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GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Opioids can be a dangerous prescription By Dr. Jim Shames MailTribune.com By Dr. Jim Shames Posted Nov. 30, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Dr. Jim Shames Posted Nov. 30, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> I would like to respond to Dr. Moore’s guest opinion (Mail Tribune, Nov. 28) concerning the use of opioids for chronic pain. Like Dr. Moore, I too was a practicing physician, providing primary care for 40 decades, assisting mothers birthing their babies, supporting the sick and helping the dying to exit the world with dignity and grace. I prescribed (and overprescribed) opioids for many individuals over those years. I understand pain, both personally as someone with a chronic disease and its resulting pain, and as a practitioner who has treated thousands of patients with painful conditions. I also understand the power of opioids to seduce and then control people’s lives. I know the statistics on opioid use, overdose deaths, misuse and addiction, quite well. I have also worked directly with opioid addicts for over 25 years and have heard the countless stories of pain pills leading to dependency, and in some cases heroin abuse. I know what the end game for opioid use can look like. As a public health physician I have a responsibility for the well being of over 200,000 lives in Jackson County. In 2006 we were losing almost one citizen a week in our county from opioid overdose deaths, almost all of them as a result of prescribed painkillers. We fill enough prescriptions for opioids in our community to provide one pill bottle annually to every man, woman, and child. Consider this: More people die of drug overdoses in the U.S. each year than from motor vehicle accidents. Heroin use is rapidly rising, driven largely by the abundance of pills, creating a dependency for this powerful yet cheaper drug. But it is not just the addictive qualities of opioids that is my concern. They also lose their effectiveness over time, and don’t contribute much to the quality of life for many chronic users. We have an obligation to learn the facts about pain, the safe and appropriate use of opioids, and to find the right balance between humane pain treatment and dangerous prescribing activities. Our medical community has rallied together to do something about this vast supply of pills, most of which were prescribed with good intentions. We formed the Oregon Pain Guidance group (www.oregonpainguidance.org) and have been meeting monthly for the past five years to learn and problem-solve how to treat pain appropriately and safely. Healthcare providers now have a deeper understanding of drug tolerance, predisposing risk factors for overuse, inappropriate pressures by pharmaceutical companies to prescribe, and the actual effectiveness in chronic conditions (less than we were taught) of these powerful medications. We have greatly reduced the number of overdoses in our community as a result of our collective actions. I personally can empathize with individuals who live with pain on a daily basis. Our life experiences, knowledge of the physiology of pain, and motivation to remain active, have proven to be the most important factors in “managing” our pain, rather than the amount of pills we take. Opioids are extremely useful for pain relief in some circumstances, and we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We want to ensure that appropriate treatment to those with acute physical trauma or end of life needs will include opioids when necessary. However, thousands of years of history have taught us that opioids are to be treated with great respect and caution. Patients deserve thoughtful, well-reasoned, and scientifically based care for their pain. Dr. Jim Shames is medical director for Jackson County Health and Human Services. By Dr. Jim Shames MailTribune.com By Dr. Jim Shames Posted Nov. 30, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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