Recent Article diagrammatically demonstrates where opioid deaths have been coming from
https://aapsonline.org/opioid-overdose-crisis-is-from-illicit-fentanyl/
So spend less time looking at medical opioid prescriptions and more at illicit fentanyl trade. All doctors are now under tremendous pressure to cut their dose of opioids for chronic pain sufferers from organizations that feel they have to do something even when it is not the issue. Just don’t do something – stand there! (instead)
Addendum:
in a recent American report on opioid overuse, comment was made that reduction in opioid prescribing has not let to reduction in opioid prescribing:
OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC REPORT2024
AMA report
Physicians’ actions to help end the nation’s drug-related overdose
and death epidemic—and what still needs to be done.
Though 1/3 households will contain someone with chronic pain, whole clinic openly announce they do not use opioids. Over half of chronic pain is from back pain and sciatica which responds poorly to the usual add-on treatments in chronic pain. When doctors not longer see opioid needing patients, they do not keep their skill up in chronic pain treatment. I see people suffering for readily treatable conditions like post shingles pains and rib impingement pains suffering just because doctors are too ignorant to treat these conditions. Medical review boards allow patients to be tortured from lack of opioid drugs because they are “helping” ward off opioid abuse. I call these people “Captain Ahab” because they cannot see beyond their nose what damage they have done. God help us.
