Welcome Letter
Welcome to the October issue of Arizona Pain Monthly. We hope you and your families are able to enjoy the cooler weather.
October is National Talk About Prescriptions Month, and urges physicians worldwide to educate their patients regarding their medications, and for patients to take an active role in realizing what medications they are being prescribed. Not only is this done in hopes of helping patients to better understand what to expect from their medications, but also to educate the public on the rising statistics regarding prescription drug abuse. One such startling statistic is that 56 percent of those treated for prescription pain medication abuse received the medications from a friend or relative in possession of a prescription, meaning the medications were obtained legally, but redistributed illegally. This throws up significant red flag on the prescribing practices of physicians in regard to pain medications.
At Arizona Pain Specialists, a recent audit of our prescribing practices showed that 69 percent of patients referred to us were able to see a reduction in their prescribed pain medications, and 52 percent of patients referred were able to completely stop taking prescription pain medications. With the use of minimally invasive procedures and other treatment modalities, patients are able to discontinue the use of prescription pain medications.
Additionally, according to the Centers for Disease Control, there are 14,000 deaths due to prescription pain medications out of the 8 million currently prescribed pain medications in the United States each year. That breaks down to 1 death in every 571 people prescribed prescription pain medications. At Arizona Pain Specialists, with the amount of patients we care for, statistically, we should have seen 35 prescription pain medication related deaths – and we are proud to say that we have had zero. We owe this to our prescribing practices, complementary care offered, and our patient education programs.
We encourage you to always ask questions regarding the medications you’ve been prescribed. Ask about the dosage, frequency, side effects, and if it interacts with any other medications you are taking or conditions you may have. Be smart about your medications – keep them in a safe place where only you can access them.
We hope that this issue is educational and informative.
Please contact us at Newsletter@ArizonaPain.com if you have questions or comments.
We thank you for your continued loyalty if you are a long-standing patient, and we welcome you to the Arizona Pain Specialists family if you are a new patient.
Until next time, remember at Arizona Pain Specialists, we believe you can be pain free.
