I appreciate that cheap Chinese fentanyl is killing people at a alarming rate. I don’t understand how someone could inject heroin of unknown quality. I also believe that certain long-acting opioid drugs can be downright dangerous. But this doesn’t justify demonizing every single opioid medication.
Demonizing an effective treatment before you have all the facts is irresponsible. Demonizing an effective treatment without advocating effective alternatives risks ruining millions of lives. The fact is that many older Americans rely on opioids have something resembling a normal life, and many of us use them not just responsibly, but CAUTIOUSLY.
I can’t help but wonder whether sacrificing older Americans is the point, especially given the current Administration’s goals of reducing Medicare benefits and gutting the ACA. Now that I think of it, the gov’t is going after alternatives such as kratom, CBD and medical marijuana.
Ok, so the horror stories sell papers. What horror stories don’t do is get folks on opioids to compare their dosages to established dosage guidelines. There are guidelines for safe prescribing based on MMEs, Morphine Milligram Equivalents. None of the horror stories mention this.
Horror stories do, however, get doctors to cut their patients off, leaving these opioid refugees to find alternative opioids such as heroin and deadly fentanyl. The increase in heroin and fentanyl deaths may be unintended result of cracking down on legitimate use of opioids by chronic pain sufferers.
It is my hope that the media can provide a more balanced view of the opioid issue.
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