chronic pain
When Anger Is Destructive
People can be forgiven for getting angry in the moment. If they have experienced a personal loss from prescription opioids, it’s reasonable for them, in their grief, to blame opioids or the doctor who prescribed them. But it’s harder to accept their vengeances when they draw a false equivalency between prescription opioids and illicit drugs.
Read MoreWe Are At War: People With Chronic Pain Must Prepare
Think of COVID-19 as another natural disaster, and anticipate the same potential problems. Begin your planning immediately by talking with your doctor.
Read MoreAlternatives to Conventional Opioids
My colleague, Richard Rauck, M.D., Pain Fellowship Director at the Wake Forest University of Medicine, and I presented a Continuing Medical Education (CME) symposium at the meeting on atypical opioid options. We discussed the strengths and weakness of three atypical opioids—tramadol, tapentadol, and buprenorphine—that clinicians may consider for the appropriate patients.
Read MoreWhy People Do Not Dispose of Unused Opioids
Many people clearly want to hold onto their unused medications. This is not new. However, the problem may worsen because, more than ever, patients who are in pain fear that they will not be able to get the medication they need.
Read MoreKaren Smith’s Story
Many people in pain want to share their story, and they ask me for help in doing so. Sometimes, I mention people who are in pain when I am speaking in public or talking with the media. Occasionally, someone tells me a story that is so poignant and eloquent that, with permission, I publish it.…
Read MoreAre You at Higher Risk for Coronavirus?
Tens of thousands of people have contracted the new coronavirus, now referred to as COVID-19. The people with increased risk for experiencing severe symptoms, and possibly dying of COVID-19, are seniors and those with chronic illness.
Read MoreThe Reason People Become Addicted Is Multifactorial
Debunking the Myths About Why Opioid Addictions Develop
Read MoreLiving With Pain During the Holiday Season
The holiday season has officially begun, but that doesn’t mean everyone is healthy enough to celebrate. Pain does not take a vacation or even ease up in honor of Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, or any other holiday.
Read MoreOpioids Are Not the Only Pain Medications That Can Be Abused
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on December 7, 2019. Contrary to popular opinion, opioids don’t cause substance abuse. Opioids certainly may be abused, but it is human biology itself that drives drug abuse. We often get the message that any pain treatment would be better than…
Read MorePunishment for Opioid Abuse Linked to Increase in Newborn Opioid Withdrawal
About half the states in the United States are willing to punish pregnant women in order to spare their babies the agony of being born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). Ironically, their efforts are having the opposite effect.
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