http://www.kristv.com/story/37509369/dea-advises-precautions-when-prescribing-opioid-medications
CORPUS CHRISTI – According to the CDC, more than 100 people die every day from an opioid overdose. The epidemic has been a nation-wide topic of conversation, but healthcare workers and the government are making efforts to lower the amount of opiate prescriptions. Some changes are already happening.
Doctors at the forefront of this epidemic have to make the tough decision of prescribing the pain medicine, or not.
But now, the Drug Enforcement Administration, or the DEA, which is in charge of fighting drug abuse in the country, is emailing doctors recommendations on how to safely prescribe opioids.
Dr. Justin Hensley, President of the Nueces County Medical Society, said until this week, he has never gotten a notice like this from the DEA.
When KRIS 6 asked why he believes the recommendations just came out, Dr. Hensley said, “Because there’s news about 60,000 people dying a year from them.”
The misuse and abuse of opioids can present a challenge for doctors to prescribe the appropriate medication to their patient. Dr. Hensley says regardless, doctors do what’s in their patients’ best interest.
“We don’t want to make people hurt,” Hensley said, “but we don’t want to make them addicted to pain medicine all of their lives.”
As a doctor, Hensley says he and his colleagues were always aware of the possible consequences linked to prescribing opioids. He believes it’s a positive sign the government has issued recommendations like this.
“Look at all this data, look at how drug companies are decreasing what they’re spending,” Dr. Hensley said. “Look at what the government is doing.”
The state of Texas also requires a special prescription to get schedule two medications, which include opioids like hydrocodone and oxycodone. Those prescriptions make it even more difficult to get ahold of schedule two drugs. The impact has already been seen at a Corpus Christi pharmacy.
Carlos Salinas, a pharmacist at Deleon’s Clinic Pharmacy, says within the last year, he’s seen a large decrease in the number of opioid prescriptions.
“The U.S. government along with other healthcare professionals are really, really trying to get control of the chronic opioid epidemic in our country.”
Texas has also provided recommendations on how to prescribe opioids. Those guidelines were enforced this month.
Filed under: General Problems
Sen. Lamar Alexander needs to hear these stories, if we could get the doctor to submit the email from the DEA to his office in relation to the upcoming hearing on the Pain Task Force’s recommendations he plans to hold before the end of the year, it might force the DEA to be accountable for their conduct. https://www.foxnews.com/health/chronic-pain-patients-opioids-senate-committee-hearing?fbclid=IwAR1ST46zDUhjiKsDZSrwZpfO0gQyaa-vvcCxERo5qQ6EafAZga5ooQb7edE
The DEA wants to go after the EASY prey–our doctors and us. It is too hard to go after the illegal drugs!! It is so much easier to go after our doctors and their “assets.” The government also will not be satisfied until Kratom is banned. They also will not let us have cannabis because the drug companies want to make money off of it. Right now cannabis is a cash cow for the police!! It looks like the government is hellbent that we are just going to SUFFER! What do you all out there think???? NOBODY is helping us!!! NOBODY!!?
The fact that these doctors are this scared and allowing themselves to be this misinformed is irresponsible.I don’t trust them anymore.
Why is’nt the DEA fighting this hard to get illegal drugs off our streets instead of targeting CPP that they can control?
I can think of a few Billion reasons why. Follow the $$.
In other words, the DEA is now admitting to practicing medicine without a proper medical license. I thought that was against the law. Now that the DEA, Arkansas State Medical Board, my Insurance company, the hospital system which owns my doctor’s clinic, the federal government, and state government are all in charge of my medical care, my doctor might as well just toss his degree in the trash.
They don’t want to make lifetime addicts….ok, can you cure the illnesses that I & so many have? I’m sure glad to hear that… Ummm yeah didn’t think so. Such an uplifting tone to this bs….can we have the suicide rates and the facts /numbers of what data actually constitutes an opioid OD. I’m so tired this fight. What are they trying to do to us, what is their end game…? I know they don’t care. Dear God in Heaven, Were did I wake up, feels like somewhere between heel and the twilight zone? I hope the Republicans are happy, for the first time in my life, I’m sure not throwing them a single vote ever again. I am certain there are many that feel the same, so I hope enjoy it because 2018 is here and President Trump looks to be a one term president if that. you don’t know how many pain patients you’re not only allowing but you are actively perpetuating these lies…FOR WHAT? We are being thrown literally under the bus and treated like dirt and we’ve done nothing to deserve this. I don’t trust my hospitals not any longer… I’m due for a major surgery that I’m told that I have to have done for my health…without proper pain medication – Postoperatively…. I think I’ll just buy most of the vacation instead. I never understood people that would say oh I’m looking to go to the beach, I’m not gonna mess with treatments and such I didn’t understand it. I do now, for a completely different reason. To think I used to actually respect and like my doctors. I trusted them (all but two in a lifetime) now I don’t know how to trust them, they can tell you one thing and you wake up post-op in recovery ….a heap of wreckage…sheer pain….added to the undertreated Pain I have persistently lived with for many years. Pain patient 22-23 years not one dirty UA and this is the treatment, the disrespect were supposed to believe this is for OUR best interest.
