The opioid crisis has everyone focused on what to do to stop it. While the origins of the crisis usually point to doctors in the 1990s, doctors today are serious about helping to end the issue. Legislators have also taken great lengths to help reduce the dependency on opioids. However, all of this work may be hurting people who do not have an opioid addiction and who just want pain relief as doctors in Pennsylvania may be going too far in their attempts to limit opioid use.
USA Today explains the design of the federal guidelines for opioid use and prescribing were supposed to help avoid adding to the opioid crisis. However, doctors are going too far. They are incredibly hesitant to give opioids to any patient, even those who could really benefit from them.
Sufferers of chronic pain or conditions that lead to serious pain can often only find relief from opioids. They are, after all, an excellent pain reliever, which is what led to the whole crisis in the first place. Doctors, though, are too worried about overprescribing to even prescribe them at all, leaving these poor patients suffering.
Doctors are not paying attention to the scope of the guidelines that would allow for some patients to still get opioid treatment. They are overreacting and it is leading to major issues. Now, legislatures and medical industry leaders are trying to adjust the guidelines and make it clearer to doctors who can and cannot receive the medication and how it should be used, which will hopefully, enable people who really need the drugs to get them. This information is for education and is not legal advice.
