Efforts To Control Opioid Crisis Concern Patients With Chronic Pain
One patient says, though he understands the risks, the only thing that can dull the sharp and chronic pain in his back without leaving him nauseous is fentanyl. And, for him, that trumps everything else.
The Ventura County Star:
Chronic Pain Patients Worry Opioid Crackdown Will Hurt
Public health leaders and regulators worry about opioid addiction, death and abuse. Michael Fiddes worries about pain. "It feels like a cross between a steady pressure and occasionally someone sticking an ice pick in your back," said the 74-year-old Ventura man of the back pain related to his Parkinson's disease. Fiddes uses a patch to take fentanyl, one of many addictive painkillers in the government's crosshairs. (Kisken, 4/12)