{"id":4284,"date":"2017-08-03T10:04:54","date_gmt":"2017-08-03T14:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/?p=4284"},"modified":"2017-08-03T10:04:54","modified_gmt":"2017-08-03T14:04:54","slug":"new-centers-for-disease-control-guidelines-on-opioid-prescriptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joemillerinjurylaw.com\/new-centers-for-disease-control-guidelines-on-opioid-prescriptions\/","title":{"rendered":"New Centers for Disease Control Guidelines on Opioid Prescriptions"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the Law Offices of Joe Miller Esq. and the Work Injury Center, we are very aware of the expanded use of opioids to treat work injury pain and other pain causes. As part of our continuing effort to keep informed and keep our clients and working partners informed, we are writing to advise of the latest guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta (CDC) for prescribing opioid medications. We have previously written about the new Virginia Laws on prescribing Opioids<\/a>, which pretty much track the previously enacted CDC rules.<\/p>\n

As we have reported previously, while we certainly support law enforcement and any and all efforts to curb this horrific national epidemic of opioid deaths, we are concerned that the passing of these laws and guidelines in response primarily to the actions of criminals and thugs will adversely affect our law-abiding injured worker clients. Many of our clients have suffered extremely serious injuries and opioids are often the best and only way to substantially decrease their pain after major surgeries or surgery failures.<\/p>\n

The Centers for Disease Control in 2016 developed new guidelines in response to the opioid prescription crisis. Opioids are chemicals that work on nerves in the brain or the body to reduce the severity of pain. They are either derived directly from the seed pods of the poppy flower papaver somniferum , which is also used to make heroin, morphine and opium, or from synthesized derivatives of the plant or synthesized chemicals.<\/p>\n

Sadly, many people are becoming addicted, overdosing, or abusing their prescriptions. The guidelines are specifically aimed at helping primary care doctors known when to prescribe the drugs and when and how to monitor their patients. The guidelines apply to patients who have pain that lasts three months or more. The guidelines do not apply to patients who take the opioids for cancer treatment, end-of-life care, or palliative care.<\/p>\n

According to the CDC, opioid prescription use has quadrupled<\/strong> since 1999. Over 183,000 people<\/strong> have died due to their use or misuse of opioid prescriptions since that year. The recommendations are designed to provide standard current guidelines for clinical practices. Specifically, the guidelines target the choice of opioids that are prescribed, the proper dosage, how long the drugs should be used, what sort of follow-up doctors should do, and when the prescriptions should terminate.<\/p>\n

The full guidelines can be seen here \u2013 Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain<\/a><\/p>\n

The purpose of the guidelines<\/strong><\/p>\n

The purpose is help physicians make recommendations when they treat chronic pain. They are a \u201cbest practices\u201d set of standards for responsible prescribing.<\/p>\n

Non-opioid remedies are suggested such as exercise and cognitive behavior therapy. Non-opioid drugs such as anti-inflammatories are encouraged. The guidelines state the opioids should not be the routine recommendation. Even when opioids are prescribed, the doctor should combine their use with the other non-drug therapies for maximum benefit.<\/p>\n

Doctors are advised to prescribe the lowest possible effective drug dosage and begin the treatment by using immediate-releasing opioids instead of opioids that are extended-release or long-acting. Opioid prescriptions should only be for the time needed to manage the pain duration.<\/p>\n

Providers should follow-up with their patients by scheduling regular appointments to see if the benefits of the opioid prescription are causing their patient harm and whether their patients are applying the non-pharmacological treatments that are available.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s included in the guideline?<\/strong><\/p>\n

More specifically, the guidelines focus on the following three assessment areas:<\/p>\n