The fact that people who overdose from either heroin, heroin mixed with fentanyl, or fentanyl alone, is not surprising because one would almost expect that anyone who has gone far enough to use heoin: more than likely has been using other drugs as well.
Lets face facts: one doesn’t need to use other opioids if they can get heroin. In addition…this is not proof that medically appropriate opioid use automatically leads to using heroin…but the opposite is far more likely: that once someone uses heroin, the fact that they are carrying OxyContin around with them should not be a surprise.
You are confusing the fact that no matter how many persons OD: there is still no proof that any of them used prescription drugs “BEFORE” becoming addicted to heroin. It is hearsay, and you guys who push hearsay as truth also do damage to far more chronic pain sufferers who need opioids, then there are heroin addicts in this world.
These are two separate issues. How about treating them as separate issues. BIG PHARMA cured hepatitis c…invented penicillin, marketed aspirin, and developed vaccines. Get a life, Jack !

This website is purposefully misleading it’s readers, while I know this won’t be allowed to stay, please read the entire testimony, the included quote is completely out of context Read the report or at least this portion they left out
“One in five people who died from a fentanyl overdose, had an opioid medication prescribed to them at the time of their death. In fact, people who misuse prescription opioids — that is, use other than as directed by a healthcare provider are at an increased risk for heroin use. Among new heroin users, approximately three out of four report having misused prescription opioids prior to using heroin.”
This website is a 501c created much like a political super-pac, to provide PR for the pharmaceutical industry. The single medical professional listed on their staff is a Psychologist who was licensed less than 2 years ago, and while her bio points to a very strong woman with a reason to advocate for those in pain, I hope she realizes that the reporting done on this page is NOT done in a manner that helps those in pain, simply those that want to sell pain medication.

What did she say? Pain medication was responsible for less than half of the 33k deaths? What – 12k? Yet they went after doctors and opiate prescribing with crazy determination! Yet of those 12k deaths, less than 25% were due to actual patient / doctor prescribing – the vast majority caused by deference. So now we’re really looking at 3k deaths a year possibly caused by the overprescribing of opiates. Wow what an epidemic!!! However, there are over 90k deaths per year reportedly caused by alcohol – with zero therapeutic or medical benefit to alcohol – yet it’s left alone. Seen any alcohol epidemic headlines lately? And cigarettes kill over 440k per year – with absolutely no medical benefits to smoking. So – my question is: why is there such an extreme focus on prescription opioids?? (Statistics can be found in Judy Foreman’s novel A NATION IN PAIN).

FINALLY!! Someone GETS it! My 34 yr old son has cried in my arms, because he wants to die. He can’t handle the pain anymore, because he’s extremely under medicated. Heroin is his next option. These people are dying from mixing fentanyl with heroin, so give people back their meds, quit prescribing fentanyl outpatient and the numbers from accidental overdoses and suicides will improve.

My roomate is a Chronic Pain Patient and I watch her suffer everyday since all this cutting back of her medication it isn’t bad enough for the to take her life or turn to street drugs but if other people are hurting worse than her I can unerstand them turning to Herion or street drugs but what they are getting is killing them so I have read alot on facebook at the Chronic Pain Support Group and alot of them are already talking about taking their lives because of the pain. What about the oath that Doctors take to do no harm. The CDC started all of this with their so called guidelines that they probally knew would scare off the Primary Care Doctors first and thats what it did they drop their patients with no medication no refferal and no care and all the other agencys followed suite the CDC VA DEA HHS CMM CMS FDA then for good measure the CMS want to use the MME formula which will cut everones medicines by at least half so what are you ganna do now let more die or turn things around and let the Doctors do the jobs they were meant to do?

