Chronic pain patients are speaking out, saying they are now not able to obtain the medication they need. Posted: Oct 9, 2019 6:46 PMPosted By: Emma Withrow
EUGENE, Ore. — Chronic pain patients say they’re struggling due to guidelines regarding opioid prescriptions from the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC originally released the guidelines in 2016 but revised them this April.
The goal was to reduce addiction by encouraging doctors to prescribe less opioids, but chronic pain patients are speaking out, saying they are now not able to obtain the medication they need.
Amy Hayes, a patient from Eugene that struggles with chronic pain, said these guidelines have negatively affected her life.
“The patients are being denied their prescriptions at a pharmacy level or an insurance level. The doctor even says, ‘Here’s your prescriptions,’ but the pharmacies and the insurance agencies can play God and say, ‘Nope, you can’t have those,'” Hayes said.
According to Hayes, the CDC guidelines, which encourage doctors to find alternative methods for pain treatment, don’t work for patients like her.
“The CDC guidelines were not meant for chronic pain patients, and if people read them thoroughly, they’ll understand that,” Hayes said.
Link to original article: https://www.kezi.com/content/news/Chronic-pain-patients-struggling-to-obtain-opioids-due-to-CDC-guidelines-562676071.html
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