Chronic Pain Thoughts: Letter to Senator Tammy Baldwin

 Dear Reader,

I wrote to Tammy Baldwin regarding not being able to access Pain Medications, especially in a hospital setting. As my MIL laying in a Critical Care ICU at one our biggest hospitals, she was given IV Tylenol and Gabapentin. I also included chronic pain patients being experimented on with medications other than actual safe and effective pain medication.

She is out of touch. I hope that one day she has to find out what it's like to live every single day in pain and not get anything that helps. To find out what it's like to be experimented on with injections, PT and medications being prescribed off label.

I'm going to pull out sections and talk about it while leaving the original email below

1: The pharmaceutical industry pushed their opioid prescription drugs to treat pain management, and many providers have relied excessively on prescribing prescription drugs without exploring alternative treatment options that are less likely to lead to addiction ~ This is False information. The addiction rates have stayed the same even with a 75% decrease in prescription medications. Did people go to street drugs after being prescribed an opoiod? Yes, but when you are cut off something that works and you're desperate, what else do you do. Instead of looking at what actually happened, the “harm reduction” caused more harm

2: The 2016 CDC Guidelines are quoted, with only the updates from 2018 for Medicare/Medicaid. What about those of us that have private insurance through our employers?

3: While I believe that our country has excessively prescribed prescription drugs, please know that I understand your concerns and I will continue to work to ensure that we create a system that strikes the right balance by prescribing prescription drugs when they are truly needed and avoiding them when alternative treatment methods are available. ~ What? I hope one day you have to experience what the alternative treatment methods are. Injections, anti-depressants and medications with terrible side effects (like Dementia)

4: Lastly, I'd like to include contact information for the Kenosha County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) ~ I used a letter head, which included my address to show that I'm in Green Bay, yet she gave me the Kenosha County information, you think if I called the number provided they would help me? Also, I'm not disabled or in the age range to be considered “Aging”.

Original Response:

Thank you for contacting me about access to pain treatment. I appreciate hearing your perspective on this important issue. Pain affects individuals of all ages and is the most common reason Americans access the health care system. Chronic pain is often treated with prescription drugs, including controlled substances like opioids. Pain and pain care is a complex issue, and each and every patients situation is different and unique. I agree that opioids can be used safely and appropriately. However, it is critical to move away from the one-size-fits-all approach of relying solely on prescription painkillers to treat patients and to advance more effective pain therapies. The pharmaceutical industry pushed their opioid prescription drugs to treat pain management and many providers have relied excessively on prescribing prescription drugs without exploring alternative treatment options that are less likely to lead to addiction.

I appreciate knowing of your concerns that efforts to combat prescription drug abuse could reduce patient access to needed medications. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, which provide non-binding recommendations and information on how to safely use and prescribe opioids. These voluntary guidelines are available for use by clinicians who prescribe opioids for chronic pain and are intended to help clinicians deliver the safest and highest quality care. In 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new rules for the 2019 Medicare Part D prescription drug program, which would establish some limits on high doses of opioid pain medication and a 7-day supply limit for opioid prescriptions related to acute pain. Several states and some insurance companies have also sought to reduce the number or dosage of certain pain medications.

I recognize how important it is to empower doctors with the tools and resources they need to take a comprehensive approach to pain management to ensure that our families receive the high-quality care they deserve. While I believe that our country has excessively prescribed prescription drugs, please know that I understand your concerns and I will continue to work to ensure that we create a system that strikes the right balance by prescribing prescription drugs when they are truly needed and avoiding them when alternative treatment methods are available.

I also believe that we must continue to support research on our understanding of pain and the development of safer, more effective treatments. I helped ensure that efforts to strengthen research on chronic pain were included in the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act (P. L. 114-198) and on October 3, 2018, I was proud to join my Senate colleagues in passing bipartisan opioid crisis response legislation that was then signed into law (P.L. 115-271). This will help improve pain care therapies, and advance research on the causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and management of pain. It also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide technical assistance to hospitals on alternatives to opioids for pain management.

Furthermore, we need to make sure insurance companies are providing affordable coverage for pain treatments that meet patients needs. I have called on top insurance companies to ask that they review policies that could unintentionally be hindering access to certain medications, and ensure that patients can access less addictive or non-addictive pain treatments, non-pharmacological treatments like physical therapy, and medication-assisted therapy.

Lastly, I'd like to include contact information for the Kenosha County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), which may be reached via telephone, at 262-605-6646, or online, at: https://www.kenoshacounty.org/155/Aging-Disability-Resource-Center. The ADRC may be helpful to you in coordinating any programming, resources, or referrals that may be fitting and available to you.

Going forward, I will continue to support initiatives to improve and expand pain research and safe treatment, including increased access to alternative treatments. Rest assured that I will continue to support measures that provide all Americans with access to affordable, comprehensive health care that meets their needs.

Once again, thank you for contacting my office.  It is important for me to hear from the people of Wisconsin on the issues, thoughts and concerns that matter most to you. If I can be of further assistance, please visit my website at www.baldwin.senate.gov for information on how to contact my office.