War On Chronic Pain Patients (Page 3)

Thanks to all you drug abusers there has been an ongoing war on us legit chronic pain patients. Thanks to all who abuse pills and alcohol, because of you they wage war on us. Street drugs are cheaper so why do you all have to mess with the pills and make life difficult for us chronic pain sufferers? Are you stupid or just self centered? Britain uses our military to protect Afghan poppy for people like you, so quit trying to cook up the pills. We legit chronic pain patients would really appreciate it, not that you care, but maybe when you stop acting so self centered, people will actually begin to care about you. You reap what you sow.

To stem cell labs worldwide: We need you to cure degenerative discs and herniations for those that want to be cured instead of on pain meds. Make yourselves known. We need options. We know you have the cure. We need the FDA to help make up for lost time.

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REPORT

My husband has had sever Occipital neuralgia headache for 20 years. Think headache every day for 20 years. Over the last 5 years they are out of control. His description is that he is being hit in the head with a sleghammer. As the doctors have lowered his pain meds. The pain meds made it possible for him to work, now he has had to stop working because he can't concentrate. He is almost at the point of ending the pain because he has no quality of life. On the other end I have a sister and niece that are both addicts. The help they need is mental health, the problem they refuse to get that help and won't take those meds. My sister abandoned her three children and her granddaughter. I know how addiction affects family. When she is gone and not in contact with anyone it is very peaceful and life is normal. I love my sister but not the turmoil. This is something our family has been dealing with for 30 years now. The fact that someone refuses help and loves the high more than anything else shouldn't make people with chronic pain have to suffer to the point of just wanting to end their life.

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Simply asking addicts to “stop” is going nowhere fast.

That being said, I am not an addict. I recently broke 4 bones in my hand and it was the size of a grapefruit. I was in severe pain and was prescribed Naproxen. What I NEEDED was something stronger as the pain was so bad for 4-5 days that I could not think, let alone work.

Doctors seem to be afraid to prescribe opiates. I do not presume to know the solution. I do know asking addicts to just stop is well ignorant. That kind of suggestion adds nothing to the conversation.

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Re: David (# 42)

Opioids are an excellent addition to pain management programs. If you read down through the posts you'll see the whole thing has gotten political, and its all about politicians buying votes from the gullible. There ate tens of millions of people that take prescribed (Rx) opioids with absolutely no problems. That's tens of millions of people that aren't abusing their pain meds or self-medicating. And now our culture says we need to make recreational use of marijuana and other hard drugs legal, and people have gotten pain meds not because they're in pain but for the purposes of abusing them. People are stealing pain meds out of medicine cabinets of relatives, etc. and politicians see this as an opportunity to stir up BS about what the real problems are and they tell gullible people they are the solution to the problem. Which is more political BS. You should have been prescribed a stronger pain med for your broken hand but state AGs across the country are having doctors arrested and prosecuted for trying to help patients because the politicians are lying about what is and isn't the problem. America has been in a drug crisis for a hundred years or more. The same people that want to make illegal recreational drug use legal are the same people saying opioids are the problem. So much easier to brainwash people if you totally confuse them. We have a drug abuse problem. We do NOT have an opioid problem. Do you hear any politicians or state AGs wailing we have a marijuana crisis?? A heroin crisis? A cocaine crisis??? NOPE, yet those drugs have been a crisis for a long time. Thing is, believe it or not, those drugs are rare in households so ranting they are a problem in ordinary households doesn't fit their narrative. So lets change the narrative to something that is common in millions of homes. Oh YEAH, opioids are quite common. People always getting hurt and being prescribed an opioid painkiller. Next step, the person in pain finds their pills missing, call the cops and somebody, usually a druggie, gets caught. Cops do a traffic stop, find vicodin or other painkiller bottle with the name and info scratched off, OMG we must be having an opioid crisis, total BS, just a continuing all American drug crisis. Sorry to hear about your pain. I'm thankful I can still get my vicodin. Had a bout earlier tonight, tolerated the pain for as long as I could and took a pain pill. If I should be prevented from get an Rx I suppose my next step would be my government turning me into a criminal and I would be looking for street drugs. As a final solution, I envision the pain being so intense I'll have to end it all, and that will be the fault of the government and morons pretending they know what they're talking about.

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Re: BiggerBrat (# 43)

Couldn’t agree more. We have politicized and criminalized what is, essentially a medical issue. You mention the “acceptance” of marijuana and I would add to that the acceptance of alcohol.

The big problem to society is the combination of addiction and illegality. The illegality, and it’s inherent profitability, results in the control of supply being restricted to criminals. For example, would we have ever heard the name Al Capone had Prohibition not been enacted?

