My Story: The Dark Side of the Anti-Opioid Campaign - National Pain Report
http://bit.ly/1unVrhi
This article, and the comments, really say it all. The anti-opioid propagandists are doing nothing to fight drug addiction, but their restrictions are destroying HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of lives. Even the lucky few who have prescriptions are afraid to sneeze wrong or risk being cold turkeyed.
Why are patients shut out of the debate over prescription pain medicine?- The Washington Post
http://wapo.st/1j9NRo1
This article really says it all, well maybe not everything, but they hit the major points. Please read it in its entirety
It has come to my attention that more and more insurance companies are refusing to cover pain management, opioids, longterm opioids, and/or procedures. Or, no PMs in network and within a reasonable distance.
I've heard of this occurring with Medicaid (parts of Florida), HeritageCare (parts of Florida), and private insurance (some BlueCross BlueShield plans) and I find this very worrisome.
I would appreciate it if anyone who knows about specific cases of this would common below and/or email me (please specify whether or not I may publish the information you email me). Please include:
* the type of discrimination (higher copay, unrealistic quantity limits, prior authorization on generics, duration limits, PMs not covered or not in network, PMs who practice opioids not in network, etcetera)
* the company name
* the type of plan (Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Medicaid HMO, private insurance HMO, private insurance PPO, private POS, private FFS, ACA exchange, Tricare, VA, etcetera)
* state
* description.
If anyone knows about any petitions focused on this issue, please add them as comments and/or email them to me.
We cannot allow this practice to continue or, even worse, spread.
The Innocent Victims of America's Painkiller Panic | The Fix
http://bit.ly/1qh5Xbr
The Problem With Pain Pills: A Letter to Mr. Barry Meier and The New York Times
http://bit.ly/1iZROKS
This amazingly well balance article is a response to a highly irresponsible article that was in the New York Times, and reposted on DrugFree.org
I highly recommended that you all read both, but remember that the NYT article is a highly misinformed, highly opinionated EDITORIAL article.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers Linked to Heart Problems - National Pain Report
http://bit.ly/1ezpZcn
To clarify... The government is advocating it's use in pain patients who are BELIEVED to be in overdose. The problem is that most people can't tell an overdose from fatigue or the flu. Intractable pain patients on opioids are usually opioid tolerant and naloxone/Narcan/Evzio causes abrupt withdrawal. In a patient who actually needs opioids (intractable pain patient, not drug addict), this abrupt withdrawal can trigger a heart attack.
This is unnecessary because...
If pain patient (or addict) overdoses, the symptom is respiratory depression, which can be overcome with oxygen, BiPAP, and/or CPR. This product is intended to reverse believed overdose while waiting for an ambulance, but CPR has been fine for years.
Naloxone/Narcan/Evzio reverses the opioids, which is fine for an opioid-naive patient, but this device is only for opioid tolerance patients.
With so many family members not understanding us and many being called druggies, would you really want them wielding an opioid blocker? I can easily see easy access to naloxone leading to pain patients (& addicts) being forcefully injected with naloxone against their will to "prove" to them that they're an addict (those people never understand the different being addiction and tolerance & physical dependence).
This product should only be prescribed directly to the addict or pain patient, not "concerned family members" WITH THEIR PERMISSION. It should be treated like Antabuse (giving to someone without permission is forbidden and legally considered poisoning, and carries a black box warning).
Steve
American Pain Rights Act Petition
http://bit.ly/1dGT7h6
My comment:
I'm a cancer patient with severe intractable pain. Because of the rampant Opiophobia caused by the epidemic of anti-opioid propaganda, I can no longer get adequate treatment. Pain patients aren't addicts and we aren't criminals, we didn't choose to live in pain 24/7. We are treated as guilty the moment we walk into the doctor's office, hospital, or pharmacy. Addiction among chronic pain patients is extremely rare (3-7 patients per thousand). Those of its who take our medications as prescribed should NEVER been punished because an minority of people abuse these essential medications.
Drug abusers will get opioids no matter what. These opiophobic policies harm pain patients, but have no effect on addicts other than to raise street prices on pharmaceutical opioids and force them to switch to heroin (diacetylmorphine/diamorphine), which is much more dangerous because they cannot accurately determine dose. There are even a subset of extremely desperate pain patients (mostly in Florida) who have resorted to heroin for pain relief. No one should have to turn to the streets for medical care.
For intractable pain patients, like myself, there is no alternative to opioids. Before doctors prescribe opioids, they make us try dozens of other treatments (with serious side effects).
Opioids aren't nearly as dangerous as NSAIDs or acetaminophen, each of which kill more people each year than all opioids combined.
Overcoming Opiophobia
http://bit.ly/Opiophobia
The Intractable Pain Patients' Handbook for Survival
http://bit.ly/PainGuidePDF
It's unprecedented, but the media has finally realized that the patients' perspective in the debate over prescription opioids belongs in the article, not the comments section.
I urge you to read and pass along this well written, well thought out article...
Why are patients shut out of the debate over prescription pain medicine? - The Washington Post
New Drug Law To Relieve Pain For India’s Chronically Ill - India Real Time - Wall Street Journal
http://on.wsj.com/1bfce0P