Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Kratom Spreads

By Pat Anson, Editor

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a dozen more people have been sickened by a Salmonella outbreak linked to the herbal supplement kratom – raising to 40 the number of suspected cases. The number of states where the illnesses have been reported rose from 20 to 27.

For the first time, investigators have also found Salmonella bacteria linked to the outbreak in kratom powder samples in North Dakota and Utah.

“The outbreak strain of Salmonella was identified in both samples. The ill person in North Dakota purchased S.K. Herbalist brand kratom powder from the website soapkorner.com. The ill person in Utah purchased kratom powder from the website kratoma.com,” the CDC said in a statement.

“Despite the information collected to date about where ill people purchased kratom, a single common brand or supplier of kratom has not been linked to the outbreak. At this time, CDC recommends that people not consume kratom in any form because it could be contaminated with Salmonella and could make people sick.”

STATES reporting SALMONELLA ILLNESSES

State and local health officials have interviewed 24 people sickened by Salmonella, asking them about food and other substances they were exposed to before they became ill.

Seventeen of the 24 reported consuming kratom in pills, powder, or tea. Three said they purchased kratom from retail locations and 10 said they bought kratom online.

Illnesses from the Salmonella outbreak began last October, with the most recent case reported on February 13. Fourteen people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Salmonella is a bacterial infection usually spread through contaminated food or water. Most people who become infected develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Salmonella causes an estimated one million food-borne illnesses a year in the United States, with 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths.

It generally takes about two to four weeks before a person infected with Salmonella is reported, so its possible there could be more than 40 cases in the current outbreak. 

Kratom comes from the leaves of a tree that grows in Southeast Asia, where it has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties. In recent years, millions of Americans have started using kratom to treat chronic pain, depression, anxiety and addiction, conceivably costing the pharmaceutical industry billions of dollars in lost revenue.

FDA Warns Utah Company

In a move apparently unrelated to the Salmonella outbreak, the Food and Drug Administration warned a Utah company this week not to launch a new dietary supplement that is based on mitragynine -- one of the alkaloids found in kratom.

The FDA said Industrial Chemicals was using “inaccurate and misleading statements” on its website to promote Mitrasafe. Among other things, the company said that Mitrasafe was “fully compliant with all FDA laws and rules.”  

“Today, we notified a company making claims for a compound in kratom that its product is an unapproved new drug and an adulterated dietary supplement,” FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in a statement.

“The company is claiming that its product is a ‘natural substitute for opium,’ that it has ‘morphine-like effects,’ and that it can help relieve pain along with a litany of other ailments. Just as troubling, this company promotes kratom as effective in ‘curing addiction’ and treating ‘withdrawal symptoms.’ These unlawful practices not only mislead consumers, but can also prevent people suffering from addiction from seeking effective treatments.”

Industrial Chemicals planned to start selling Mitrasafe on February 28. A spokesman for the company said the launch date has been postponed while it appeals the FDA decision.

“We did not make any drug claims. On the contrary. We did not claim that Mitrasafe itself could do these things or have opium like qualities at all. We never even came close,” said attorney John VanOphem. “The FDA wants to be taken seriously on this stuff? I’m sorry, they haven’t followed their own guidance. This is alarming to me. To have us become the whipping boy poster child on this is just outrageous."

VanOphem told PNN the company has spent years trying to work with the FDA to get Mitrasafe approved.

“The FDA has done nothing to prove that they’re actually interested in addressing the substance of this. They’re just not credible and it’s a shame,” said VanOphem. “All they intend to do is ban kratom, period. There’s no other option for them. They’ve never acknowledged any other option.”  

Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, dietary supplements like kratom are -- for the most part -- loosely regulated by the FDA. But in recent months the agency has launched an unprecedented public campaign to discourage people from using kratom.

In November, the FDA released a public health advisory warning about kratom's potential health risks, especially when used to treat opioid addiction. Last month the agency released a computer analysis that alleged kratom contains over two dozen opioid-like substances that share structural similarities to painkillers such as morphine.

“Kratom should not be used to treat medical conditions, nor should it be used as an alternative to prescription opioids. There is no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use. And claiming that kratom is benign because it’s ‘just a plant’ is shortsighted and dangerous,”  Gottlieb said in a statement.

In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration attempted to ban kratom by scheduling it as an illegal controlled substance, but a public outcry and lobbying campaign forced the DEA to suspend its scheduling decision. Many kratom supporters fear that another attempt to ban kratom is imminent.

“We’re in for a fight,” said David Herman, president of the American Kratom Association, a pro-kratom consumer group. “There’s no question they want to ban it.”

Gluten-Free Diet May Relieve Neuropathy Pain

By Pat Anson, Editor

A small study by British researchers suggests that a strict gluten-free diet may help protect against the nerve pain caused by gluten sensitivity.

"These findings are exciting because it might mean that a relatively simple change in diet could help alleviate painful symptoms tied to gluten neuropathy," said lead author Panagiotis Zis, MD, a senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield. "While our study shows an association between a self-reported gluten-free diet and less pain, it does not show that one causes the other."

Gluten sensitivity has been associated with peripheral neuropathy -- a condition in which peripheral nerves become damaged, causing weakness, numbness and pain in the hands and feet. Diabetic neuropathy can also cause these symptoms, but when diabetes is ruled out and a person is sensitive to gluten – the pain and numbness might be caused by gluten neuropathy.

The British study involved 60 mostly elderly people who had gluten neuropathy. They were asked about the intensity of their pain, mental health and whether they followed a strict gluten-free diet. About half of the participants had pain with their neuropathy.

People who were following a gluten-free diet were significantly more likely to be free of pain than those who did not. Over half of those without pain were on a gluten-free diet, while 21 percent who were gluten-free still experienced pain.

After adjusting for age, sex and mental health status, researchers found that people following the strict diet were 89 percent less likely to have pain.  

The study also found that people with painful gluten neuropathy scored significantly worse on their mental health assessment, which had a range of zero to 100 with 100 being best. Those with painful gluten neuropathy had an average score of 76, as opposed to the average score of 87 for those with painless gluten neuropathy.

"This study is promising because it shows that a gluten-free diet may help lower the risk of pain for people with gluten neuropathy," Zis said. "More research is needed to confirm these results and to determine whether the gluten-free diet led to the reduction in pain."

Further results of the study will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in April.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, oats and other cereal grains. Gluten is found in many types of food, including bread, pasta, cereal, sauces and salad dressing.

When people with celiac disease eat gluten, it triggers an immune response that attacks the small intestine, causing pain and inflammation. About 1-2% of the population has celiac disease, but most cases go undiagnosed and untreated. Celiac disease is hereditary and runs in families.

