Dr Clauw is a sellout. Not only does he work for (and get paid by) the University of Michigan but he also gets paid by more than one pharmaceutical company to push their drugs (Lyrica in particular). Adult patients should be able to determine what medication/treatment works best for them and make informed decisions regarding their care.
Personally, I was prescribed Lyrica and my entire body felt like I was on fire. In the current climate I'm not offered opioids as an alternative despite everything I've tried and procedures I've been required to undergo.
Unfortunately, the DEA and policymakers have created a system where chronic pain patients and patients in end of life care are often unable to get treatment (or adequate treatment) for pain and suffering. In an effort to reduce illicit opioid and prescription opioid use, and treat opioid addicts, they've attacked people who are most vulnerable and most in need of opioid pain medications. Chronic pain patients have the lowest rate of addiction among all patient populations, at 0.3%, and yet we're being punished for the negative choices of others. We should all be able to get the medicines we need to function and enjoy life as much as possible. What are the alternatives for those of us who can't get life restoring medication? Suicide and / or illicit drugs. And suicide rates are skyrocketing among those chronic pain patients who are unable to find a doctor willing to help.
In my case, I was hit by an 18-wheeler and then fractured my spine in a cycling accident. I've been bedridden for years, unable to get any opioid pain medication (after exhausting all allopathic treatments and alternative treatments). My husband has cancer and has also been denied opioid pain medication. Instead, he was told to use distraction, massage, acupuncture magnets, meditation, hypnosis… And if none of those worked, they said he should try "acceptance therapy" and psychotropic medicines.
The only doctors who have a free pass to prescribe opioids (govt issued waiver) are DATA 2000 addiction medicine doctors AND they can ONLY PRESCRIBE OPIOIDS TO OPIOID ADDICTS. Other doctors who would like to treat their patients who are suffering risk DEA raids, loss of livelihood, and even incarceration. It's ludicrous.
The CDC had admitted to inflating the numbers of prescription opioid related deaths, illicit drug related overdose and deaths used in combination with other substances, and how numbers are derived. For example, if someone dies with any opioid in their system, it's counted as an opioid related death. If an 80 year old dies from cancer and has any opioid onboard, it's a prescription opioid related death. If someone, like Prince, dies with illicit fentanyl onboard (not to mention high doses of 5 other substances) it's counted as an opioid related death because illicit fentanyl is an analogue of prescription Fentanyl. If a person dies with alcohol, benzodiazipines, illicit fentanyl, heroin, in their system, it's counted as a prescription opioid death.Again because illicit fentanyl is an analogue of prescription Fentanyl. These faulty reporting methods on which policy-makers are basing all the insane laws and guidelines. Obviously, it hasn't been working. How long will it take for them to come to their senses? With the ignorant, old white guy, reefer madness mentality among our policy-makers, I'm not holding my breath.
Dr Clauw is a sellout. Not only does he work for (and get paid by) the University of Michigan but he also gets paid by more than one pharmaceutical company to push their drugs (Lyrica in particular). Adult patients should be able to determine what medication/treatment works best for them and make informed decisions regarding their care.
Personally, I was prescribed Lyrica and my entire body felt like I was on fire. In the current climate I'm not offered opioids as an alternative despite everything I've tried and procedures I've been required to undergo.
Unfortunately, the DEA and policymakers have created a system where chronic pain patients and patients in end of life care are often unable to get treatment (or adequate treatment) for pain and suffering. In an effort to reduce illicit opioid and prescription opioid use, and treat opioid addicts, they've attacked people who are most vulnerable and most in need of opioid pain medications. Chronic pain patients have the lowest rate of addiction among all patient populations, at 0.3%, and yet we're being punished for the negative choices of others. We should all be able to get the medicines we need to function and enjoy life as much as possible. What are the alternatives for those of us who can't get life restoring medication? Suicide and / or illicit drugs. And suicide rates are skyrocketing among those chronic pain patients who are unable to find a doctor willing to help.
In my case, I was hit by an 18-wheeler and then fractured my spine in a cycling accident. I've been bedridden for years, unable to get any opioid pain medication (after exhausting all allopathic treatments and alternative treatments). My husband has cancer and has also been denied opioid pain medication. Instead, he was told to use distraction, massage, acupuncture magnets, meditation, hypnosis… And if none of those worked, they said he should try "acceptance therapy" and psychotropic medicines.
The only doctors who have a free pass to prescribe opioids (govt issued waiver) are DATA 2000 addiction medicine doctors AND they can ONLY PRESCRIBE OPIOIDS TO OPIOID ADDICTS. Other doctors who would like to treat their patients who are suffering risk DEA raids, loss of livelihood, and even incarceration. It's ludicrous.
The CDC had admitted to inflating the numbers of prescription opioid related deaths, illicit drug related overdose and deaths used in combination with other substances, and how numbers are derived. For example, if someone dies with any opioid in their system, it's counted as an opioid related death. If an 80 year old dies from cancer and has any opioid onboard, it's a prescription opioid related death. If someone, like Prince, dies with illicit fentanyl onboard (not to mention high doses of 5 other substances) it's counted as an opioid related death because illicit fentanyl is an analogue of prescription Fentanyl. If a person dies with alcohol, benzodiazipines, illicit fentanyl, heroin, in their system, it's counted as a prescription opioid death.Again because illicit fentanyl is an analogue of prescription Fentanyl. These faulty reporting methods on which
policy-makers are basing all the insane laws and guidelines. Obviously, it hasn't been working. How long will it take for them to come to their senses? With the ignorant, old white guy, reefer madness mentality among our policy-makers, I'm not holding my breath.
For a common sense approach see: http://www.drcarlhart.com