Posts by Lynn Webster, M.D.
How to Know If You Are Addicted
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared in Consumer Health Digest on May 15, 2019. Everyone has heard the phrase “opioid addiction,” but few understand what that really means. Journalists, patients, and even many doctors believe they know what addiction is, but they are often wrong. This leads many people to be diagnosed…
Read MoreDon’t Lose Sleep Over It
Black box warnings may be alarming. However, they are not meant to scare you into panicking and discontinuing medication that you need. Their primary purpose is to inform prescribers and patients about dangers they may pose.
Read MoreIs the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Overreaching Its Authority?
Unquestionably, prescribers should be held to a high standard of care at all times. However, it is the responsibility of state medical boards to hold them to that standard. It is not the DOJ’s role to determine the quality or boundaries of the practice of medicine.
Read MoreIs Fentanyl a Weapon of Mass Destruction?
However, before we classify the chemical fentanyl as a WMD, we need to know what that would mean for its legitimate use during surgery, or for cancer and chronic pain patients. Access to the medication for the treatment of pain must be part of the calculus in assessing if a relatively safe and effective drug should be classified as a WMD.
Read MoreWhen Will Forced Tapering of Opioids End?
Will the DEA stop pursuing doctors who treat pain patients with levels of opioids that exceed the guideline’s recommendations? For Larry and other pain patients who have been forcibly tapered, the answer may be a matter of life and death.
Read MoreOregon’s Proposed Tapering Policy Is Still Undecided
Forced Tapering Proposal On March 14, 2019, the Oregon Health Authority Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) had planned to vote on a proposal that could affect thousands of Medicaid patients in Oregon. The proposal would limit Medicaid coverage of opioids to 90 days for chronic pain patients. Those who have been using opioids for more…
Read More“Best Self” Introduces Us to Gerome
I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to preview the segment of “Best Self” that features Gerome. He has the innocence and promise of any young person who is being raised in a nurturing environment where there is unconditional love.
Read MoreHow to Prevent Suicides in People With Pain
There is a cruelty that I am seeing from people in medicine, the legal profession, and policymakers who have created the wall of deafness.
Read MoreHow Has CDC Opioid Guideline Affected You?
Pain News Network is now conducting a survey with the intent of finding out how the CDC guideline is affecting both providers and patients.
Read MoreWhat Is the Truth About Energy Drinks?
Stimulants in a Bottle Does energy come from a bottle? Some people claim it does. You can find energy drinks such as Bang, Red Bull, and Energy Shot everywhere food and soft drinks are sold. Since they contain large amounts of caffeine and sugar, they may be a stimulant for some people. There’s also an…
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