People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) may also develop gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as headaches, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and allergies. Abdominal pain and irregular bowel movements are frequently reported with NCGS, which can make it difficult to distinguish from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Research about the relationship between gluten and chronic pain conditions is rather slim, although there are many anecdotal reports that a gluten free diet reduces pain. In PNN columns, Donna Gregory Burch said going gluten-free helped reduce her fibromyalgia symptoms, while Lisa Ayres found that eliminating gluten quickly relieved her arthritis symptoms.  

Bill Would Create 3-Day Limit on Opioids for Acute Pain

By Pat Anson, Editor

A bipartisan bill has been introduced in Congress that would impose a national 3-day limit on opioid prescriptions for acute short-term pain and authorize another $1 billion to subsidize the addiction treatment industry.

The CARA 2.0 Act is a follow-up to the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016. It is sponsored by four Democrats and four Republicans: Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

“The opioid epidemic truly is a national crisis that is affecting families and communities across the country, and in West Virginia, we’ve become far too familiar with its consequences,” Sen. Capito said in a statement. “While we’ve accomplished a lot in terms of drawing attention to the drug epidemic and providing resources to help address it, it’s painfully clear that we still have a long way to go and need to be doing even more.

Several states have already enacted measures to limit opioid prescriptions for acute pain – usually limiting them to five or seven days’ supply. CARA 2.0 would make a 3-day limit mandatory nationwide for “pain with abrupt onset and caused by injury or other process that is not ongoing.”

The bill would exempt patients with chronic pain and cancer, as well as those in hospice and palliative care. It is not clear how the 3-day limit would apply to patients recovering from surgery or for those whose pain lasts longer than 3 days.

Under the bill the U.S. Attorney General would be authorized not to renew or register the licenses of physicians to prescribe controlled substances if they do not abide by the initial 3-day limit.

It also requires doctors to consult with the prescription drug monitoring database (PDMP) in their state before writing a prescription for a controlled substance to make sure a patient isn’t already getting opioid treatment. Prescribers who repeatedly fall “outside of expected norms or standard practices” would be reported to law enforcement and their state licensing boards.

The latter provision was initially proposed by Sen. Cassidy under the Protection from Overprescribing Act.

"I’m glad the Protection from Overprescribing Act is included in this bill, so law enforcement gets the information they need to identify providers who are overprescribing and fueling this crisis,” said Cassidy, who is a licensed physician.”  “In Louisiana, there is about one opioid prescription for every person. I and other physicians took an oath to first, do no harm. Some doctors are selling these prescriptions for profit. This is doing harm and it must be stopped.”

If passed, the bill raises the penalty for opioid manufacturers who fail to report suspicious orders for opioids from $10,000 to up to $500,000.

States would be allowed waive the limit on the number of patients a physician can treat with buprenorphine (Suboxone), an addiction treatment drug. There is currently a cap of 100 patients per physician.

The bill also seeks to create a national network of addiction treatment facilities, to be funded by $200,000,000 in grants annually from 2019 to 2023. The grants would only be available to large non-profit treatment programs that already have facilities nationwide, such as Phoenix House. 

Who Benefits From My Suffering?

(Editor’s Note: This coming May will mark the one-year anniversary of Canada’s opioid prescribing guidelines, which discourage the use of opioid medication in treating non-cancer pain. Canada’s guidelines are very similar to the 2016 CDC guidelines in the United States and are having a similar impact on pain patients. Critics say the Canadian guidelines have created “a climate of fear” among patients and doctors, and may have contributed to several deaths.

Elizabeth Matlack is a 36-year old Canadian and cancer survivor who has lived with chronic pain literally her entire life. She recently wrote this open letter to Health Canada and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.)  

By Elizabeth Matlack, Guest Columnist

June 15, 1981 was the day I was born. I cried a lot as a baby, but nobody knew why. 

Three years later, when I was old enough to talk and voice my problems, I told everyone that I couldn't sit down because it hurt too bad.  My mother knew something was wrong, but she just didn’t know what.  She took me to many doctors, only to be told that I was constipated and that laxatives would solve the problem. They didn’t.

Bless my mother’s heart, because she did not give up.  She continued taking me to doctors until a pediatrician had the good sense to do an x-ray and found a grapefruit-sized malignant tumor attached to my coccyx and spreading up my spine.  I was given a 10% chance of survival while they operated and removed the tumor. 

They would go on to remove my coccyx, and gave me over a year of chemotherapy and 28 days of cobalt radiation to what was left of my spine.   The damage done to my backside was permanent. The radiation destroyed every single fat cell, causing me to have a cavity where most have buttocks. 

Sitting is very painful for me. The best way to describe how it feels is to imagine yourself resting your elbow on a hard surface, allowing all of your weight to fall on that elbow. That is what it feels like to sit. I cannot sit or lay on any surface that is not completely cushioned.

Not only was the physical pain excruciating, there was the emotional pain of not having a butt, not being able to find any clothes that fit, and being called "No Bum Beth" in school.   

Sitting has always been the most painful thing for me, followed by  standing and walking.  The severe pain in my backside, down my right leg and up through my back is non-stop.  Every hour of every single day I am in pain so severe that it makes the most basic life functions difficult. 

ELIZABETH MATLACK

Those are the reasons that I have been in pain management for over a decade.  I have been able to create a somewhat normal life for myself using opioid pain medication. OxyContin and morphine have given me the ability to do what I love most in the world, which is.to make art and walk my dog. The chemo and radiation robbed me of my ability to have children, but they did not steal my inspiration and artistic abilities.  

I have followed all of the rules set forth by my pain doctors, keeping my meds locked up, never sharing with anyone, never asking another doctor for drugs, and passing urine drug tests each month. But none of that matters now.  

The new guidelines set out by Health Canada have caused doctors to no longer treat patients based on their individual needs, but rather as a number based on the guidelines. For 5 years I was on the same dose of OxyContin and morphine. The regimen worked well for me and afforded me the ability to create all kinds of artwork. For the most part, I had a pretty decent and comfortable life -- until the guidelines came out.

In less than 6 months, I was tapered down to less than a third of the opioid dose that I was stable on for five years. The tapering was very fast and caused immense daily suffering on my part.  I do not remember the last time I have slept more than an hour at a time.  I do not have enough pain meds to get thru 24 hours of the day no matter how I work it. Every single day is a roller coaster of severe pain and withdrawal. 

My pain specialist no longer has the ability to treat me properly and I am routinely left without any pain medication, while my GP doctor tries to treat my very high blood pressure. When my pain was being managed, my blood pressure was fine.

I know life isn't easy and I definitely know it can be unfair.  But this sort of cruel and unusual torture that I am being put through is absolutely disgusting. I keep hearing about the "opioid crisis," but the only crisis I can see is all the legitimate pain patients going untreated and suffering, because legislators have their thumb on the doctors and doctors have too much at stake to risk treating patients properly. 

