CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids to manage Central Nervous System complications encompass a range of recommendations to advise primary care clinicians regarding the prevention of opioid use disorder. There are three key points on which the CDC guidelines focus:
- When opioid prescription should be initiated or continued for managing CNS complications;
- How opioids should be selected, what the dosage and duration of treatment should be, what the frequency of follow-ups is, and under what circumstances the prescription should be discontinued;
- What adverse risks patients can face and how they should be addressed.
The guidelines provide beneficial information for healthcare professionals since CNS complications deteriorate patients’ quality of life. Despite the proven effectiveness of opioid prescriptions to manage complications, their use presents serious risks such as overdose and opioid use disorder (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Important issues to consider regarding the use of opioids for mitigating CNS complications include alternatives to opioid treatment such as exercise therapy, analysis of benefits and harms of specific types of opioid treatment based on patients’ condition and treatment needs, assessment of patients’ and clinicians’ preferences and values regarding the prescription of opioids, and allocation of resources such as economic efficiency and costs of opioid therapy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016).
While the guidelines offer solid advice on the appropriate use of opioids for managing CNS complications, it is important to note that the prescription of such controversial medicine should be based on the individual health needs of separate patients because everyone tolerates opioids differently. Before prescribing opioids, clinicians should assess the efficacy of alternative treatments to avoid possible adverse outcomes such as opioid use disorder.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2014). Opioid use disorder diagnostic criteria. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). CDC guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain – United States, 2016. Web.