CDC Was Warned About Consequences Of Guidelines
Passionate Pachyderms
https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/washlegal-uploads/upload/litigation/misc/CDCComments-Opioids.pdf
The above link will take you to a letter which was written a year prior to the CDC guidelines being released.
The CDC was very clearly warned about the consequences of releasing the guidelines prior to their release, and yet they persisted in their quest to harm Disabled Veterans and all Americans suffering intractable chronic pain for which they need opiate pain medications.
Please read the letter linked above, then read this one which I wrote asking for their help.
January 6, 2019
Washington Legal Foundation
2009 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington D.C. 20036
www.WLF.Org
Mr. Richard Samp Chief Legal Councel
Mr. Mark S. Chenoweth General Councel
Re: Letter regarding Guideline For Prescribing Opioids For Chronic Pain
Dear Mr. Samp and Mr. Chenoweth;
My name is Jen, I am the Founder/Leader of Passionate Pachyderms which is a political action/advocacy group dedicated to fighting for the rights of average Americans who feel they have been ignored/wronged/ forgotten within the monstrous realm of the United States government, and are unable to have their voices heard in any meaningful way. I also happen to be an American citizen who suffers from multiple complicated health issues which produce severe chronic pain for which I need opiate pain medication to help control, so this issue is very personal as well as professional for me.
I write today as the representative for thousands of Americans and their family members/loved ones who, like me suffer or have loved ones who suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain requiring opiate pain medications all of whom have been very seriously adversely affected by the CDC’s “Guideline for Prescribing Opiate Pain Medications.”
Together, we have been making every effort possible to be heard over the constant drum beat produced by the CDC’s illegal guidelines, and the ongoing illegal drug problem within our country.
Recently, one of our members happened to come across your letter written November 17, 2015 to the CDC addressing the inappropriate manner in which they drafted their guidelines and the illegality of that process.
Collectively, we have searched all over the United States for legal representation, as we believe our rights have been and continue to be violated due entirely to this illegal document and the subsequent consequences of it having been released, but been unsuccessful in finding a firm or group willing to fight for us against the U.S. Government/CDC. Even the ACLU has refused to recognize the fact that our civil rights have been egregiously violated.
We have documentation of patients who have been pushed to commit suicide, patients who have been forced to seek out and use dangerous illegal substances, and tens of thousands of patients who have been forcibly tapered off of their life saving doses of opiate pain medications to doses lower than the CDC’s Guideline dose of at or below 90 MME, and those who have had those medications stopped completely not because they no longer needed those medications or higher doses, but because their physicians were afraid to continue prescribing their needed doses due entirely to these bogus guidelines.
Prior to these guidelines, many chronic pain patients with the help of their higher doses of these medications were able to have some quality of life and functionality. Some report having gone from being home, bed or wheelchair bound to being able to walk again, engage in every day life activities, and some even promising jobs and careers with the help of appropriate doses of these medications. In countless cases these individuals report having “gotten their lives back” when placed on long term opiate pain meds to control their intractable pain, only to then have those lives ripped from them with the release of the CDC’s illegally written guidelines, and subsequently had the very medications that returned their functionality and quality of life to them, abruptly stopped or forcibly tapered to doses below that which are needed for them to maintain their functionality.
Because of this, families have been torn apart when parents could no longer care for or provide for it’s needs. Divorces, when one spouse was no longer able to function or maintain their role in relationships, careers ended, the ability to walk, care for their own personal needs, let alone their homes, children and families were simply ripped away from these people for one reason and one reason only; because the CDC released these poorly researched, tremendously bias, guidelines which were written by those with glaring conflicts of interest, as you so clearly detailed in your letter.
