The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published new guidelines in an attempt to tackle the major opioid drug crisis that has hit the U.S. The guidelines are aimed at primary care physicians who prescribe the almost half of the opioid drugs to patients. The recommendations are for doctors to try mild painkillers such as ibuprofen before prescribing opioids which are highly addictive.
Not everyone was happy with the forthcoming publication. Pain doctors and drug industry groups who advocate for patients who genuinely require opioid painkillers for long-term pain, believe the recommendations will create unfair difficulties in obtaining them. According to The New York Times, the government stood its ground by publishing the guidelines due to the mounting crisis America is facing with drug addiction. Deaths and overdoses reached 28,647 in 2014 including those from heroin which is commonly used by some once addiction to opioid drugs has started. Dr. Carl R. Sullivan III, director of the addictions program at West Virginia University, says how thrilled he is that the guidelines have been published and believes “prescribing practices have been an embarrassment for so long.”
It would be hard for me to overstate how thrilling it is to read these guidelines after all these years. This is a very big deal. These prescribing practices have been an embarrassment for so long
NPR interviewed Dr. Debra Houry who has been involved in developing the guidelines. She explains how she hopes doctors will be able to discuss potential dangers of drug use with patients and encourage non-opioid use before all else. She hits back at criticism that the amount of drugs prescribed has been shortened to seven days saying that doing this will limit the excess drugs that create an environment for misuse and addiction.
Houry states that the guidelines will be continually revised and updated since there is always “room for more science” but says they have enough evidence about the risks of opioid misuse to start implementing a more strict regime amongst practitioners.
