Patrick Clarke, of Rockville, is correct in his letter to the Washington Post‘s editor. Heroin is not the same thing as prescription opioids. There’s a huge difference. I’m not talking only about the pharmacology. I’m talking about the reasons why people use heroin and prescription opioids. Heroin and Opioids Are Different Heroin is most commonly used…
In the movie titled with their names, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid look back at an unknown posse that’s following them far more doggedly than the two outlaws would desire. At night, watching the lights of the oncoming riders, both men wonder aloud, “Who are those guys?” The next day, from a bluff where…
An article called “7 Words That Could Have Biotech and Big Pharma Very Worried,” written by Sean Williams and recently posted on The Motley Fool, tells both sides of the story. Pressure on price for pharmaceuticals is a real concern. Affordability is important. A drug can only work if patients can afford to pay for…
Those who live with chronic pain may suffer from OIC (Opioid Induced Constipation). That’s not a joke, and it doesn’t lend itself to satire. Yet after the Super Bowl ran a tasteful ad to raise awareness about OIC, Bill Maher weighed in with a tweet that was shameful and offensive. These are people with serious…
“Julie” mentioned that her doctor advised her to keep a pain journal, and she wanted some direction. She loves to write, but she wasn’t sure how to approach the task. Also, she was concerned that dwelling on her pain might make it worse. Wasn’t the goal to distract herself from the pain rather than to…
I blogged that President Barack Obama has requested that Congress earmark $1.1 billion to combat the U.S. opioid, and the fact that I support the president on that. Yet the president made no mention the need to help people in pain. The CDC and Johns Hopkins issued opioid prescribing guidelines without out a peep…
Alec Ross, author of a book called Industries of the Future, writes that, in 20 years, cancer may be curable. We might just be able to “melt it away.” Frequently, I compare pain to cancer. Believe it or not, pain is far more complex than cancer. Cancer usually starts from a single DNA mutation. On…
I was flabbergasted to read the comment made on Facebook by the firefighter in Weymouth, Massachuestts who said “we should just let heroin addicts die from overdose rather than give them the rescue antidote, naloxone.” This would be like saying the obese diabetic should not be treated because they ate too much, or the disease…
As if it’s not enough that some people have chronic pain, we know that these people also don’t live as long. There is new evidence that persistent pain affects the function of the same cells that fights AIDS, lymphomas, and other diseases associated with an impaired immune system. It is hard to know how much…
Recent Comments