These individuals now not only have suffered tremendous loss of quality of life, and functionality, but have lost all of the things which made their lives worth living, and to top it off, they are now forced to live in horrifically excruciating constant pain 24/7 365 days per year, they are treated like criminals, forced to sign pain contracts, endure monthly drug testing, their names are entered into a national database as if they’ve committed crimes which necessitate them being tracked where ever they go, and endure belittling remarks, comments and treatment from medical professionals (the ones who still exist and are willing to treat intractable pain patients, ) we are forced to travel, often great distances to obtain treatment, travel which for most of us is akin to hours of torture, only to then be subjected to profiling from pharmacists and pharmacy personnel, denied service because our doctors happen to be in neighboring states, and now medicare and insurance companies who are refusing to pay for our medications over the CDC’s bogus guideline limits, forcing us into financial ruin.
We, those who are least physically able to, are being targeted, harassed, and forced to navigate one obstacle after another simply to obtain the medical care we’ve paid for and need to survive.
We have called and written our elected representatives and been ignored. We have appealed to the FDA, HHS, POTUS, Congress, and the Senate to no avail, they refuse to hear us. What we get in response are form letters telling us all about how they support efforts to reduce addiction, provide treatment for addicts, and reduce the number of overdose deaths in our country.
In the past four months, new numbers have finally come to light proving categorically that prescription pain medications are not and have not been the driving force behind the opiate problem in our country, but rather illegal street drugs Heroin, illicit fentanyl, cocaine, molly, methamphetimines, polypharma substance abuse (two or more drugs used together and or mixed with other substances /drugs like alcohol, anti anxiety medications, muscle relaxers, and anti depressants.)
In fact, the top five killers in America recently included all of those things in addition to alcohol and medical malpractice made the list, but prescription pain medications were nowhere to be found.
In spite of this, more and more physicians are refusing to write prescriptions for the opiate pain medications we need to function daily, we are being told to do things like “find joy in our pain” “practice mindfulness” and try smoking pot or using cbt oils.
Someone who suffers what is deemed “moderate to severe intractable/chronic pain” finds no joy in their pain, and the only thing we are mindful of is, how badly we hurt, and on some days want to die.
You were 100% right on in your letters predictions of how badly those guidelines would hurt huge numbers of Americans. You predicted this and warned the CDC of the consequences of their actions as did many others, but they refused to listen. This speaks to depraved heart crimes having been committed which has caused unbelievable amounts of damage, pain and suffering to countless individuals who’s only crime is being sick/disabled by incurable conditions and diseases which cause excruciating pain.
We are not drug addicts, we are not criminals. We’ve committed no crimes, done nothing wrong. Yet because of the CDC and those who wrote and released these guidelines, we’ve been sentenced without having even been heard let alone tried and convicted, to lives of extreme torture and misery. Gentlemen, we need your assistance!
Please contact me at your earliest possible convenience regarding this matter.
Thank you sincerely for your time, and for trying to prevent all of this from happening in the first place.
Sincerely,
2 Comments on “CDC Was Warned About Consequences Of Guidelines”
I am 13 year suffer of chronic intractable pain I suffer from disease called suicide disease CRPS(RSD) called this for a reason extremely painful, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, severe osteoarthritis, DJD, bulging L4 to L5 disc nonoperative I have been told, also suffered from avascular necrosis of both my hips caused by forced over use of steroid injections years ago to receive the small amount of opioids to control my 24/ 7 excruciating intractable pain. took Mr many years of multiple Dr, alternative tx’s consisting of multiple types of therapies, aquatic therapy, Lazer therapy to my feet at a neuropathy center, I’ve tried epidurals, multiple types of injections to my multiple areas of pain without relief actually causing more damage and pain as you can see due to the avascular necrosis I needed bilateral hip surgeries due to the damage to my hip joints since then I have had a total of 6 hip surgeries last in 2017 without relief of terrible 24/7 pain in my left hip and thigh also caused by multiple falls due to the neuropathy and negligence of a hospital not tacking down carpet, I’ve had nerve blocks, flaccid muscle injections, massages, stimulation therapy with heat, I use ice packs, heat packs at home, OTC