OT - FDA Approves New Opioid Addiction Treatment

FDA Approves New Opioid Addiction Treatment - National Pain Report
http://bit.ly/1oQMbPd

This isn't a new drug, just a new formulation of buprenorphine, but it's worth noting anyway.

Some of you may be wondering why I'm paying about an addiction treatment and it's a valid question. As pain patients, we are constantly grouped with addicts and we need to stay informed. Also, some PMs have prescribed Suboxone for pain, which is stupid because buprenorphine only treats pain with doses below 0.3mg/300mcg per day (Butrans is the only buprenorphine product capable of treating pain). The reason why doses above 2mg don't work for pain is that buprenorphine is a partial mu-opioid agonist (it acts like naloxone/Narcan and naltrexone at high doses and blocks opioids).

If we don't know the names of these addiction treatments, PMs can lie to to us.

SUBOXONE, BUNAVAIL, BUPRENEX, SUBUTEX, ZUBSOLV, AND ALL GENERIC BUPRENORPHINE PRODUCTS ARE FOR ADDICTION TREATMENT ONLY, DO NOT TAKE THEM FOR PAIN. Buprenorphine pills aren't for pain, only buprenorphine patches treat pain.

Steve

Distinguishing Intractable Pain Patients from Drug Addicts

Distinguishing Intractable Pain Patients from Drug Addicts

By Joel S. Hochman, MD

http://bit.ly/IPvsAddict


Maybe one of you will better understand what appears to me to be nothing but an excuse to keep pain patients from getting their meds. It seems to me that fear of Diversion is a poor excuse for denying legitimate pain patients access to opioids, especially when nothing else works. The DEA has NO AUTHORITY to regulate medicine, they can only go after a doctor if (s)he prescribes "outside of medical practice", meaning that they were intentionally writing prescriptions that were not intended to treat a legitimate medical condition. Unfortunately, doctors don't decide which doctors are prescribing in the "due course of medical practice", and neither do any other medical professionals. DEA agents (glorified cops) and prosecutors make these decisions. They've scared doctors to the point where the doctors have started to lie to their patients in order to reduce the number of controlled substances (especially opioids) that they prescribe.

My biggest question is this....

If physicians can distinguish so easily between addicts and legitimate pain patients (which I do believe that they can), why is it that the DEA can't tell the difference between prescriptions to legitimate patients and prescriptions written to addicts?

-Steve

Fear Of Addiction Means Chronic Pain Goes Untreated | Health News Florida [Transcript]

Fear Of Addiction Means Chronic Pain Goes Untreated | Health News Florida [Transcript]
http://bit.ly/1iJH9Vs