History of Pain in America
Opioid prescriptions began increasing throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as the medical community increasingly focused on treating pain effectively — even penalizing doctors who failed to do so. These developments pre-date OxyContin, which was introduced in 1996.
In 2021, an estimated nearly 52 million Americans (21%) reported suffering from chronic pain and 17 million (7%) reported suffering from high-impact chronic pain.[1] According to the CDC, 50 million Americans are prescribed opioids every year.[2]
In fact, NIH found “new cases of chronic pain occur more often among U.S. adults than new cases of several other common conditions, including diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure.”[3]
To this day, the FDA and other medical experts believe ensuring proper access to prescription opioids is important.
In the 1990s, State Laws Required Doctors to Prescribe Painkillers When Needed, & Punished Doctors When They Did Not Adequately Treat Pain
Pain Relief
“In a survey conducted last year, Joranson’s group found that 8.1 percent of state medical board members questioned knew of doctors who had either been investigated or disciplined for undertreating pain.”
October 13, 1998[4]
A Shift in the Treatment of Chronic Pain
“Nineteen states now have laws that protect doctors from prosecution by state and local law-enforcement agencies for overprescribing painkillers so long as the medications are needed to treat pain caused by medical disorders. ”
August 9, 1999[5]
Oregon Board Disciplines Doctor for Not Treating Patients’ Pain
“…in this week’s case, the board found that Dr. Paul Bilder of Roseburg, Ore., had not prescribed enough drugs to alleviate pain in six patients between 1993 and 1998.”
September 4, 1999[6]
Purdue Created OxyContin After Global Medical Community Expressed Grave Concern About Undertreatment of Pain
Prescription opioids are necessary for treating pain when other medications are inadequate. OxyContin was created by Purdue in response to a serious public health concern for treating patients suffering from chronic pain. Since its introduction in 1996, OxyContin has been repeatedly approved by the FDA for use in 53 countries.
“Several recent studies, which describe continuing opioid therapy in patients with pain of non-malignant origin, report that continuing use of opioids is not associated with substance abuse or psychological dependence…”
“… A misconception by doctors, nurses, and patients to the effect that physical dependence and psychological dependence are interchangeable terms has led to the under-use of opioid analgesics; lack of professional knowledge about their clinical pharmacological properties has further limited their effective use.”
1986[7]
“Despite good intentions and genuine concern for patients’ comfort on the part of physicians, repeated evaluations of the state of pain therapy over the past 20 years suggest that many patients do not receive adequate pain relief.”
1995[8]
“This whole pain movement and trying to get people to more liberally prescribe opioids came from a really good place. And it really needed to happen.”
Anna Lembke, during history of drug use panel prior to becoming a paid “expert” testifying against opioid manufacturers, 2015[9]
“In 1982 I wrote an editorial in The New England Journal of Medicine, which began, ‘Few things a doctor does are more important than relieving pain.’ I still believe that. I ended with these words: “Pain is soul-destroying. No patients should have to endure intense pain unnecessarily.”
Dr. Marcia Angell, Former Editor-in-Chief of the new England journal of medicine, 2018[10]
To This Day, Medical Experts Believe Ensuring Proper Access to Opioid Treatment Is Important
“While FDA understands the importance of ensuring patients continue to have access to opioid analgesics in their pain management regimens, we believe it is equally important to ensure that patients and prescribers are fully aware of all the benefits and risks of treatment with opioid pain medicines.”
December 2023[11]
“Opioids are a mainstay of medical practice. They’re very effective medications and are safe when carefully prescribed.”
Scott Hadland, chief of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Mass General for Children and Harvard Medical School, november 2022[12]
“We know that people that live with pain experience many challenges. Having safe, consistent and effective pain management should not be one of them.”
Christopher Jones, Director, Center for Substance Abuse prevention at SAMHSA (Former acting director of the cdc’s national centure for injury prevention), November 2022[13]
“As much as it’s been demonized, the slow-release opioids that came out as an innovative product in the mid-nineties is hugely beneficial.”
Trevor burns, research fellow at cATO Institute, February 2022[14]
“A reporter recently asked me about what harm I may have caused as a pain management physician who prescribes opioids. As I reflected on my last 10 years in this field, my response was that the harms I may have caused were because I underprescribed these drugs, not overprescribed them.”
Antje M. Barreveld, pain medicine physician & medical director of pain management services at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA, April 2022[15]
“FDA’s efforts to address the opioid crisis must focus on encouraging ‘right size’ prescribing of opioid pain medication as well as reducing the number of people unnecessarily exposed to opioids, while ensuring appropriate access to address the medical needs of patients experiencing pain severe enough to warrant treatment with opioids.”
December 2019[16]
“It is imperative to ensure that patients with painful conditions can work with their health care providers to develop integrative pain treatment plans that balance a focus on optimizing function, quality of life (QOL), and productivity while minimizing risks for opioid misuse and harm.”
May 2019[17]
“More than 300 health-care experts told the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday that the agency’s landmark guidelines for the use of opioids against chronic pain are harming patients who suffer from long-term pain and benefit from the prescription narcotics.”
March 2019[18]
“Undertreatment of pain is a serious problem in the United States, including pain among patients with chronic conditions and those who are critically ill or near death.”
DEA & 21 HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS, 2001[19]
“Pain is a significant national health problem… costing the American public more than $100 billion each year.”
1998[20]
