anti-opioid legislation Archives

The United State of Grief

Steven D. Passik’s mom (Fran) and dad (Ike), and their granddaughter (Sofia). That was almost exactly 22 years ago.

This is a follow up to a guest blog my friend, Steve D. Passik, posted here on September 21, 2016, called “The Painful Later Years of Frances Passik.”

Steven D. Passik, Ph.D., is a Pennsylvania-based pain psychologist. I’m proud to call him a friend. He is a giant in the field of pain medicine, but that doesn’t make his family members immune to the problems that other chronic patients face.

This is Why Sen. Edward Markey Is Short-Sighted on Opioid Crisis

Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward Markey wants the FDA to rescind its approval of OxyContin for children, and then convene an advisory panel to reconsider the issue.

Senator Markey is well intentioned but misinformed. The FDA is not the problem. The agency has not “willfully blinded itself of the warning signs” of prescription painkillers, as Senator Markey believes.

The “experts” Senator Markey is referring to tell part of the story, but the situation is more complicated than most appreciate. Surely, if Senator Markey knew the whole story, he wouldn’t want to deprive children of painkillers that could ease their extreme suffering. He wouldn’t want children to die in agony while their doctors were forced to stand by and watch them suffer.

Is It Possible For Young Children To Misuse Opioids?

Author’s note: “Emily” is a pseudonym, and she’s someone I know. I’ve changed just enough details of her story to protect her family’s privacy.

Four-year-old Emily had a rare form of cancer. She had received chemotherapy every week for about three months. She also had to bear frequent painful procedures. Emily’s mother, Sally, vicariously experienced some of the same pain, knowing that her daughter might not live.

For physicians, the challenges of treating children include being cognizant of the parents’ feelings and concerns as well. A child commonly reflects a parent’s perception of pain or anxiety.

What’s Massachusetts Thinking?

What’s Massachusetts thinking?

The newest twist in the painkiller abuse debate is that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has proposed legislation that has me in dejected disbelief. The bill would restrict both doctors and dentists from prescribing more than 72 hours of medication to patients upon initial injury or surgery. I understand the thought but it is wrongheaded.

In proposing the legislation, the Governor is reacting to the more than 1,000 painkiller overdose deaths in the state in 2014 and something clearly needs to be done. I get it. But the legislation is an over-reaction and will likely cause unnecessary pain and suffering. Sadly the legislation accelerates the trend of politicians and regulators practicing medicine.

Pendulums and Painkillers

Carl Jung once remarked, “The pendulum of the mind alternates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.” When I think about the nation’s patchwork quilt policy toward opioids, I’m reminded of how right he was. In my book “The Painful Truth,” I devoted some space to outline a brief history of opioids, and the sensical and nonsensical polices adopted by government and payers.

Our current path of understanding has been littered with good intentions and unintended consequences. While we’re better off with what we’ve learned about opioids today, we still have a long way to go to address the unfortunate side effects of opioid policy in America.