The fact, even if true, that 2/3 of persons who had overdosed on fentanyl/heroin had ( also, according to Debra Houry, M.D. ) received at least one opioid prescription during the seven year span of time leading up to their overdose; tells us nothing about whether the opioid prescription was their “first” initiation to an opioid of any kind, whether they got it for a legitimate pain complaint, whether they took it themselves or sold ( diverted ) it, and whether they were “addicts” before receiving such a prescription.
Thus there is no basis for Doctor Houry’s speculative opinion that prescriptions for opioids constitute a “gateway” for subsequent use of heroin.
I personally feel that after interviewing over a thousand abusers of all types of narcotics in a prison population where the interviewed inmates had nothing to protect by lying; two “facts” stand out: (1), OxyContin “snorters” can do 12-14, 80 mg. tablets a day…without much adverse side effects, and (2), most of the guys I interviewed said they were using street drugs long before hitting-up on medical practices with false pain complaints.
It is precisely because Doctor Houry and her associates “jumped the gun” by accusing overprescribing of opioids as a reason why heroin addiction has increased…which is enough of a “myth” and “prejudice” type accusation to cause a real “chilling effect” on even “legitimate” pain prescribing, sufficient to get doctors offices closed down on the excuse that DEA or AG officers are “investigating” the doctor – and that, even when the evidence is questionable: some doctors will get convicted on what certainly ( in light of our mass national hysteria associated with prescribing pain killers ) must be the easiest of all criminal charges to obtain convictions on: and which further serves to “marginalize” pain sufferers’ from obtaining the only medication that works for “them.”

Cathyh1957

We have tried to tell the CDC HHS the CMS the FDA the VA and even going so far as to make the Doctors use the MME to amke our medication to be cut so low that it would and will not control the kind of Chronic Pain that most of the Pain Managent patients have.We suffer everyday and it seems our crys have fallen on deaf ears we fell no one in the Goverment Agencys care anything about us or if we suffer.
We taake our medication the way they are writen I was on 30mg of oxycodone every 4 to 6 hours as needed which I received 150 per month and I have a pain pump inplanted in me that was giving me 1.26mg for 12 hour during the night and 1.12mg for 12 hours thuring the night to help me sleep when laying in one position at night. My Doctor who is a Chronic Pain Specialist has cut me back 30mg of oxycodone by mouth aday and cut my pain pump back from 37mg in 24hrs to 6mg in a 24 hour period.
Since the cuts I can no longer wash dishes or do any cleaning of the house I only bath 2 times a week because it is so painful I am already in a wheelchair but my quality of life is half of what is was. I am begging all the people that believe all you have done is saving us try to remember we are human and we are not emune from pain and we don’t want to live having to take medicine evryday but we have had to except that is how our lives are ad will never be the same but we are not Drug Addicts we use 1 Doctor 1 Pharmcey everything we have tried to tell you is happening and is it worth all the Deaths it is causing worth it?

Like many of you I have been watching this snowball roll down hill towards all of the legitimate patients being made as scapegoats. I have been appalled by the lack of honesty in the way the numbers have been reported always with a slant to sensationalize the worst of the worst. I want to share some information I have compiled that will I’m sure add fuel to this new’s. I received a letter in December United Health was dropping Oxycontin from the formulary as of Jan. 1, a little background, I had gastric bypass surgery in 2002 and an open hernia repair in 2004. the repair failed and 7 days after the re repair I had the staples removed and within hours 85% of the 2.5 ft incision was open like a zip lock bag. It took 3 years, 13 surgeries, 3 rounds with a wound-vac, a fistula, the removal of my abdominal wall three times due to infection and a plastic surgeon to fix it. I remember asking the surgeon what I had too do to be able to take Tylenol again and he laughed! When the swelling went down the pain set in from the adhesion and scar tissue and muscles being pulled out of sorts. I’ve since had two inguinal hernias a P.E, and recurring aspiration pneumonia that they can’t find a reason for now on case 45. I’m 47 own my own company, have 4 kid’s, go to the gym every day, bike, run, don’t smoke, drink just want to live! Ironically the surgeon who screwed me was abusing stolen pain meds from the hospital pharmacy at the time, but it was covered up. I have been on the same regiment of la/sa for 4 years until January, due to my history I don’t absorb long acting well so my Dr and I have settled on 3x day but mainly relying on short acting for my most effective relief. We made a plan to taper down and then taper back up on Opana ER until I got back to to full dose. We got PA for 2x a day and on day 20 she changed the dose to 40mg. In the past this would have been a therapy change, no problem getting through ins. they denied as to soon. 20 phone calls later my Dr. spoke to the Pharmacist and She said, we thought you were titrating him off? My Dr said no, why would I? They approved me for 60 days and I got a letter saying my request for 3 times a day was denied, but could be approved if under the 90 MED which was less than the first approval I got in January. Today I called as my 60 days was up to get a clear answer and confirmed what I found in their latest documents. As of January 1. non cancer pain is limited to the 90 MED limit, period. Despite me already having a pain management specialist and meeting all the hoops, The only way to return to the dose I was on before the first of the year is to appeal. I get the broad brush they are painting with, but I also confirmed while I can’t get more than 30 mg of opana a day, I can however get my 150 30 mg oxycodone with no problem, if I really want it I can also get 412 percocet’s or 412 vicoden, all on the supply limit without restriction for 1 copay each. So is it about the safety or about the money? From their document dated today called “United Healthcare Addresses increased Opioid Use and Dependence” They tout in 2015 alone a 41% in Opioid prescriptions written, 45% in number of Physicians prescribing Opioids and a 41% decrease in pharmacies dispensing Opioids. So take these numbers and what the CDC released today and understand there are some smoke and mirrors going on and peoples lives are at stake here. It’s time to break the silence!

