to the public conversation.”

If you do comment, let us know what you told the CDC.

http://nationalpainreport.com/pain-advocates-urge-patients-to-comment-on-cdc-opioid-regulations-8828701.html