‘Canada needs a better approach:’ Health groups want alternatives to opioids
CALGARY — An interim report released at a pain management conference suggests the best way to cut down on opioid addiction is to not prescribe the drugs in the first place.
Michael Heitshu, chairman of the Coalition for Safe and Effective Pain Management, says a lack of affordable alternatives for pain relief in Canada is partly behind an over-reliance on opioids and rising addiction rates.
“Canada is the second-leading consumer of opioids in the world and it doesn’t have to be. What the coalition is doing is looking … at why opioids are being prescribed and what could be done to reduce the prevalence of opioid prescribing,” Heitshu said Monday in Calgary.
“Given the human and financial costs of the opioid crisis, Canada needs a better approach to pain management.”