I /we are subjected to…because of some irresponsible individuals that the physcians should have known better than prescribe for them in the first place? I haven’t even had a glass of wine in all that time but we are abusers. I’d like for ‘them’ to redefine the word abuse and abuser because I’m beginning to think abuser resembles them. I’ve never wished pain upon anyone and I still don’t I just wish they understood or took the time to try and understand. At least listen, do they have any clue how many of us there? Why can’t we get large scale organized… No one’s going to get anything done if we don’t organize to have one strong voice. ** WHY can’t or won’t our Doctors stand with us? WHY?
I hear your pain. I’m working with doctors here in Maine. And I’d like my doctor and I to show others what is possible by opening up the dialogue. They’re scared and hospital administrators are concerned about their bottom line. They don’t feel as if they can open up themselves to that kind of liability in today’s climate. Without protections for physicians, patient protections are worthless. We need to get government OUT of the doctor’s office.
On April 7, we’re rallying nationwide. Find the “Don’t Punish Pain” Facebook site for your nearest participating location. Many problems organizing, including a largely compromised population and activism for certain illnesses but no one practice of pain management. It’s the Wild West out there…makes it difficult for docs to stand together too. Especially when the AMA has completely bowed to the will of DEA by just pretending pain doesn’t exist or that it’s not physiologically damaging. Madness, all of it.
I agree with everything u said and I share your anger and pain!!! It’s clear as day what the corrupt government and thier sidekicks the DEA, Cdc, FDA AND PROP are doing, it’s population control aka GENOCIDE of the pain community. There are facebook pages set up in memory of our brothers and sisters in pain who committed suicide to end the pain!!! WTF kind of country is this?!?! I listen to the arguments about the horrific shooting last week and adding more laws. So many on tv and more say that no law is going to stop a killer from shooting up a school or getting thier hands on weapons, and why should law abiding citizens be denied owning a gun because of the actions of crazed lunatics, we’ll change the guns to pain meds and it’s the same narrative. I’m effin sick of it!! I had a QUALITY OF LIFE! I WAS ON SAME STABLE DOSE FOR EIGHT YEARS WITH SUCCESS, Higher doses of oxycodone, morphine sulphate er, FFS I HAD A LIFE A FUNCTIONING LIFE!! Ex Gov Christie and his INHUMANE restrictions he put in place last year was the reason my ex dr abandoned my like garbage after 6 effin years of managing my pain , left me to suffer didn’t care if I lived or died, handed me last scripts which he cut way back and sent me on my way telling me several times how his license was more important than treating pain pts. I wanted to wrap my car around a tree on the way home, I have not found a dr willing to prescribe the lifesaving pain medication I require to sustain a QUALITY OF LIFE, the one I’m with now put me on methadone and it’s not helping like the morphine sulphate and oxycodone did. It sure ain’t lasting no 8 hrs and nothing for breakthru I’m in hell. I’m sick and tired of bring treated like a drug addict I have 15 years of medical records that DO NOT LIE! I’ve done everything the medical community told me to do, failed fusions, hundreds and hundreds of facet injections, trigger point injections and SI joint injections, OTC and Nsaids that tore my stomach and liver up, discetomies, discographies, water therapy, nerves burned, exercise, eating healthy, herbal, steriods, massage, chiro, accupuncture, TENS, just to name a few. And I’m no longer allowed to have the MEDICATION THAT GAVE ME A QUALITY OF LIFE! ! But an addict, they can have all the opiods MAT they need, wtf?!?!
Oh yah great congratulations on bringing down the number of prescriptions handed out. I bet y’all don’t think for a second that for every one you no longer is getting prescribed its not necessarily a victory?How many have been cut down cutoff downright denied like myself mistreated humiliated forced to live in abject misery, again like myself? How long do you think someone is gonna want to continue living in their untreated physical pain? I have 3 level acdf on February 28th. I am in agony losing my mind from pain and thinking some very outrageous scary thoughts no one should think! Shame on this system. It’s a damn disgrace. At the rate I’m going wth this pain i may not see February 28th. I prayed for God to take my life today to give it to someone who wouldn’t suffer in it. I’m so done. Really i could just vomit on anyone that is a player in this sadistic twisted game. That’s how sick i am of this mess.
liars,and again,,the dea is not my doctor,,nor my body,,,but all this ,”data,” is and was a lie,,,,What is it gonna take for the truth to be heard?!!!