Who is affected by intractable pain?
Thirty-four million Americans suffer from intractable pain every year. What’s more there are medications available that can relieve their pain, but certain barriers created by societal stigmas and taboos continue to block pain patients from receiving the relief they need. What’s the problem? Although opioids have been recommended for moderate to severe pain by pain researchers over the past three decades, five audiences—governments, state medical boards, physicians, patients, and insurance companies—have perpetuated the old paradigm in thinking that opioids taken for intractable pain treatment are unsuitable at high dosage levels and for an extended period of time. The new paradigm in thought advocates for the use of opioids for intractable pain by gearing dosage levels and treatment durations specific to the levels of pain experienced by each individual patient. By allowing physicians to work with their patients to determine the appropriate pain treatment for each case, more patients
