Individuals already suffering from depression or\u00a0chronic pain<\/span>\u00a0who now face additional stress have become more likely to rely on drugs. This is propelling the urgency for\u00a0chronic pain<\/span>\u00a0providers to teach patients\u00a0how to deal with living in an ongoing painful state without drugs<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n The Minnesota Head &\u00a0Neck Pain<\/span>\u00a0Clinic first wrote an article about our concerns in August 2016. It is titled\u00a0Health Care and Addiction: Instead of Opioids, Prevent Chronic Pain<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and we remain committed to offering conservative\u00a0chronic pain<\/span>\u00a0treatment.<\/p>\n Pain specialists across the United States are increasingly questioning the ostensible risks of co-prescription of opioids and benzodiazepines. COVID, reports of war, avian flu worries,\u00a0loneliness, anxiety, and depression<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0are pushing the opioid crisis into focus. It\u2019s now clear that the crisis resides predominantly in the streets and that it will take a united effort to curtail it. Constraining opioid treatment within pain clinics alone is unlikely to suffice.<\/p>\n Thankfully, better medical awareness of this health crisis and new CDC guidelines are both emerging.<\/p>\n Cautious use of opioids is recommended for the treatment of patients with chronic pain.<\/strong><\/p>\n A person\u2019s likelihood of developing an\u00a0opioid use disorder<\/span>\u00a0stems from multiple factors. It includes the length of time a person is prescribed to take opioids for acute pain, and how long that individual continues taking opioids (whether as prescribed, or misused). Awareness of the extent of this issue has become a public health crisis and its devastating consequences have increased due to CDC concerns.<\/p>\n The CDC recognizes that patients with pain deserve safe and effective pain management. It states, \u201cPain, particularly chronic pain, can lead to impaired physical functioning, poor mental health, and reduced quality of life. It contributes to substantial morbidity and mortality in the United States each year.\u00a0Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and the economic costs are staggering\u2014$560 to $635 billion dollars annually.\u201d<\/p>\n It expresses a need for new guidelines that further embrace non-invasive, non-pharmacological and non-opioid pharmaceutical treatment of\u00a0chronic pain<\/span>. It recognizes that Opioids have been too often prescribed in response to a\u00a0jaw tissue injury<\/a><\/strong>, or other trauma or surgery. One thing that is clear, the CDC is highlighting of need for\u00a0chronic pain<\/span>\u00a0care providers\u2019 clinical judgment when evaluating drug perscriptions for acute pain care.<\/p>\n When the CDC wrote new prescribing guidelines in 2016, the intent was to help doctors make better decisions. The document emphasized the risk of opioid\u00a0addiction<\/span>, and advised prescribing patients the lowest effective dose. However, our rising crisis puts pressure on\u00a0chronic pain<\/span>\u00a0providers to do more for their patients. Individuals given an opioids prescription need to receive updated and factual information on possible side effects, other risks, and monitoring for safety.<\/p>\n February 9, 2022, FDA press announcement highlights:<\/strong><\/p>\n The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took a renewed stance aimed at\u00a0fostering the development of non-addictive alternatives to opioids to manage acute pain<\/a><\/strong>. It also hopes to decrease exposure to opioids and prevent new addictions. The agency issued draft guidance for participants to provide recommendations to companies developing non-opioid analgesics for acute pain lasting up to 30 days.<\/p>\n \u201cPrescribed appropriately, opioid analgesics are an important part of acute pain management. However, even at prescribed doses, they pose a risk for\u00a0addiction<\/span>, misuse, abuse, or overdose that may result in death. A non-opioid analgesic for acute pain that completely eliminates or significantly reduces the need for an opioid could have a major public health impact by alleviating patient suffering from acute pain while mitigating the risks associated with using an opioid.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Opioid Epidemic is \u201ca public health crisis that has killed half a million Americans and continues to claim tens of thousands of lives every year.\u201d So, how bad is it, really? Let\u2019s look at more statistics.