Senate Investigation - No Obstacle for 'Psuedo Addiction' Doctor at FDA Chronic Pain Workshop

"If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem"
- Abraham Lincoln

Medical doctor and 'pain academy' are both being investigated by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee for financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, but that won't affect the schedule at an upcoming FDA Workshop.

(MYRTLE BEACH, SC) - On May 30 and 31, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) will be holding a workshop they are calling "Assessment of Analgesic Treatment of Chronic Pain - A Scientific Workshop." Here is a link to the workshop http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/NewsEvents/UCM305464.pdf

Last night, a Florida based radio show called "Prescription Addiction Radio" devoted two hours of their broadcast to the upcoming FDA workshop. Their guests were representatives from Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) and Advocates for the Reform of Prescription Opioids (ARPO) who will be a part of the workshop. A link to the radio show broadcast is provided below. A very worthwhile listen for those affected by the prescription drug epidemic.

On May 30, the FDA has allotted time -- 2 minutes each -- for individuals with a stake in the opioid prescription epidemic we are drowning in here in the U.S. and Canada. One of the individuals who will be given his "two minutes of fame" in being heard by the FDA, is Lynn Webster, MD, President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). Dr. Webster and AAPM are both being investigated by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee for financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Webster authored "A Guide for Practioners - Avoiding Opioid Abuse While Managing Pain" dated June 1, 2007. In the Guide for Practitioners, Webster references what he refers to as a "syndrome" called pseudo-addiction. Also as Medical Director of "Lifetree Clinical Research and Pain Clinic" in Salt Lake City, Utah, Webster references "pseudo-addiction" again in a Power Point Presentation. http://www.thci.org/Opioid/jul09Docs/webster.pdf. It reads as follows:

"Pseudo-Addiction -- syndrome of abnormal behavior resulting from under-treatment of pain that is misidentified by the clinician as inappropriate drug seeking behavior. Behavior ceases when adequate pain relief is provided. Not a diagnosis, rather a description of the clinical intention"

If the term "pseudo-addiction" is not familiar to you, here is the background for it. In 1989, a dentist turned psychiatrist named J. David Haddox coined the words with David Weissman, MD of the Medical College of Wisconsin. Haddox went on to become a Vice President of Health Policy at Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. Weissman is now retired. The two physicians coined the word after one medical case study and without scientific information. But the term, pseudo-addiction went on to take on a life of its own in the medical profession with the encouragement of Haddox and Weissman.

The financially funded pain foundations such as the American Pain Foundation and the American Academy of Pain Medicine included the word pseudo-addiction in its policy for treating pain -- along with the Federation of State Medical Boards in every state in the country.

The push for opioids by the pain foundations were given the biggest "shot in the arm" by the bogus medical term "pseudo-addiction" and the medical profession was told when patients sought higher doses of their opioids, they were, in fact, not addicts -- but needed more pain relief. Thus opioids were pushed on patients rather than patients who becoming "hooked" on opioids being given treatment for addiction.

The good Dr Webster now says -- "It (pseudo-addiction) obviously became too much of an excuse to give patients more medication. It led us down a path that caused harm. It is already something we are debunking as a concept."

It may be a good time, Dr. Webster, for you to remove the pseudo-addiction reference from your Lifetree Pain Clinic Website. You know with the Senate investigation about your financial ties to pharma and a bogus medical term responsible for tens of thousands of addictions and deaths -- it may not give you credibility with the U.S. Senate. Obviously the FDA giving you two minutes to state your "expertise" on opioid prescribing once again indicates their ties to pharma and their pain foundations.

I wouldn't be planning any kayaking with Dr. Haddox in the near future, Dr. Webster -- probably would be a good idea to distance yourself from Haddox right about now.

Prescription Addiction Radio Show interview with Andrew Kolodny, MD, Stephen Gelfand, MD of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) and Pete Jackson of Advocates for the Reform of Prescription Opioids (ARPO) and Ada Giudice-Tompson of ARPO in Canada (listen here).

www.prescriptionaddictionradio.com/

http://www.supportprop.org/

prescriptionopioidreform.com/>Home_Page.html

LP --Where do I begin? I can't -- just know that I am so proud of you, the peace in our lives, our wonderful faith, our love, coyotes and "the only downside" is priceless. I cherish you.

Marianne is a nurse having graduated in 1991 as president of her graduating class. She also has a Paralegal certification. Marianne served on a Community Service Board for the Courier News, a Gannet newspaper in NJ writing articles predominantly regarding AIDS patients and their emotional issues. She was awarded a Community Service Award in 1993 by the Hunterdon County, NJ HIV/AIDS Task Force in recognition of and appreciation for the donated time, energy and love in facilitating a Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS.