PAIN MANAGEMENT RESOURCES

ARTICLES/INFORMATION/RESEARCH
(click here for Organizations/Agencies)

Manhattan doctor busted for writing 14,000 unnecessary painkiller prescriptions, even to addicts
" Brooklyn federal prosecutors said Dr. Martin Tesher wrote more than 14,000 oxycodone prescriptions in a Dr. Feelgood act that lasted almost five years. The prescriptions allegedly generated 2.2 million oxycodone pills — $20 million worth of opioids, according to authorities."
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, June 5, 2017

A doctor prescribed so many painkillers, she's been charged with murdering her patients, authorities say
"A short time later, she was at a pharmacy, receiving what drug addicts call "the holy trinity" of prescription drugs: the powerful painkiller Hydrocodone, the anti-anxiety medication Xanax and a muscle relaxant known as Soma. In total, pharmacists handed her 510 pills that day — all legal, because she had a prescription with the signature of her doctor, Regan Ganoung Nichols, scrawled at the bottom, according to a probable cause affidavit."
https://www.washingtonpost.com, June 24, 2017

THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF CANNABIS AND CANNABINOIDS
"In the report The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research, an expert, ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine presents nearly 100 conclusions related to the health effects of cannabis and cannabinoid use. "
http://nationalacademies.org, January 2017.

Berkeley's Free Weed for the Poor Program Isn't as Ridiculous as it Sounds
"But those criticisms ignore the fact that, despite California's lax laws, marijuana is a medicine. At the same time, because it's not legal on a federal level, insurance companies don't cover it. As The Times notes, that leads to a situation where people who would benefit from marijuana can't afford it. 'There are some truly compassionate cases that need to have medical marijuana,' Tom Bates, Berkeley's mayor, told The Times. 'But it's expensive. You hear stories about people dying from cancer who don't have the money'."
The Wire, September 03, 2014.

Medical Marijuana Laws Linked to Fewer Opioid Deaths
"This finding suggests that some patients who used to get their pain relief from prescription opioid analgesics may be switching to medical marijuana now that it's available legally, and this transition may be associated with lower rates of mortality related to opioid overdose."
Medscape Medical News, August 25, 2014.

Efficacy of Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) for aucte low–back pain: a double–blind, randomised, controlled study
"Regular paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the recommended first–line analgesic for acute low–back pain; however, no high–quality evidence supports this recommendation. We aimed to assess the efficacy of paracetamol taken regularly or as–needed to improve time to recovery from pain, compared with placebo, in patients with low–back pain.
The Lancet, July 24, 2014.

Medical Marijuana Patients Can't Bring Up Drug's Medical Use at Federal Trial
"Because marijuana use is illegal under federal law (with a few rare exceptions), federal courts generally don't allow evidence that the drug may have been taken as medicine — even when medical marijuana is permitted by state law, as it has been in Washington since 1998."
Huffington Post, June 23, 2014.

AZ Judge Rules Pot Can Be Used for PTSD
"PHOENIX (AP) — A court ruling filed this week has added post–traumatic stress disorder to the list of debilitating conditions that qualify for medical marijuana treatment."
Associated Press, June 07, 2014.

DEA targets doctors linked to medical marijuana
"US Drug Enforcement Administration investigators have visited the homes and offices of Massachusetts physicians involved with medical marijuana dispensaries and delivered an ultimatum: sever all ties to marijuana companies, or relinquish federal licenses to prescribe certain medications, according to several physicians and their attorneys.
The stark choice is necessary, the doctors said they were told, because of friction between federal law, which bans any use of marijuana, and state law, which voters changed in 2012 to allow medical use of the drug."
Boston Globe, June 06, 2014.

Elderly Want More Help With Musculoskeletal Pain
""The goal of the management of chronic pain should be at least to bring it down to tolerable levels, and to avoid unnecessary suffering it is important to use comprehensive pain management strategies and to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment regularly in older patients,"
Reuters Health Information, June 02, 2014.

M.S. Patients May Benefit From Yoga
"A yoga program designed specifically for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) improves walking ability, balance, fatigue, and general health status, and might even help control inflammation, a new pilot study suggests."
Medscape Medical News, May 31, 2014.

Duke University Researchers: Messenger of Pain Identified
Duke Research Blog, April 2, 2014.

Mom gives 7-year-old medical marijuana to combat chemo, against dad's wishes
Daily News, November 24, 2012

Marijuana May Relieve Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
Medical News Today, May 15, 2012

Marijuana Eases Neuropathic Pain
MedPage Today, August 30, 2010

The Intractable Pain Patient's Handbook for Survival
By Forest Tennant, M.D., DrPh, Copyright © 2007.