Dr. Alba, describe the Somatic Therapy please. I was diagnosed with RSD/CRPS twenty five years ago by a W/C MD. They go out of their way to not diagnose this pain syndrome because it’s a very expensive, lifetime problem. I wasn’t able to obtain good pain management for almost 18 months. At the time it was only in my left foot. He didn’t tell me what RSD stood for nor explain what I might be facing. I spent several hours in the library researching RSD. Computers were nothing like today and all I could find was a paragraph about Causalgia, discovered by a Civil War doc, and it had something to do with nerve damage. Good, I thought at the time, can’t be THAT bad. Silly me. I didn’t push for treatment as my regular W/C MD would prescribe low dose pain meds for my right knee injury. During the care for the knee, developed a deathly allergy to aspirin and non steroidal. Almost died when given a prescribed mega dose of Aspirin. When treatment was started, my first pain doc was very conservative. No pain meds, which was fine with me. He prescribed tricyclics, which caused cardiac dysrhythmias. He stopped those and placed me on the Catrapres patch. It caused my BP to bottom out. He did do a Lumbar Sympathetic Block to confirm the diagnosis. It stopped all the foot pain. I then learned what exactly lay in store for me. He sent me to a Therapist at the hospital I worked at. She got laid off so my care was transferred to the head of the department, a Psychiatrist. Nice doctor, but after trying three different SSRI’s decided I just couldn’t tolerate them. Never have been able to tolerate many meds, and this thing about natural endorphins, is a joke for my brother and me. We have always had zero pain tolerance. My pain doc discovered early on my case was difficult at best. My first SCS worked wonderfully. Had two other ones after it died after only 15 months. Ran it on high for 24/7. Had two Pumps. Neither worked very well and my body rejected the second one and it never got refilled. Can’t tolerate morphine, codeine, fentanyl. Demerol led to gives and severe chest pain. Codeine and Methadone made me throw up. Great I am thinking, what’s left? I wasn’t placed on pain meds the first four years. PT was tried, but it only exacerbated the now rapidly spreading monster which was overtaking my body. So forgive me if I don’t jump on the bandwagon for a treatment modality I don’t have the energy to even look up exactly what it is. The damage is done, everything that can be done, has been, all to no avail. I’ve had every Block for upper and lower extremities. More temporary catheters for both upper and lower extremities. I don’t choose to be a guinea pig any longer.

