| Article
American women who are pregnant or of reproductive age and use opioids for nonmedical reasons are also likely to use other substances including nicotine, alcohol, and/or cocaine, according to an analysis conducted at University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. The study is described as the...
| Article
Senior PAINWeek faculty member Douglas Gourlay, MD, MSc, FRCPS, FASAM, has spoken often of the need for frontline practitioners with an interest in pain to become “talented amateurs” in addiction medicine. A new consensus document released by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) may...
| Article
A news story and accompanying article appearing last week, and authored by National Public Radio correspondent Craig Lemoult, highlights the problem of postoperative pain management in high risk patient populations. The story details the tragic death last December of 23-year-old Max Baker, a...
| Video
It's important for practitioners to be "in the know" about drugs of abuse, whether new ones, or new abuses of well-known drugs.
| Podcast
Practitioners routinely wrestle with the issue of medication aberrant behavior (MAB)--What should I do about this? Should I discharge the patient? Will I get in trouble if I don't discharge this patient? Often there is no one right answer, and practitioners struggle with what to do in the face of a...
| Podcast
The field of pain management has undergone a circuitous adventure, much like a rabbit hole. As the economic, mental health, and medical consequences of prescribing opioid medications have mounted, the prevailing logic regarding the usefulness of prescribing opioids for chronic pain has shifted. The...
| Podcast
The science of drug testing in chronic pain has advanced rapidly over the past few years. Yet there is still confusion around optimal test choices, frequencies, and what test results actually provide. Today's definitive drug testing technology can help to identify more than the simple "presence or...
| Podcast
Managing risk is an essential part of medical practice, particularly in light of the reported increase in morbidity and mortality associated with the use of opioids. Recent anecdotal data indicate that as a result of the "opioid crisis," patients are being told by their prescribers that they can no...
| Podcast
The prescription drug problem in America has led to many guidelines and, in some cases, regulations aimed at stemming the tide of prescription drug abuse. Some are evidence based, but most are driven by fear and an overwhelming need to do "something." Unfortunately, while these guidelines have...
| Podcast
Effective pain management has been deemed a human right, but some chronic pain patients perceive that to mean they are entitled to opioid analgesics for prolonged pain control. In response to these expectations, providers may feel pressured to say "Yes" and continue prescribing opioids, thereby...