The CDC issued a new set of guidelines advising primary care doctors on how they should prescribe opioid medications in order to reduce risk of abuse.
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“Overprescribing opioids-largely for chronic pain-is a key driver of America’s drug-overdose epidemic”, Frieden said in a statement.
The CDC said the epidemic has been fueled in part by a quadrupling of sales of prescription painkillers, known as opioids, since 1999.
The guidelines only provide recommendation for use in treating chronic pain.
The guidelines do not apply to prescriptions for patients who are receiving cancer or end-of-life treatment. “This guideline will help equip them with the knowledge and guidance needed to talk with their patients about how to manage pain in the safest, most effective manner”.
Doctors began generously prescribing opiate painkillers in the 1990s after pharmaceutical companies and medical experts deemed they could be used for back pain, arthritis and other conditions without fear of creating addictions.
Click the players to watch the CDC’s suggestions for doctors and a mother who helps others who have children that have become addicted to painkiller medications. “The prescription overdose epidemic is doctor-driven”, he said. Thus, combating opioid use and overdose is a “national priority”.
The guidelines are only advisory “until groups like state legislatures and licensing boards get their hands on it and then they will start making it mandatory”, Twillman said.
US Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said, “West Virginians know the harmful effects of prescription drug abuse with many stories starting with addiction to painkillers”.
In fact, many patients may be pushed more towards specialists now, and critics of the CDC guidelines say many patients now face being under-treated for their pain. If they prescribe opioids, the CDC suggests first giving the minimum dose and to prescribe only three days’ worth of pills. “The risks will outweigh the benefits for the vast majority of patients”.
The guidelines are voluntary and could be adopted by hospitals, insurers and state and federal health systems.
The nation’s top public health institute is encouraging doctors to take a precise, light touch when they consider opioid medications to treat chronic pain.
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Health care providers wrote 249 million prescriptions for opioid pain relievers in 2013, the CDC said. He says the CDC’s “go slow, use less” approach speaks to the addiction crisis.
