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A pain doctor explains how he balances his patients’ needs with the opioid epidemic’s lessons
"This is what Mackey emphasizes again and again: Pain patients are different individuals, and different individuals will have different pain management needs. He notes that only a minority of his patients actually use opioids, and many rely instead on some of the 200-plus other non-opioid medications now available in the pain treatment field. But when patients can be safely prescribed opioids to their benefit, Mackey says, he will prescribe the drugs to them — but, of course, monitor them to ensure they don’t progress to misuse and addiction."
"This is what Mackey emphasizes again and again: Pain patients are different individuals, and different individuals will have different pain management needs. He notes that only a minority of his patients actually use opioids, and many rely instead on some of the 200-plus other non-opioid medications now available in the pain treatment field. But when patients can be safely prescribed opioids to their benefit, Mackey says, he will prescribe the drugs to them — but, of course, monitor them to ensure they don’t progress to misuse and addiction."