meds, unable to use NSAIDS so limited on antinflamnatories, have tried antinflamatoty patches but instead refused to pay so spent tones of money I don’t have on multiple things that don’t work and insurance don’t cover like supplements, vitamins, I see pain psych Dr for biofeedback since 2007,meditation, multiple type of antidepressants, anti seizures meds one which I take with my opioids( gabapentin) max dose, muscle relaxers which I tried different types don’t like to feel knocked out or doped up and they have done that more then my opioids ever have so only take 2hen absolutely have to when muscle spasms in my lower legs, so I have tried multiple treatments and meds, oils, ointments, so on last resort I had a stimulator placed on the 5th of March well so far spent tones of money for a huge risky surgery that hadn’t worked except for first few days since then my pain is back to full force and I am out of options the only option I have that works has been changed and my dose cut way below 90mme and now I suffer. I had found relief on the regimen of 2 opioids one type long acting the other short acting for breakthrough I was finally at least some what tolerable still not tolerable for 8 years though I did maintain somewhat of a quality life but was trying to work with my pain Dr about the pain I still had. But once the guidelines came out in 2016 all that changed he no longer discussed with me how I was feeling, what my pain level was, I was questioned and made to feel like I was a criminal, I was made to feel like I did oi d something wrong just because I was advocating for myself and my pain. He became hostile and tried accusatory always questioning everything when I tried to talk about my pain. He then started changing my med he cut one of my meds and tried to lie why he was doing it finally got the truth it was due to the guidelines. I wasn’t aware at the time any of this going in about these guidelines or even what they were. I have since became more knowledgeable about what is going on. Joined multiple pain advocating groups, and joined a support group because he continued to lower then take away the only meds that have given me any tolerable pain relief and now I suffer. He put me on shirt acting less then 50 mme which doesn’t ev3n cover half of the neuropathy pain let alone the CRPS which I had to get a 3rd neurologist to diagnose me just to make my Dr believe I even had it. Even though I have cried to him and begged him this was gonna happen that I was gonna suffer this excruciating intractable pain 24/7 that my pain level was 8 or greater. That the med isn’t holding me doesn’t last I get maybe a half hour if I am lucky of a little relieve then I suffer the other 7 and half hours. I don’t sleep which is essential in helping with my illnesses., because the pain won’t let me sleep. It has me depressed and barely hanging in if it wasn’t for my spouse, daughter, grandchildren and family I don’t know where I would be right now. The damage has been done for many of us already so death by suicide because of these guidelines and for many we are barely keeping from ending it ourselves. Not because we have dressing but because the pain causes the depression and wanting to die. Because we are being ignored, forgotten and torchered. Nobody understands this kind of pain unless your going through it. Someone needs to be held accountable for this for the suffering and deaths caused by these guidelines. Now the FDA AND CDC wants to out in these warnings about tapering and cutting off opioids quickly or st all.. Well it’s a little too late damage already done. Why are we tapering at all for many of us were stable in our doses we were on so why take them away or why do they have t O be tapered st all. We are not the addicts here, our meds are not the problem here for addicts addition and overdoses illegal drugs are most definitely the causes for addiction and overdoses yet we are be punished here, we are the collateral damage. Someone needs to pay for these consequences., not just make excuses now once damage already been done. My Dr will never put me back in my meds we need protection for pt. Then p5itection from DEA FOR OUR DR SO THEY MAY PRESCRIBE OPIOIDS TO THOSE OF US who first have been stable and already on a regimen for years, those who need them and are diagnosed with illnesses causing chronic intractable pain, and protection for those Dr prescribing for our veterans, elderly and cancer pts in pain, surgery it’s and trauma PRD shouldn’t be denied either just because it’s acute pain doesn’t mean it don’t hurt. PAIN HURTS, PAIN CAN KILL!!!! We need support and need it now before more people die by suicide, medically or turn to the streets for relief only to die accidently from illicit drugs being disguised in the illegal drugs we had to take just for relief. I blamed head of CDC, kokidny all those who set these guidelines and released them. And anyone who allowed this to go on and continue!! Our suffering is real we are not addicts!!! Stop the stigma stop the judgement!! We are voting citizens in crisis!!!
Have you received a reply from WLF in regard to your letter?