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The 2016 CDC guidelines on opioid prescribing have been faulted in some quarters for a lack of scientific basis, and an article earlier this week discusses a recent study of the federal review process used in their development. Led by past PAINWeek faculty member Daniel Carr, MD, MA, professor of...
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Results from an interim analysis of the Patient Registry of Intrathecal Ziconotide Management (PRIZM) conclude that the treatment provides long-term pain relief in patients with severe chronic pain that is refractory to conventional therapies. Effectiveness is enhanced if ziconotide is used as the...
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I think that buprenorphine actually should be one of the first line opioids. Pharmacologically, it's really a different animal. It's in the same kingdom, but just a different animal. Buprenorphine is available in two products that are specifically FDA approved for pain. Belbuca, which is the buccal...
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Buprenorphine was approved for the treatment of opioid use disorder in 2002, with the stipulation that prescribing clinicians obtain a waiver from the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and with limitations on how many patients those authorized prescribers may treat in...
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In a recent press release, the marketing research and strategic planning firm Pain Insights, Inc., announced the publication of a new study of patient views on the use of opioids, nonopioid analgesics, and nonpharmacologic therapies for the management of chronic pain. The study was undertaken to...
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A new consensus report released last week by a panel of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine urges a broad-based rethinking of our approach to chronic pain management, which would require changes in outlook and behavior from all stakeholders, including clinicians, patients...
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A report published earlier this year in Journal of Opioid Management concludes that handwritten prescriptions for opioids are significantly more error-prone than are electronically created orders for the medications. Researchers conducted a small study of opioid prescriptions filled at the...
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The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) recently released an updated version of its guidelines for prescribers in the use of opioid therapy for chronic pain. The revised document draws on recent advisories from the CDC and the FDA, and is intended to reflect the most current science for...
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It is possible to provide the best care for a patient and protect yourself from criminal and civil liability. In fact, when you do one right, you do the other right as well. Typically you want to look for three things as a prescriber of any controlled prescription medication, opioid or otherwise...
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Researchers from Texas A&M Irma Rangel College of Pharmacy have recently highlighted a new concern emanating from the public health crisis of opioid abuse: the substitution of large doses of the antidiarrheal medication loperamide. Sold under the brand name Imodium®, the drug is readily available...