The Opioid Crisis in Missouri: A Call to Action for Physicians, Legislators, and Society

Lawrence Lewis, Christopher R. Carpenter, Evan S. Schwarz, Randall S. Jotte, Corey Waller, Rachel Winograd, Randall Williams, Steven Stenger, Holly Rehder, Shannon Governick, Luis Giuffra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Opioid overdose deaths in the United States increased sharply over the last decade leading the President to declare a national emergency. The neurobiology of opioid addiction is explored in conjunction with the historical events preceding the current epidemic. A patient-centric perspective is provided along with rationale for contemporary Medical Assisted Therapy (MAT) options to safely reduce overdose deaths and other preventable consequences of prescription misuse and heroin abuse. A multidisciplinary medical provider approach is essential, in addition to legislative efforts to reduce current regulatory burdens that reduce access to MAT in many settings. This review introduces a new Missouri Medicine series intended to explore key concepts to simultaneously reduce opioid prescribing, while effectively managing acute and chronic pain across complex healthcare settings.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)440-446
Number of pages7
JournalMissouri Medicine
Volume114
Issue number6
StatePublished - Nov 1 2017

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