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Going forward, all my new articles will appear on Substack. This will give us a cleaner, more reliable way to stay connected with thoughtful, evidence-based commentary on pain, addiction, health policy, and the science that matters most to patients, and people interested in the health-related topics I write about.
Opioids are often considered mandatory for treatment of chronic pain, but many patients would prefer an alternative. Doctors say those alternatives may also work better in some cases. Link to NPR All Things Considered
Mark Twain is quoted as saying: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” What Is an FDA ADCOM? Pharma and device companies seeking approval for their products are often required to present their data to an FDA advisory committee meeting (ADCOM). They have a limited time in which to tell…
Inconsistent and Specious Laws Criminalizing Addiction In my blog, “Is Suboxone the New Kleenex®?,” I attempted to clarify which opioids are used to treat addiction as well as pain, depending on their brand name or where they are being prescribed. A recent article in MEDPAGE TODAY titled “Suboxone Underused, Opioids Overused in Medicine” added some…
CIPA EVYY Award Finalist I’m pleased and humbled to announce that my book, The Painful Truth: What Chronic Pain Is Really Like and Why It Matters to Each of Us, has been selected as a finalist in the 2016 CIPA EVVY Awards. It holds that spot in the Health/Diet/Fitness category. The Painful Truth is…
Confusion About Suboxone There is an interesting recent article in MEDPAGE TODAY titled “Suboxone Underused, Opioids Overused in Medicine.” To me, that is an oxymoron. As I’ll explain, the title does make sense if you’re trying to communicate to the lay public, but it is an ambiguous and seemingly contradictory statement. Since there’s already way…
Ninety Percent of All Drug Addictions Start in the Teens “Ninety percent of all drug addictions start in the teens — and 75 percent of prescription opioid misuse begins when (mainly young) people get pills from friends, family or dealers — not doctors. Opioids are rarely the first drug people misuse.” This is an incredibly…
President Obama stands ready to sign the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). This bill will make available more treatments for opioid addiction and is intended to deter inappropriate prescribing of prescription opioids. As a recent Washington Post article points out, critics of CARA fear that this legislation could “cause prescription opioid users to switch…
What Is CARA (The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016)? By now, you may have heard of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016. Designed to establish “a comprehensive, coordinated, balanced strategy through enhanced grant programs that would expand prevention and education efforts while also promoting treatment and recovery,” the bill…
I’m pleased to say that I’ve signed the White House Petition that was recently launched by the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA) with Consumer Pain Advocacy Task Force (CPATF). The petition asks the White House to implement and fund the National Pain Strategy (NPS) toward a better future for people with debilitating, life-altering…
I was troubled to see a recent story in the online publication, Counterpunch. It starts off by declaring the root cause of the opioid crisis is Pharma’s contribution to professional societies for “educational” programs. Counterpunch reports that the funding was provided to advocate for “more aggressive identification and treatment of pain.” Ironically, the tag line…
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