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The CDC and FDA are trying to cut back opioids by 25% nation wide
Chronic Pain | Last Active: Dec 7, 2016 | Replies (27)Comment receiving replies
I agree that "the government is not trying to hurt anyone in this". The opioid epidemic is devastating indeed .... but does CDC have the right culprit?
The Pain News Network published this:
Fentanyl & Heroin Changing U.S. Opioid Epidemic
November 19, 2016
By Pat Anson, Editor
A prominent Alabama physician says the U.S. opioid epidemic has changed so profoundly in the last 3 years that a serious reconsideration of government policy is needed. STEFAN KERTESZ, MD states that "“Heroin and fentanyl have come to dominate an escalating epidemic of lethal opioid overdose, while opioids commonly obtained by prescription play a minor role,” Kertesz wrote in a commentary published in the journal Substance Abuse.
Kertesz says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relied on faulty data and failed to address the changing nature of opioid abuse when it released its opioid prescribing guidelines in March. Since then, many pain patients have reported their opioid doses have been lowered or discontinued, while some have been discharged by their physicians and forced to seek treatment elsewhere.
He likened the situation to Pontius Pilate washing his hands.
Replies to "I agree that "the government is not trying to hurt anyone in this". The opioid epidemic..."
Just as a point of reference, here is the data on opioids and Rx information. http://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html
In our Indiana community opioids are out of control -- and yes, fentanyl is available by Rx only!
Yes, Fentanyl is "legally" available only by prescription ... very true. The problem comes from "illegal" Fentanyl from China and Mexico ... street drugs.
As reported by NPR (Aug 25, 2016):
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that there was a 426 percent increase in seized drug products that tested positive for fentanyl from 2013 to 2014. And separate data show the number of deaths involving synthetic opioids, a class that includes fentanyl and tramadol but not hydrocodone, rose 79 percent during that same period. That suggests, the authors say, that illegally manufactured fentanyl is driving the spike in overdoses. (Deaths attributed specifically to fentanyl aren't reported in national data.)
Note from david56: the above also points up a flaw in the gathering of statistics.
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Thanks @david56, especially for your question, "Does CDC have the right culprit?" Did Dr. Kertesz answer your question? He said "opioids commonly obtained by prescription play a minor role." Isn't Fentanyl a common prescription drug? Is culpability linked to prescriptions? Are medical professionals responsible for reducing or discontinuing dosages? For me, the question remains unanswered.