More than half of regular opioid users suffer from arthritis. Here are three tips to talk to your patients about opioid use and alternative pain management…
Nonopioid Medication May Be as Effective as Opioids for Chronic Pain
A recent study compared the efficacy of opioids with nonopioid pain treatments in patients with chronic back pain and hip or knee osteoarthritis. After 12 months, researchers found that treatment with opioids was not superior to treatment with nonopioid medication, with only minor differences in patients’ functional responses to the medications…
What’s Driving the Pain? Alternative Approaches to Pain Management
Patients can experience many different types of pain, and some patients with chronic pain may believe that only opioids will help them. According to Kelly Weselman, MD, the best way to begin managing pain is to determine its root cause and communicate with the patient about the best approach(es) for decreasing their specific pain…
U.S. to Promote Use of Opioid Alternatives to Treat Addiction
(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to encourage opioid addicts to use less harmful opioid drugs such as methadone and buprenorphine, a radical shift in policy that could agitate those in the addiction field who believe abstinence is the only effective treatment. Speaking before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Wednesday, FDA…