# Opiods: Should government get between you and your doctor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 23, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852 "2016-04-23T00:42:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/21 "2016-04-23T15:08:11Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > [House Heroin Task Force Backs Broad Slate of Bills - Morning Consult](https://morningconsult.com/2016/04/house-heroin-task-force-backs-broad-slate-bills-house-takes-turn-opioids-bills/) > > We all know there’s an opiod epidemic that’s causing a lot of addiction and deaths. But we also know there are a lot of people living with chronic pain. As imperfect as the system is, I don’t know that politicians replacing doctors’ judgment with their own is a bright idea. This line from the article chilled me: First, there’s apparently little to no evidence that opioids are effective for long term pain: > **[Scant Evidence for Long-Term Opioid Therapy in Chronic Pain](https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/838056)** > > A new review found insufficient evidence that long-term opioid therapy improves chronic pain outcomes, but data showed that serious opioid-related harms, such as overdose, are apparently dose dependent. Second, and anecdote alert!, it seems pretty obvious to me that opoids are over-prescribed. Two different times recently, I had something broken (toe, ankle), and neither time was I in much pain after a cast was applied. I told the doctors (different doctors, different hospitals) that I wasn’t in much pain, but they gave me a script for percocet anyway. The second time, I said that I really don’t need or want that prescription, but they said, here, take it anyway, just in case. I have two relatives who are former addicts, so there’s no way I was going to fill it – I just threw it away. Anyway, I found it really odd that they would basically push the script on me, even when I clearly didn’t need it. I think some government regulation on these kinds of scripts probably makes sense (even though this proposed law doesn’t even go that far, according to **DSeid**. On NJ Transit trains, there’s an ad that says something like, “You wouldn’t give your daughter heroin for a soccer injury,” implying that giving kids opiates for their injuries makes no sense. It wasn’t that long ago that people were expected to live with some amount of pain and discomfort – this flurry of opioids is a relatively new thing (last 20 years?). I’m not saying it should be withheld from people in acute pain or who have terminal illnesses. But, pushing it on people who don’t want it and onto kids makes no sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/22 "2016-04-23T16:11:08Z")
Since obviously I support further restrictions on abortion there is no contradiction for me. But, yes, it seems clear to me that certain large pharmaceutical interests have been pushing painkillers on the American people through doctors that has led to large-scale addiction and rising death-rates. They should be glad we are doing this interesting of say having the top 200 drug executives in this country (starting with Martin Shkreli) summarily shot or deporting most of the upper management to corrective labour camps. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/23 "2016-04-23T21:53:16Z")
Yes to the government but I am skeptical of too much involvement by politicians… Mt wife and daughter deal with opioid abusers on a daily basis and the little that they are able to share has opened my eyes to the severity of the problem. I think we need better guidelines on pain management, opiod prescriptions and better treatment for opioid dependency. According to these guidelines from the [CDC](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/rr/rr6501e1.htm) (an appropriate involvement) even primary care clinicians do not always feel well trained to deal with the issue of opiod use - and the CDC says they prescribe roughly half of the prescriptions. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/24 "2016-04-23T22:38:36Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > But, yes, it seems clear to me that certain large pharmaceutical interests have been pushing painkillers on the American people through doctors that has led to large-scale addiction and rising death-rates. They should be glad we are doing this interesting of say having the top 200 drug executives in this country (starting with Martin Shkreli) summarily shot or deporting most of the upper management to corrective labour camps. Better yet, restrain them in a hospital bed and give them daily intravenous oxycodone for a month or so. Then turn them loose. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/25 "2016-04-24T01:21:47Z")
Before you go around attacking politicians and CEOs, perhaps you should read up on the history of laudanum? What we really need is a cure for addiction. And no, we haven’t got anything. Primarily because instead of looking to science for an answer we have for decades blamed addiction on “lack of willpower” and “immorality.” ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/26 "2016-04-24T01:38:08Z")
As far as doctors prescribing “too much,” explain something to me. I’ve occasionally been in severe pain from something, and ask for one or two days worth of, say, Tylenol-3. That means 3-6 pills. More than one doctor has told me that pharmacists are suspicious of prescriptions for very small amounts, so they give me 10 instead. Why are pharmacists suspicious of prescriptions for very small amounts of opioids? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/27 "2016-04-24T03:39:22Z")