I just spent two hours on my PC researching Deb Houry, Emory University and the CDC. Dr. Houry is NOT an employee at the CDC, but an Assistant Professor Administrator in Emergency Medicine at Emory no less. As an Administrator, she doesn’t even get her hands bloody. Her big title is from Emory, but the CDC seems to have adopted it, thus the connection between the two. Her other speciality is basically preventing and treating abuse in women. Admirable, but what the heck does it have to do with chronic pain diseases, pain management, etc? Nada, zero, zip, NOTHING! She also teaches against suicide from violence and stops PTSD in the ED. What is wrong with this picture?? First, the CDC has an openly ANTI OPIOID MD, write their now damaging 2016 Pain Guidelines, that have hurt far more than helped. Then, the CDC sends an Emory Associate Professor to speak to our elected officials. I am appalled, angry and disgusted by the CDC and Emory. For any who have never worked at a University hospital, an Associate Professor is an alumni of said Medical School. Sounds great and they may have to teach occasionally and write papers. Then, upon further searching, learned Emory, which is in yes Atlanta, GA, just where the CDC has its headquarters. Emory awards grants to organizations like the CDC for research. The CDC turns around and awards grants to universities and orgs. And which department at Emory got awarded a FIVE MILLION DOLLAR GRANT to the very ED Dr. Deb Houry leads. Talk about the good old boy, I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine! She was NO MORE QUALIFIED to address Congress than the first MD the CDC authorized to write the very damaging Guidelines. Gee, you think the families of any chronic pain patient who have committed suicide or who has tried thanks to their loved one taking their life due to unbearable pain needs to inform Dr. Houry, she is anti suicide. Her real email address is DHoury.emory.edu. If you try to contact her at the CDC, you may not get very far. With this cross grant giving, isn’t that collusion or something illegal? I am in too much pain right now to even look up any words. I just think it’s pathetic people throw around false titles, represent areas they really aren’t qualified to represent. Those of us who live with chronic pain every hour of every day, have had every treatment modality forced on us, until all that was left was pain medication, and for so many, it ended up being the proverbial rug pulled from under us. We know more about pain management, responsible OPIOID medication! Start writing your elected officials. Do the same searches I did. These morons need to be stopped!

In my experience working in healthcare with thousands of people in chronic pain, the vast majority are not drug seekers – they are relief seekers. While there are exceptions, opioids have not been found to be effective in the long term for chronic, noncancer pain, and they pose significant risks including addiction, side effects, and death (even when taken as directed). The harms often outweigh the benefits.
Wait, before you get angry please consider this. Limiting opioid prescriptions, without providing safe, effective pain relief, is not the answer. And that strategy, in addition to not addressing the pain problem, may lead to numerous unintended consequences, including increased use of illicit opioids, addiction and overdose deaths.
What if physicians and patients were given research-proven tools to reduce and even resolve pain, without the risks associated with opioids? Do you think they would be interested? Clinical trials conducted at a major health system in Michigan with thousands of participants demonstrated that Somatic Functional Therapy (SFT), either one-on-one or in population health programs, produced significant improvement in chronic pain (nearly 40% of conditions resolved and 80% were improved) and related problems such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance. Furthermore, 67% of those taking pain medications (including opioids) either reduced use or stopped taking them altogether. Of note, no one forced them to do this, they did this on their own as their pain symptoms and health improved.
Furthermore, physicians trained in SFT are able to improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction, while reducing their opioid prescribing. Why aren’t we pursuing these types of safe, effective approaches to address the opioid crisis nationally?

I have lived in Chronic pain for years. 8 to be exact. I have several loved ones here that started out with Norco and Lortab and are now on Crystal meth and heroin. I was started on the tramadol/flexeril combo for Fibro and back problems and when it wouldn’t work they began prescribing get Norco. When I realized I was developing a habit the fear of addiction hit me and I began to search for alternatives. Here in the state of Louisiana Marijuana is not legal so we can’t legally use it for pain. I will you it decreases it by half. This is the fight we need to be fighting. It is safer, non addictive and doesn’t have to be smoked but can be used safely in a controlled environment where it doesn’t damage our lungs etc. However the government is too busy building their synthetic forms to market right now and haven’t approved it yet because they can’t make the money . There is also a medication that is an Antabuse drug. It’s called Naltrexone. I researched it. Low doses under 4.5 MG of it have been show to help patients with Fibromyalgia, MS, Lupus, Parkinsons and other conditions by blocking pain receptors in the brain and releasing endorphins and decreasing fatigue. Taking it, you can’t take opiates at all, but I have been on it a year and it has given me my life back. It’s made in a compounding pharmacy and about 35.00 a month. Please research LDN . Please help push for Marijuana decriminalization and legalization because it can be used safely with the LDN.

Commenting on this site does no good, UNLESS WE ALSO TAKE ACTION. It is not that difficult to formally PROTEST. It is not that expensive to formally PROTEST. It does take some time and organization.

