Study finds IBD patients vulnerable to opioid abuse

Dangerous opioids routinely given to IBD sufferers

If you’ve never had to deal with the pain and severe diarrhea of ulcerative colitis — or any other inflammatory bowel disease — consider yourself lucky.

The nature of these diseases is probably why Big Pharma and the FDA think it’s okay to put some of the most incredibly dangerous drugs on the market for them. After all, when you’re in so much agony, you’ll try just about anything, right?

But there’s another group of meds that can snare IBD victims before they know it — the highly addictive and deadly class of drugs known as opioids.

A recent look at how a clinic that specializes in treating these conditions hands out drugs to patients turned up some shocking numbers. It looks as if IBD sufferers are being primed to fall right into Big Pharma’s opioid trap.

And that’s an even bigger shame when you realize that there are numerous safe and effective treatments that can help — without risking addiction and the numerous opioid effects that can just as easily kill you.

Crossing the line
The opioid problem that’s swept across America is one of the best examples of what “all talk and no action”means.

Every so often, politicians start giving impassioned speeches about doing something, or they start appearing in public service announcements with the families of opioid victims holding up photos of loved ones who died from the effects of these drugs.

Yet nothing changes! Doctors still go on prescribing them for all sorts of ailments that shouldn’t even be on the opioid radar.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky recently discovered the perfect example of that.

They selected a sample clinic that specializes in treating IBD (an umbrella term that includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, along with all the different subtypes of each ailment) and took a close look at the drugs that were being prescribed.

The first shocking thing they discovered? Around a quarter of patients with IBD were being given opioids.

Then, looking deeper into the number and duration of prescriptions filled, they found that up to 10 percent had “crossed the line” and were considered to be chronic opioid users.

Of course, if you ask me, any time these deadly drugs are given out for an ongoing condition such as IBD, you’ve crossed the line.

Experts called those findings “alarming.” But seriously, that’s an understatement.

Supposedly, doctors across the U.S. have pledged to do whatever they can to stem the tide of this prescription-drug addiction plague. And yet, here we have a finding that shows how they still routinely hand these meds out like candy!

What makes that especially infuriating is that alternative methods of treating IBD — which are both natural and safe — have also been found to be extremely effective.

For quite a while, HSI panel member Dr. Glenn Rothfeld has been using a variety of techniques to help his patients suffering from these intestinal diseases, and one of the first approaches he takes is improving the health of your gut flora (a.k.a. beneficial bacteria).

That means taking a daily high-quality probiotic and ditching processed foods in place of plenty of real fruits, veggies, and healthy fiber.

Dr. Rothfeld also recommends including foods high in vitamin E — such as spinach, avocados, asparagus, wheat germ, and almonds (along with other types of nuts) — and produce that contains lots of vitamin A.

A quick rule of thumb for getting more A in your diet is to go for any food that’s naturally orange — like sweet potatoes, apricots, and carrots.

Based on a study out of Germany last year, he also suggests that patients try yoga! That research found that those with ulcerative colitis who took a once-weekly yoga session reported significant improvements in their quality of life (compared to patients who simply read self-help books).

Of course, popping an opioid pill will take your pain away fast, unlike the changes Dr. Rothfeld recommends, which may take a little time to kick in.

But along with that immediate short-term relief can come a lifetime of painful addiction that, at some point, could steal everything you’ve worked for away from you… including your life itself.

“Chronic opioid use high among IBD patients” Ed Susman, January 20, 2018, Medpage Today, medpagetoday.com