Opioid limits alone are not good pain care policy. In the international furor over opioid overprescribing and overdose deaths, we must extend beyond the current zero-sum conversation that pits overdose deaths vs. patients who need access to pain care. This Huffington Post explores what's needed so everyone wins. Read the post
The National Pain Report publishes a feature interview to address the question - what happens after opioids are limited or stopped? Patients with chronic pain are being unfairly punished for the actions of addicts. And, importantly: how do we treat pain differently? Beth Darnall, Ph.D. addresses all of these questions and more. Read the article here.
Dr. Darnall's Healthgreatness article on Opioid Tapering HERE. The specter of tapering off prescription opioids may be fraught with anxiety for the people taking them. Patients often worry about how they will manage the difficulty of the taper process. Patients also often mistakenly believe they will have more pain without opioids because they may have experienced more pain when they missed a dose and had withdrawal symptoms. With the right formula and plan, tapering can go smoothly [...]
I was honored to be interviewed by Pain Pathways Magazine about Less Pain, Fewer Pills: Avoid the dangers of prescription opioids and gain control over chronic pain (Bull Publishing). Though Less Pain, Fewer Pills published almost 2 years ago, today it is more relevant than ever. In a climate of opioid restrictions, people with pain need alternatives. And, even if opioids are part of your medical plan, the book teaches you ways to reduce their own pain [...]
My editorial published today in the San Francisco Chronicle. Topic: the pain and opioid crises, and what we need to do differently as a nation. The IOM Report, the National Pain Strategy, and the Pain Psychology Task Force at the American Academy of Pain Medicine are cited.