What to do now?

That’s the question chronic pain sufferers are wondering following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) release of the first-ever national guidelines designed to curb the alarming increase in prescription drug deaths.

A record-high 28,647 deaths involving opioids were documented in 2014, according to the latest statistics, which is 14 percent higher than the previous year. And the government’s response — advising doctors not to prescribe the potentially addictive pills in most situations for chronic pain — couldn’t have been more explicit.

“It has become increasingly clear that opioids carry substantial risk but only uncertain benefits — especially compared with other treatments for chronic pain,” CDC Director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden told reporters in March.

So if, for example, you have concerns about overdosing and are experiencing musculoskeletal conditions including low back and neck pain, many experts say it’s time to consider an alternative like chiropractic care.

Even before the CDC acted, drug-free chiropractic care was being trumpeted as the go-to first option — over both prescription pills and elective surgery — as a result of research showing it yielded improved patient outcomes, higher satisfaction and lower costs.

“It’s heartening to see the growing opioid epidemic is finally gaining the attention it deserves,” said Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president of the not-for-profit Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, noting that doctors of chiropractic have a minimum of seven years of higher education and provide care and rehabilitation on issues ranging from musculoskeletal pain to headaches to general health concerns.