For many people with chronic pain, taking prescribed pain medication is a necessity for daily living. So what happens when this pain medicine becomes limited or taken away all together? Can a doctor even withhold a prescription? Is it legal for a doctor to withhold a prescription from a patient? For millions of people plagued with chronic pain, the cracking down of pain medication is a new reality. Across the US, physicians, care providers and pharmacists are limiting, even refusing, to distribute opioid pain medication.
This crackdown is gravely affecting millions who rely on these medications, begging the question: Don’t people in chronic or severe pain deserve to have their pain alleviated? The answer to this question may seem simple but for physicians and policy-makers, it’s not.
Not even close. In theory, if someone requires medication to help their disease or illness, they should have open access to this medication. To illustrate, can you imagine if a diabetic’s insulin was withheld or closely monitored? However, what if this medication was playing a role in an “epidemic” that is killing thousands of people and destroying the lives of countless more?
Regardless of your stance on the opioid crisis in America, the reason your physician may be altering your pain management plan is deeply complex, driven by layers of social, economical and political factors.
Tags: Pain Medication, Opioids, Physician, Withholding, Care Providers
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