| Comment | Im a consultant addictions psychiatrist.
I liaise with other specialists including pain specialists. My esteemed colleagues literally told me on Friday that the evidence base for chronic pain is poor. Most analgesia is indicated in for acute pain only. They are not hopeful for cannabis being of much use over and above current options.
Cannabis will unlikely be an effective alternative to benzodiazepines either, and in practice we should use neither at any significant dose for any significant time.
Methadone and buprenorphine are the only effective treatments for opioid dependency. Other interventions such as residential rehabilitation have the same outcomes as no treatment at all. We are now prescribing diamorphine but to a select few when all else has failed - but they still need to show motivation for recovery which includes being able to contain their chaos to a point where its safe enough to prescribe in the first place.
Polydrug use is a problem everywhere, not just a West of Scotland phenomenon. Its just we prefer downers over uppers. |
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