Comments on Pain-Topics.org News/Research UPDATES: Pain Management Fails Due to Rx-Drug Abuse Fears

Ive been disabled since 1994 Ive been on opiads si...

2011-04-04T21:55:57.271-05:00

Ive been disabled since 1994 Ive been on opiads since than i was on a pain regiment that worked for me my quality of life was tolerable i worked at a camp as a cook, I took care of my home and 3-1/2 of my 5 acres also my 80yr old father and his home and 2 acres, and managed, than the county that i live in had an epidemic for lack of a better word, people were o.d.ing some even died. I was taken

Not sure if this thread is still being followed, b...

2011-03-28T10:16:52.978-05:00

Not sure if this thread is still being followed, but I love the idea of a "Drug Education Administration." Unfortunately, as long as there are still "bad guys" around who would mis-prescribe, divert, and abuse opioids we'll still need the "cops" to deal with them. -- SBL

I know I'm late in contributing to this thread...

2011-03-28T10:04:24.447-05:00

I know I'm late in contributing to this thread - I've had RSD for nearly 15 years, and have experienced most of the physician abuses described here. It's incredible that, in this country, we have a government agency (DEA) that has decided it's in the pain medicine business and will prosecute, using any means necessary, physicians who don't agree with their Tx recommendations.

I have to agree that the DEA has caused a horrible...

2010-11-29T01:39:27.304-06:00

I have to agree that the DEA has caused a horrible situation for people like myself that suffer from chronic pain. I think that the government should just legalize everything and tax the non medical use of hard drugs to the hilt. That would protect the doctors who now practice with one hand on the patient and the other on his lawyer's speed dial. It is obvious that the war on drugs is not

Call it the 'war on drugs'. It is all abou...

2010-04-21T11:16:52.667-05:00

Call it the 'war on drugs'. It is all about diversion and addiction, not about medicine. They haven't the time to count people like 'us', the millions of chronic pain patients that require opiate medications to just LIVE; oh.. and yes, some of us pay taxes that fund this hysteria.

It's time to put a stop to the assumptions, myths and ignorance surrounding

The problem is that many patients do seek pain man...

2010-04-14T18:57:34.693-05:00

The problem is that many patients do seek pain management physicians for drugs, not to control pain. You can't see pain. And everyone has a different tolerance for pain. So, prescribing drugs for pain manangement becomes an ART but a very difficult piece of art to paint. Which dose is good enough for patient A but not enough for patient B? My husband is an anesthesiologists who refused

I have been psychologically scarred by the way I&#...

2010-04-07T08:55:12.174-05:00

I have been psychologically scarred by the way I've been treated by Doctors in the past. Now I have PTSD from years of not being listened to, treated as if I were a junkie and suffering needlessly. It should be a crime to let a patient suffer in pain for no reason other than fear. I finally have found a compassionate Pain Doctor who I feel cares how I am feeling, a rarity these days. But I

When the sypmtoms 1st started, my doctors were dis...

2010-03-28T14:02:28.917-05:00

When the sypmtoms 1st started, my doctors were dismissive of my complaints. I was in my early 20's and physically appeared to be in good health. I had back pain that really resembled the pain I had while in labor. But the symptoms that I was having was seriously disrupting my life. For the 1st coupla years I did alot of research online about my symptoms. I googled my symptoms and I kept

Unfortunately, very few humans have the ability to...

2010-02-26T08:38:06.343-06:00

Unfortunately, very few humans have the ability to handle power. Doctors have enormous power. They control whether or now we are allowed to go back to work or remain home, whether or not we are allowed to go on Disability or Social Security; they are the ONLY people permitted to prescribe our medications. They have our lives in their hands - in ALL respects. Not only do they have our health

I have dealt with severe chronic low back pain sin...

2010-01-18T15:35:25.223-06:00

I have dealt with severe chronic low back pain since 1997 while working as a nurse. I am now a nurse practitioner. Most of my experience is in cancer nursing. That being said it feels like docs have no problem treating cancer pain.

Because I have chronic back pain I have had issues getting adequte pain management. I do not expect complete relief but enough relief to function

The following was sent in by Kathryn Hahn, Pha...

2010-01-18T09:12:23.875-06:00
The following was sent in by Kathryn Hahn, PharmD, CPE, DAAPM, author of the articles referenced in our posting above.

As I sit here pondering all the excellent comments to the original blog about my writings, I am drawn to a recent email from a colleague who treats pain. A patient of his had a car accident while on appropriately prescribed opioids that had caused no sedative

I've lived with chronic widespread pain throug...

2010-01-14T18:31:27.394-06:00
I've lived with chronic widespread pain throughout my body and chronic tension headaches for years. I've just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Over the years I've seen all kinds of doctors, and tried all kind of treatments. I've tried massage therapy and acupuncture, physical therapy and aromatherapy.
I've tried all kind of medications for the various pain and

I have had a complex regional pain disorder for 13...

2010-01-12T19:03:58.295-06:00
I have had a complex regional pain disorder for 13 years. I have been very active in the "chronic pain" community. First of all, thank you for the well written article.

It is a fact that for many people with pain syndromes such as FTD/CRPS etc. strong opioids are what keeping them functioning day by day.

I have become disabled and now have another disease that is

Dr. King makes some very good points. Pain managem...

2010-01-11T11:31:17.008-06:00
Dr. King makes some very good points. Pain management doesn't begin and end with opioid analgesics; I think Dr. Hahn's message made that point as well. Yet, patients can and do misuse other agents used in pain management, so this is an ongoing concern. Certainly, more and better education for practitioners (as well as patients) is necessary. -- SBL

If it is true that concerns about prescribing opio...

2010-01-11T11:00:38.801-06:00
If it is true that concerns about prescribing opioids are a major reason for poor management of pain then chronic pain conditions that respond better to non-opioids such as neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia should be much better managed than those that respond best to opioids. This is not so. Has anyone heard of physicians expressing concern about prescribing medications such as Lyrica,

Excellent article but what is the basis for the fe...

2010-01-11T09:19:46.306-06:00
Excellent article but what is the basis for the fear? Given that the percentage of pain patients who actually become addicted to their medications is extremely low, I think that doctors' concerns about abuse problems arise from intimidation from federal agencies and fear of sanctions and/or legal liability should a patient screw up. The end result is we are paying dearly for the sins of a few