Skip to main content

Holiday schedule

Our Patient Service Centers will be closed on Wednesday, December 25, 2024 in observance of Christmas and Wednesday, January 1, 2025 in observance of New Year's Day. Have a healthy, happy holiday.

Hide
Quest Diagnostics

New HHS Opioids Guide

The Department of Health and Human Services has released a decision-making guide for physicians who are considering reducing or discontinuing opioid treatment for their patients. The 5-page booklet discusses:

  • The situations in which opioid tapering or discontinuation may be appropriate
  • The risks of rapid opioid tapering
  • Steps to take before dose reduction
  • Symptoms of opioid withdrawal
  • The importance of mental health support
  • Evaluation for opioid use disorder, and special considerations for treatment

“In each case the clinician should review the risks and benefits of the current therapy with the patient, and decide if tapering is appropriate based on individual circumstances,” the authors state. “Opioids should not be tapered rapidly or discontinued suddenly due to the risks of significant opioid withdrawal … Clinicians have a responsibility to provide or arrange for coordinated management of patients’ pain and opioid-related problems, and they should never abandon patients.”1

The booklet is available at HHS Guide for Clinicians on the Appropriate Dosage Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Analgesics.

Published date: Nov. 20, 2019

1D Dowell, C Jones, W Compton, co-Chairs. HHS Guide for Clinicians on the Appropriate Dosage Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Analgesics. 2019: US Department of Health and Human Services

2019 Articles

Articles Archive

Our company

Quest® is the brand name used for services offered by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated and its affiliated companies. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated and certain affiliates are CLIA-certified laboratories that provide HIPAA-covered services.  Other affiliates operated under the Quest® brand, such as Quest Consumer Inc., do not provide HIPAA-covered services. 

 

Quest®, Quest Diagnostics®, any associated logos, and all associated Quest Diagnostics registered or unregistered trademarks are the property of Quest Diagnostics. All third-party marks—® and ™—are the property of their respective owners. © 2024 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. All rights reserved. Image content features models and is intended for illustrative purposes only.