Opioid resources

Prescribing Guidelines  |  Opioid resources |  North East North Cumbria ICS Formulary

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North Cumbria Opioid Prescribing Resources

APC-position-statement-non-palliative-care-use-of-opiates

Patient stories

One patient story:

Patient was on Morphine 120mg total daily dose and had repeated admissions with type 2 respiratory failure. On ITU and almost died.
He has followed the printed reducing regimen perfectly and now down to 15mg MST twice daily. He said ‘I can breathe again‘. He has started coming up to the surgery for leg dressings now once weekly, previously district nurses were going in to the house 2-3 times per week to do it. He is continuing to reduce and aiming to stop all together.
The patient is happy for his story to be shared anonymously with other doctors and patients “because if it helps just one person…”
He said he is a different person to the one he was before he almost died in ITU.

Faye's Story CD Newsletter 2017 (706 downloads )

Patient leaflets and resources

Explaining Pain Patient Leaflet - North Cumbria CCG (1017 downloads ) Living Well with pain - Ten Footsteps leaflet (912 downloads )

Oxford, Reducing and stopping Opioids Information for patients

Brainman – understanding pain, Brainman stops his Opioids

Brainman – understanding pain in less than five minutes

Flippin Pain

Live well with  pain

Take the temperature of your Opioid painkillers

Pregabalin reduction patient leaflet

Patient letters

Patient medicine decision questionnaire

Flippin Pain letter for Gabapentinoid reduction

Flippin Pain letter for Opioid reduction

Opioid and Gabapentinoid letters

Patient letter - general info / intervention over 12 months (898 downloads )

Opioid appointment with options for invite

Patient letter - start of reduction - patient non-responsive (879 downloads )

Opiate reduction letter

Pregabalin reduction initial letter

Prescribing Guidelines and Resources

GMMMG Gabapentinoids resource pack

GMMMG Opioids resource pack

Oxycodone switch

PrescQIPP Neuropathic pain template

GP guidance opiod reduction

Pregabalin Reduction Plan A – 50mg per month reduction, 50mg night time reduction.

Pregabalin Reduction Plan B – 50mg per month reduction, reducing morning and night by 25mgPlan B

Pregabalin Reduction Plan C – 50mg per fortnight reduction, reducing morning and night by 25mg

Pregabalin Reduction Plan D – 50mg per week reduction, reducing morning and night by 25mg

Training

Elearning for Health ePain

Royal College of GPs (training open for GPs only)

Royal College of GPs Clinical Resources (available to all)

PresQipp (Reducing Opioid Prescibing in Chronic Pain)

Useful websites

Flippin Pain

Live well with pain

Pain killers do not exist

Faculty of pain medicine

British pain society

Persistent Pain Service in Cumbria

DVLA information on Opioids and driving

Recent MHRA safety alerts

Pregabalin (Feb 2021)

Opioids (Sept 2020)

Fentanyl (Sept 2020)

Benzodiazepines (March 2020)

Pregabalin April 2022 

Pregabalin Safety in Pregnant Concerns Letter to patient

Practice Audits

Opioid Prescribing Care Bundle - March 2019 (791 downloads ) Opioid Care Bundle - data collection sheet (740 downloads ) Opioid Care Bundle - PDSA cycle template (759 downloads )

Recovery Steps Cumbria

Recovery Steps Cumbria stakeholder letter

Recovery Steps Cumbria - Information Leaflet (397 downloads )