A compounding pharmacy is able to create a customized medication for you. Your doctor can order almost any medication at any strength, various types of administration (cream, capsule, dissolvable tablet, liquid, etc.) and use various fillers/vehicles. We commonly use a compounding pharmacy to create low dose naltrexone. Naltrexone is commercially available at 50mg, but we […]
“We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.” If only we had a dime for every time we heard this. Perhaps the reason it is such a common expression is the simple truth in it. This certainly applies to our health, but specifically our backs. We probably all take our good health in vain,
Because of the growing problem of addiction, misuse, and diversion, 49 states have now adopted a state prescription drug database. You may have read an article recently in The New York Times about Missouri being the only state that has not adopted such a database. In New York, as a prescriber of controlled substances, each
49 States Adopt Prescription Drug Database to Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse Read Post »
From 1991 to 2009, the number of prescriptions written for the strongest pain medications tripled. These medications are collectively named opioids and include morphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone.Opioids are a type of pain drug that may cause serious side effects. From 2005 to 2009, the number of emergency room visits for nonmedical use of prescribed pain
Concerns about the Growing Misuse of Opioids – Prescription Painkillers Read Post »
You may have read several articles in the news lately about opioids and pain medications. Earlier in July, The New York Times printed two separate articles on the dangers and abuse of prescriptions drugs in the States. On July 1st, Sabrina Tavernise’s Prescription Overdose Deaths in Florida Plunge After Tough Measures, Report Says, appeared in
The next series of blogs is a brief discussion of different types of medications used for pain. NSAIDs Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are generally one of the first line of medications used in the initial treatment of pain. They are exactly what their name means – they are not steroid medications (like cortisone or prednisone)
Where to begin? In the first two chapters of my book, End Back Pain Forever, I explore a variety of issues related to the difficulties in evaluating and treating patients with back pain. I am posting these chapters as a means to share my perspective which developed over more than 40 years as a pain
“Thank you for treating me as someone struggling with pain and not as a former drug addict who could not be trusted with strong pain medication” – a note I recently received from one of my patients. A patient with a history of drug abuse may be fearful that their past will prevent adequate treatment
Chapter 2 of End Back Pain Forever delves into the ever-increasing problem of the back pain epidemic. Please review this blog for Chapters 1 and 2 from my book. Chapter 2 You Are Not Alone: The Back Pain Epidemic If you suffer from back pain, you are not alone. The widespread failure by doctors to
End Back Pain Forever: Excerpts from Chapter 2 #endbackpain Read Post »
The NY Times on 4/9/2012 ran a story about the overuse and unintended negative consequences of strong (opioid) pain medication. They mentioned opposing views concerning the liberal use of opioids. I participated in a debate in 1995 about the inappropriate use of the diagnosis “Chronic Pain Syndrome”(CPS) in patients whose muscles had not been assessed
Why do we over-prescribe strong pain medication? Read Post »
A recent article revealed that 2/3 of patients who received opioids (drugs like morphine) for 90 days following surgery were still taking them one year later. It doesn’t make sense that there still is pain from the surgery one year later. Did these patients become dependent or addicted to the drugs? Did they really need
Strong pain medication after surgery – is there a downside? Read Post »
The painkilling drug Darvon (propoxyphene) was banned this week by the FDA because it can cause potentially fatal arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). But other pain medications, like methadone, can also cause dangerous arrhythmias. I have been asked a few times why was Darvon banned, but not methadone?
Back pain that never goes away completely can undermine your quality of life. It can prevent you from participating in activities that bring you pleasure and security. The medications that we use to deal with the pain, while being life-savers in terms of providing relief from the suffering, expose us to potential harm. Tylenol (acetaminophen)
