Overdosing on Painkillers

The United States is currently in the midst of an epidemic of prescription opioid overdose. We are killing ourselves with painkillers. Opiod drugs killed more than 47,000 people in 2014 – more than the number of people who died in road accidents.

In fact, the Center for Disease Control has just issued new recommendations for prescribing opioid medications for chronic pain, excluding cancer, palliative, and end-of-life care. The CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, United States, 2016 is designed to assist primary care providers ensure the safest and most effective treatment for their patients.

“More than 40 Americans die each day from prescription opioid overdoses, we must act now,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Overprescribing opioids—largely for chronic pain—is a key driver of America’s drug-overdose epidemic. The guideline will give physicians and patients the information they need to make more informed decisions about treatment.”

In a nutshell, the guidelines encourage doctors to try something besides an opioid when first treating pain, even suggesting ice and talk therapy. And if an opioid drug such as oxycontin is the best choice, they suggest starting with the lowest possible dose.

The guideline provides recommendations on the use of opioids in treating chronic pain – pain lasting longer than three months or past the time of normal tissue healing. Chronic pain is a public health concern in the United States, and patients with chronic pain deserve safe and effective pain management.  This new guideline is for primary care providers, who account for prescribing nearly half of all opioid prescriptions while treating adult patients for chronic pain in outpatient settings. It is not intended for guiding treatment of patients in active cancer treatment, palliative care, or end-of-life care.

The CDC developed materials to assist providers with implementing the recommendations, including a decision checklist. These materials, as well as information for patients, are available here.