Surgeons Are Ditching Opioids for Ibuprofen and Novocain in the OR
- Doctors using Novocain and nerve blockers for major surgeries
- Chipping away at millions of painkiller scripts to end scourge
FDA Makes Opioid Abuse a Top Priority
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Amber McCanna’s hip replacement in 2016 was her sixth surgery in 10 years. It was also the start of a life without opioids.
McCanna, 37, spent years hooked on powerful daily doses of opioids prescribed by her doctors for chronic joint pain. But when she had her most recent operation, it was with the help of an approach that minimizes the use of the highly addictive painkillers that have riven communities and ruined lives across the U.S.