Dr Gerald Sacks Believes That Practitioners Must Consider the Potential Adverse Effects of Medications Including Opioids

1. Dr Gerald Sacks Believes That Practitioners Must Consider the Potential Adverse Effects of Medications Including Opioids Dr Gerald Sacks, an anesthesiology specialist in Santa Monica, provides pain relief during and after an operation, and treats acute and long standing pain problems. He shares that open communication is very important in the management of OIC with patients. He has found that many health care professionals are quite reluctant to address and treat OIC. According to him, the practitioners as well as the patients feel uncomfortable in discussing normal bowel function. He has met many patients who have been on regular opioids and suffering with OIC for months or years. He asks them whether their health care professional has ever brought up the subject of OIC and discussed its treatment; their answer is no. He further opines that these practitioners can address any other issue including hypertension, chronic pain or diabetes, but OIC.

2. Emphasizing communication, Dr Gerald Sacks believes that it should be an obligation to discuss and treat any adverse effects that may be caused by medications that are prescribed to them. The practitioners must consider the potential adverse effects of those medications. They should ask every patient on opioid about their bowel function. Overall, the motive is to help patients return to their baseline level of bowel function by utilizing medications and lifestyle enhancements so that they are able to maintain their baseline level of bowel function to maintain their level of activity.