Do opioids help with your chronic pain? - Successfully?

Well, this is just me venting a little. Some of you may have experienced this feeling:
If you remember the Seinfeld episode in which Elaine is at the Doctor's office for a checkup, and the doc goes out for a second. Elaine picks up her chart and is perusing it when the Doc comes back in. He sees Elaine checking her chart and picks up the phone and makes a call. Elaine decides to get a second opinion. At the new doctor's, she is about to have her exam when the nurse shows the Doc a note. He then tells her that he can't help her. This is repeated several times, even at a Vet's office, where the Vet gets a call about Elaine. She has obviously been blacklisted.
Point of story: sometimes I feel like Elaine in that every doctor I visit seems to be totally uninterested, as if they received "the call". "Don't spend any time on this guy. He's a whiner". In my excruciating pain, lack of balance, walking problems, pain at an eight, sometimes approaching a nine, where are the empathetic doctors? Have they gone by the way of the dodo? Okay, that's my rant. Wishing all my fellow pain-sufferers some much needed pain relief!

I’ve been on methadone since 2006 for crps in my legs. I was on 150mgs a day when my legs were very swollen. After 2 yrs, the swelling went down some and I could get out of wheel chair, I went down to 60mgs a day by my choice. I was at that for 13 yrs… then the “crisis” of fentanyl streaming across our open red carpet borders happened… people were dying.. my doc cut may meds in half. A year ago, the pain clinic closed- cut off methadone completely. My pcp gave me a script for norco. She would not go with more than that. I found another pain clinic, as my pcp was uncomfortable writing pain meds. New pain clinic- “we have 3 different types of stimulators, which would you like?” I already had one put in and removed as it hurt more than it was worth. So because I didn’t want stim- they are weaning me off norco. Makes sense right? Kinda like weaning a diabetic off their insulin, not cured, but just die and go away. This world is upside down. Last year I could work, golf, and enjoy family. Now- my kids are looking to put me in assisted living. I’m 62. I have my own nice home, beautiful yard, but can’t keep it. I’m sorry people od on drugs. Of the 30k that will die this year, only about 2% will be from prescriptions, the rest are fentanyl, meth deaths, so, like many brain dead pencil pushers think- let’s take all pain meds away. 40k die in car accidents a year- we should get rid of all cars. Same thinking. If I sound upset, it’s because I’m flabbergasted by the number of people with no common sense in our government and medical field. We had a couple of good doctors here in Michigan who refused to take away pain meds from long term patients, the DEA came in and sued the drs office. They spent 150k on lawyers, had their business put on hold, all because an agent wanted to fill a quota. The doctors office went bankrupt. No arrests at all.

When 4 surgeries failed and 34 epidurals did not help I use percocet and have since 2012. I have no guilt despite incorrect articles that try to say opioids are not effective for chronic pain. They want you to use Tylenol and nsaids. I assume they never new what real pain is. Opioids do help.

Yes opioids are appropriate for severe pain and that includes chronic pain when used correctly. As u age they become more dangerous because our body can’t secrete as well. These opioid free doctors need to feel our pain. I’m now on medical cannabis but will need more pain control as I decline.

I feel like we should be shouting out loud about this but then we really would be considered a drug addict. Unfortunately, I do feel stigmatized from using an opiod, even though I only take 1 a day and have for over 10 years. I can't take any nsaids at all. It does work for me and it means I can have a normalish life and at least function. If a person does not need them that is great. But no one is inside my body dealing with chronic pain. Thankfully I have a understanding doctor who treats me a real person. I can bet there are many more out there who are reading this that are afraid to respond as then they may feel like a drug addict too. I was there but now I love reading how it has actually helped others instead of made them suffer. If they come out with something that works just as well but is not an option I would try it. I was put on an antidepressant for pain 4 years ago. What a joke, not to mention trying to taper off of it which actually took 3 years to do. It messed me up really bad. I have zero bad reactions to an opiod so that is what I use.
Didn't mean to go off on a tirade.

Though my TKR surgeon hotly denies it, my knee pain seems totally tied into the weather. If it’s raining or just on the horizon my knees start to throb. Since no one can control the humidity, the only solution is to control the pain until the storm passes. Why don’t they (doctors) get it? It’s an easy fix. Rain=Pain.

I have been going to pain management for the past 15 years since my laminectomy. I suffer from chronic pain in the lumbar sacral area as well as peripheral neuropathy. Opiods are the only medication that take the edge off my pain. So yes they do work. I have been on them for years, no issues.

Same here. Severe back issues. Seeing pain management for 20 years. I take hydrocodone up to 4 times a day but that's only about 3 to 4 times a month. Otherwise I take them every 6 hours. Also came in handy with cancer pain. I had the MRI's and CT scans and was approved for disability in 4 months on the first try. That was 3 years ago and I'm on social security now. But yes, it's sad that we feel the need to explain why we take opiods. My script is for 120 pills. There are months I have over 15 pills left. We discussed lowering the amount and we did that one time but I told him when I needed them every 4 hours for a couple days it made me short for the month. We went back to 120. I said I'd rather have the extra there if I needed them. Yeah, the minute it's known you're on opiods you get looked at like you're a drug addict. I returned a script to the nurses station when I was in hospital one weekend for leg pain control associated with my back. The nurse looked shocked when I said I don't need this because I have the same meds at home. It was only for 10 hydrocodone but I told him I wanted prescriptions for pain meds written by only ONE doctor. My pain meds still work after 20 years because I feel if you take them for what they are meant for and not chasing a high with them, they will work. If I wanted to get high I'd smoke pot and/or drink something. I might have a mixed drink once a year. Seriously thinking about the medical marijuana thing though. 🤣

Hi Carol,

I'm sorry for the chronic pain you experience, but it seems like you have a sound plan for opiate use to help with pain. It was also very smart for you to insist that only ONE Dr prescribed these meds. If it's more than one, the suspicion they are being abused goes even higher.

I'm on the other extreme. I became addicted to opiates 15 years ago while being treated for sciatica. So today I take Suboxone which prevents opiates from working on me.

That's a high price to pay, but the fault is my own. I give you credit for your responsible use of the drug. It's not fair or right that people who need these meds for chronic pain be labeled as abusers.

Anyway, great job. And if your idea of drinking is one mixed drink a year, it seems safe to say you don't have addiction problems. FWIW I've been sober for 14 years now. I've had joint replacements and have managed with NSAIDs.

Joe

Maybe a class action lawsuit would help? I’ve been on Darvan and then when that was recalled because a single person had a heart attack in 2007. I’ve been on Percocet ever since. Low dose, a half a pill four times a day. Some days less. I’ve had many surgeries. There is an article at the CDC if you google chronic pain opioids plus CDC you will land on an article that recommends opioids for long-term chronic pain yet still, Unless a politician has gotten to it and taking it down. I took it to a couple of my doctors about 10 years ago. Nobody really bothers me. I am careful and I hate being humiliated by the medical industry as I have been on occasion. Because I start at a baseline when I go for surgeries, I usually need more Narcotic pain reliever than the other patients. I’ve had problems with some administrators at the hospital. Other more evolved hospitals not so much. I live in California. From what I read in this group at different times it’s one of the benefits to being in California more common sense Medical treatment prevails. I think the solution is in a class action lawsuit. But of course people who are in chronic pain like we are don’t really have the energy and extra time to run around starting class action lawsuits do we?