As PainWeek approaches physicians who treat pain and those who treat addiction come together to look toward the future of pain treatment. I'm sure there will be a lot of discussion on how to get patients the medications they need while lowering the prevalence of addiction and overdoses.
It's going to take everybody and I mean everybody working together on this. Pain and addiction specialists, law enforcement, state and federal regulatory agencies, patients and the public must come together if we hope to find a solution to this complicated problem.
I hope PainWeek is a time for people from all these various specialities and agencies to come together and learn from each other.
Maybe it's time to think out of the box.....
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Thursday, August 23, 2018
As Medical Access to Opioids is Reduced Mexican Cartels Pick Up the Slack
As the government reduces access to pain medications for patients Mexican cartels are picking up the slack with fentanyl, pounds and pounds of fentanyl.
CNN is reporting Authorities in Arizona discovered $1 million in drugs during a traffic stop -- and officials say that led them to a nearly 600-foot drug tunnel that runs between a former fast food restaurant and a private home in Mexico.
Inside the containers, police found 239 packages of various drugs, including over 261 pounds of methamphetamine, 14 pounds of cocaine, 30 pounds of white heroin, 13.7 pounds of brown heroin and 6.8 pounds of fentanyl. The fentanyl alone "translates to over 3 million dosage units," Homeland Security Special Agent Scott Brown told CNN affiliate KYMA on Wednesday.
Unintended Consequences.................
CNN is reporting Authorities in Arizona discovered $1 million in drugs during a traffic stop -- and officials say that led them to a nearly 600-foot drug tunnel that runs between a former fast food restaurant and a private home in Mexico.
Inside the containers, police found 239 packages of various drugs, including over 261 pounds of methamphetamine, 14 pounds of cocaine, 30 pounds of white heroin, 13.7 pounds of brown heroin and 6.8 pounds of fentanyl. The fentanyl alone "translates to over 3 million dosage units," Homeland Security Special Agent Scott Brown told CNN affiliate KYMA on Wednesday.
Unintended Consequences.................
Monday, August 20, 2018
PainWeek in Las Vegas Sept 4th to 8th
I'm going to Vegas for a few days in September for PainWeek. It's a big deal in the pain management world. PainWeek.org say's PAINWeek is the largest US pain conference for frontline clinicians with an interest in pain management. PainWeek runs from September 4th to the 8th at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
I'm going to attend a number of training sessions on interesting subjects like Pain Terminology: Knowing the Difference Makes a Difference, Full Metal Jacket: Examining the Psychedelic Side of Ketamine, and The Other Opioid Crisis: Fentanyl and Heroin.
There will also be programs by the American Pain Society, the American Society of Pain Educators, the International Pelvic Pain Society.
The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators will have programs at PainWeek. It will be interesting to see what strategies the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators have for dealing with the current opioid problem.
It's going to take everyone working together to solve this opioid problem. We need regulatory agencies,
health care providers, patients, and law enforcement
to work together in a spirit of cooperation rather than one of fear.
We need to find a way Do No Harm to current patients who've been on opioids for years without any problems, and set guidelines on prescribing opioids for future acute and chronic pain patients.
It should be an interesting week and I hope to learn a lot.
I'm going to attend a number of training sessions on interesting subjects like Pain Terminology: Knowing the Difference Makes a Difference, Full Metal Jacket: Examining the Psychedelic Side of Ketamine, and The Other Opioid Crisis: Fentanyl and Heroin.
There will also be programs by the American Pain Society, the American Society of Pain Educators, the International Pelvic Pain Society.
The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators will have programs at PainWeek. It will be interesting to see what strategies the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators have for dealing with the current opioid problem.
It's going to take everyone working together to solve this opioid problem. We need regulatory agencies,
health care providers, patients, and law enforcement
to work together in a spirit of cooperation rather than one of fear.
We need to find a way Do No Harm to current patients who've been on opioids for years without any problems, and set guidelines on prescribing opioids for future acute and chronic pain patients.
It should be an interesting week and I hope to learn a lot.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Suicide Watch - You need to Read This..
Need to read Pharmacist Steve's article Suicide Watch
http://www.pharmaciststeve.com/?attachment_id=21115
I am being completely weaned off my meds, & suspect I will kill myself with the amount of pain I am in, & will be by the time this is over (the wean that is). Already can’t function.
http://www.pharmaciststeve.com/?attachment_id=21115
I am being completely weaned off my meds, & suspect I will kill myself with the amount of pain I am in, & will be by the time this is over (the wean that is). Already can’t function.