Patients suffering from severe pain may have difficulty finding a doctor who will adequately prescribe certain medications, according to a story in the Seattle Times on May 21, 2007. Recent state guidelines suggesting a daily limit on opioid doses are intended to address the increased number of deaths related to prescription-type opiates. But the guidelines, along with prosecutions of physicians around the country for overprescribing narcotics, have apparently made some local physicians fearful. While critics say the new guidelines will make it harder for legitimate patients to obtain powerful painkillers, the state calls those fears unwarranted and said it simply wants to safeguard against doctors prescribing too many opioids for too long. [read story in Seattle Times]