Pain Pod
One of the most common definitions of pain describes pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” When we are exposed to something that causes pain, if able, we quickly or reflexively withdraw. The sensory feeling of pain is called nociception. Our Host: Mark Garofoli, PharmD Clinical Assistant Professor WVU School of Pharmacy (Department of Clinical Pharmacy) WV School of Pharmacy curriculum education in areas of expertise such as pain management, substance-use disorder, medication therapy management, managed care, geriatric care, management, leadership, and experiential learning.
One of the most common definitions of pain describes pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” When we are exposed to something that causes pain, if able, we quickly or reflexively withdraw. The sensory feeling of pain is called nociception. Our Host: Mark Garofoli, PharmD Clinical Assistant Professor WVU School of Pharmacy (Department of Clinical Pharmacy) WV School of Pharmacy curriculum education in areas of expertise such as pain management, substance-use disorder, medication therapy management, managed care, geriatric care, management, leadership, and experiential learning.
Episodes

2 hours ago
2 hours ago
On this episode of the PAIN POD, Mark Pain Guy Garofoli chats through the complexities of adjuvant pain medications including antidepressant and other medications from other medical condition treatment plans that overlap in mechanism with pain. Join the discussion right here, right now, on the Pain Pod. Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!

Wednesday Feb 25, 2026
Thug Drugs: Policy | Pain Pod
Wednesday Feb 25, 2026
Wednesday Feb 25, 2026
“Thug Drugs: Policy”THUG DRUGS! With a name like that, it has to be good! Even better than Smuckers (Age old ad slogan for jelly/jam)! In this episode of the Pain Pod, we’re going to dive into Thug Drug Policies, here in our country, and beyond.Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!www.painguy.us

Tuesday Jan 13, 2026
Opioidology Part 3: Opioid-Philia vs Opioid-Phobia | Pain Pod
Tuesday Jan 13, 2026
Tuesday Jan 13, 2026
Opioidology Part 3: Opioid-Philia vs Opioid-PhobiaThe often-blurred lines of pain, addiction, and substance use need a deeper dive into the extremes of opioid-philia and opioid-phobia (building upon Opioidology Part 1: Our Opioid Story). Join Mark “Pain Guy” Garofoli and our two guests James Hackworth and Jim Potenziano to take that deeper dive based on their recent collaboration in the Frontiers in Pain Research article “The Burden of Acute Pain in the U.S. in the Wake of the Opioid Crisis”.• Frontiers in Pain Research Article: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pain-research/articles/10.3389/fpain.2025.1642035/full • Article Key Takeaways• Rising Pain Prevalence• Balancing Act—Opioid Utilization vs. Undertreatment• Provider Reluctance to use opioids• Patient Reluctance• Massive Economic Impact• Call for Innovation & Policy Reform• Opioid Story charts: www.painguy.us

Wednesday Oct 29, 2025
NSAIDs: Everything and Then Some | Pain Pod
Wednesday Oct 29, 2025
Wednesday Oct 29, 2025
NSAIDs are everywhere, prescription, OTC, topical, oral, injectable, you name it!In an era of Opioidphobia, are they really a panacea? Heck no, all medications come with baggage.We could spend hours talking about NSAIDs, and not even get to the elephant in the room: Which NSAID for Which Patient? So we’ll go there in this succinct, yet comprehensive rapid review of all things NSAIDs on the Pain Pod!Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!Pain Guy• www.painguy.us

Wednesday Aug 27, 2025
Opioidology Part 2: Opioid Selection | Pain Pod
Wednesday Aug 27, 2025
Wednesday Aug 27, 2025
Welcome (back) to the Opioidology podcast series! Next up to bat, ‘Opioid Selection”.What’s YOUR “Go To Opioid”??? No really, pick a given patient scenario, as respectively there’s many, and what is your “Go To Opioid” when a prescription opioid is warranted??? Pain Guy posed this question on LinkedIn over a year ago, and society failed (as in succumbed to the Opioidphobia culture). So join us in this episode to take a methodical journey distinguishing prescription opioids to once and for (almost) all, be able to have our ducks in a row for opioid selection.Listen in to this Pain Pod episode for an unbiased, in your face, here’s how it is approach to explaining opioid selection (beyond the “To Opioid or Not to Opioid” debate).Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!Pain Guy• www.painguy.us

Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
Opioidology Part 1: Our Opioid Story | Pain Pod
Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
Wednesday Jul 23, 2025
Welcome to the Opioidology podcast series! First up to bat, ‘Our Opioid Story”.You’ve heard, seen, and most likely experienced many facets of the Opioid Crisis. The doom, the gloom, and perhaps a pinch of hope. The kidney punches to us healthcare professionals continue, while tightening the constraints on our patients in pain and in recovery like never before, all while more and more heartbeats are continually lost. But how did we really get here? Listen in to this Pain Pod episode for an unbiased, in your face, here’s how it is approach to explaining the timeline of the opioid crisis, our opioid story.Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!Pain Guy• www.painguy.us

Wednesday May 07, 2025
PhARM-OUD Guidelines: Buprenorphine & Community Pharmacies| Pain Pod
Wednesday May 07, 2025
Wednesday May 07, 2025
On this episode of the Pain Pod, we discuss the details of the PhARM OUD Guidelines with our special guest Dr. Tyler Varisco. We’re ready to dive into buprenorphine in community pharmacies, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!PhARM OUD Guidelines• https://forefdn.org/grantee-spotlight-engaging-community-pharmacists-in-improving-treatment-outcomes-for-patients-with-opioid-use-disorder/ Pain Guy• www.painguy.us• PhARM OUD Guideline Link on Pain Guy Website: https://painguy.us/resources

Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Sports Pharmacy: Play Ball! | Pain Pod
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
This episode of the Pain Pod takes a moment to sit down with THE Pharmacist Athlete, Dr. Brandon Welch!What is sports pharmacy? Patient athletes? Where does a pharmacist fit into sports teams? All of this and much, much more. Perhaps even a little inspiration to figure out your dreams and live them out!Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!Pain Guy• www.painguy.usPharmacy Athlete• https://pharmacyathlete.com/

Monday Feb 17, 2025
Journavx: A Quick Journey into the Novel Non-Opioid Pain Med | Pain Pod
Monday Feb 17, 2025
Monday Feb 17, 2025
Extra Extra, Read all about it! Actually, it’s a podcast, Listen all about it! New Pain Med! New Pain Med! New Non-Opioid Pain Med!Suzetrigine (Journavx) is now FDA Approved for Moderate to Severe Acute Pain in Adults, but what fun facts come along with it?????We turn to the Simpsons, Brugada, and enjoy some club seats while succinctly reviewing everything there is to know about this new non-opioid pain medication on the Pain Pod!Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!Pain Guy• www.painguy.us

Wednesday Jan 29, 2025
Pain Pearls: Part 1 | Pain Pod
Wednesday Jan 29, 2025
Wednesday Jan 29, 2025
Clinical Pearls, Pain Pod edition: Pain Pearls Part 1 (of many)!A cornucopia of pain conundrums and potential solutions and/or tools to help mitigate. All here, nicely packaged, randomly, in one episode of the Pain Pod! One of many more to come, in a miniseries titled: “Pain Pearls”, only here on the Pain Pod!Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!!P.S. Want to contribute or hear about a pain pearl of your own? Message Pain Guy on www.painguy.us to directly reach Mark and have your voice heard!Pain Guy• www.painguy.usDVPRS (Pain Scale)• https://www.va.gov/PAINMANAGEMENT/docs/DVPRS_2slides_and_references.pdf Opioid Risk Screenings• www.opioidrisk.com 2022 CDC Opioid Guideline Update• Dowell D, Ragan KR, Jones CM, Baldwin GT, Chou R. CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain — United States, 2022. MMWR Recomm Rep 2022;71(No. RR-3):1–95.Buprenorphine Induction Resources• Kampman K and Jarvis M. American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) National Practice Guideline for the Use of Medications in the Treatment of Addiction Involving Opioid Use. J Addict Med. Sep-Oct 2015;9(5):358-67.• Ahmed, S. Bhivandkar S, et. al. Microinduction of Buprenorphine/Naloxone: A Review of the Literature. The American Journal on Addictions, 30: 305–315, 2021.• Privia A. Randhawa, Rupinder Brar and Seonaid Nolan. Buprenorphine–naloxone “microdosing”: an alternative induction approach for the treatment of opioid use disorder in the wake of North America’s increasingly potent illicit drug market CMAJ January 20, 2020 192 (3) E73.MOUD Minimum Durations Study• Michael L. Dennis, Mark A. Foss, and Christy K. Scott. An Eight-Year Perspective on the Relationship Between the Duration of Abstinence and Other Aspects of Recovery. Evaluation Review 2007 31:6, 585-612

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