Health Canada says the opioid guidelines are voluntary and were never meant for pain management doctors, but rather for general practitioners and surgeons treating acute short-term pain.  Yet the pain clinics are being raided and told to enforce the guidelines no matter who the patient is and what is wrong with them.  I do not know how much longer my body can continue in this much pain.

I want to make sure that the truth gets out there. There are far too many people suffering and being denied proper medical care. And for what? Who wins? Who is benefiting from all of my suffering?  Who?

Elizabeth Matlack is an artist and illustrator in Ontario, where she is best known by her artist pen name, Lizzy Love.

Pain News Network invites other readers to share their stories with us. Send them to editor@painnewsnetwork.org

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represents the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Pain News Network.

Should the ‘War on Stem Cells’ Be Fought in Court?

By A. Rahman Ford, Columnist

A recent article published in the journal Regenerative Medicine suggests that civil lawsuits should be used to protect patients and draw attention to unscrupulous stem cell clinics. 

The authors, Claire Horner, Evelyn Tennenbaum, Zubin Master and Douglas Sipp, contend that civil litigation would "convincingly show patients and society that there are real and significant harms from unproven SCIs (stem cell interventions), and this strategy may complement the arsenal of efforts focused on reining in this industry.” 

Horner, Tennenbaum and Master are academics in medical ethics at Baylor College of Medicine, Albany Law School and the Mayo Clinic, respectively; while Sipp is affiliated with RIKEN, a Japanese research institute that is developing stem cell technology.

Their use of the word “arsenal” sounds like a declaration of war, an unfortunate, fratricidal war against their fellow Americans who need stem cells to treat their pain and disability.  After reading their article, it’s clear that fearmongering is their best weapon.

The authors really don’t like clinics that use a patient’s own stem cells to heal themselves.  They lament that many industrialized countries are moving toward more openness in accelerated approval of stem cells and other regenerative therapies.  And they contend that inadequate enforcement and penalties at the U.S. federal level justify the need for lawsuits.

“In the absence of government oversight of private sector firms, patients and consumers may need to look elsewhere to protect their interests. Civil litigation provides a means for patients who feel they have been harmed by undergoing a SCI to seek redress and compensation from providers and may also motivate government and industry to address the issue on a larger scale,” they wrote.

The most stupefying part is that the authors go so far as to compare the issue to tobacco companies, gun violence and child molestation! 

The authors admit at the outset that the main goal of their campaign is to propagandize the public and policy-makers.  They state plainly that “stem cell lawsuits may help raise public awareness and influence public policy” and would help draw “attention to negative outcomes and engender moral outrage on the behalf of vulnerable and sympathetic plaintiffs.” 

This tactic would shift attention away from pesky patients’ rights advocates who support broader availability of the potentially life-saving treatments offered by stem cells.  They see this strategy as viable because it worked for consumers injured by the tobacco industry, victims of gun violence, and sexual abuse victims molested by Catholic priests.  The fact that the authors would put stem cell clinics – and by extension stem cell patients – in the same category as Philip Morris, AR-15 gun manufacturers and pedophile Catholic priests is simply ludicrous.

For the authors, civil litigation is essentially a propaganda tool in their misguided war against a non-existent enemy. They advocate using civil litigation to “attract public attention” and “shape the media narrative.” Information operations such as these are an age-old concept in international relations and warfare, that includes the collection of tactical information about an adversary as well as the dissemination of propaganda in the pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent. 

And how do the authors intend to collect their tactical information?  They will use the civil litigation discovery process to uncover “previously undisclosed information about a provider’s practices” that could potentially trigger FDA investigations. 

Overall, the tone of the authors’ proposal is that of combativeness and belligerence, not negotiation and reconciliation.  As with all misguided wars, it is civilians – those who the war is allegedly waged to protect – are the ones who suffer the most.

Little Evidence to Support ‘War on Stem Cells’

Even worse, they don’t show their “war on stem cells” is supported by any real-world evidence.  Their methodology is insufficiently rigorous; it lacks integrity to the point of being flimsy, porous and leaky.  The data which serve as the cornerstone of the authors’ argument are 9 court cases in which plaintiffs allege that the stem cell therapy they received was either ineffective or injurious.  

This sample is far too small to seriously support any meaningful conclusions, much less the authors’ conclusion that the number of legal claims is growing.  The 9 cases cited were filed between 2012 and 2017 for a wide variety of medical conditions and for a wide variety of causes of action.

Not only are we not told how many stem cell procedures were actually performed in American clinics over the same time span, but in none of the 9 cases cited was there a disposition in favor of the plaintiffs!  In fact, one was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs and another was dismissed on appeal.  Of the remaining seven, 4 were settled and 4 have yet to be decided. 

So none of the claims of negligence, misrepresentation, fraud, lack of informed consent, or unfair trade practices were ever proven.  The authors acknowledge that this is a problem, and in desperation turn to a Japanese case to support their claims.  The problem is the authors openly admit that “the U.S. administrative and legal systems differ greatly from Japan’s.”  It’s never a good idea to undermine your own argument.

If the authors are truly motivated by the safety and welfare of stem cell patients, then perhaps their efforts would be better spent advocating for the increased democratization and liberalization of stem cell policy. 

This can be accomplished by supporting policies geared toward the availability and affordability of stem cell therapies, such as the patient-centered ethos of “Right to Try” legislation, the regenerative medicine provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act, and the constitutionally-protected privacy right in a patient’s use of their own stem cells. 

We need less antagonism and asymmetry in stem cell policy-making, and more alliance-building and acceptance of a new paradigm of progress. The solution is not more litigation against people, but more listening to the people.

A. Rahman Ford, PhD, is a lawyer and research professional. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and the Howard University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal. He earned his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania.

Rahman lives with chronic inflammation in his digestive tract and is unable to eat solid food. He has received stem cell treatment in China.  

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represent the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Pain News Network.

Sessions Creates New Task Force to Target Rx Opioids

By Pat Anson, Editor

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced the creation of a new task force targeting manufacturers and distributors of opioid pain medication, as well as physicians and pharmacies engaged in the “unlawful” prescribing of opioids.

“We are attacking this crisis at its root: the diversion and overprescription of opioid painkillers,” Sessions said at a news conference. “We will use criminal penalties.  We will use civil penalties.  We will use whatever tools we have to hold people accountable for breaking our laws.”

Sessions also said the Justice Department would file a “statement of interest” in hundreds of lawsuits filed by states, counties and cities seeking to recover billions of dollars in damages from opioid manufacturers who used deceptive marketing practices. Such a statement could result in the federal government joining as a party in the lawsuits and recovering damages.

