FDA MIGHT TIGHTEN REINS ON EFFECTIVE PAIN MEDICATION!!

This is not good news for those of us who are legitimate chronic pain patients and who use our medications responsibly for the management of our pain. Vicodin [hydrocodone] is an inexpensieve low-level pain medication that effectively addresses moderate to severe chornic pain issues.

But, according to the USA TODAY article "For the millions of patients across the nation who rely on Vicodin for relief from severe pain, the new rules could sharply restrict the number of pills they can get and drastically increase the number of doctor visits necessary to get them. Many patients who can now get a six-month supply would need to visit their doctors every 30 days to renew a prescription."

If the DEA has it's way, our pain management is going to get a whole lot more expensive.

This is a misguided attempt by the DEA to address the recent surge in prescription pill abuse by addicts seeking the next high de jure. It's not going to be effective and it's not going to change the rate of drug abuse in this country one iota. History shows that as the DEA focuses it's attention on a certain drug it deems as the so-called "epidemic" drug-of-choice by addicts across the land. As they work to make that drug-of-choice more difficult to get, addicts just simply change to a different drug-of-choice, often to an old standby like heroin or cocaine. The DEA then refocuses on the new drug-of-choice and etc, etc, and the cycle starts over again.

Again, the only thing that the DEA is going to accomplish by reclassifing Vicodin to a Schedule II medication is to make it more expensive for those of us (millions of us) who use this drug responsibly and legitmately and who depend on it to effectively manage our pain.

Our voices need to be heard on this issue. If you don't want to visit the doctor every month just to renew your perscription, you'd better let your voice be heard. And don't think it's not gong to get expensive too. 12 doctor vists a year vs 2 visits will get pretty pricey.   

We NEED TO ACT! THE HEARING IS JANUARY 24TH, 2013.