CNN Special Report on Prescription Addiction

We have been talking about the opioid addiction in America for several months now, from Congressional hearings, to new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, to what solutions exist for patients and their loved ones. In response to the epidemic, CNN hosted a program entitled “Prescription Addiction,” hosted by Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The program featured guests including: addicts of opioids and heroin, family members of addicts who are no longer “themselves,” family members of addicts who have passed on due to their addictions, physicians, treatment center owners, and others, and was a question and answer session on the impact the epidemic has had on the country, and potential solutions. Co-host Sanjay Gupta opened by calling the current opioid epidemic a “preventable” and “man made” epidemic. Dr. Leana S. Wen, the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, has been visible during many conversations on the epidemic, frequently speaks on the importance of doctors following guidelines and patients being involved in their medical care. During the special, she mentioned that patients should ask questions of their physicians, such as do I need this medication? What are the side effects? What are the alternatives available to me? While many panelists and participants acknowledged that many doctors want to do the right thing, and do not go out of their way to perpetuate the epidemic, they focused on the idea that it is important that doctors review e...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs