File it under “Duh!”, but the FDA has finally admitted that the new medical practice of removing opioid medications from patients who’ve been on them — whether because the doc suddenly did a 180 about the risks, or was just informed by the clinic CEO that “we don’t do opioids anymore” — is a bad idea.
http://nationalpainreport.com/fda-issues-safety-message-on-sudden-discontinuation-of-opioid-pain-medicine-8839511.html
The FDA put out a safety announcement this week that says it has identified harm reported from sudden discontinuation of opioid pain medicines and is requiring label changes to guide prescribers on gradual, individualized tapering.
So, the good news is that all the chronic pain patients out there, standing up and speaking out against this harmful shift in medical practice since the CDC issued its guidelines is having an effect!
www.fda.gov/...
[4-9-2019] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received reports of serious harm in patients who are physically dependent on opioid pain medicines suddenly having these medicines discontinued or the dose rapidly decreased. These include serious withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled pain, psychological distress, and suicide.
...Rapid discontinuation can result in uncontrolled pain or withdrawal symptoms. In turn, these symptoms can lead patients to seek other sources of opioid pain medicines, which may be confused with drug-seeking for abuse. Patients may attempt to treat their pain or withdrawal symptoms with illicit opioids, such as heroin, and other substances.
...Health care professionals should not abruptly discontinue opioids in a patient who is physically dependent. When you and your patient have agreed to taper the dose of opioid analgesic, consider a variety of factors, including the dose of the drug, the duration of treatment, the type of pain being treated, and the physical and psychological attributes of the patient. No standard opioid tapering schedule exists that is suitable for all patients.Create a patient-specific plan to gradually taper the dose of the opioid and ensure ongoing monitoring and support, as needed, to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms, worsening of the patient’s pain, or psychological distress.”
Halleluiah!! NOW — let’s see if our doctors get the message! One paragraph of the FDA PR had me grimacing:
Patients taking opioid pain medicines long-term should not suddenly stop taking your medicine without first discussing with your health care professional a plan for how to slowly decrease the dose of the opioid and continue to manage your pain.
Yeah, right… like it’s OUR decision to inflict this pain our ourselves… >:-( There IS a contact link at the bottom of the FDA page, so please report back to them if your doctor or pain clinic is disagreeing with these very sensible guidelines. Oregon Health Authority — I’m looking at YOU!