More Americans die from...
side effects of PainKillers every 45 days than the terrorist attacks on 9-11.
Your friends and family are at risk...
The line between a safe dose and a deadly one is razor thin...Will you tell them?
Your initiative may save...
your friends liver, your mom’s kidney or your grandfather from an ulcer – and even someone’s life!
Toxic effects from NSAIDs and Acetaminophen...
remain mainly a Silent Epidemic - - reports the New England Journal of Medicine
Research to Understand the Body’s Natural Painkillers
Researchers from the University of Michigan recently conducted an experiment in order to develop a better understanding of the body’s natural painkiller system. They realized that the natural painkiller system was activated when the brain releases endorphins in order to block pain signals from the brain. It is believed that the release of endorphins can make one feel euphoria or pleasure.
The research was done on volunteers who willingly underwent pain by having an injection pumped into their jaw muscle. While undergoing this, their brain was scanned in order to reveal changes in its chemistry.
The American Medical Association Opposes Changes for Opioid Labeling
I recently wrote about a citizen’s petition called Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) which was sent to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The petition urged the FDA to relabel opioids and change guidelines which would only allow patients with severe pain to receive strong prescription drugs. They also asked that the length of prescriptions be reduced to 90 days. This would require patients to return to their doctors sooner than they currently have to.
On April 9th, the American Medical Association (AMA), composed of many doctors, sent a letter to the FDA urging them to deny the requests from the citizen petition. James Madara, the Executive Vice President and CEO of AMA, signed the petition. He stated that “the treatment of pain cannot be fit into a one-size-fits-all approach.” The point the AMA is most worried about is “PROP’s recommendation to limit the labeled indications for opioid analgesics to ‘severe’ instead of ‘moderate-to-severe’ non-cancer pain. Pain intensity assessments are entirely subjective and rely upon patients’ own reports. One person’s ‘moderate’ is another persons ‘severe’.”
