opioids
Karen 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 MoreA Veteran’s Story in His Own Words
Policymakers have changed the way patients who have chronic pain are treated. The 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain has had a domino effect on policies throughout the country. Unfortunately, veterans have been particularly affected. I have heard of many vets being told they no longer would be prescribed opioids or benzodiazepines.…
Read MoreThe Reason People Become Addicted Is Multifactorial
Debunking the Myths About Why Opioid Addictions Develop
Read MoreFlushing Out the Truth About Disposing of Pain Medications
The FDA believes that the risk of harm from overdose is greater than the danger the drugs present to the environment. That is why the FDA recommends flushing them down the toilet—which puts the drugs in contact with our water supply.
Read MoreThe 2019 Event with Major Impact for 100 Million Americans
Groundless accusations, media support of the accusations, and the enormous financial backing of a false narrative exploit the weaknesses of our civil and criminal systems.
Read MoreCenter for Effective Regulatory Policy & Safe Access (CERPSA)
People in pain deserve humane and compassionate treatment. However, in this anti-opioid climate, they haven’t always been able to receive it. Stephen Ziegler, Ph.D. founded the Center For Effective Regulatory Policy & Safe Access (CERPSA) to evaluate new, and existing, drug control policies through science-based research, and to communicate its findings to policymakers. CERPSA’s goal…
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 MoreReplacing Opioids Has Just Been Made Harder
People in pain rely on scientific advances to find safer, more effective alternatives to opioids, and animal research is key to all early drug development. A recent announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threatens to change that, inhibiting science’s ability to replace opioids and create new life-saving pain interventions.
Read MoreCanadian Survey Repudiates Government Policies Harming People in Pain
It is understandable that politicians want to reduce the harm from inappropriate use of opioids, but it should not be at the expense of people in pain. This is a human rights issue that must not be ignored.
Read MoreThe Opioid Risk Tool Has Been Inappropriately Weaponized
A history of experiencing preadolescent sexual abuse does not mean a person will necessarily develop an OUD. It is only a risk factor. It does not determine the outcome of using opioids, although it may partially indicate the level of monitoring, support, and education that would be appropriate.
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