I’ve never had the experience that they are **Rivkah**. On the rare occasions I prescribe T3 I have often done just the 5 to 7 to get through the day of two, and never had a pharmacist question it. **addie** , I have no clue what that is “already going on” you want evidence of. “Politicians” (i.e. elected representatives via delegated bodies) deciding that “doctors are doing their jobs right”? Yes, that is what the state medical boards are supposed to be doing. Or least protecting the public from those who are grossly doing their job wrong, such as by prescribing drugs in excess or without a legitimate reason. They also try to make sure we are continuing to be adequately trained. The variety of involved parties, inclusive of state and Federal levels, are in process of impacting the public health problem that has emerged from the liberal prescribing of opioids. There has [been impact](http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1508490?af=R&rss=currentIssue&) but it is a moving target and a comprehensive approach is both required and not yet fully formulated let alone implemented. The Act of the op is part of that emerging comprehensive approach. > [@New England Journal of Medicine 1/14/2016](#): > > … The pattern of nonmedical use of prescription opioids varies, from infrequent use once or twice per year to daily or compulsive heavy use and addiction. A key underlying characteristic of the epidemic is the association between the increasing rate of opioid prescribing and increasing opioid-related morbidity and mortality.6-9 Pain has also been identified as a poorly addressed clinical and public health problem for which treatment with prescription opioids may play an important role.10 Taken together, these trends suggest the need for balanced prevention responses that aim to reduce the rates of nonmedical use and overdose while maintaining access to prescription opioids when indicated. > In response to these interrelated public health problems, federal, state, and other vested interests are implementing a variety of policies and programs aimed at curbing inappropriate prescribing.1,6,11-16 These efforts include educating health professionals and the public about appropriate use, implementing prescription-drug monitoring programs, taking enforcement and regulatory actions to address egregious prescribing (e.g., eliminating “pill mills”), and developing prescription opioids that incorporate abuse-deterrent technologies. > Although more rigorous evaluation is needed, there are some indications that these initiatives are beginning to show some success. A recent study showed that the rate of opioid prescribing in the United States stabilized between 2010 and 2012, with some medical specialties showing declines in the rate of opioid prescribing after consistent increases for a number of years.17 States and localities that took the most decisive action are seeing a decrease in the availability of prescription opioids coupled with a decline in the rate of deaths from overdose.13-15 Using national data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there were 16,007 and 16,235 overdose-related deaths in 2012 and 2013, respectively, involving opioid analgesic agents, down from a peak of 16,917 deaths in 2011 … Heroin use though is up and it is not certain why. > [@NEJM as above](#): > > … Some persons certainly use heroin when they are unable to obtain their preferred prescription opioid; however, whether the increases in heroin trends in the overall population are driven by changes in policies and practices regarding prescription opioids is much less clear. … > > … In the majority of studies, the increase in the rates of heroin use preceded changes in prescription-opioid policies, and there is no consistent evidence of an association between the implementation of policies related to prescription opioids and increases in the rates of heroin use or deaths, although the data are relatively sparse. Alternatively, heroin market forces, including increased accessibility, reduced price, and high purity of heroin appear to be major drivers of the recent increases in rates of heroin use.46,56 Regardless of the causes of the high rates of both nonmedical prescription-opioid use and heroin use, in order to minimize overall opioid-related morbidity and mortality, efforts are needed to help people who are already addicted, in parallel with efforts to prevent people from becoming addicted in the first place. … The proposal discussed in the op (again, actual act linked to earlier) is an very thoughtful attempt to put all of the needed pieces in place. It in no way “puts the government between you and your doctor.” Again, read it. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/28 "2016-04-24T04:03:24Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I’ve never had the experience that they are **Rivkah**. On the rare occasions I prescribe T3 I have often done just the 5 to 7 to get through the day of two, and never had a pharmacist question it. I thought it maybe had something to do with drug-seekers going from doctor to doctor faking things like sprained ankles, which are easier to fake than being post-surgical, and a sprained ankle is something one might have a single day’s worth of an opioid for, as opposed to being post-surgical, where you’d get a week’s worth. One time a did get a day’s worth was after having an injection in my wrist of a steroid for carpal tunnel syndrome. It would hurt like a bitch for a couple of days, with the second day being the worst-- it hurt too much to wear the brace I was supposed to wear-- but four Vicodin would get me through it. I would take Tylenol for a few more days after. The doctor did say that if there was any question to have the pharmacist call him, I guess to verify that I actually had had something done to me, and hadn’t walked in off the street with a complaint, asking for narcotics. I don’t get high from narcotics, not even the fentanyl I had when I had my c-section, not even a little buzzed, although I do get sleepy if I’m already tired. I also get constipation, but I get pain control, so I want them when I’m in serious pain, but I don’t want them as long as something else will work. Is it possible it’s a genetic thing? there are no drug users in my family, and Jews in general tend not to be narcotics addicts. I’m not saying NO Jews are ever addicts, and we certainly have our own problems-- benzodiazepine abuse is pretty common among Jews, and there are Jews who abuse cocaine, but rates of narcotics and alcohol abuse are really low. