Some time ago I asked (via Twitter) if people knew of cases where hospice patients were being underprescribed opioid pain medications. Many did. But one story stood out. You'll see why. Meet Laurie Engel.
opioid denial
A vacation is a tough time to get sick or hurt. It's even tougher when you might have a perfectly legitimate need for a controlled substance, but can't get it from any urgent care facility. The result? Instead of getting an effective drug for what ails you you get tossed out with something nearly worthless. This just happened to my wife. Here's the story. It's infuriating.
Hardly a day goes by when the "opioid crisis" doesn't make the news. But as you'll see, alcohol causes far more damage in terms of addiction, health problems, deaths, and economic impact yet is rarely mentioned. Why the discrepancy? It just doesn't add up.
The following is a compendium of articles and op-eds I have written since 2013. It is an updated version of "Analyzing The Opioid Crisis: 65 Articles By Dr. Josh Bloom," which was published in 2019.
Cato Institute's Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer, also an ACSH advisor, and Dr. Josh Bloom argue in The Philadelphia Inquirer that the unwinnable war on drugs is simply a losing proposition for pain patients.
Canadian pain patients may have it even worse than those in the US. Our northern neighbors are buying opioids on the dark web (shudders) because they can't get them from their doctors, just like here. Perhaps we need a "Borders Without Doctors" group.
Although pain patients in the U.S. continue to struggle mightily to get the prescription opioids they need, at least they -- finally -- have the American Medical Association behind them. But in Canada, patient advocacy groups are also fighting the Canadian Medical Association, something that can be seen in an open letter to the CMA from the Chronic Pain Association of Canada. Here are some of the letter's highlights, especially those involving contributions from ACSH.
The denial of prescription analgesic medication to chronic pain patients has caused unnecessary suffering. But it has also driven up the suicide rate, trapping those who cannot bear to live without the drugs that have kept them functioning for years. ACSH advisor Red Lawhern, Ph.D., discusses the tragedy of intolerable pain.
ACSH friend Dr. Aric Hausknecht takes issue with the July 4th advice tweeted by Surgeon General Jerome Adams, which recommended the use of IV Tylenol for post-operative pain. The New York neurologist and pain management physician gave us exclusive permission to print his response to Dr. Adams.
Dawn Anderson, a former nurse who was dying from multiple, painful conditions, faced far worse than just death. She was dying in agony, as hospital staff refused to provide opioid pain relievers that had worked well in the past. Here is Dawn's chilling story, which is the quintessential example of the consequences of "opioid madness" and the cruelty it brings with it.
You do not want to be in the shoes of chronic pain patient Iris Erlingsdottir. Iris has a rare, genetic form of arthritis, which is not treatable. But it is extremely painful. She describes some of what she has to go through to get relief. Just plain awful.