What Your is not stating is all it takes is one hit of heroin and the user is hooked. My meds were all stopped in 2016, and my CRPS/RSD pain has spiraled it of control. My right hand has become so contracted and painful, it has become useless. I have become housebound. My dog needs to see the Vet, but I haven’t driven since December 2016. I have never experienced pain like this before. This is insane, all due to the CDC’s Guidelines. I personally cannot tolerate Fentanyl. Beginning to think if I could have access to illegal pain meds, it might be worth a try, but it’s too costly and illegal, not viable options. Using heroin is never an option. There are too many of us suffering, severely, from having the meds we used responsibly, that used to allow us to function as normally as possible considering the circumstances. Perhaps the CDC and DEA need to LISTEN to our stories, really listen for once and make appropriate changes to both Guidelines.

Thank you Jane for the members of the committee as you read my mind. I have a lot of information I want to send Debra Houry again. Including the one from 12/26/16 in which the CDC admitted to double and triple counting deaths. Heroin turns to morphine, Fentanyl isn’t known if legal or illicit, whether or not scripts were legal or stolen etc. ect. This is all a complete and utter lie from our trusted government officials and it must stop. The CDC Guidelines must be undone and not re-written as they the FDA, DEA, VA, HHS and many more have a lot of blood on their hands. They cherry picked the study to fit their needs and didn’t even know we have a long term study on opioids of over 10 years without Hyperalgesia. Yes, you heard me correctly it’s been done and all one needs to do is email me at Ssherman1123@outlook.com and I will gladly send it and many more.

We are also doing a radio show that will run for 24 hours with all CPP’s as commercials. If you would like to speak for a 13 minute segment and/or do a 90 second commercial please email me at the same address above. Title your email “Radio Show or Long Term Study.” I will get it to you as soon as possible as they are due by 4/13/17 and I have all information I can send by email.

This article doesn’t even begin to tell the truth, but we must persist and the truth will be told. Too many Veterans and Civilians have suffered needlessly at the hands of their idiotic guidelines as too many have made them laws.

Our doctors need to be able to do the job they went to school for without fear of the DEA. I speak to people every day who are being hurt by physicians who are no longer writing their life saving opioid medications. We didn’t ask to be given a chronic illness and/or chronic pain no matter what the reason and would gladly give it back.

All of those who’ve done the damage need to be held accountable and should feel our pain for 24 hours. I guarantee you they’d want to give it back ASAP and then we can all say ” No thank you it’s yours for life now.” How do you think they would feel then if they felt it for just 24 hours when we have to feel it 24 hours a day – 365 days a year?

Sincerely,
Sherry Sherman, CRNP, MSN, BSN, CPC, CCS, CPPM
US Pain Ambassador and Advocate
Too many chronic illnesses to list

This is what I am afraid of happening to Chronic Pain Patients. Called collateral damage as a result of CDC guidelines. It threatens Drs, who could prescribe responsibly from doing so! I also believe some of this mess has to do with the previous Government requirements that were placed on Drs’ to treat pain. They took that literally and started over prescribing Opiates for pain issues that probably did not need such a strong approach. Patients’ started expecting a prescription for a pain pill to cure their pain. I think it was the wrong way to think and it began the emphasis on Pain by the governement.
I do not think Pain should be ignored, but there has to be less control over the Drs’ so they can do their job!

NOW..WE TRIED TO TELL YOU.
AND I’M NOT A HEROIN USER,BUT KNOW ALOT OF PEOPLE IN MY TOWN ….FROM HERE TO DENVER,AN EPISODE ON DRUGS INC. CONFIRMED IT:
HERION SEEKING /USE UP EXPONENTIALLY AS A DIRECT RESULT OF “GUIDELINES” PERIOD. NOW REPEAL THIS AND LET THE DRS. THAT WENT IN TO THIS FIELD RESUME DOING THIER JOB WITHOUT BEING SCARED AND BULLIED!!! 40 YEAR PAIN SUFFERER.. .000 OVERDOSES!!!
STEVE GLASS KNOXVILLE TN

