The United States is in the midst of a prescription drug overdose epidemic. Prescriptions and sales of opioids like Vicodin and Percocet have quadrupled since 1999. According to the CDC, more than 40 people die every day from prescription opioid overdoses. Joining Pedram Shojai today to talk about this epidemic and the new federal guidelines issued to primary care doctors treating adult patients for chronic pain is Dr. Debra Houry. She is the director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. She is also a practicing ER doctor. What is the CDC's role in this epidemic? Under what conditions might a doctor prescribe an opioid? Are they always given in short supply with a recheck required for a refill? What is the doctor's role in checking to make sure the patient is not harmed by the prescription? Does the patient have any responsibility to know what they're taking? How will the new CDC guidelines affect the way doctors prescribe medicines to their patients?

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