<\/p>\n Since our clinics are based in Minnesota, here are some local statistics.<\/p>\n Minnesota, like many other states, is currently experiencing opioid overdose deaths at an epidemic level.<\/strong><\/p>\n Chronic pain<\/span>\u00a0providers have a role in clinical oversite so that drug overdose is more preventable. Below are current\u00a0MN Department of Health opioid death-related statistics<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMost common prescription opioid painkillers are Schedule II drugs. This means that any physician may prescribe an opioid painkiller in the course of pain treatment. Opioids are also highly addictive. They activate the brain\u2019s reward systems that trigger the release of dopamine, leading to feelings of intense pleasure.\u201d \u2013\u00a0Minnesota Opioids, Substance Use, and Addiction Subcabinet and the Governor\u2019s Advisory Council on Opioids, Substance Use, and Addiction<\/a>; April 7, 2022<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A person\u2019s likelihood of developing an\u00a0opioid use disorder<\/span>\u00a0stems from multiple factors. It includes the length of time a person is prescribed to take opioids for acute pain, and how long that individual continues taking opioids (whether as prescribed, or misused).<\/p>\n Awareness of the extent of this issue has become a public health crisis and its devastating consequences have increased due to CDC concerns. It ties into\u00a0Suicide Awareness concerns when prescribing medications<\/a>.<\/p>\n Responding to the opioid crisis, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is focusing efforts on providing support for cutting-edge research on pain and\u00a0addiction<\/span>, as well as advancing better practices for pain management. In Minnesota, our pain clinics focus on reducing overdose by providing easy access to buprenorphine, building interdisciplinary safety plans with our pain patients, and caring for their long-term recovery without any drug dependencies evolving.<\/p>\n Opioid prescription directives have swung over the last five years from the liberal treatment of pain to rigorous restriction to the slow rise in opioid-related deaths when treating\u00a0chronic pain<\/span>.<\/p>\n \u201cOpioid misuse and abuse remain a serious public health crisis facing the country. Preventing new\u00a0addiction<\/span>\u00a0through fostering the development of novel non-opioid analgesics is an important priority for the FDA. The guidance reinforces the agency\u2019s commitment to confront opioid misuse, abuse, and\u00a0addiction<\/span> by taking steps to help those with acute pain get access to improved non-opioid treatment alternatives.\u201d \u2013 Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA\u2019s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Table 1. Completeness of 12-month ending provisional counts of drug overdose deaths relative to final counts from 2019 after six-month lag, by reporting jurisdiction and ending month<\/strong><\/p>\n SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, 2019 and CDC Drug Overdose Data.\u00a0[5]<\/sup><\/p>\n Coefficients from these updated models were used to update the multiplication factors applied to the reported provisional counts of drug overdose deaths. Model results for each of the ten drug outcomes of interest are presented below. Minnesota has done well in reporting and tracking \u2013 data that is helpful to\u00a0chronic pain<\/span>\u00a0providers.<\/p>\nTable of Contents<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Practices to Reduce Ostensible Risks of Co-Prescribing Opioids<\/strong><\/h3>\n
CDC Addresses Urgency for Less Reliance on Drugs to Treat Pain<\/strong><\/h3>\n
FDA Seeks Non-Addictive Alternatives to Opioids for Acute Pain Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n
US Opioid Use for Chronic Pain and Death Statistics<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Minnesota Opioid Use for Chronic Pain and Death Statistics<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\nopiates (3,777). Of these, 34.4% were admitted into OTPs and 65.6% were admitted into abstinence-based treatment programs.<\/li>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wordpress.goigi.biz\/mhnpc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/minnesota-opioid-related-deaths-significantly-up.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSafe, Effective, Non-addictive Chronic Pain Management Strategies<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Chronic Pain Providers and Opioid Death Reporting Data by State<\/strong><\/h3>\n