Many of you are directing your comments to Deb Houry as though she’s reading this site. Maybe she is, but maybe she isn’t. Copy your comments directly to her, and to the members of the subcommittee she testified in front of. Maybe she’s the one left holding the bag now that there’s a new HHS secretary and Tom Frieden is out. Maybe she is reasonable or has finally seen the light. Maybe she would begin to listen….
Here are two email addresses I found for her: dhoury@emory.edu and vjz7@cdc.gov
Get a new Yahoo or gmail email if you need to.
Here’s the list of members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee
Republican Members
Tim Murphy (Pennsylvania – 18) – Chairman
Morgan Griffith (Virginia – 09) – Vice Chairman
Joe Barton (Texas – 06)
Michael Burgess (Texas – 26)
Susan Brooks (Indiana – 05)
Chris Collins (New York – 27)
Tim Walberg (Michigan – 07)
Mimi Walters (California – 45)
Ryan Costello (Pennsylvania – 6)
Buddy Carter (Georgia – 01)
Greg Walden (Oregon – 02) – Ex Officio
Democratic Members
Diana DeGette (Colorado – 01) – Ranking Member
Janice Schakowsky (Illinois – 09)
Kathy Castor (Florida – 14)
Paul Tonko (New York – 20)
Yvette Clarke (New York – 09)
Raul Ruiz (California – 36)
Scott Peters (California – 52)
Frank Pallone (New Jersey – 06) – Ex Officio

I’m in so much pain tonight I can’t even muster up an intelligent response to the absolutely absurd claims by this so-called doctor Hourly!

Shameful. It’s all just too shameful.

Pain patients we just need to keep fighting!

Please feel free to join me on FB at chronic pain reform.

CDC or ANY government agency has NO business telling doctors how to treat their patients. What you have done to us is criminal and all of us need to find legal support to go after these idiots. Think of the elderly that can’t move without pain medication… LIKE ME!! Whoever wants to move forward with protecting us from the government EVER interfering with legitimate doctor/patient HIPAA treatment, go to Moveon.org or someone make another suggestions. We need to start a Facebook group if one has not been started already. I am disgusted to say I am a US Citizen. What have you done to our country and citizens, government? And who let you???? I also suffer from Chronic Lyme and other co-infections that cause pain that the CDC refuses to acknowledge yet has per an article personal financial ties to pharma companies? Is this true CDC and if so, what are we the Citizens doing about it?
Totally disgusted Medicare patient-

Actually alcohol is the gateway drug. Most kids are drinking first then get the stuff at some party. Please be honest.

More smoke and mirrors from Houry, I can’t say that I am surprised. I wonder if “they” have yet considered the other damage done to pain patients,i.e., stress related illnesses? Or even just the fact of turning a large segment of Americans into bitter citizens, feeling completely abandoned by our so-called leaders. My pain clinic (5 years there) was taken over by different doctors, and I have undergone cuts which have me at less than half of what I used to take (with no ill effects, or problems whatsoever ). Yet upon my last visit, when I responded to being questioned as to how I was doing by telling him that the most recent cut (3 1/2 weeks prior to appt.)was the hardest one to adjust to, his response was that I needed to detox. He said that cutting it again wouldn’t be fair to me. How does that make any sense….somehow detox would be? Then what??? When I asked him what I would do afterwards for pain relief, he answered with the news that I should seek a new doctor. He left the room abruptly and returned with only one months worth of prescriptions, instead of the customary two months worth, and then I was denied the ability to schedule another appointment. I was told my account was flagged “do not schedule, the patient disagrees with suggested course of action”. What the hell, is that even legal…..patient abandonment? With only a month to find a replacement, which is a hellacious undertaking nowadays, not to mention that I have no idea if the new doctor will even help me. So, next week I could find myself with no medication, and left on my own to deal with it. I also want to say that I love how the fact that one becomes physically dependant on opiods is used against us….there is a HUGE difference between physically dependant and addicted, for crying out loud! Not to mention that there are MANY MANY different drugs which people take that one would go through some level of physical discomfort if they were to abruptly stop after years of taking – even thyroid medication, to mention one simple example. I try to be a good person, but I see my entire future being taken away (along with my fellow pain sufferers ), and the word “hate” is unavoidable, and that’s no way to be either.

