CDC says RX painkillers not driving opioid epidemic

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"“Although prescription opioids were driving the increase in overdose deaths for many years, more recently, the large increase in overdose deaths has been due mainly to increases in heroin and synthetic opioid overdose deaths, not prescription opioids. Importantly, the available data indicate these increases are largely due to illicitly manufactured fentanyl,” testified Dr. Debra Houry in her prepared testimony before the U. S. House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. Dr. Houry is Director of the Director of theNational Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health and safety/enforcement policies have been quickly developed to stem the opioid epidemic. What seems unclear from policy makers to the public, Congress, and people either providing or receiving health services for chronic high impact pain is the definition of "opioid" epidemic."

Does media fairly and accurately report chronic pain issues or illegal opioid use/abuse? A national survey of media by PAINS Project reveals 63% believe that chronic pain is a major cause of opioid substance abuse, yet more (91%) perceive opioid substance abuse as a serious public health problem than chronic pain (81%). Almost half don’t know if chronic pain sufferers experience more opioid overdoses or deaths from opioid addiction than other users of opioids. Journalists with personal chronic pain experience (27%): (1) report this influences their coverage of the topic; and (2) are less likely to associate chronic pain with opioid use/abuse.

Where does media reach for information? Mostly experts and federal agencies. Patients stories are used to illustrate examples of information from experts.

The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association is concerned about

• experts and federal agencies who influence public support through media for their recent and developing public policies that lack scientific evidence which cause harm to people with chronic high impact pain, and
• media naivete increasing and perpetuating incorrect information about the relationship between chronic pain and opioid use/abuse

Research suggests that chronic pain cases surpass opioid dependency cases by 50 to 1. The opioid epidemic receives more media coverage, as well as being a more politicized issue than chronic pain.