The CDC has updated its guidelines for doctors who prescribe opioids for their patients.
The 12 recent recommendations, the newest from the CDC since 2016, are focused on treating short and long term pain.
They include advising clinicians against abruptly discontinuing opioid prescriptions, or rapidly reducing a patient's doses.
They also recommend clinicians consider other therapies for common types of acute pain.
Before prescribing opioids, doctors are advised to review the patient's history of controlled substance use.
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