Seniors are sold out in this marketing strategy for Big Pharma’s poison

Taking the pain away

If you’re a senior, the American Geriatrics Society sold you out.

It’s heartbreaking. And it’s harsh. But it’s that simple.

The AGS also broke a fundamental rule.

As I mentioned recently, there are hundreds of drugs that produce side effects that mimic dementia symptoms in seniors. And any drug that has the potential to cloud the mind is on that list.

So why would AGS recommend such a drug? Why would they break that rule?

The answer is maddeningly familiar.

A more than moderate betrayal

Three years ago, an AGS panel set new guidelines for opioid painkiller use. Basically, the new recommendations said this… If you have moderate to severe pain, don’t bother with over-the-counter NSAID drugs. Use opioid painkillers instead.

The stunning word there is, “moderate.”

Normally, I’d be in favor of avoiding NSAID use. But not in this case. Not for moderate pain. That’s like saying, “Don’t play with firecrackers. Play with dynamite instead.”

It’s just an insane recommendation.

Start with addiction. That’s the most dangerous opioid side effect, because it compounds all these side effects…

* Depression

* Confusion

* Cognitive dysfunction

* Increased risk of falling and fractures

* Respiratory suppression

* Constipation

* Bowel obstruction

* Sleep apnea

* Apathy

Ironically, increased pain sensitivity is another side effect. And that can fuel addiction.

So why in the world would an AGS panel recommend the expanded use of opioids?

It appears the fix was in. And, as usual, that means Big Pharma cash was flowing.

Of the 10-member panel, at least five had financial connections to companies that produce opioid drugs. The panel chairman had no industry links when the recommendations were released. But he was previously paid to speak on behalf of companies that made these drugs.

Even to industry insiders, these connections stink to high heavens.

In an interview, the president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing put it bluntly. He said, “Finding prominent experts without these conflicts of interest isn’t very hard.”

He added that it looked like “they didn’t even try.”

But it appears they were trying very hard to establish loyalty to Big Pharma purse strings. And it seems to have worked. Over the past few years, sales of opioid painkillers to the elderly increased dramatically.

When you’re in pain, you need and deserve relief. But it is critical to take the lowest dosage of the safest medicine possible. And despite what the AGS wants us to believe, the numbers don’t lie. It’s just another marketing strategy for Big Pharma’s poison.

Sources:
“Narcotics use for chronic pain soars among seniors” John Fauber and Ellen Gabler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/29/12, jsonline.com