Sessions said the government had borne “substantial costs” as a result of the opioid crisis, including $4 billion paid by Medicare for opioid pain medication in 2016.

“The hard-working taxpayers of this country deserve to be compensated by those whose illegal activity contributed to those costs.  And we will go to court to ensure that the American people receive the compensation they deserve,” Sessions said.

“These are not our last steps.  We will continue to attack the opioid crisis from every angle.  And we will continue to work tirelessly to bring down the number of opioid prescriptions, reduce the number of fatal overdoses, and to protect the American people.”

Sessions’ announcement avoided any mention of the growing scourge of black market opioids, such as heroin, illicit fentanyl and counterfeit medication, which are now responsible for most overdose deaths. He also did not acknowledge that opioid prescribing has been declining for several years and that less than one percent of legally prescribed opioids are diverted.

The new task force – called the Prescription Interdiction & Litigation (PIL) Task Force -- will include senior officials from the Attorney General’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It appears to be focused solely on prescription opioids.

“The PIL Task Force will use the criminal and civil tools available under the Controlled Substances Act against doctors, pharmacies, and others that break the law,” the DOJ said in a statement.

Sessions directed the task force to improve coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services – which includes the FDA, CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – in sharing healthcare data to identify “patterns of fraud related to the opioid epidemic.”

The Attorney General's single-minded focus on pain medication as the cause of the opioid crisis has angered many pain patients and advocates.

"I am operating on the assumption that this country prescribes too many opioids," Sessions said during a speech earlier this month. "People need to take some aspirin sometimes and tough it out.”

“I hope Sessions falls down, hits his head and breaks a hip and has to take two aspirin and get over it,” wrote one PNN reader.

“Jeff Sessions is an instrument of hate. He has succeeded in driving a wedge through the most sacred trusts -- the relationships between doctors and patients. Doctors now fear and loathe their patients for putting their licenses at risk, and patients fear and loathe their doctors for abandoning their compassionate care plans,” wrote another reader.

"This is exactly why we don't need, a group of people that know nothing about what they are making laws for. Jeff Sessions, if you or one of your family had Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, you would never have made a fool out of yourself with your aspirin remarks," said another.

Survey Finds Media Bias in Coverage of Opioid Crisis

By Pat Anson, Editor

Nearly two-thirds of health journalists believe the treatment of chronic pain is a major cause of the opioid epidemic, according to a new study that suggests many reporters are biased or ignorant about the true nature of the overdose crisis.

“The CNN Effect: The Mediaization of Pain Policy” was released by the PAINS Project, a coalition of patient advocates and pain management experts that seeks to make chronic pain a public health priority. “The CNN Effect” is a term first used in the 1990’s to describe the impact of 24-hour cable news on public policy.

“One of PAINS’ foundational working assumptions is that the media shapes public perception, public perception translates into votes, and votes equal public policy,” the PAINS report explains. “This theory can also be applied to public health policy related to both chronic pain and the opioid crisis.”

To test that theory, PAINS worked with Mugur Geana, PhD, a professor at the William Allen White School of Journalism at Kansas University, in a survey of over 1,000 health journalists who cover chronic pain or the opioid crisis.

While the response rate was low – only 193 reporters and editors completed the survey – the results do provide some insight into the mindset of journalists and how they cover opioid stories.

The survey’s major finding was that many journalists believe there is a direct relationship between chronic pain and opioid substance abuse – even though studies have shown that it is relatively rare for pain patients to become addicted. Sixty three percent of the journalists surveyed believe that chronic pain was a major cause of the opioid epidemic and over a third (36.5%) believe that overprescribing of opioids by doctors was the primary cause.

Most of those surveyed also believe that opioid abuse is a bigger public health problem than chronic pain, even though pain patients outnumber opioid abusers by a 50 to 1 margin.  Nearly 70% “strongly agree” that opioid abuse was a major problem, compared to less than half who think chronic pain is a major problem.

“Another interesting finding was the very low use of people living with chronic pain as drivers or main sources for stories - compared to medical and academic sources, for example. We keep hearing from patient advocates that their stories seldom make it above the fold (if they make it in the paper at all), and that was reflected in our findings,” Geana said in an email.

Asked what primary sources they used to prepare stories, about 70% of health journalists said they turned to “medical experts” and nearly half said they used local, state or federal agencies. Only about 20% said they used “anecdotal stories from patients” as a primary source.

“Of particular interest to PAINS was evidence that patients are not considered ‘expert’ resources by health journalists. People living with chronic pain seem to be approached only to provide illustrating examples for stories that are driven primarily by information from other published articles/stories, academic sources, and data provided by federal agencies,” the PAINS report found.

“Although the low response rate does not allow conclusive results, this study does imply a bias among healthcare journalists and the need for pain advocacy organizations to help those reporting on these issues to engage with articulate chronic pain patients who can relay their experiences in a way that journalists/reporters find authoritative. Otherwise, reporting on chronic pain and the opioid crisis will continue to be what could be called an ‘echo chamber.’”

The CNN Effect

One example cited by PAINS of the “CNN Effect” was a 60 Minutes report last year that was highly critical of a law passed by Congress that limited the ability of DEA agents to investigate companies that distribute pharmaceutical drugs. After the report aired, Sen. Claire McKaskill (D-MO) invited former DEA investigators who appeared in the 60 Minutes segment to speak at a roundtable discussion on the opioid issue with her Senate colleagues.

PAINS asked Sen. McCaskill and her staff to include medical experts and pain patients in the roundtable and was turned down.

“Initially, we were told that it was simply too close to the date set to extend additional invitations. PAINS sent her staff a list of five highly qualified individuals to participate in the roundtable and offered to facilitate their participation. In response, PAINS’ Director was invited to attend, contingent upon Senator McCaskill’s approval. Two days later the invitation was rescinded,” the PAINS report said.

McCaskill recently released a report that was sharply critical of patient advocacy groups and medical pain societies for accepting nearly $9 million in funding from opioid manufacturers. Among the groups mentioned was the Center for Practical Bioethics, a non-profit closely affiliated with the PAINS Project, which received $163,000 from opioid makers.

“These financial relationships were insidious, lacked transparency, and are one of the many factors that have resulted in arguably the most deadly drug epidemic in American history,” McCaskill's report alleges.

As PNN has reported, McCaskill has received over $6 million in campaign donations from law firms since 2005, including some currently involved in litigation against opioid manufacturers. According to OpenSecrets.org, contributors affiliated with the law firm of Simmons Hanly Conroy have donated over $300,000 to McCaskill, who is running for reelection this year.  

Simmons Hanly Conroy represents dozens of states, counties and cities that are suing Purdue Pharma and other drug makers over their marketing of opioids, and stands to pocket one-third of the proceeds from any settlement, according to reports.

How the Opioid Crisis Has Changed

By Roger Chriss, Columnist

The CDC recently released its first annual “Surveillance Report of Drug-Related Risks and Outcomes,” a lengthy and data filled study that documents the changing nature of the opioid crisis. Much attention is paid to declining rates of opioid prescribing, rising rates of heroin and fentanyl overdoses, and the increasing number of multiple or “poly-drug” overdoses.

According to the report, efforts to rein in opioid prescribing have succeeded in ways that are often not recognized:

• Opioid prescriptions fell 4.9% each year between 2012 and 2016.
• High-dose opioid prescriptions (above 90 MME) dropped 9.3% annually from 2009 to 2016.
• In 2016, there were 66.5 opioid prescriptions per 100 persons, down from 72.4 opioid prescriptions per 100 persons in 2006.

Much of this decline came before the release of the 2016 CDC opioid guidelines and subsequent efforts by state governments, health insurers, and drug store chains like CVS to reduce prescribing.

In 2016, opioid prescribing in the U.S. was at about three times the level of 1999 -- still high, but  down from the peak of four times the 1999 level. At the current rate of reduction, we will reach twice the 1999 level sometime next year and be back to 1999 levels by early 2021 at the latest. Ongoing moves by regulators and insurers to reduce opioid prescribing may accelerate this process.

Clearly, as the report states and many pain patients already know, healthcare providers are “becoming more cautious in their opioid prescribing practices.”

Tragically, similar success is lacking in the overdose crisis.

In 2015, the most recent year covered in the report, 52,404 people died of drug overdoses. About 63% of those deaths involved an illicit or prescription opioid, with heroin being the most common cause in 12,989 deaths. The other 37% of deaths involved non-opioids such as cocaine and methamphetamines. Over 5,000 deaths were identified as suicides and nearly 3,000 were identified as having undetermined intent.

The CDC report estimates that about 2 million people are addicted to prescription opioids and nearly 600,000 Americans are addicted to heroin. These numbers have remained largely unchanged since 2012, meaning that there has been little if any progress in preventing opioid addiction.

Limits on opioid prescribing have also not resulted in fewer deaths. Overdose fatalities are still rising sharply, mostly because of heroin and illicit fentanyl.

"Prescription opioid pain relievers were formerly driving the crisis, but by 2015 they shared equal measure with heroin, synthetic opioids other than methadone (mostly illicit fentanyl), and – increasingly-- cocaine and methamphetamines,” the report found.

In the two years since 2015, the final year for overdose data in the report, drug deaths have spiked higher. In 2016 there were 63,632 fatal overdoses and the early analysis for 2017 suggests the numbers are even worse. The handful of states that are seeing a decrease in drug deaths are attributing it largely to the increased use of naloxone to revive overdose victims.

Also alarming is that in 2015, around 33 percent of heroin users had initiated use with that drug rather than with opioid analgesics or some other substance. And heroin, illicit fentanyl, and virtually every other drug are now readily available on darknet markets.

At present, overdose rates are rising for virtually every major class of drug. The only class of drug that has seen a drop is prescription opioids.  

The opioid crisis is real, though as the CDC report shows, it is fast becoming an overdose crisis driven primarily by more potent and risky street drugs. Opioid medication is just one of many substances involved and its role is decreasing.

The CDC report concludes ominously: “Additional measures are now urgently needed to address a diverse and evolving array of drug types.”

Roger Chriss lives with Ehlers Danlos syndrome and is a proud member of the Ehlers-Danlos Society. Roger is a technical consultant in Washington state, where he specializes in mathematics and research.

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represents the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Pain News Network.

4 P’s That Can Help Lower Pain Levels

By Barby Ingle, Columnist

Having lived with chronic pain for 21 years -- with diagnoses such as arthritis, TMJ disorder, endometriosis, hypothyroid, ischemia, seizures, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and thoracic outlet syndrome -- I know what life with a chronic condition is like.

I have tried many different treatment options, yet still have not found “the cure.” That doesn’t mean I have stopped looking. As part of my continuing alphabet series on alternative pain treatments, this month I am covering 4 P’s of pain management: physical therapy, pain medications, prolotherapy and psychology. 

Physical Therapy

Also known as PT and physiotherapy, physical therapy uses movement through manual therapy, exercise, and electro-therapy to improve range of motion, mobility, function and daily living.

Used incorrectly, physical therapy can be harmful. It is very important to get a physical therapist that understands your health condition, knows when to push you and when to hold you back, and can teach you exercises you can learn to do independently.

A good physical therapist will do research on your condition and help educate you about your body’s limits and potential for improvement. They will also be in regular contact with your doctor and other healthcare providers.

Due to insurance practices in the United States, the number of physical therapy sessions is often limited and rarely lasts throughout a chronic illness. But many of the techniques can be continued at home on the patient’s time, once they learn how to do them properly.

When I first started physical therapy, I did all of the wrong exercises because my therapist didn’t know or understand the conditions I have. My mentality at the time was no pain no gain, so we both over-worked me. It made things far worse than if had I done nothing in the first place.

Once I was with the right physical therapist, I began to see improvements in my daily function. We learned together it wasn’t about pushing my limits, but more about working as a team to find ways around the physical limitations I had.

Pain Medication

When the average person hears the words “pain medication” they often think about opioids. But there are a many different types of pain medication available, including medical cannabis, NSAIDs, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, alcohol, kratom, cox-2 inhibitors, and muscle relaxers.

Based on my speaking with medical professionals and researchers, I believe that all options -- including opioids -- should be on the table when a provider is deciding what is best for the patient.

I have heard from thousands of patients (of the millions who use opioids daily) who swear by two things. First, they have no other treatment option due to access or cost.  Second, there is no other treatment option that works as well as opioid medication.

I know that the evidence is weak on the long-term use of opioids. Every test, assessment and research study can be torn apart by opioid critics. But for me, it all comes down to this: If I have something that helps me function better and live a better quality of life, I want to have access to it. I have lost many friends to suicide due to uncontrolled pain and a few to addiction.

Opioids are not typically the first line of treatment. More and more, due to insurance company policies, guidelines and legislation, pain patients will get acetaminophen or NSAIDs, or be given nerve blocks, spinal injections or some other invasive procedure. Opioid medications are far less prescribed than they used to be. And many patients can’t get them at all.

Doctors are now being taught in medical school that what they prescribe should be determined by the type of pain someone has. For neuropathic pain, they are taught that traditional analgesics are less effective. Therefore, many providers will prescribe tricyclic antidepressants and anticonvulsants for nerve pain. And they will use topical NSAIDs creams and ointments for muscle sprains and overuse injuries.

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy is an injection-based treatment used for pain conditions that involve musculoskeletal disorders, such as low back pain, tendonitis and knee osteoarthritis.

The injection is typically administered where joints and tendons connect to bone.  In theory, the injection creates an irritation to the injured area that helps stimulate healing. This technique that has been practiced since Roman times, when they used hot needles on gladiator injuries to promote healing.

Patients may report mild pain and irritation at the injection site, which usually goes away within 72 hours. They also may report numbness or minor bleeding right after the injection. There have been cases of disc and spinal injuries reported.

I used to hear a lot about prolotherapy 10-15 years ago, but I hear less and less about it now, as it is not typically used to treat nerve diseases. It is also not well reimbursed by insurance companies and Medicare has decided not to cover prolotherapy injections for low back pain at all.

Psychology

Psychology is used to help prevent the reliving of psychological distress or dysfunction, and to promote positive thoughts, well-being and personal skills. Psychology should not to be confused with psychiatry, which is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of mental disorders.

I have undergone psychological counseling in both group and individual settings over the years. The time when I found it most helpful was before I finally got a proper diagnosis of RSD and started infusion therapy. At the time, I was beginning to feel like a guinea pig. Some providers didn’t know what to do with me and having a psychologist providing support and making sure my mental attributes were strong was very helpful. 

I still use some of the mindfulness techniques he taught me to this day. When I was getting ready for infusion therapy, I felt like I had tried every treatment available on earth. Having a professional psychologist to speak with and go over what happens if the infusion didn’t work prepared me for a worst-case outcome.

Luckily, I didn’t need it, but it did teach me that even though I felt like I had tried everything, there are always new options being created and that I had not actually tried everything.

This is one of the reasons I am so sure that the alternative treatments I have been presenting over the last 8 months are helpful to others. I never realized until I did the research that there are so many different things to try. Using a multi-modal approach to pain and understanding that the mind, body and spirit connection are real is important not to neglect.

There were times when my providers suggested that I go to a psychologist, and other times when I had to get psychological clearance for different procedures. I found that when I went to a session, I felt better about myself. It was "me time" -- a time to focus on getting through the depression and anxiety of living with a chronic illness.

I learned that chronic pain affects our brains and causes depression and anxiety, and that it was not the other way around. That there are tools and medications to address them, and that knowing myself and what is going on with my health was one of the best ways to get past the depression and anxiety.

Psychologists gave me aptitude tests to check my general knowledge, verbal skills, memory, attention, reasoning, and perception. A few also gave me personality and neuropsychological tests. The more I learned about myself, the better I was able to navigate through chronic illness, the people around me, and the better relationships I was able to achieve.

I once again look forward to reading your comments. What treatments have you tried, what has worked, and what didn’t work? What tips do you have to pass on to other readers? Have you found the treatment protocol that works for you?

I personally don’t believe that there is a magic pill or procedure that can cure chronic pain - yet. I also strongly believe that the patient and their providers should be making the decisions for what is best for the patient.

Barby Ingle lives with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), migralepsy and endometriosis. Barby is a chronic pain educator, patient advocate, and president of the International Pain Foundation. She is also a motivational speaker and best-selling author on pain topics.

More information about Barby can be found at her website. 

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represents the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Pain News Network.

Should Gabapentin Be a Controlled Substance?

By Pat Anson, Editor

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration should consider scheduling gabapentin (Neurontin) as a controlled substance, according to researchers who studied the recreational use of the drug in Kentucky.

Gabapentin is a nerve medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat epilepsy and post-herpetic neuralgia (shingles), but it is also widely prescribed off-label to treat fibromyalgia, migraines, neuropathy and other chronic pain conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even recommends gabapentin as a safer alternative to opioids.

Sales of gabapentin have soared in recent years. About 64 million prescriptions were written for gabapentin in the U.S. in 20l6, a 49% increase in just five years.

But drug abusers have also discovered that gabapentin can heighten the effects of heroin, marijuana, cocaine and other substances.

"People are looking for other drugs to substitute for opioids, and gabapentin has filled that place for some," said Rachel Vickers Smith, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Louisville School of Nursing. “Some have said it gives them a high similar to opioids. It had been easy to get a prescription for gabapentin and it's very cheap."

Vickers Smith and her colleagues recruited 33 people from Appalachian Kentucky who used gabapentin recreationally and asked them about their drug use. Many reported they started taking gabapentin over 10 years earlier for a legitimate medical condition, such as pain and anxiety. Over time, they started using the drug to help them relax, sleep and get high.

“Focus group responses highlighted the low cost of gabapentin for the purpose of getting high and noted increasing popularity in the community, particularly over the last 2 years. Gabapentin was a prominent drug of abuse in two cohorts of the primarily opioid-using individuals. Providers should be aware of gabapentin’s abuse potential, and a reexamination of the need for scheduling is warranted,” researchers reported in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

In 2017, Kentucky became the first state to classify gabapentin as a controlled substance, which makes it more difficult for the medication to be prescribed. Ohio’s Substance Abuse Monitoring Network also issued an alert warning of gabapentin misuse across the state.

‘Snake Oil of the 20th Century’

Gabapentin was first approved by the FDA in 1993 and sold by Pfizer under the brand name Neurontin. A few years later, it was so widely prescribed that a top Pfizer executive called gabapentin “the snake oil of the twentieth century” in an email. The company was later fined hundreds of millions of dollars for promoting Neurontin’s off-label use.

"Early on, it was assumed to have no abuse potential," says Vickers Smith. "There's a need to examine it in further detail, especially if prescribing it is going to be encouraged."

Federal health officials have only recently started looking into the misuse and abuse of gabapentinoids, a class of nerve medication that includes gabapentin and pregabalin (Lyrica).

"Our preliminary findings show that abuse of gabapentinoids doesn't yet appear to be widespread, but use continues to increase, especially for gabapentin," FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said last week at a conference on opioid prescribing. "We're concerned that abuse and misuse of these drugs may result in serious adverse events such as respiratory depression and death. We want to understand changes in how patients are using these medications."

Gottlieb said FDA investigators are looking at websites and social media where opioid users discuss their use of gabapentinoids.

"We know we need to investigate and respond to signs of abuse as soon as signals emerge. We need to get ahead of these problems," he said.

Gabapentin is not currently scheduled as a controlled substance by the DEA, while Lyrica is classified as a Schedule V controlled substance, meaning it has a low potential for addiction and abuse.  

Getting the Story Right About Opioids

By Pat Anson, Editor

Many chronic pain patients feel they are wrongly portrayed in the media as malingerers and addicts – and that the growing difficulty they have just getting their pain treated is being ignored by the medical profession.

There’s a fair amount of truth to that.

Which is why two recent articles in Politico and The New England Journal of Medicine – both written by doctors – are worth highlighting for PNN readers. They help dispel many of the myths about pain patients and the role they played in the so-called opioid epidemic.

“As an addiction psychiatrist, I have watched with serious concern as the opioid crisis has escalated in the United States over the past several years, and overdose deaths have skyrocketed,” Sally Satel, MD, wrote in Politico. “I have also watched a false narrative about this crisis blossom into conventional wisdom: The myth that the epidemic is driven by patients becoming addicted to doctor-prescribed opioids, or painkillers like hydrocodone.”

Dr. Satel practices at a methadone clinic, lectures at the Yale University School of Medicine and is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.  She has also done her homework about the opioid crisis, recognizing that the nation’s growing scourge of overdose deaths is “overwhelmingly attributable” not to prescription opioids, but to illegal ones like heroin and illicit fentanyl.

Satel also acknowledges that opioid prescriptions in the U.S. have been declining for years and that only a small percentage of pain patients become addicted. Yet insurers, pharmacies and regulators continue to tighten access to opioid medication, and anti-opioid activists rant about pain patients getting hooked after taking a few “heroin pills.”

“We must be realistic about who is getting in trouble with opioid pain medications. Contrary to popular belief, it is rarely the people for whom they are prescribed. Most lives do not come undone, let alone end in overdose, after analgesia for a broken leg or a trip to the dentist,” Satel wrote.

“We need to make good use of what we know about the role that prescription opioids plays in the larger crisis: that the dominant narrative about pain treatment being a major pathway to addiction is wrong, and that an agenda heavily weighted toward pill control is not enough.”

That narrative clearly has been harmful to patients. Satel cites a PNN survey of over 3,000 patients, which found that over 70% were no longer prescribed opioids or had their dose cutback after the CDC’s opioid prescribing guidelines were released in 2016.  Nine out of ten patients said the guidelines had worsened the quality of pain care in the United States, and 60 percent said it had become harder or impossible for them to find a doctor willing to treat their pain.

The Story of Mr. P

Patient abandonment and the growing lack of access to pain treatment is presented in the story of “Mr. P” – as told in the NEJM by Drs. George Comerci, Joanna Katzman and Daniel Duhigg, who are colleagues at a pain clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. P was prescribed opioid medication for two years when his doctor adopted a no-opioids policy in his practice.

“Mr. P. was given a prescription for a month’s worth of oxycodone and advised to find another prescriber in the future.  Not unexpectedly, six other physicians refused to prescribe him opioids, and he ended up in our pain clinic, sobbing in the exam room, terrified that he’d end up ‘back in my old life’ if he had to buy his pain medications on the street,” the doctors wrote.

“In the past year, our university-based interdisciplinary pain clinic has seen a flood of cases like Mr. P.’s. The increase in opioid-related mortality fueled by injudicious prescribing and increasing illicit use of both prescription and illegal opioids has led some clinicians to simplify their lives by discontinuing prescribing of opioid analgesics. The fallout is a growing pool of patients who are forced to navigate their transition off prescribed opioids, often with little or no assistance or guidance, with the potential for disastrous results.”

What is happening to these abandoned patients who can’t find adequate treatment?

“We fear that an injudicious approach involving blanket refusals to prescribe opioids and adoption of unreasonable prescribing and dispensing regulations will increase patient suffering. Furthermore, the worst-case scenario is for patients to obtain prescription opioids illegally and eventually transition to more dangerous drugs, such as heroin,” the doctors warned.

The opioid crisis continues to spiral out of control. Government efforts to intimidate doctors and dictate prescribing levels are not only harming patients, they may be making things worse. A recent report from the CDC found that illicit fentanyl – not prescription pain medication -- was responsible for over half the overdoses in ten states.

As Dr. Satel points out, if we ever hope to fix the problem and find the right solutions, we need to stop focusing on patients and doctors.

“We cannot rely on doctors or pill control policies alone to be able to fix the opioid crisis. What we need is a demand-side policy. Interventions that seek to reduce the desire to use drugs, be they painkillers or illicit opioids, deserve vastly more political will and federal funding than they have received,” she wrote. “If we are to devise sound solutions to this overdose epidemic, we must understand and acknowledge this truth about its nature.”

FDA Recalls Three Kratom Brands

By Pat Anson, Editor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Wednesday announced the recall of three brands of dietary supplements containing kratom, the latest move in what appears to be a concerted government campaign to stop all sales of the herb.

The recall involves a large volume of kratom supplements sold under the brand names Botany Bay, Enhance Your Life and Divinity, which are manufactured and sold nationwide by Divinity Products Distribution of Missouri. The FDA said the company had agreed to the “voluntary destruction” of its kratom products, even though there have been no reports of illnesses associated with them.

“The company has also agreed to stop selling all products containing kratom. Based on the scientific evidence of the serious risks associated with the use of kratom, in the interest of public health, the FDA encourages all companies currently involved in the sale of products containing kratom intended for human consumption to take similar steps to take their products off the market,” the FDA said in a statement.

The move appears unrelated to Tuesday’s warning from the CDC linking kratom to a Salmonella bacteria outbreak in 20 states. The CDC said 8 of the 28 people who were sickened by Salmonella had recently used kratom, making it the "likely source." No actual bacteria was found in a kratom product.

In recent months, the FDA has released a public health advisory warning that kratom should not be marketed as a treatment for opioid addiction, chronic pain, depression or any other medical condition. The agency also released a computer analysis that found kratom contains over two dozen opioid-like substances.

“The extensive scientific data we’ve evaluated about kratom provides conclusive evidence that compounds contained in kratom are opioids and are expected to have similar addictive effects as well as risks of abuse, overdose and, in some cases, death. At the same time, there’s no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in a statement.

“To protect the public health, we’ll continue to affirm the risks associated with kratom, warn consumers against its use and take aggressive enforcement action against kratom-containing products. We appreciate the cooperation of companies currently marketing any kratom product for human consumption to take swift action to remove these products from circulation to protect the public.” 

'No Question They Want to Ban It’

“We’re in for a fight,” said David Herman, president of the American Kratom Association, a pro-kratom consumer group. “This is clearly a disinformation campaign. They are creating through a grassroots effort what they can’t seem to be able to (prove) with science.

“This is a bazooka against a fly. What are they doing? We’ve got misinformation everywhere.”

Herman says there is little doubt the FDA is moving to have all kratom products taken off the market.

“This is a concerted movement and it’s had a lot of disinformation with it,” he told PNN. “This is clearly what FDA wants to do. We hope the DEA has some thoughts against it, but no, there’s no question they want to ban it.”  

In 2016, the Drug Enforcement Administration attempted to ban kratom by scheduling it as an illegal controlled substance, but a public outcry and lobbying campaign forced the DEA to suspend its scheduling decision.

Herman said any renewed attempt to schedule kratom as a controlled substance would have to go through a public comment and hearing process, which could take a year or longer. He sees it as part of a larger effort by the FDA to have greater control over the loosely regulated dietary supplement industry.

“The only logical conclusion is that this is the first salvo in controlling the supplement business. We are on the frontline of a fight that will encompass a whole lot more than kratom,” Herman said.

Kratom Linked to Salmonella Outbreak

By Pat Anson, Editor

Kratom just can’t get a break. In recent weeks, the herbal supplement used by millions of Americans to treat chronic pain, depression and addiction has been blamed by federal agencies for dozens of fatal overdoses and even been called an opioid.

Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked kratom to a salmonella outbreak and is recommending that people "not consume kratom in any form."

The bacterial infection has sickened 28 people, eleven serious enough to be hospitalized, but there have been no deaths. The outbreak began in October 2017 and has reached 20 states scattered around the country, which are highlighted in the map below.

“Epidemiologic evidence indicates that kratom is a likely source of this multistate outbreak,” the CDC said in a statement.

“In interviews, ill people answered questions about the foods they ate and other exposures in the months before they became ill. Eight (73%) of 11 people interviewed reported consuming kratom in pills, powder, or tea. No common brands or suppliers of kratom have been identified at this time."

The CDC statement did not say that Salmonella bacteria had actually been found in any samples of kratom. Nor did it explain how kratom use in 8 out of 28 cases establishes a link or proves that it was "a likely source."

The only "epidemiologic evidence" that investigators have established is that when they compared bacteria samples from people who were infected, they found the bacteria were closely related genetically.

"This means that people in this outbreak are more likely to share a common source of infection," the CDC said. "At this time, CDC recommends that people not consume kratom in any form. The investigation indicates that kratom products could be contaminated with Salmonella and could make people sick."

Salmonella is a bacterial infection usually spread through contaminated food or water. Most people who become infected develop diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Salmonella causes an estimated one million food-borne illnesses a year in the United States, with 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths.

In the current outbreak, the CDC says there could be more cases than the 28 reported, because salmonella infections typically take 2 to 4 weeks before the illnesses are confirmed.

salmonella bacteria

It was a July 2016 report from the CDC that claimed kratom was linked to several overdose deaths and was “an emerging public health threat” that led the Drug Enforcement Administration to attempt to schedule kratom as an illegal controlled substance. Kratom supporters said the CDC research was amateurish and flawed, and a public outcry and lobbying campaign eventually forced the DEA to suspend its scheduling decision.

Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration released a computer analysis that found kratom contains over two dozen opioid-like substances – a report that critics say was biased and amounted to “junk science.” The computer analysis and a recent FDA public health advisory may indicate the federal government is planning another attempt at scheduling.

Kratom comes from the leaves of a tree that grows in Southeast Asia, where it has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties.

I Think of Death Every Day

(Editor’s note: Pain News Network regularly receives emails and comments from readers in physical and emotional distress because their chronic pain is not being treated or is undertreated. Many have been abandoned by their doctors. And some are having suicidal thoughts.

The following email came from “Sharon” – who lives with chronic pain from neuropathy and a severe hip injury. Sharon gave us permission to publish her email, as long as her full name was not disclosed. Some readers may find her story disturbing, but it is representative of what’s occurring in the pain community and therefore worth sharing.)

By Sharon

When I first got ill, I was an avid backpacker and ran a health food store. A very healthy and health conscious 37-year old woman.

I tried every alternative treatment.  The first was hypnosis. Then I tried colonics, lemon and oil heat packs, acupuncture, massage. The list goes on. NOTHING TOUCHED THE NERVE PAIN. 

I had an old .357 handgun. The same type police carried at one time. I also had an old .45.  I thought about it every single day. 

But I didn’t want my family or friends to find me like that.  A bloody picture in their heads whenever they thought of me.  

Taking your own life because of the ignorance of others, just isn’t fair.  To be pushed into it by others. Especially when there is medication that works.

Once I finally decided to try opiates, no doctor would listen to me.

I did everything they asked. I jumped through all the hoops. Multiple times. 

I was shamed over and over again, because I was in pain. I was called a malingerer. 

Never thought I would get sick at such a young age.   I thought I’d be healthy and happy like the all the other healthy women in my family.  

I finally did find a wonderful, caring doctor.  He treated me until just last year. When he was shut down.

I’m lucky. I did find another doctor. It took about 3 weeks. It was Christmas time.  Almost impossible. 

I like this clinic. But I have to drive 80 miles round trip.  

I’m 60. I’m not in good health. My husband passed away a few years ago.

My sweet little grandmother took her own life at 92. She was an amazing woman. 

I hope I never have to do that.  

But it’s in me. I could. I think of death every day.

Pain News Network invites other readers to share their stories with us. Send them to editor@painnewsnetwork.org

The information in this column should not be considered as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is for informational purposes only and represents the author’s opinions alone. It does not inherently express or reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Pain News Network.

Osteoarthritis Drug Works No Better Than Placebo

By Pat Anson, Editor

Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is a medication commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune diseases. It’s also being prescribed off-label to treat inflammation and pain caused by hand osteoarthritis, a joint condition that affects nearly a third of patients over the age of 70.

But in a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, British researchers reported that hydroxychloroquine is no more effective than a placebo in relieving moderate to severe pain caused by hand osteoarthritis.

Researchers at the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine and the Leeds Biomedical Research Centre randomly assigned 248 patients with radiographic hand osteoarthritis to either hydroxychloroquine (200 to 400 mg) or placebo for a year.

Most of the patients had symptoms of hand osteoarthritis for about 5 years, and their average pain level was 7 out of 10.

After 3, 6 and 12 months, there were no significant differences in treatment outcomes between the hydroxychloroquine and placebo groups.

“We found that HCQ (hydroxychloroquine) was not a more effective analgesic than placebo when added to usual care in persons with moderate to severe hand osteoarthritis,” researchers reported. “Background analgesic use did not differ between groups, and baseline inflammation and structural damage did not affect response to HCQ. The study therefore presents no evidence that HCQ should be considered within the management plan of patients with hand osteoarthritis.”

Two doctors who reviewed the study say more research is needed to find drugs that can treat the inflammation caused by hand osteoarthritis, a condition for which there are no effective therapies.

“The negative findings in this carefully done trial beg the question of what went awry. Did HCQ fail to reduce inflammation, or did reduced inflammation not translate to pain relief?” wrote Elena Losina, PhD, and Jefferey Katz, MD in an editorial.

“Although HCQ is safe, it is also a weak anti-inflammatory agent seldom used in contemporary practice as a solo disease-modifying therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Further therapeutic studies of the effects of anti-inflammatory therapy on nodal hand osteoarthritis will need to use more potent agents or compounds developed to more specifically target the inflammatory pathways documented in this condition.”