FDA Issues Warning on Abruptly Stopping Opioid Treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require labeling changes to opioid medications to include information on safely tapering the drugs, the agency announced on Tuesday. The FDA said it had received reports of “serious harm” in patients who are physically dependent on opioids and had the drugs abruptly discontinued or the dose rapidly decreased. Such actions can cause serious withdrawal symptoms, uncontrolled pain, psychological distress and can lead to suicide, the agency said. “In turn, these symptoms can lead patients to seek other sources of opioid pain ...