Chronic Pain: Taking Control
Includes information on acute and chronic pain, causes, and methods of self-care in pain management
EBM, May 25, 2004

Back Pain? Nerve Block May Not Help: Study
Reuters Health, August 20, 2002

Marine Snail's Toxin More Powerful Than Morphine
Reuters Health, July 12, 2002

Sugar Water, Pacifier Help Newborns Endure Pain
Reuters Health, July 09, 2002

Hurting More, Helped Less?
The New York Times, June 22, 2002

Cancer Patients Find Pain Relief Elusive: Studies
Reuters Health, June 07, 2002

Medical Marijuana Crackdown Protested at DEA Offices
Reuters Health, June 06, 2002

California Justices Look at Medicinal Pot Rules
The Recorder, June 05, 2002

Italian Region Backs Medical Marijuana
Reuters Health, May 01, 2002

Recommending Pot Sounds OK to 9th Circuit
The Recorder, April 10, 2002

Pfizer's Warner–Lambert Probed on Neurontin Marketing
Reuters Health, March 14, 2002

• Whistle–Blower Says Marketers Broke the Rules to Push a Drug
  The New York Times, March 14, 2002

Italy Will Begin Providing Cannabis–Based Drugs for Pain Management
Reuters Health, March 13, 2002

'Free' Morphine in India Not Available to Many Who Need It
Reuters Health, March 12, 2002

Pain Less of a Sore Spot
The Orange County Register, February 24, 2002

Topiramate Shows Promise for Treatment of Neuropathy and Chronic Pain
Reuters Health, February 08, 2002

GW Pharmaceuticals to Test Cannabis Spray for Cancer Pain
Reuters Health, January 16, 2002

• Britain Could Approve Prescription Cannabis Drugs
  Reuters Health, February 19, 2002

Aura-Related Brain Activity Triggers Trigeminal Axons, Leading to Migraine
Reuters Health, February 15, 2002

US Agents Raid Medical Marijuana Club
Reuters, February 13, 2002

OHIP Considers Delisting Chronic Pain Therapies
The Toronto Star, January 29, 2002

Scientists Find Key Pain Protein—Study
Reuters Health, January 10, 2002

General Practitioners Underestimate Intensity of Patients' Severe Pain
Reuters Health, January 07, 2002

Chronic Migraine Linked to Hypothalamic Hormonal Dysfunction
Reuters Health, January 01, 2002

Treatment of Sickle Cell Pain
Pharmacotherapy 22(4):484-491, 2002

Pain, the Disease
The New York Times Magazine, December 16, 2001

Pain and Pleasure Share Similar Neural Pathway
Reuters Health, December 06, 2001

Brain Scans Show Increased Pain Sensitivity in Fibromyalgia
Reuters Health, November 16, 2001

Pain Research Comes Into Its Own
The Scientist, October 2001

Jury Awards $1.5M Over Cancer Pain
The Associated Press, June 14, 2001

Oxy Con Game: Anatomy of a Media-Made Drug Scare
AlterNet, June 04, 2001

Many Seniors Get 'Woefully Inadequate' Pain Treatment, Study Says
Globe & Mail, April 25, 2001

Substance P: A New Era, a New Role
Pharmacotherapy 21(9):1061-1069, 2001

Fear of Regulators Keeps Some Doctors From Good Pain Treatment
Ohio State University Research News, February 26, 1999

Pain and Treatment of Pain in Minority Patients with Cancer
Annals of Internal Medicine, Volume 127 Issue 9, November 01, 1997

Consistent Pain Assessment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Report by Suzanne D. Tietjen, RNC, BSN, CCRN, NNP regarding assessment, treatment, and misconceptions regarding pain in newborns.

Medical Marijuana Cases: Conant v. Walters
Evaluation of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling allowing doctors to discuss medical marijuana use with their patients.

NINDS Chronic Pain Information Page
Online information from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Pain.com
Online information and resources site for health care professionals and consumers, from the Dannemiller Memorial Educational Foundation.

Review of Andrew Vachss' Pain Management, by the California Society of Addiction Medicine
CSAM News, Winter 2003.

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OPINION and COMMENTARY

"Dope Fiend" by Andrew Vachss
The short story that leemd to the writing of the novel Pain Management.

