Pain.com Responds to the Death of a Legend

Dr. Bernard Abrams, medical director for Dannemiller, Pain.com's parent company, recently responded to the current media attention being given to the potential reasons behind Michael Jackson's death. He writes, "The recent untimely death of Michael Jackson has focused attention on the plight of celebrities and non-celebrities alike receiving proper care for pain problems. For many years, Dannemiller has been cognizant of the problems faced by physicians in properly prescribing pain medications while avoiding the diversion, abuse, and addiction of the same."

Unfortunately, deaths due to unintentional drug overdose are a rising trend in the United States. In 2008, Dr. Leonard Paulozzi, a medical epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, " The mortality rates from unintentional drug overdose (not including alcohol) have risen steadily since the early 1970s, and over the past ten years they have reached historic highs... The rate shown for 2005 (most recent year for which complete mortality statistics are available) translates into 22,400 unintentional and intentional drug overdose deaths. To put this in context, just over 17,000 homicides occurred in 2005." ( www.hhs.gov)

Dr. Paulozzi advised the Senate Committee that in addition to several state-led initiatives addressing the issue of unintentional drug overdose deaths, continuing medical education on the same is warranted. Dr. Abrams writes, " Dannemiller's annual pain board review course contains a substantial amount of material devoted to the legal and ethical requirements for the prescription of controlled substances. We are fortunate to have Jennifer Bolen, J.D., a noted attorney, give lectures on the legal requirements for the prescription of pain medication. Ms. Bolen has been a federal prosecutor for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and currently maintains a private practice concentrating on the legal side of pain medicine." Also, Pain.com provides a plethora of continuing education for clinicians and healthcare professionals on the subject of pain medicine and management, including the use and prescribing of controlled substances. In the coming months, we will also be delivering education dedicated to addiction medicine. This month, clinicians can read an informative article about acquired prescription drug behaviors (APDB) by noted pain specialist Dr. Jerry Rand.

It is Pain.com's continued goal to provide timely, accurate, and informative education to healthcare professionals. If you are interested in contributing to our knowledge-base, please contact us at editor@dannemiller.com.