The drug “crisis” unfortunately supports a massive law enforcement, corrections and justice system “industries”, in addition to the hugely profitable trafficking industry. It also underpins a significant part of our violent crime from the traffickers... and the addicted who can only focus on their next “fix”.

In the end, the biggest price is paid by the most vulnerable - the addict. I refuse to pass judgement on them. No one makes a conscious decision to become an addict. They may have made bad choices, they may be genetically vulnerable to an addiction to prescribed medications. For the most part they are suffering and desperately seeking relief.

Frankly, if we relaxed the criminality we could reduce the burden on law enforcement, reduce the burden on the justice system and cast off the crown of highest incarceration nation in the world. Arguments that this would increase the number of addicts are to my mind bogus. Availability will not change - all illegal drugs are more widely available today than they were 20 years ago.... as indicated by the street price which has been dropping in real terms.

What would change is that supply would be in the hands of “respectable” organizations. The profitability to criminal enterprises would be all but eliminated - thereby reducing much of the inherent violent crime. Addicts would have availability - not just of the substances, but also in access to proper treatment facilities. Most important chronic pain sufferers and our terminally ill would not be forced to make a choice between unendurable pain and “turning” to the street.

There is just too much money and too many jobs involved in the “anti-drug industry”. Big Pharma has no interest in easing up. Their bottom lines would be affected if people used botanicals to treat their ailments instead of overpriced pharmaceuticals.

May be a bit radical but I’ve always believed that making something illegal just creates a new class of victim and always from the most vulnerable amongst us.

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Your anger is misplaced. The people handing out opioid subscriptions and the policy makers aren't dumb people. However, they are lazy, and thoughtless and interpret data for their own needs and not the patients. They go after the lowest hanging fruit of the chronic pain and elderly. The captive audience can't fight back. Sure regular opiate addicts have given legitimate pain medication users a tough time of it (they didn't create policy or write your prescriptions) but actual policy makers need to find leader ship to get educated of what is fact and what is some other person's agenda. Educate how we are not all the same! But everyone deserves compassion.

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Because keeping us in pain makes money for them. If they cured us all, we wouldn’t need them anymore. I would love to have my life back before I’m to old to enjoy it. Time is running out

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Re: RustedOne (# 27)

Hi fellow sufferers. True story. Gal gets prescribed her monthly allotment of vicodin, I'm guessing it's around 60 pills. Don't know for sure, only what I've heard and read. She apparently takes 4 to 7 at a time, crashes her car into a tree and dies. This doctor who prescribed prescription is now sitting in jail for manslaughter charges. I know this doctor, he's a personal friend of mine. Wasn't the woman responsible for her own actions?

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Re: madashell (# 47)

This is the whole problem with this "opioid crisis". Its a politically manufactured crisis that blames everybody except the people who are to blame. We DO NOT have an "opioid crisis". We have a "DRUG ABUSE" crisis. This woman WAY TOO OBVIOUSLY abused here pain meds and as too often happens when people abuse their drugs, self medicate, etc. the consequences end in death. The doctor is NOT responsible, he did not hand her excess pills. Am I responsible for the deaths of people if somebody steals my vicodin pills? HELL NO!!! Vicodin abuse along with every opioid abuse falls in with the total "drug abuse" problem here in America. Politicians are looking for a raison d etre' and now they've done that by separating out opioids from the run of the mill drug problem in America. They've got doctors scared to death to prescribe pain meds of any kind. I was at my doctor yesterday and talking with her about getting a different pain med without the acetaminophen. She listed several pain drugs she is scared to death to proscribe because of the threat of going to jail trying to give some quality of life to pain sufferers. She gave me a 5 day Rx for another drug to see how it works over my current vicodin Rx. Recent blood tests have shown elevated numbers with regard to my liver and now I have to have an ultrasound this week to see if my liver is damaged although I don't take that much vicodin but I am 73 and the older you get the more acetaminophen can be a problem. I've been taking vicodin for a long time and have NEVER self medicated, i.e., taken more pills than prescribed and run out of pills before the month is up. I always have pills going into the next month such that I get approximately 10 prescriptions per year as opposed to 12. I know people that regularly run out of pills before the end of each month. Many of them have begged me for pills because they know I don't abuse them and I refuse to give them any. They are abusing their opioid Rx's, NOT the opioid's abusing them, NOT their doctors committing abuses. Its up to every person that responsibly uses opioid medications in their pain management to inform people this is all about politics. Maybe instead of arresting doctors trying to help people, when a doctor has a patient that repeatedly runs out of meds before the end of each month the doctor should notify law enforcement. Like my doctor said yesterday, she knows I do NOT abuse my vicodin and I'm not selling my extra pills on the streets. Notify your congressman, senator, state reps that there is NOT an opioid crisis but just a continuing drug abuse crisis in America.

