More reporting should be done on the lives saved and enhanced by opioids, addressing chronic pain, sleep disorders and associated depression.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/opinion/sunday/opioid-use-and-abuse.html?_r=0 To the Editor: Re “ A Strong Response to the Opioid Scourge” (editorial, March 17): There are longtime users of low-dose opioids, like me, who never require an increase in dose and who find that this medication provides quality of life. How? By addressing chronic pain, sleep disorders and associated depression. The alternatives proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, like aspirin and ibuprofen, can cause long-term damage to body organs and short-term stomach pain. For many of us, spare use of a low-dose opioid is the very best alternative. Unfortunately, voices like mine are not heard often. Why? Because the media climate right now is so fiercely anti-opioid that those who rely on this drug can feel hesitant to speak out. More reporting should be done on the lives saved and enhanced by opioids, in addition to the terrible consequences of addiction. Policy should reflect a m