Why don’t you just take us Chronic Pain Sufferers out behind the building and shot us in the back of the head? ….. We don’t even let animals suffer in pain

The drug Alcohol negatively affects 1000’s of times more people than opioids and all other drugs combined….
Why don’t you “smart” people go after the pushers of that drug?

Ohhh that’s right there’s more money being made from the drug alcohol

The doctor is not being honest when she says the forced reduction in pain medication for patients has not forced people to seek relief from pain with illegal drugs. This is typical government bull when the unintended negative consequences is worse then the intent of misguided policies of professionals that have not even diagnosed the patients.

She still believes pain meds are a gateway drug. According to her, “statistics from Ohio showing nearly 2/3 of people who overdosed on heroin or fentanyl received at least one opioid prescription in the seven years before their death.” Is no one allowed a prescription (one) for surgery, root canals or other? In seven years? How do you relate that to being a gateway drug? Guidelines should be repealed now. Why was she testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee? Is that someone else we should be writing letters to? We should flood that group with e-mails, letters, complaints, stories etc. Maybe they will do something since all the other places are still ignoring us.

I had already lost my career, ability to go on family outings, sleep in a bed, do my much loved gardening, WALK,my self respect, and so many other things I loved to do. My medications gave me somewhat of a quality of life, at least. I had lost enough….and then you pulled the plug on me….and sent my family and myself spiraling downward all over again!!!!

I agree with you completely, Sheri Wolford!!

Seeing the photo of this woman smiling happily in the wake of all the damage done angers me.

Lawsuit? What lawsuit is that Sheri Wolford? I’m interested to find out more!

Gov’t had NO BUSINESS sticking their noses in our LEGAL medical treatments to begin with!! I hope every doctor who had their licenses revoked, for not agreeing with the so-called “guidelines” because they were SPECIALISTS, not only joins in the lawsuit against you, but gets public apologies and acknowledgements that actually DID NO WRONG!! All of you need to be fired, without pension, for all the inhumane pain and mental abuse, you’ve not only caused pain patients, but families of patients that have already committed/atttempted suicide!!
And to STILL try and come up with excuses for your actions is absolutely disgusting.
REVERSE this asinine ban NOW!!

Honestly. Miss Houry, you make me sick!! Every single one of you who took a part in the fictious opiod epidemic you all created have the blood of many on your hands!! Due to your actions, legitimate pain pts are committing SUICIDE to escape the u bearble pain YOU have forced them to endure with your FALSIFIED overdose statistics!! Labeling heroin deaths as a death to legally prescribed opiod pain medication!! I truly hope karma pays you all a visit and you will know what suffering in severe pain is like! I truly hope you will be neglected, bused, mistreated, degraded, belittled, discriminated against, and stigmatized as an addict, such as what you mand your bias sidekicks have done to innocent law abiding chronically ill citizens!!! Are you planning to do the right thing and retract the BARBARIC AND INHUMANE guidelines immediately!?!? Are you going to admit on national TV how very wrong the CDC is in blaming our drs for prescribing LIFESAVING PAIN MEDICATION!?!? YOUR actions have caused many to turn to the streets for relief or SUICIDE!!!Because of YOUR actions, Doctors who continue to treat their pain pts with adequate pain relief are being shut down by the DEA, they are in fear of prescribing opiods to those who require them to sustain a QUALITY OF LIFE!! Because of YOUR actions, the VA has adopted your BARBARIC AND INHUMANE guidelines as the law, many of our Vets have been cut off from thier lifeline, why do you think so many are committing SUICIDE!?!? Because of YOUR actions, medicare and medicaid are also taking the BARBARIC AND INHUMANE guidelines as law. Because of YOUR actions, many insurance companies are denying lifesaving pain medications , because of YOUR actions, emergency rooms are neglecting chronic pain pts, refusing to treat their severe pain and have labeled those who go to the ER as drug addicts and pill seekers. Because of YOUR actions, pharmacies now have the right to decide who they will fill pain medications for, they can refuse to fill, amd even red flag a patient and report them as if they are some criminal!! Because of YOUR actions our senior citizens whose bodies are crippled in severe pain are being DENIED LIFESAVING PAIN MEDICATION!! Because of YOUR actions chrinic pain pts are being abandoned by the medical community!!! I can keep going on and on. The devastation YOU AND YOUR CORRUPT SIDEKICKS have caused onto the pain community has taken many lives and continues to take ny lives of the suffering!!! SHAME THE F*** ON YOU!! I have never wished bad on anyone until now. Because of YOUR actions, my QUALITY OF LIFE has been taken from me! Treating intractable pain pts with a one size fits all approach is the most outrageous thing ever! YOU ignored the truth, YOU ignored FACTS! YOU put in place an anti-opiod witchhunt that only benefits the pockets of anti-opiod ignorant people such as Kolodny and Ballantyne!! YOU know dam well that denying legitimate pain pts their lifeline has caused many pain pts to endure what could be deadly withdrawal!! YOU know dam well that denying pain pts their lifeline has forced pain pts to go to detox as they are only left with a handful of options, : the streets, detox or suicide !! How many lives of addicts did you save by cutting off the chronically ill!?!! NONE!! Because of YOUR actions, legitimate pain pts have been labeled as drug addicts, amd we are being treated like dam criminals!! Going to a monthly PM dr appt is more like checking in with a probation officer. I am fed up amd have had it with having to take drug tests monthly or surprise pill counts, Tell me what other condition requires such inhumane treatment!?!? ABSOLUTELY NONE! You ought to take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror lady, karma is a bitch and boy when she knocks on all the doors who took part in the genocide thruout the pain community , she will NOT have mercy on any of you!!!

