Compliance with Controlled Substances Laws and Regulations. To prescribe controlled substances, the physician must be licensed in the state, have a valid controlled substances registration and comply with federal and state regulations for issuing controlled substances prescriptions. Physicians are referred federal, state and local regulatory agencies for guidance. Acute pain is a normal, expected physiological response to an adverse chemical, thermal, or mechanical stimulus and is associated with surgery, trauma and acute illness. The experience of pain, in terms of intensity and quality, is always subjective, varies from individual to individual, and is shaped by multiple host factors including physiological, psychological and socio-cultural factors.
Acute pain is generally time limited and is responsive to opioid therapy, among other therapies.
These phenomena may be accompanied by distortions in thought, chiefly denial, and a tendency to relapse once in recovery. Physical dependence and tolerance are normal physiological consequences of extended opioid therapy for pain and should not be considered addiction. Withdrawal may be relieved by re-administration of the opioid. Physical dependence is an expected result of opioid use. Physical dependence, by itself, does not equate with addiction.