OUR GOALS:
- Eliminate patient fear
- Eliminate doctor fear
- Restore the doctor-patient relationship
- Get legislation in all 50 states to protect doctors and patients
- Hold profiteers responsible
- Educate the CPP community
- Empower CPP's
- Offer services to advocate for patients and doctors
- Break down the research
OUR NEWSLETTERS:
-
Welcome e-mail
- CDC meeting
FAQ: Do studies show that opioids don't work for chronic pain?
Answer: There aren't studies on chronic pain and opioids that last longer than 3 months other than one study that was done in 2018 by Dr. Erin Krebs. This study was called the
SPACE Trial, and has been widely misapplied.
Basic facts:
- Randomized trial comparing opioid therapy vs non-opioid therapy over 12 months for primary care patients with chronic back pain, hip or knee osteoarthritis pain. This is an important piece to understand. It has been applied to ALL pain, but the scope of the study was very small and specific.
- There were 240 patients in the trial.
- There was an opioid arm vs non-opioid arm in the study.
- The conclusion was that opioids improved pain in 41% of the patients and over the counter pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen improved pain in 54% of the patients.
Problems:
- The author, Erin Krebs, is well known anti-opioid zealot. She was on the Core Expert Group of the 2016 CDC Guidelines. She already had published anti-opioid propaganda. Her work was praised by Andrew Kolodny, and has been cited to promote forced opioid tapering.
- Tramadol, an opioid, was used in the non-opioid arm of the study. Yes, you read that right. Tramadol, an opioid, was used in the non-opioid arm.
- The study chose chronic pain conditions that don't typically receive opioids for treatment, and then applied it to ALL chronic pain conditions.
- SPACE trial was misapplied by major publications claiming the study proves that opioids don't work for chronic pain. Even Roger Chou, author of the CDC Guidelines, misapplied the study. Surprised? We aren't.
CPP advocates have addressed the problems with the SPACE trial.
So, in other words... No, it doesn't prove that opioids don't work for chronic pain.
Remember...you keep fighting and we'll keep fighting!!
THE WINNER OF THE BEST CPP STATMENT AWARD goes to Tamera Stewart from P3 Alliance. Tamera's comment at the recent CDC meeting regarding Roger Chou and his conflict of interests was phenomenal.
Check out the video link to her comment!
Stay tuned for mock interviews, skits, and other parodies making fun of the anti-opioid zealots. Let's laugh and have some fun while we are fighting for our lives!
