Utah Physician Fighting Accidental Overdoses
Lampros, J: Standard Examiner, Ogden, UT.October 27, 2006
Lynn Webster, president of the Utah Academy of Pain Medicine and medical director of Lifetree Clinical Research and Pain Clinic in
“There are too many unintentional overdose deaths from opoids, which are narcotic medications for treating pain,” he said. “Many die because they are simply trying to escape the pain.”
“It is a tragedy that can be prevented for many chronic pain sufferers, and this story needs to be told to the American public.”
Webster’s campaign went national Sept. 22, when he talked about it on ABC’s newsmagazine show “20/20.”
“I believe it is most likely that patients are trying to escape the harsh reality of pain by using more medication than prescribed,” Webster said. “It’s understandable that patients want to escape the pain, but some patients ignore the risks because they are overwhelmed by pain.”
Sometimes, patients take too much medication in an attempt to get some sleep, he said. Others mix them with alcohol or valium-like drugs, which can be lethal.
“Many patients do not have their pain treated adequately,” Webster said. “As a result, they overuse the medications. Doctors then label patients ‘addicted.’
“Overuse of medication is not necessarily addiction, but it is abuse, and abuse can be a result of undertreatment of pain and lack of compassion from the medical profession.”
Prescription drugs abuse is a serious nationwide problem, Webster said, but
“When some physicians change from one medication to another, the way they do the conversion may result in an amount that is too much for a particular patient,” he said.
“In particular, this happens with methadone. Methadone takes longer to eliminate from the body, so it can build up in some people much too quickly before their bodies can adjust to it.
“When this happens, it may stop respiration before stopping the pain. Physicians must know how to prescribe it, and patients must use it only as prescribed.”
