As a physician, I urge caution as we cut back opioids

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/326095-as-a-physician-i-urge-other-doctors-to-cut-back-on-prescribing Recently I met with a woman, a casualty of our nation’s clumsy efforts to curb its opioid crisis. Her story shows how a myopic fascination with numeric targets, which caused so much harm as our prescribing went up, is likely to cause just as much harm as it comes back down.A 60 year-old kidney […]

Filed under: General Problems | Leave a Comment »

The Opioid Epidemic in 6 Charts Designed To Deceive You

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/10/12/opioid-epidemic-6-charts-designed-deceive-you-11935 I do not know Dr. Andrew Kolodny,  personally, and, aside from one brief phone call last year, I have had no contact with him. Therefore I cannot know his motivation for becoming a driving force behind “opioid reform”— a concept which would border on hysterically funny if not for the tragedy that it is […]

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »

The Myth of an Opioid Prescription Crisis

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://www.cato.org/policy-report/septemberoctober-2017/myth-opioid-prescription-crisis According to the New York Times, drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans under age 50. Opioid overdoses, in particular, have been on the rise in recent years, killing over 30,000 people in 2015. In response, many have called for stricter regulations on prescription opioids. But are doctor-prescribed drugs truly […]

Filed under: General Problems | 3 Comments »

An Accurate Blood Test for Fibromyalgia

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

https://www.healthcentral.com/article/an-accurate-blood-test-for-fibromyalgia The journey to an accurate diagnosis of fibromyalgia can be long and arduous — just ask Lady Gaga, who was only diagnosed after four years of suffering from chronic pain. Even worse, patients are often told that the pain is “all in their heads.” Now, however, there’s a blood test for fibromyalgia, FM/a, that can […]

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »

CMS proposes to force patients off effective opioid doses without their physician’s approval

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

http://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/380805-cms-proposes-to-force-patients-off-effective-opioid-doses-without-their Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a limit on the amount of opioids a physician can prescribe to a patient. This limitation, that may take effect on Jan.1, 2019, would be unrelated to the patient’s past experience or need. It would render pharmacists unable to fill prescriptions that CMS has defined […]

Filed under: General Problems | Leave a Comment »

Is the opiate conversion tables putting prescribers at risk of malpractice claims ?

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Below is the “warnings” from one of the many opiate conversion tables that are available to calculate MME’s… they all have – or should have – the same or similar warning to those who are expected to be using them to stay within the CDC and other daily opiate guidelines and/or state laws.  I am […]

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »

Trying to find objective evidence to justify treating subjective disease ?

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

In my experience of reviewing thousands of patient histories for chronic pain management in greater than 15 states, including extensive physician chart notes, the overwhelming majority of prescribers of opioids in chronic pain management [excluding cancer related pain, palliative care and sickle cell anemia (because there exists bonafide clinical evidence in the safety and effectiveness […]

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »