US Agency Softens Opioid Prescribing Guidelines for Doctors
NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s top public health agency has revised its guidelines for U.S. doctors prescribing oxycodone and other opioid painkillers.
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The new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations are an update to 2016 guidelines.
Those older suggestions were widely adopted and added momentum to a decline in opioid painkiller prescriptions.
But they also were seen as a barrier to care.
CDC officials say the new guidelines are designed to ensure that patients get compassionate and safe pain care.
Among the changes: The CDC no longer suggests trying to limit opioid treatment for acute pain to three days.
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