Lynn R. Webster, M.D.

July 10, 2012 9:17 am Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) My long-time neighbor Larry Coffman sent me this kind note about my son Matt’s response to the death of Larry’s dog 15 years ago.  Matt was 6 years old at the time. “It was the week after Lucky died, and I was feeling like I had lost…

July 12, 2012 11:10 am Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) Purdue Pharma recently announced it is conducting clinical trials on OxyContin in children. Immediately some have criticized, suggesting that the exposure to opioids at an early age will inevitably lead to addiction later in life. The larger issue that was missed is that there…

August 3, 2012 11:25 am Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) For a riveting read, see “The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,” by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The book chronicles the history of humankind’s most feared disease, including a multitude of treatment failures. The word cancer conjures a picture of death to many people.…

January 3, 2012 10:57 am Dr. Webster 1 Comment Welcome to my blog! As we start a new year I want express my thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this inaugural blog. The intent of this blog is to be informative and provide you, the reader, insight about timely health care issues. Initially I…

February 13, 2012 10:44 am Dr. Webster 2 Comments (Edit) I don’t know if we will hear that Whitney’s death is a drug-related death, but based upon her troubled past, it is a possibility.  I am not a big music buff or a celebrity follower, but I am touched by the humanity of the tragedy and the sadness within the greatness of…

April 9, 2012 2:34 pm Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) When tragedy strikes from prescription-drug related harm and a loved one is lost, the devastation remains forever. The desire to blame physicians who treat chronic pain is understandable but cannot solve the problem. Unfortunately, there isn’t one solution, such as restricting the use of opioids to people…

June 11, 2012 7:34 pm Dr. Webster 2 Comments (Edit) Bloomberg Businessweek recently published an article detailing the takedown of what is described as “the largest U.S. pill mill.” Florida-based twin brothers, Christopher and Jeffrey George presided over a collection of so-called pain clinics that dispensed the most illegal oxycodone of anyone in the United…

June 18, 2012 1:10 pm Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) The U.S. Senate has signed legislation applying the same rules to all hydrocodone products that apply to other strong analgesics. If the president signs on, drugs that combine hydrocodone with acetaminophen or other products will move from Schedule III to the more restrictive Schedule…

June 25, 2012 2:57 pm Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) One of my favorite movies of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird. This Pulitzer Prize-winning American classic story, first published in 1960, later became the Oscar-winning film starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch and Robert Duvall as Arthur “Boo” Radley. Each time I…

July 2, 2012 11:22 am Dr. Webster Leave a Comment (Edit) Last week I met a young man in his early 20s who was seeking help for his opioid addiction. He had started with prescription opioids because they were easily available. His friend gave them to him. He said he used them because his friends…