American Pain Society

Last updated
American Pain Society
FormationMarch 6, 1977 (1977-03-06)
DissolvedJune 2019 (2019-06)
TypeMultidisciplinary community of scientists, clinicians and other professionals
Headquarters8735 W. Higgins Road, Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60631
Membership
>2,500
Official language
English
President
Roger Fillingim, PhD
Key people
Chief Executive Officer: Carly Reisner
Website https://web.archive.org/web/20190829194735/http://americanpainsociety.org/

The American Pain Society (APS) was a professional membership organization and a national chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The organization closed in 2019 amid the opioid epidemic as the organization faced allegations that it colluded with opioid producers to promote opioids. [1]

Contents

History

Around the time of Purdue Pharma releasing OxyContin into the market in 1996, the society introduced "pain as 5th vital sign" campaign. [2] APS was reported to be one of several nonprofit groups that advocated use of opioid painkillers contributing to the Opioid epidemic in the United States. [3] [4]

In June 2019, the APS was forced to close amid allegations that it colluded with pharmaceutical companies producing opioids. [1] The APS claimed that the reason for the bankruptcy was the numerous legal expenses which resulted from lawsuits claiming the organization was acting as a front group for opioid drugmakers. [5] The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that several former APS members are organizing a new society called the U.S. Association for the Study of Pain. [6]

ACTTION-APS Pain Taxonomy

Together with The Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations Innovations Opportunities and Networks (ACTTION) partnership with the FDA, the APS developed the ACTTION-APS Pain Taxonomy (AAPT) to provide a consistent diagnostic system for chronic pain disorders. [7] [8]

Publications

The society's official journal was titled The Journal of Pain, and published by Elsevier. [9] The society had issued a total of nine guidelines throughout its period of existence. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxycodone</span> Opioid medication

Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin, is a semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and is a commonly abused drug. It is usually taken by mouth, and is available in immediate-release and controlled-release formulations. Onset of pain relief typically begins within fifteen minutes and lasts for up to six hours with the immediate-release formulation. In the United Kingdom, it is available by injection. Combination products are also available with paracetamol (acetaminophen), ibuprofen, naloxone, naltrexone, and aspirin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydromorphone</span> Opioid medication used for pain relief

Hydromorphone, also known as dihydromorphinone, and sold under the brand name Dilaudid among others, is a morphinan opioid used to treat moderate to severe pain. Typically, long-term use is only recommended for pain due to cancer. It may be used by mouth or by injection into a vein, muscle, or under the skin. Effects generally begin within half an hour and last for up to five hours. A 2016 Cochrane review found little difference in benefit between hydromorphone and other opioids for cancer pain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fibromyalgia</span> Chronic pain of unknown cause

Fibromyalgia is a medical syndrome which causes chronic widespread pain, accompanied by fatigue, waking unrefreshed, and cognitive symptoms. Other symptoms can include headaches, lower abdominal pain or cramps, and depression. People with fibromyalgia can also experience insomnia and a general hypersensitivity. The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but is believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Environmental factors may include psychological stress, trauma, and certain infections. Since the pain appears to result from processes in the central nervous system, the condition is referred to as a "central sensitization syndrome".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opioid</span> Psychoactive chemical

Opioids are a class of drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant. Opioids work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief. As a class of substances, they act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opioid use disorder</span> Medical condition

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Opioid withdrawal symptoms include nausea, muscle aches, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, agitation, and a low mood. Addiction and dependence are important components of opioid use disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxymorphone</span> Opioid analgesic drug

Oxymorphone is a highly potent opioid analgesic indicated for treatment of severe pain. Pain relief after injection begins after about 5–10 minutes, after oral administration it begins after about 30 minutes, and lasts about 3–4 hours for immediate-release tablets and 12 hours for extended-release tablets. The elimination half-life of oxymorphone is much faster intravenously, and as such, the drug is most commonly used orally. Like oxycodone, which metabolizes to oxymorphone, oxymorphone has a high potential to be abused.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levorphanol</span> Opioid analgesic drug

Levorphanol is an opioid medication used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is the levorotatory enantiomer of the compound racemorphan. Its dextrorotatory counterpart is dextrorphan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purdue Pharma</span> American pharmaceutical company (1892–2019 bankruptcy)

Purdue Pharma L.P., formerly the Purdue Frederick Company (1892–2019), was an American privately held pharmaceutical company founded by John Purdue Gray. It was sold to Arthur, Mortimer, and Raymond Sackler in 1952, and then owned principally by the Sackler family and their descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Codeine</span> Opiate and prodrug of morphine used to treat pain

Codeine is an opiate and prodrug of morphine mainly used to treat pain, coughing, and diarrhea. It is also commonly used as a recreational drug. It is found naturally in the sap of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. It is typically used to treat mild to moderate degrees of pain. Greater benefit may occur when combined with paracetamol (acetaminophen) or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Evidence does not support its use for acute cough suppression in children. In Europe, it is not recommended as a cough medicine in those under 12 years of age. It is generally taken by mouth. It typically starts working after half an hour, with maximum effect at two hours. Its effects last for about four to six hours. Codeine exhibits abuse potential similar to other opioid medications, including a risk of habituation and overdose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opioid overdose</span> Toxicity due to excessive consumption of opioids

An opioid overdose is toxicity due to excessive consumption of opioids, such as morphine, codeine, heroin, fentanyl, tramadol, and methadone. This preventable pathology can be fatal if it leads to respiratory depression, a lethal condition that can cause hypoxia from slow and shallow breathing. Other symptoms include small pupils and unconsciousness; however, its onset can depend on the method of ingestion, the dosage and individual risk factors. Although there were over 110,000 deaths in 2017 due to opioids, individuals who survived also faced adverse complications, including permanent brain damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opiate</span> Substance derived from opium

An opiate is an alkaloid substance derived from opium. It differs from the similar term opioid in that the latter is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain. Opiates are alkaloid compounds naturally found in the opium poppy plant Papaver somniferum. The psychoactive compounds found in the opium plant include morphine, codeine, and thebaine. Opiates have long been used for a variety of medical conditions, with evidence of opiate trade and use for pain relief as early as the eighth century AD. Most opiates are considered drugs with moderate to high abuse potential and are listed on various "Substance-Control Schedules" under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act of the United States of America.