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Re: WillChillRNMS (# 45)

Total BS. You don't know the difference between drug abuse and a crisis. I have never abused my vicodin Rx in years of use and I know people like me that can say the same thing. I also know people that run out of their pills every month. They self medicate (abuse their Rx). Nobody, no doctor is forcing them to take extra pills or take pills more often than prescribed. All your rhetoric will not change those FACTS. Accusing doctors and health care people of intentionally addicting people is libelous and wrong on so many levels. You need to quit reading/listening to the political propaganda.

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Re: madashell (# 47)

I agree the woman taking Vicodin is responsible, not her doctor as long as he believed those pills were medically necessary. He should not be prosecuted for a patient’s actions.

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Re: rammsteinfan (# 18)

For your problem you do not need anything deal with what I got your a pillbilly

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Re: James (# 51)

WTF are you talking about? Obviously you don't have a clue what RSD is. Don't insult people if you don't know the suffering we are going through. Why do people feel they have to insult someone that they do not know the pain we have?

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Re: Luwhit (# 2)

I understand. I had quality of life until 8 months ago. I was placed on disability and found a wonderful doctor who gave me what I needed. I was able to go to work at an office job. I felt on top of the world. for a while. Then we lost our pain doctor now I am a pawn in a doctors game who cut my medication to a third he took away the medication that worked on break through pain. I am happy for you he runs insane hours. He claims he is so busy he can only see me on Saturday nights after 8 PM he runs Sunday hours as early as 5 AM he gets rich on Ov and copay charges we get shafted. I need some break but it only gives me a total of 5 hours partial relief. I am so desperate to find a good doctor. I am happy for you.

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Re: Poohsy (# 6)

It is ridiculous! I have an 85 yr old mother I have to take care of. It is not feasible to drag her around to all these appts and be interrupting our daily routine all the time. After 20 years of Lorcet, never an abuser... never tried to get prescriptions filled early, never went to the ER because I took too many and ran out. Have been with my most recent doctor for 5 year, was taking Percoset for pain (3 times daily), Soma for insomnia and muscle spasms (1 at night) and Diazepam for anxiety (3 times a day). I worked until 2005... finally even with the pain meds, could not handle the job duties. Was living life normally on the Percoset, able to sleep, etc. Stress was and still is taken care of by the diazapam. Then all the sudden, pharmacists would not fill these together, says it creates a 'overdose' cocktail. So had to COLD TURKEY off the pain meds and Some (a prescription med that has been tried and true since the 50's (I believe).

My insurance would not cover it, but because it has been around for so long, cash price was never over $20 for my 30# script. BIG PHARMACEUTICAL BUTTING IN TO PHASE OUT LESS EXPENSIVE, BUT EFFECTIVE MEDICATION THAT ACTUALLY HAS NO SIDE EFFECTS UNLESS IT IS ABUSED!!! This is BS. The nearest Pain Management is 60 miles from where I live... Why isn't my PCP enough? Why are they running scared? Doctors need to unite and take the power they trained and paid so much in money, time, knowledge of their patients. Unscrupulous doctors need to be stopped, but leave our legitimate Doctors alone... let we the people pursue our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!! Stop punishing the legitimate pain patients and get the abusers... it's not so hard to tell the difference... Abusers will put anything in their bodies to feel high. If they pee dirty, cut them off. If I pee clean every month, nothing in my system but what the doc says there shouldn't be, leave me and my meds alone... PLEASE?!

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Re: BobH (# 29)

Not only are these people now suffering physically because the government took their pain meds away they are absolutely suffering mentally with depression and anxiety. There will be many more suicides and other violent crimes within family units because someone suffering will eventually explode in one way or another. They are also suffering from embarrassment because they're looked down upon as addicts. I have never seen such a national disaster such as this one all brought on by our own government. As we move forward as a country as a whole one would think we would advance in all aspects of treating medical patients whatever they are suffering from but in this case we have absolutely moved backwards. It's like the olden days now for pain patients. I am ashamed of this country for what it has become. Social media has destroyed our young women, video games have desensitized people to killings and violence. One just needs to browse the young women on social media and you will see that they're all showing everything they've got for the sheer purpose of likes!!! Society is in the gutter and our government doesn't give one crap about it's people. When will dental be included on all insurance? Why don't they sell separate policies for hearts, for ears, for kidneys, etc? Are teeth not a part of our bodies? This is the biggest idiotic thing that dentists have been able to get away with forever and therefore charging whatever the hell they want. I read one guy had gotten a quote of 10K to repair all his teeth he said he left and went and had all his teeth pulled at another dentist's office for 500.00 and got dentures. My daughter had a terrible toothache and you know what?