The vindictive grand jury investigation of pain-relief advocate Siobhan Reynolds
Slate.com, December 21, 2010

Is Relief in Sight?
Reason, January 2001

Pain & Prejudice
New York Daily News, February 26, 2002

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LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION

Conquering Pain Act of 2001
Text of S. 1024, U.S. Senate, Pain Management bill.

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ORGANIZATIONS/AGENCIES
(click here for Articles/Information/Research)

American Academy of Pain Management
13947 Mono Way, #A
Sonora, CA 95370
Phone: (209) 553-9744
www.aapainmanage.org
The AAPM is the largest multi-disciplinary pain society, and the largest physician-based society in the U.S. Site includes lists of pain management professionals and programs by area; info and FAQs on pain and pain management for both patients and professionals, and access to the National Pain Data Bank.

American Academy of Pain Medicine
4700 W. Lake Ave.
Glenview, IL 60025
Phone: (847) 375-4731
www.painmed.org
The AAPM is an organization for physicians and other health care professionals specializing in pain management and seeking to promote quality care through research, education, and advocacy regarding pain medications and pain management.

American Chronic Pain Association
P.O. Box 850
Rocklin, CA 95677
Toll-free: 1-800-533-3231
www.theacpa.org
The ACPA is a non-profit group founded in 1980, with over 400 chapters in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, India, and Europe, offering support and education for those with chronic pain and their families, and raising awareness with legislators, health care providers, and the general public about the effects of living with chronic pain.

American Pain Society
4700 W. Lake Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025
www.ampainsoc.org
The APS is a multi-disciplinary group of scientists, physicians, nurses, and others whose mission is to advance pain-relief research, education, and treatment. Site includes free "APS Bulletins" and other publications for download, searchable database of Pain Treatment Centers by location, services, classification, and setting (ie, home, hospital-based, outpatient, etc.).

American Society for Pain Management Nursing
7794 Grow Drive
Pensacola, FL 32514
Phone: (850) 473-0233
Toll-free: 1-888-34-ASPMN
www.aspmn.org
Association of nurses specializing in pain management.

Canadian Pain Society
c/o Events In Sync, Inc.
701 Rossland Road East, Suite 373
Whitby, ON L1N 9K3
Phone: (905) 668-9545
www.canadianpainsociety.ca
Bilingual website (English & French). Free journal articles and newsletter pertaining to pain and pain control, links to Canadian resources.

International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
IASP Secretariat
900 N.E.. 43rd Street, Suite 306
Seattle, WA 98105-6020
Phone: (206) 547-6409
www.iasp-pain.org
The IASP is an international, non-profit, multi-disciplinary group of scientists, physicians, psychologists, dentists, nurses, and physical therapists dedicated to furthering research on, and improving the care of patients with, pain. Free medical newsletters/clinical updates, resource listings by country.

Oxford Pain Internet Site
Bandolier Office
Pain Research
The Churchill
Oxford, OX3 7LJ
United Kingdom
Phone: 018 652 26132
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/
Research on pain and pain management, for acute and chronic pain, from Oxford University.

Pain Project
Compassion & Choices Federation
6312 SW Capitol Hwy #415
Portland, OR 97239
Phone: (503) 221-9556
https://www.compassionandchoices.org/news/pain-management/
Compassion In Dying project aimed at both assisting those suffering intractable pain due to inadequate pain treatment by physicians, and activist components geared toward ensuring physicians are not deterred from same due to regulatory fears, as well as providing legal advocacy for patients and their families.

The Pain Research Institute
Clinical Sciences Centre
University Hospital Aintree
Lower Lane
Liverpool, L9 7AL
United Kingdom
Phone: 0151 523 1486
www.liv.ac.uk/pri/
The Pain Relief Foundation is a UK charity which funds research into the causes and treatment of human chronic pain and is concerned with education of doctors and nurses in pain management.

StopPain.org
Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care
Beth Israel Medical Center
First Avenue at 16th Street
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 844-8970
www.stoppain.org
Resources for Patients, Caregivers, and Professionals.

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BOOKS

The Body In Pain: The Making And Unmaking Of The World
Scarry, Elaine. Oxford University Press. Oxford: 1982

The Culture Of Pain
Morris, David B. U of California Press. Berkeley: 1991

Pain: The Science Of Suffering
Wall, Patrick. Columbia University Press. New York: 2000

Pain As Human Experience: An Anthropological Perspective
Good, Mary-Jo, Paul Brodwin, Byron Good, Arthur Kleinman, eds. U of California Press. Berkeley: 1992

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