What are the pros and cons of opiate pain medication?

Discusses the pros and cons of opioid therapy for chronic pain management. Briefly outlines the CDC Guidelines on prescribing opioids for chronic pain. read more

Pro: effective in most, some people are opiate resistant and for some reason opiates do not provide good analgesia. The reason for this remains unclear. Pro:is shown to reduce mortality and morbidity in acute coronary syndrome and acute heart failure due to its coronary vasodilator effect. read more

Shortly after the introduction of these guidelines and the government-led push toward more compassionate treatment for chronic pain sufferers, sales of prescription drugs skyrocketed. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that between 1997 and 2007, sales of oxycodone increased 400%; sales of methadone increased 1300%; and sales of hydrocodone increased 900%. read more