You know how you are making real pain patients suffer as well as their family’s who watch their loved ones go down hill when they use to be able to lead a somewhat normal life so sad when your husband can’t even enjoy time with his grandkids or take part in family get togethers. So tell me how would you feel if it was one of your family members suffering ? Don’t you think it’s time to let the Dr and patient do what they use to do so they can give them some kind of treatment that they deserve so they can get back to having a life before it’s to late. Medicare and Medicaid need to back off as well as the NCQA.

I think the CDC maybe realizing this is a war on pain patients NOT a war on drugs. They can stop every prescription written by a Dr and the drugs will still be readily available and accessible.
People will abuse, whether it be obtainable medication, illegally obtained medication, illegal fentynal, illegal heroin. Finally they are looking at the real numbers of individuals on legally prescribed medication, who in turn end up “addicted”, which is very low. When is this war on Dr’s and chronic pain patients going to stop.
We are being denied medication readily available to us with a chronic incurable disease. No other disease is being scrutinized for the medication the patient takes to control it. We as chronic pain disease patients are alive but we definitely are not living. We are in pain 24/7 and many of us unable to function, take care of our homes, our children, even ourselves or much less have any kind of social life. Where is the humanity and compassion for us? When you live it, when you see it you will then understand!

This sounds like a woman who can’t admit she and her agency made a HUGE mistake. She needs to face and TELL the truth–needs to reverse the damage done to legit patients and our doctors. We continue to hurt and die! We want our doctor-patient privacy back. We want all the alphabet soup agencies off our and our doctors’ backs. Until this is fixed, the blood is on your hands CDC, DEA, etc. Stop this madness now and just maybe you’ll be able to wash that blood off someday.

All physicians who continue to refuse to treat patients for pain with SAFE and effective opioids should lose their license to practice. and the CDC DEA officials who put this tragedy in motion should be prosecuted and jailed for life. After they have had their legs arms and back broken and then they are refused any pain relief. We are rising up and we will humiliate and embarrass every doctor, ER, hospital, “pain clinic” and CDC DEA official at their homes and their offices for torturing patients. The gloves are off.

Unbelievable….well actually I guess this is exactly what we SHOULD expect from Houry. I guess I was just naively optimistic in hoping for better.

What has happened now is that you have really hurt chronic pain patients with the guidelines and people are now going to the street or alcohol for pain help! They don’t even take heroin users to jail here in my state very often so the snowball will continue and you have added people who used to get help and now don’t.

Cathyh1957

I have a ? now since you have started this panic are you going to withdraw your guidelines what are you going to do about MEDICARE AND NCQA since they have taken it even futher