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/29 "2016-04-24T04:49:24Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Who are politicians to decide that? The elected representatives of the people who as part of their job description have the responsibility of doing so. Are they? Or is the[State Medical Board](http://appointments.illinois.gov/appointmentsDetail.cfm?id=184)supposed to do that? The Medical Board is the agency who “reviews complaints against Illinois physicians for violations of the Medical Practice Act” and “conducts hearings and may recommend probation, suspension, revocation or other action of license.” If the medical board (made up of, in our state: “- 5 Illinois licensed physicians licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches and possessing the degree of doctor of medicine. - 1 Illinois physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches possessing the degree of doctor of osteopathy - 1 Illinois chiroptratic [sic] physician possessing the degree of doctor of chiropractic - Four members of the public who are not engaged in any way, directly or indirectly, as providers of health care”) finds that a doctor has been inappropriately prescribing or not adequately following their cases, then that would be reason for them to sanction that doctor. And that’s a good thing. But, just like abortions, your average politician don’t know jack about opiate prescribing. To answer the question in the OP (rather than to address the specific, poor, example): No, I don’t think the government should get between you and your doctor by making legislation directing patient care. And that includes laws limiting prescription amounts or duration or numbers of refills and mandating whether a prescription is written on paper or faxed in. These are all roundabout ways to try to fix a problem that aren’t fixing the problem. If the doctor’s actions in prescribing are the problem, then that individual doctor needs to be guided and fixed. That’s what professional organizations and medical boards are for. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/30 "2016-04-24T06:14:46Z")
Pretty much all the horror stories I read on this subject (e.g., all the threads on this board, like **Ambivalid** ’s recent one) seem to result from zero-tolerance paranoia originating with the DEA, and the pressure they put on doctors and pharmacists. The DEA should have no business regulating medical drugs prescribed by doctors, dispensed by pharmacists, and used by patients. Leave all that to the FDA where it belongs. The DEA’s business is controlling illegal drugs, from the drug lords of the cartels down to the front-end retailers on the street corners. It’s a whole different arena than the opious problems between doctors and patients, out of which the DEA should butt. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/31 "2016-04-24T10:38:52Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Is it possible it’s a genetic thing? There is probably a genetic factor or factors, but it’s not the whole story. Genetics might make you more or less susceptible, but it’s far from the whole story. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/32 "2016-04-24T10:47:59Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Pretty much all the horror stories I read on this subject (e.g., all the threads on this board, like **Ambivalid** ’s recent one) seem to result from zero-tolerance paranoia originating with the DEA, and the pressure they put on doctors and pharmacists. > > **The DEA should have no business regulating medical drugs prescribed by doctors, dispensed by pharmacists, and used by patients.** Leave all that to the FDA where it belongs. The DEA’s business is controlling illegal drugs, from the drug lords of the cartels down to the front-end retailers on the street corners. It’s a whole different arena than the opious problems between doctors and patients, out of which the DEA should butt. Unfortunately, there’s overlap. At least to the DEA. Rx drugs being sold on the street, whether legit scripts or stolen in some way, become their jurisdiction. Granted, they should stay out of the prescribing end of things. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/33 "2016-04-24T11:14:45Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Is it possible it’s a genetic thing? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/34 "2016-04-24T11:38:04Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Are they? Or is the[State Medical Board](http://appointments.illinois.gov/appointmentsDetail.cfm?id=184)supposed to do that? … That is not an “or.” That is the “how.” Elected representatives are entrusted to create their states’ Medical Practice Acts that regulate physician behavior and have created their State Medical Boards to implement those regulations, as their enforcement arm. As far as the contention that the problem is one of individual doctors that need to be guided and fixed - no question there are individuals who do. But the problem is a systemic one, not just a few bad apples, and the path to improved quality is iess identifying and fixing the individual bad apples than it is a multi-faceted systems approach. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/35 "2016-04-24T11:47:16Z")