Pain in cancer may arise from a tumor compressing or infiltrating nearby body parts; from treatments and diagnostic procedures; or from skin, nerve and other changes caused by a hormone imbalance or immune response. Most chronic (long-lasting) pain is caused by the illness and most acute (short-term) pain is caused by treatment or diagnostic procedures. However, radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy may produce painful conditions that persist long after treatment has ended.

Rajendra Bothra is an American surgeon, humanitarian and politician of Indian origin. He is a former Chief of Surgery at the Holy Cross Hospital, Detroit and practices interventional pain management at the Pain Centre USA, Warren. He is a Fellow of the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians (ABIPP) and is associated with Indian health organizations in conducting lectures to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. He is politically aligned with the Republican Party and was appointed by George H. W. Bush as the co-chairman of the Asian-American Coalition for the 1988 United States presidential election. He was awarded the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri, by the Government of India, in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opioid epidemic in the United States</span> Ongoing overuse of opioid medication in the US

There is an ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States, originating out of both medical prescriptions and illegal sources. The epidemic began in the United States in the late 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when opioids were increasingly prescribed for pain management, resulting in a rise in overall opioid use throughout subsequent years.

Opioid rotation or opioid switching is the process of changing one opioid to another to improve pain control or reduce unwanted side effects. This technique was introduced in the 1990s to help manage severe chronic pain and improve the opioid response in cancer patients. In order to obtain adequate levels of pain relief, patients requiring chronic opioid therapy may require an increase in the original prescribed dose for a number of reasons, including increased pain or a worsening disease state. Over the course of long-term treatment, an increase in dosage cannot be continued indefinitely as unwanted side effects of treatment often become intolerable once a certain dose is reached, even though the pain may still not be properly managed. One strategy used to address this is to switch the patient between different opioid drugs over time, usually every few months. Opioid rotation requires strict monitoring in patients with ongoing levels of high opioid doses for extended periods of time, since long term opioid use can lead to a patient developing tolerance to the analgesic effects of the drug. Patients may also not respond to the first opioid prescribed to them at all, therefore needing to try another opioid to help manage their pain. A patient's specific response and sensitivity to opioids include many factors that include physiology, genetics and pharmacodynamic parameters, which together determine the amount of pain control and tolerance of a particular opioid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Darnall</span> American scientist and pain psychologist

Beth Darnall is American scientist, pain psychologist, author, and Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine where she directs the Stanford Pain Relief Innovations Lab. From 2005 to 2012, Darnall was an assistant professor and associate professor at Oregon Health & Science University.

Massachusetts v. Purdue is a lawsuit filed on August 14, 2018, suing the Stamford, Connecticut-based company Purdue Pharma LP, which created and manufactures OxyContin, "one of the most widely used and prescribed opioid drugs on the market", and Purdue's owners, the Sacklers accusing them of "widespread fraud and deception in the marketing of opioids, and contributing to the opioid crisis, the nationwide epidemic that has killed thousands." Purdue denied the allegations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opioid epidemic</span> Deaths due to abuse of opioid drugs

The opioid epidemic, also referred to as the opioid crisis, is the rapid increase in the overuse, misuse/abuse, and overdose deaths attributed either in part or in whole to the class of drugs called opiates/opioids since the 1990s. It includes the significant medical, social, psychological, demographic and economic consequences of the medical, non-medical, and recreational abuse of these medications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the opioid epidemic</span>

The timeline of the opioid epidemic includes selected events related to the origins of Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family, the development and marketing of oxycodone, selected FDA activities related to the abuse and misuse of opioids, the recognition of the opioid epidemic, the social impact of the crisis, lawsuits against Purdue and the Sackler family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prescription drug addiction</span> Medical condition

Prescription drug addiction is the chronic, repeated use of a prescription drug in ways other than prescribed for, including using someone else’s prescription. A prescription drug is a pharmaceutical drug that may not be dispensed without a legal medical prescription. Drugs in this category are supervised due to their potential for misuse and substance use disorder. The classes of medications most commonly abused are opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants and central nervous stimulants. In particular, prescription opioid is most commonly abused in the form of prescription analgesics.

References

  1. 1 2 Gourd, Elizabeth (2019). "American Pain Society forced to close due to opioid scandal". The Lancet Oncology. 20 (7): e350. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30380-8. PMID   31160248. S2CID   174808691.
  2. Hirsch R (2017). "The Opioid Epidemic: It's Time to Place Blame Where It Belongs". Missouri Medicine. 114 (2): 82–90. PMC   6140023 . PMID   30228543.
  3. "American Pain Foundation Shuts Down as Senators Launch Investigation of Prescription Narcotics". 8 May 2012.
  4. "Enduring pain: How a 1996 opioid policy change had long-lasting effects". TheGuardian.com . 30 March 2018.
  5. Clark, Cheryl (24 May 2019). "American Pain Society Seeks OK to Call It Quits". MedPage Today. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  6. "After Their Group Was Sued Out of Existence, These Scientists Are Building a New One". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  7. https://www.jpain.org/article/S1526-5900(18)30832-0/fulltext
  8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36243317/
  9. "Aims". jpain.org. Elsevier . Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  10. "Complete list of APS guidelines". Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.