For decades now the pharmaceutical industry has told doctor’s and patient’s alike that they have developed new formulations of opiates that are safe and effective however these claims have become tarnished with the test of time.  Physician prescribed opiates has become one of the highest causes of death in the United States and opiate abuse worldwide is rampant.  As a result State Legislatures and Federal Agencies are finally trying to do something about it.   In South Carolina, effective March 15^th, 2016, whenever a physician writes a prescription for a Scheduled drug (not just opiates) for a State Employee he must first log onto a special state run monitoring program to assist the State’s Law Enforcement Division with tracking of that patient.   In the State of New York in many instances opiate prescriptions have been curtailed to allow no more than seven days of dispensing.  And the CDC has just released a new guideline that affirms that there is no role for opiate use in patients with long term chronic pain.   At Piedmont Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, PA in Greenville, SC we have always offered a wide array of non-narcotic treatment options for people in pain.   And the good news is that they work.  Not only do they reduce pain they also address the root cause of the pain rather than just covering up symptoms.   Learn more about these options at piedmontpmr.com.  Pain control without opiates: the time is now.