Massachusetts Doctors Group Issues Guidelines on Pain Meds

A group representing 25,000 doctors in Massachusetts is issuing new guidelines for the prescribing of pain medication, citing an epidemic of opioid abuse.

The Massachusetts Medical Society said Thursday that it was launching a major campaign to educate doctors and patients about safe prescribing, and the storage and disposal of pain medications.

The organization's president, Dr. Dennis Dimitri, said he believes most physicians are responsible, but added "there are too many doses of opioid medication in circulation."

He said the new guidelines aim to limiting pain medications to those "who truly need them."

State health officials say more than 1,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses last year. Gov. Charlie Baker named a 16-member task force in February to formulate a statewide strategy for dealing with addiction, treatment and recovery.