Pain Control Without Opioids
Over the last two decades, a tremendous emphasis has been placed on the use of opioid pain medications for chronic pain. The ensuing dramatic increase in the use of opioids has unfortunately been followed by equally dramatic increases in the rates of prescription drug addiction, overdose and death. And the prevalence of pain-related disability has only continued to increase despite the use of these powerful drugs. Several large-scale studies have lately shown that chronic opioid use is not effective for the vast majority of patients, and in many cases is harmful. Other studies have shown that reducing or eliminating opioids usually does not lead to worse pain, often relieves other symptoms associated with opioid use, and improves the quality of life. These developments have informed our evolving approach to opioid prescribing at Pain Management Specialists. We no longer believe that most patients can safely and effectively use opioids for the treatment of chronic pain, and we usually do not offer them. At the same time, we have increased our emphasis on physical and functional restoration, on behavioral therapies and on patient empowerment through healthy diet and lifestyle changes. You will continue to see us evolve as we more closely integrate behavioral health and rehabilitation specialties into our practice.
*Prescription Refill Notice: We do not do refills without appointments and we try to prescribe what patients will need until their next appointment. When our patients are out of their medicine, that typically means that they need to be seen. We do not prescribe narcotics without appointments.