NPR

Is There A Way To Keep Using Opiod Painkillers And Reduce Risk?

As a result of the opioid epidemic, doctors are being urged to turn to other medications to treat chronic pain. But that can be a challenge for people who have used opioid painkillers for years.
Source: Maria Fabrizio for NPR

Jon McHann, 56, got started on prescription opioids the way a lot of adults in the U.S. did: he was in pain following an accident. In his case, it was a fall.

"I hit my tailbone just right, and created a severe bulging disc" that required surgery, McHann says.

McHann, who lives in Smithville, Tenn., expected to make a full recovery and go back to work as a heavy haul truck driver. But 10 years after his accident, he's still at home.

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