She can't get anything done because they want 2300.00 for ONE root canal!!! WHY are they getting away with this? Other countries have all medical and dental available to any citizen for free! Face it citizens of the United States of America you are now living in one of those crap countries that our president spoke of in the past. I don't see anything improving and the cost of living keeps rising every single day but wages, social security and ss disability recipients incomes remain stagnant! You are now made to suffer in pain with your diseases, broken bones, toothaches, etc...because our government have our medical doctors scared to death to write a G.D. RX for your pain. If drug addicts want to get so high and O.D. and die, let them, why the heck do they go out of their way to invent a drug to reverse the overdose?? Why do they want to save unproductive citizens live's so bad? Why haven't they done ONE darn thing to help the homeless? Another disaster created by our government because affordable housing does not exist. Rents are allowed to increase every year because there are no laws in place where it should be capped. We can invent a drug to save addicts who don't care about their lives but we can't come up with anything to help the homeless living on the streets starving to death with not even a toilet to go to.

These are vets who have served our country they are also mentally ill people who have no family to take them in and if they do have family they themselves are probably struggling to house and feed themselves. If you're not extremely wealthy in the US right now then you are struggling. Also, all these charities online claiming to help others and pets, etc... ALL scams, they are taking in so much money but are actually helping very, very few. All the money they take in goes to pay themselves HUGE salaries so they can live the high life. I've seen it and I know it. If you want to donate to a charity, save your money or go out and directly give it to someone who needs it because these charities help no one, the Red Cross is one of the worst. The Salvation Army goes through all of their donations and list everything with a label or designer label on Ebay to sell to the highest bidder and it's so wrong! I thought their stores were for lower income people to be able to shop for cheap clothing and household goods? Well, all they leave in the stores is crap you'd throw in the trash. Every corporation, every charity, every dentist, etc..(I could go on and on) are now all about GREED!

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Re: Kaydollasign (# 55)

It is indeed just a part of a much broader issue. As usual you just have to “follow the money.” It’s a case of “mind over matter”. They don’t mind .... and we don't matter!

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Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs - CDC:

"Oct 3, 2017 - A prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) is an electronic database that tracks controlled substance prescriptions in a state. PDMPs can provide health authorities timely information about prescribing and patient behaviors that contribute to the epidemic and facilitate a nimble and targeted response."

[1] cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdmp/states.html

...Our behaviors???

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James (# 52) --

What freaking *****s, sitting around making notes on our behaviors!! This is ridiculous and it has to stop! Anyway, WTH, why are you calling Rammsteinfan a "pillbilly". You do NOT know what kind of pain he has. I know that RSD is very painful I have it in my left arm and it hurts so bad I cry and it pulsates right on the nerve like a really bad toothache! Call the young druggies and junkies who take pills simply for the thrill of it trying to feel high "pillbillys", NOT legitimate older people who have proof of their pain with MRI's and younger people who have been in terrible car accidents or falls and broke their backs, etc...save it for the junkies who have ruined the lives of all these people who are now suffering terribly because they have to drive all day long just to get to a doctor who will prescribe them pain medication, but the ONLY the most worthless kind that doesn't even help. I am NOT even bothering to drive 75 miles anymore for a lousy 10 mg Mallinckrodt Hydrocodone that has zero pain medication in it. After 5 yrs I am DONE, no more, not worth it to drive that far and still be sitting her with Salonpas patches, heating pads, raised legs, ice packs and still crying in pain. Shove that Mallinckrodt up where the sun don't shine. They've flooded the pharmacies with this worthless Hydrocodone and tell patients they can't get anything else, no other mfr. no genuine authentic non-generic Norco exists? Shove it to the CDC and our whole careless government!

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Re: Kaydollasign (# 58)

Wonderful post so sorry for your pain. This whole opiod crack down is BS. The deaths of people using heroin has sky rocketed since the new regulations. People suffering from pain are going to the streets to find relief for their pain. Things need to change so the people with chronic pain can live a somewhat normal life.Thank youfor setting the information straight on RSD I have it in my leg and it is horrible and the pain meds 5mg of norco 4 times a day just does not help .

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Sissy (# 13) Great post Sissy7... What in the Hell Can we Do. Ive been Sober 31 years..I will not Drink but I see this happening to everybody under Supposedly Pain Mangement. If they think they can get numbers down here. What happens turn to worse Drugs Heron or Something worse. The DEA is creating a new Black Market.. They want to keep their jobs and do not give a crap about Legitimate User....

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