What happens when medication doesn't bring your condition under control? Usually, it’s not just one single issue but various factors that contribute to the problem.  Finding the right combination of medications may require some work. Here are few points to consider. 

Alleviating pain has been a primary focus of my career as a physician anesthesiologist. Just as there are physicians who specialize in treating conditions such as cancer, heart disease or allergies, there are specialists in treating pain. These physicians complete four years of medical school and further training in a specialty, such as anesthesiology, physical medicine, and rehabilitation, psychiatry or neurology, followed by an additional year of training to become an expert in chronic pain.

There is no better time to reflect on how we as physicians can better serve our patients — not only in the treatments we provide — but in how we tackle growing health issues such as the overuse and abuse of prescription opioid painkillers.