That’s far more intelligent than what politicians actually do. What they want to do is reduce deaths and they don’t particularly concern themselves with the means to that end. “Multi faceted” has included some good things, such as closing down the pill mills and dealing with doctor shopping, but it’s also included some dumb ideas, like limiting supply to pharmacies and making it harder for people to get access by making them get new prescriptions every 30 days. It’s kinda the way that politicians used to approach guns. “Gun violence is a crisis!” so they pass laws that affect the law abiding more than they do the criminal element. But it drops gun deaths a little bit, so they declare that it’s working. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/36 "2016-04-24T12:04:34Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It’s kinda the way that politicians used to approach guns. “Gun violence is a crisis!” so they pass laws that affect the law abiding more than they do the criminal element. But it drops gun deaths a little bit, so they declare that it’s working. Thanks Obama! ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/37 "2016-04-24T12:32:15Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Thanks Obama! It’s not Obama. Gun control laws have happened under a number of presidents, plus, they vary greatly by state. ETA: When I bought a gun for target shooting, I needed a permit, and there were a lot of things, like I couldn’t have ever have a mental illness diagnosis, or been treated for substance abuse, and this was in Indiana, a red state with lots of hunters. When I had a baby, I got rid of the gun, if anyone is curious. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/38 "2016-04-24T12:45:27Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > That’s far more intelligent than what politicians actually do. What they want to do is reduce deaths and they don’t particularly concern themselves with the means to that end. “Multi faceted” has included some good things, such as … And I stand by my first post: > [@me](#): > > I would be cautious with the fixes. Good intentions can sometimes cause significant harms. But the issue is not whether or not government should be involved, they are, but a reasoned debate over exactly how they should be involved in a more useful way than they currently are. The law you brought up? Anything _actually in it_ that you object to? On _my_ first read it seems like a model of a thoughtful, intelligent, and far from heavy handed multi-faceted approach. As to your claim that politicians have passed laws limiting supply to pharmacies? Cite please. Cause [all I can](http://www.pharmacist.com/pharmacists-turning-away-legitimate-pain-patients-wholesalers-limit-shipments-controlled-substance-0) find is wholesalers blaming their short supplies on a percieved approach to enforcement which the DEA explicitly denies exists. > [@](#): > > DEA denies that it has singled out wholesalers or that its regulatory actions have intensified. Barbara Carreno, a spokesperson for the agency, said the DEA’s enforcement approach has remained essentially unchanged since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. > > “We’re not out there trying to keep medicine from people,” Carreno said. “We’re not out there trying to hassle companies. When we take actions, they always [are] against egregious violations that have the effect of harming the public.” As an example, she cited the agency’s 2012 2-year suspension of Cardinal Health’s Lakeland, FL, distribution center license to distribute controlled drugs because it had allegedly “failed to maintain effective controls against the diversion” of oxycodone. > > “Our administrative actions are intended to have the effect of bringing violators back into compliance with the law,” Carreno added, “which should have the effect of making these medications more available” to patients who need them. Limiting to 30 day supplies. Sorry I strongly disagree. Reasonable policy. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/39 "2016-04-24T13:05:12Z")
I must agree with **DSeid** here. The government in the US has been regulating opioids in the US for over a century. And frankly physicians have not been demonstrated to be the best judges of national policy on the topic. Just look at the disastrous “pain as the 5th vital sign” movement of the late 1990’s, which frankly resulted in a horrific rise in unintended deaths from opioid use. The measures as cited in this thread are pretty responsible attempts to get a handle on the problem. And I speak as a physician who treats opioid addiction, prescribes opioids at least weekly at work, and treats all types of pain including end of life pain. AND as a recovering opioid addict. So, ignoring the ‘straw man’ issues raised in the media (by a lot of people who should know better, including physicians and pharmacists), I’m actually pleased (and surprised) that rationality seems to be ruling the day in legislative circles. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852/40 "2016-04-24T13:16:57Z")
How about the government funding research to develop some better pain medication? Is it possible to tweak opioids somehow to make them either less addictive, or get you less high, but still provide pain relief? Is there something else out there that has potential to relieve pain without making you high? Is it worth looking at the brains of people who don’t experience opioid highs to figure out why, and see if there’s something going on, some brain chemical they have more, or less or, and it, or a blocker for it, could be added to opioids? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opiods-should-government-get-between-you-and-your-doctor/752852.md?page=3)