2016 Cdc Guidelines For Prescribing Opioids For Chronic Pain (Page 10)

Hey all fellow patients out there, did you know the CDC has published a list of their proposed 2016 guidelines for doctors who prescribe opioids for chronic pain? That includes oxycodone, lortab, percocet, hydrocodone, opana, suboxone, morphine, and any other drug that has an opiate ingredient in it that so many of us count on to lead normal lives!

This affects all of us and the comment period ends on January 13 2016! That's about a week from now! You know the doctors are going to have to follow whatever federal rules pass so if you are worried that you might not get the care you need please go to the gov web site for the office of the Federal Register and submit your comments to them before it's too late!

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the opening of a docket to obtain public comment on the draft CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain (Guideline). The Guideline provides recommendations regarding initiation or continuation of opioids for chronic pain; opioid selection, dosage, duration, follow-up, and discontinuation; and assessment of risk and addressing harms of opioid use. The Guideline is intended to be used by primary care providers (e.g., family physicians or internists) who are treating patients with chronic pain (i.e., pain lasting longer than 3 months or past the time of normal tissue healing) in outpatient settings."

https:/­/­federalregister.gov/­a/­2015-31375

Editor's note: Please note that the above statement "You know the doctors are going to have to follow whatever federal rules pass" is technically correct but may be misleading in this case because the CDC draft says that it is "not a federal regulation" and that "adherence to the Guideline will be voluntary."

Editor's note # 2: The title for this discussion thread has been updated to reflect the topic most effectively.

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2017furtherrestrictionsnyc , most pain management doctors are also following the CDC Guidelines..

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I have had 2 ACDF C5-C6 AND C6-C7 and now have to have a 3rd back surgery on C4-C5. I also have Lupus and Hashimotos Thyroid! I have been to several pain clinics in the Knoxville TN searching and begging for some help. I have gone from 2/60 mg Oxycontin ER twice a day along with 4/30mg Oxycodone IR per day for breakthrough pain to the unbelievable amount of only 2/20 mg Oxycontin ER and only 3/20 mg Oxycodone IR per day. They are going by the CDC recommendations! Which is exactly that, recommendations ONLY! My question is ARE ALL STATES going by the recommendations are they doing what's right and doing a PATIENT BY PATIENT BASIS? Every one is different, we are not the same and definitely not the same problems. Is anybody else having the same problem or is it just the wonderful state of TN?

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Come on...You can say reccomendation but I've had doctors fully admit they're feeling forced into this! They're fearful they will be hurt or their liscenses will be-. I've been on the same regimine for over a decade-i am a productive member of society- now my doctor tells me he "has to reduce" my medications. Can't wait for the rest of my life stuck in bed because of pain! You need some kind of codicils for those of us that have been on these meds for years/decades and have never had problems. Your punishing those of us that do as we're told!

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Audrey, it is still up to each doctor to prescribe what in their professional opinion is best for their patients. Unfortunately doctors lie. They tell patients they are being forced to prescribe a certain way when it is totally their choice.

No state is making doctor prescribe a certain amount. Nor is the federal government. Even when their is a policy, like with CMS Opioid Misuse Strategy, there are exceptions. But, the medical commuinity gas learned that high doses of opiates are not best. It takes a while to adjust to lower doses of opiates, but it will get better.

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Re: BL (# 156)

I'd love to see those state and federal "laws" as up till now, being in the health care industry, I've never seen any.

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Re: some1whoknows (# 118)

Wow. I find your response totally absurd. Working in health care, I work with patients who have chronic pain and need these medications. One that I have worked with was crushed by construction equipment, another is a ear veteran who will.have pain for the rest of his life from an i.e.d. yet another that was recently denied has kidney disease, a recurrent tumor and stage 4 endometriosis. These people arent gettin, "high", they're existing. People that couldn't hold a job. Before being given these meds (the ones I work with anyway), mostly work after. Now some will have to stop. And now, I've had another nurse have a patient who killed herself because she couldn't stay out of pain. By no means am I saying this is everyone, but shame on you for saying cancer patients are the only patients who should get these. What are your qualifications to make that statement? Also, do you realize that many patients now have to keep their meds in a safe if they get any and pay out of their own pocket for naltrexone, on the off chance someone breaks into their house and safe and overdoses? And now they're telling patients to "deal with the pain", after major surgery or giving 5 days of meds. Many of the CDC members who made these guideline are statisticians, not doctors. So glad politicians are making medical decisions they have no education or background to make.

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Lovw that "voluntary" version....those that dont "voluntarily" go along with this may loose their liscense or be investigated. They're keeping doctors from using their best judgement and causing them to make decisions from fear. This is not how medicine should work!

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Re: 2017furtherrestrictionsnyc (# 180)

Yes, I loved when a patient of mine. 93 was told he could begin using a meditation ball...I will spare you his response as it was less than cordial. He forsnt have too much longer, maybe a year, I would guess and they're worried about him getting addicted. This is just going too far.

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