New CDC Guidelines For Prescribing Pain Medications

There is no question that drug-related deaths in the United States are increasing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that from 1999-2016, over 350,000 people have died “from an overdose involving any opioid, including prescription and illicit opioids.” Presently, an estimated 115 people die every day from opioid overdose. Though we would like to say our city is safe from this epidemic, San Antonio is no exception.

To combat this tragedy, doctors are becoming more proactive about developing best practices when it comes to prescribing pain medications. As more information becomes available about the causes and consequences of how doctors prescribed opioids in the past, clinicians have sought better, safer ways to help patients who require chronic pain management.

The Risks Associated With Opioids

In the past decade, the death rates for the leading causes of death in the United States, like cancer and heart disease, have decreased. The death rate for opioid use, however, has increased considerably. This trend reflects how addictive opioids are and how widespread their abuse is.

While environmental, genetic, and psychological factors may have some effect on a patient’s likelihood of becoming addicted to opioids, there is no perfect predictive formula, and anyone who takes opioids risks developing an addiction—especially those who take opioids for chronic pain.

Some other side effects of opioids are:

• Increased sensitivity to pain
• Depression
• Confusion
• Drowsiness and dizziness
• Tolerance (i.e., needing more medication for the same pain relief)
• Physical dependence (i.e., having symptoms of withdrawal when medication is stopped)

Serious medical professionals do not deny these risks, but they also can’t deny that opioids have been an effective short-term treatment for acute pain. In an attempt to reconcile treatment efficacy and patient safety, as well as outline non-opioid medication and therapy options, the CDC released new guidelines for prescribing pain medications.

What Doctors Are Doing to Protect Patients

The goal of the new CDC guidelines for prescribing pain medications is to improve the way clinicians prescribe opioids to decrease the risk of opioid use disorder, abuse, and death. These changes will ensure that patients have access to more comprehensive treatment for chronic pain.

While the factors contributing to the opioid epidemic are varied, one that doctors can control is the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of chronic pain. Chronic pain has substantive effects on a person’s life. It can limit a person’s ability to go to work and be social, and it has a negative effect on a person’s overall quality of life.

Doctors should do everything possible to help patients suffering from chronic pain, and there are certainly some cases where pain medicine is part of a helpful, thorough treatment plan. That said, evidence suggests that opioids are neither the safest nor more effective treatment for chronic pain.

In the interest of providing regulated and successful care to patients, the new CDC guidelines for prescribing pain medications encourage doctors to do the following:

• Consider nonpharmacologic and nonopioid options for chronic pain
• Only prescribe opioids in conjunction with nonpharmacologic and nonopioid care
• Establish clear treatment goals with patients
• Discuss the realistic benefits and risks associated with opioids with all patients
• Prescribe immediate-release tablets at the lowest effective dosage
• Monitor patients carefully throughout their course of treatment

Places like Texas Pain Specialists, a reliable pain relief center in San Antonio, have taken all of the above steps and offer patients safer, more reliable treatments than opioids for chronic pain.

Finding a Responsible Texas Pain Specialist Near You

If you live in San Antonio and experience chronic pain on a regular basis, the clinicians at Texas Pain Specialists are ready to offer you the safest, most comprehensive care.

Led by Dr. Raul Martinez, the team at Texas Pain Specialists performs and facilitates sensible treatments for chronic pain, including:

• Disc decompression
• Injections for joint and back pain
• Cervical / thoracic radiofrequency thermal ablation
• Regenerative stem cell therapy
• Psychological and behavioral therapy
• Corrective surgery

Many people who suffer from chronic pain feel there is no way out or that only the most extreme options will ease their suffering, but neither of these things is true. Hope is closer than you imagine.

If you are wondering “Where can I find chronic pain management doctors near me?” Reach out to Texas Pain Specialists in San Antonio to find out what safe, regulated treatments we can provide you.