Month: July 2016

Are Opiates Effective, Or Necessary, For Treating Chronic Pain?

Mary Pat Higley

After working in clinical research for years and observing first hand how difficult it is to get a new drug on the market it is amazing to learn how little the new classes of opiods were studied before approved.

An opiod is defined as an opium like compound that binds to one or more of the three opiate receptors in the body.  Opiate receptors are found widely in the brain, spinal cord and digestive tract.

Most opiod-related studies lasted for anywhere between 6-12 weeks. And good study design generally means there is a placebo control. No placebo-controlled studies ladted for even 6 months.

A recent review by Dr Chou, associate professor, medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland determined that insufficient evidence was provided from clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of long-term (lasting longer than 3 months) treatment with opiods for improving chronic pain.

While studies could not show…

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Are Opiates Effective, Or Necessary, For Treating Chronic Pain?

After working in clinical research for years and observing first hand how difficult it is to get a new drug on the market it is amazing to learn how little the new classes of opiods were studied before approved.

An opiod is defined as an opium like compound that binds to one or more of the three opiate receptors in the body.  Opiate receptors are found widely in the brain, spinal cord and digestive tract.

Most opiod-related studies lasted for anywhere between 6-12 weeks. And good study design generally means there is a placebo control. No placebo-controlled studies ladted for even 6 months.

A recent review by Dr Chou, associate professor, medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland determined that insufficient evidence was provided from clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of long-term (lasting longer than 3 months) treatment with opiods for improving chronic pain.

While studies could not show long-term outcomes for treatment of pain, function, or quality of life, they did show patients who are prescribed higher doses of opiods are at great risk for adverse effects, such as overdose and death.

Physicians report that there are patients who do benefit from treatment with opiods.

Not all opiods act the same in the same patient and one drug may not be a problem and another may lead to dependence, and addiction.

A study correlating how the human genome contributes to opiod response would be enlightening.

So the jury is still out on how these drugs should be used in the treatment of long-term chronic pain.  But what is painfully obvious is that they have been overprescribed with unfortunate consequences.

Mary Pat Higley, PharmD, MBA

Healthcare Consultant

marypathigleymedi@wordpress.com

 

How to Network Your Blog: 7/15/16 — DREAM BIG DREAM OFTEN

Here’s how to network your blog. The work is done for you, all you have to do is LIKE, COMMENT and FOLLOW others. The more you network with other blogs, the more other blogs will network with you! (click Bloggers to view yesterday’s post) A Joyful Process Unite and Inspire That Little Voice Hunt’s Clubhouse […]

via How to Network Your Blog: 7/15/16 — DREAM BIG DREAM OFTEN

Do you REALLY want to?

Awesome post and good description of trying to distract from reality. Sometimes quickly sometimes slowly, but always on Gods terms and plan for us. Thank God for healthy choices.

Abbie In Wondrland

…drink? Smoke? Snort?

image

Really?

I didn’t. I had exhausted my options.
I had run down every highway, every street, every back alley that I came to, in my desperate attempt to Get. Away. From. Me.
But when I looked at that angelic face, that beautiful, tiny boy, I knew in the depths of my heart that I could not have both him and drugs. My running days had come to an end.
Sure, I talked about running. I kept a pair of running shoes just inside the front (and, let’s be honest, also the BACK) door of my mind for an incredibly long time. However, there was one thing that had become abundantly clear to me on that day, when I realised that I was completely drained…I did not want to drink, or use, again.

“we gotta get out of this place”

That’s not to say that I didn’t want…

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Lessons to be learnt from boring exhibitions and museums

The Good Life Companion

I recently visited the V & A museum in London and went to see the Paul Strand exhibition they had on. Regardless of how interested I actually am with the material, I often find exhibitions, museums and art galleries can become tedious at times. I feel like others may share this feeling. Your feet begin to wane and become tired. You feel uncontrollably lackadaisical and start desperately searching for chairs or post-modern pieces of art that may serve as benches. Maybe you have brought your children and they are beginning to feel irritable even though you are finding the exhibition very interesting. The children begin to complain and this grinds on you until you wish it was time to leave. There are different reasons for becoming irritated during your trip to museums, exhibitions and galleries, but I believe there are lessons to be learnt that can both make you enjoy…

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I will see the Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living — The Devotion Cafe’

Psalm 27:13 says “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. With all the ungodly things that is happening in our world and it’s been happening since the fall of Adam. We talk to our friends and hear about how they themselves are fighting […]

via I will see the Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living — The Devotion Cafe’