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Thought-provoking Toronto Star opinion piece re: getting people off opioids


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Here's the headline and subtitle of this thoughtful Toronto Star opinion piece by Jeff Ennis:

 

Flying under the radar of the big opioid crisis is another opioid crisis

 

Patients who have been prescribed opioids for many years are having their dose lowered, whether they like it or not, to the point that they cannot function.Some have become suicidal. Is this reasonable and necessary?

 

And just below the photo of medication, it says:

 

Jeff Ennis writes that as an examiner for the College of Physicians, the college won’t take away a physician's license if a patient’s dose of opioid is higher than the recommended amount, as long as certain protocols are followed.

 

Ah, so many interesting points here! There are obvious parallels between the opioid issue and the benzo issue, including how to safely lower doses of medications that create physical dependencies. I'm not familiar with the guidelines that doctors are supposed to follow to get people off opioids, so I can only hope that they're reasonable and tolerable and based on a good understanding of what patients experience when decreasing such meds. I hope, too, that doctors are compassionate and that they work with -- and listen to -- the patients themselves in order to achieve the desired goal.

 

And we would ask for the same when it comes to helping people taper off benzodiazepines or other psychatric medications.

 

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/02/06/flying-under-the-radar-of-the-big-opioid-crisis-is-another-opioid-crisis.html

 

 

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Thank you Lapis.  That was good.  I wish more doctors would read College recommendations with greater care and consideration.  Just receiving a letter from their governing body must strike fear and panic in some doctors and they can't think straight.

 

This is so true:

 

When a physician invokes the College Boogey Man as the rational for their behaviour they are no longer thinking about the patient, they are thinking about themselves. The issue is now about personal gain not patient care.

I understand there are people here in Vancouver that were cold-turkeyed off their benzodiazepine by their doctor when the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons issued new guidelines for opioids and benzos, which also included recommendations for slow tapers.

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I'm glad you liked it too, benzohno. I keep feeling like this opioid stuff is a bit of a dress rehearsal for what might happen if people realize the dangers of long-term benzodiazepine use. Yanking people off medications that they've been using for awhile is obviously not a good idea. It has to be done with care, compassion and consideration.

 

I do hope this article was circulated widely among doctors. I came across it when checking Dr. David Juurlink's twitter account

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I like that- "a dress rehearsal for what might happen if people realize the dangers of long-term benzodiazepine use."  It wouldn't be so hard to get it right the next time around with all this rehearsing, I would hope.  And yes, care, "compassion"and consideration are in order.

 

Good on Dr. David Juurlink again!

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