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An addiction specialist in Sudbury said he hoped that Health Sciences North's new chronic pain clinic would address the current opioid crisis.
The clinic aims to help patients manage their chronic pain through a team approach and the hospital said it could reduce the number of emergency room visits and the amount of medication a person takes. .
"I always tell my patients, if your pain is reduced to zero, I will not do my job because I've probably put you in a coma," said Dr. James Callaghan. He is the doctor responsible for the clinic.
He says he's already been able to see some patients taking opioids reduce their medications.
"They can say:" You know what? "I do not need it anymore. You know, if I have a big push, it's at that moment that I take it But now, I can manage with a little Tylenol, a bit of Advil, I do my exercises, I do my stretching, "he said.
Dr. James Callaghan is the Medical Lead for the Integrated Chronic Pain Program at Health Sciences North. (Martha Dillman / CBC)
Dr. Mike Franklyn, an addiction specialist in Sudbury, says the hospital's approach to pain management is good.
"I fear they are inundated with people with a history of chronic pain for five, 10, 15, or 20 years and whose only modality they have been exposed to is opioid," he said. -he declares.
"It's a problem."
When should I take opioids?
Franklyn says some doctors prescribe opioids as a first-line treatment for people with chronic pain. However, he says this is not the best approach.
"The pills that initially help to relieve pain make you feel more pain," he said.
"Initially, you have an answer that blocks [the pain]. But after a while, the body needs to feel the pain as an early warning system. So, you develop tolerance [and] you need more and more. "
Franklyn says that opioids play a role in treating acute pain, such as an injury or convalescence after surgery.
"People should get a three to five day prescription for opioids," he said.
"Beyond that, we should use anti-inflammatories and other modalities, for chronic pain we probably should never start." [opioids]. "
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