Dr Gerald Sacks, Director of Pain Management at the Pain Institute of Santa Monica, addresses the issues of opioid dependency and believes that patients continue to take these medicines far beyond the period of which time their pain was occurring.

He explains additional treatment for OIC management and links the role of lifestyle modifications and over-the-counter products to prevent it in patients. He states that it is the last thing for a patient to go to the emergency department for a manual disimpaction. He believes that OIC is dramatically affecting the life of patients and is impacting their inability to interact with their families.

Dr Gerald Sacks feels that many primary care practitioners have now started recommending patients to utilize lifestyle changes. These changes include good hydration, good levels of physical activity, eating fruits and vegetables, and making sure that the patients are utilizing the over-the-counter medications when needed.

About Dr Gerald Sacks

Dr Gerald Sacks shares the importance of being proactive in addressing OIC early on with patients and gives advice for health care providers. Mostly practitioners as well as the patients are aware of the fact that opioids cause constipation. However, there is a misunderstanding that it is not treatable. According to Dr Sacks, the practitioners need to focus on the diagnosis.