What's up with the pain medication

I have broken or fractured 5 vertebra. Because I have severe Osteoporosis my Orthopedic Spine Surgeon can't operate on my back because my bones would shatter. I see a pain specialist but because I take ClonazaPAM he won't give me anything stronger than 5 mg. of Oxicodone 3 times a day. That's not enough to touch the pain. Now he wants to have a Spine Stimulator Device inserted since we have tried everything else. Does anyone out there have one of these devices implanted in them and, if so, has it helped you and have you had any complications with it. Thank you so much.

Shirley

Hello to everyone trying their best to manage their pain medications and most importantly, their continuous challenges to acquire them consistently. I’ve been using various forms of OPIOIDS for the past 34 years. Not because I like or dislike them. I use them because they are the most effective option for managing acute and long term chronic pain.
Unfortunately, I’ve been challenged and have experienced continuous difficulties over all of these years trying to get access too and ultimately fill my opioid prescriptions.
To make matters worse, there has been far too much mis information, dis information and uninformed agencies who are in charge of approving and allocating the amounts of yearly opioids available. In addition, too much bad information or lack of access to accurate and factual information that it’s created and still manifests a horrific environment for genuine, authentic patients suffering from long term chronic pain to get reliable access to opioids to manage their pain. Some of the worst and most damaging information is including the statistics for overdose deaths caused by the “Street Users of Poisonous Fentanyl” mixed in with otherwise safe Opioids used and prescribed by authentic and genuine pain management physicians and used by responsible patients in need!
There is more than enough accurate information available for everybody of interest to see and use for their supposedly precise analysis of the obvious problems NOT associated with safely and legally prescribed OPIOIDS for pain management but they fail to document and utilize them accurately and appropriately. The end result continues to cause horrible outcomes for the responsible doctors who prescribe and the patients who need and use them.
It’s like blaming the steering wheel for causing all of the tragic automobile accidents resulting in death!!!!
Not treating or insufficiently treating chronic pain is malpractice. However, physicians are being sued in addition to losing their medical licenses for safely prescribing the appropriate type, amount and strength of opioids to their patients.
Frankly, the governmental agencies, State and Feferal are “SOLELY RESPONSIBLE” for causing patients to severely suffer much much more than they ever need too. They are equally responsible for causing patients to commit suicide because the amount, severity and length of time that patients go being under treated or not being treated at all is far to overwhelming and impossible for any human to endure. It’s like imposing governmentally approved torture on its citizens. In shot, they not only have it all WRONG! They have it “TOTALLY & COMPLETELY WRONG.” Causing people to be nonsensically subjected to inhumane suffering and death!!!
These are simply the facts. They don’t offer any viable reasons for their decisions. They just keep making horribly inappropriate decisions which are not accurately based on facts but of “MORAL JUDGEMENTS” and trying to manage and justify society’s approaches, methods and beliefs to managing long term chronic pain of which they know very little and practically nothing about in their own personal reality.
The proof of this is simplified by the “FACT” that if any of the people in governmental offices and positions were personally effected by the need to manage their own uncontrollable pain with opioids they would be begging to get access to them.
Unfortunately, the only people who truly know and understand the incredible usefulness and value of opioids are the patients who actually need and rely upon them in order to survive!
Like many things in life, one does not truly understand a specific situation fully enough unless they’ve personally experienced it or one of their family members has.
All of a sudden, they have a very sudden change of heart and understanding about the situation and then they want their own parents, children or grandchildren to have access to opioids to treat their various maladies!
If a patent has little to no quality of life and they have to suffer a tortuous daily existence, any argument regarding possible addiction or over use is totally irrelevant!
Especially when the factual statistics and research continually supports the assertion and scientific statements that patients who legitimately and responsibly use opioids for a long period of time do NOT become addicted. YES, they do and can become physically dependent but that’s much much different from developing an addiction.
People who take opioids who really don’t need them or take them longer than they really need too can succumb to an addiction. However, that’s self inflicted and a personal choice. Patients experiencing incredible suffering and tortuous pain from some kind of physical accident, illness, disease or combinations of those challenges don’t purposely choose the conditions they suffer from or might be dying from!
Even worse, when the physicians, medical community or research community can not develop or invent a suitable medication(s) to measurably improve or cure a patients health problems. All that the patting is left with ice option to reduce the amount of pain Anderson while living with the fact that there is no viable treatment or ability to recover and they are going to die sooner rather than later.
Even worse, are the patients who live with “death like symptoms” but are not going to die any time soon. However, they have to endure their tortuous existence for many years with opioids being the only option of providing any kind of measurable relief and a sense of humanity. That they are important enough to society to be treated with real empathy and understanding like any human being deserves.
There’s a very simple reason why OPIOIDS are the most effected treatment for chronic pain. “ITS BECAUSE THEY WIRK EFFECTIVELY IN DOING SO!
I’ve always said, “provide me a medication that works as well and effectively as opioids and I will take them!”
Unfortunately, medical research hadn’t developed another medication as of yet. Until they do or if they ever do. OPIOIDS should never be withheld from the legitimate patients who need and deserve them, PERIOD.

Thank you for your comment aec07130. I don't know how I was lucky enough to get my medication. That really just postponed the problem till next month. I've discussed it with my pain doctor. He does have contingency plans for me should this issue arise again. Have you discussed this with your physician? My doctor was willing to go out of his way to help. I have the direct number for his hid NP too.I wonder, with all of these changes happening at the federal level if they will discontinue opioid for chronic pain. I'm sure it won't be a popular decision.
But, that hasn't swayed them yet.

@philipsnowdon Very well said and i couldn’t agree more. I have been on opioids for 18 yrs with no changes in dose or frequency. I get shamed by every doctor and when they changed my meds i had a stroke because some meds have unlisted effects to vascular tone and the one was given has an unlisted effect of inhibiting vascular dilation and now i have a stroke. Drs tout their oath of do no harm but they cause harm by omission of care and especially fact based care rather than following these stupid protocols that take 30 yrs to update. Perhaps it’s a form of population control as it makes no sense that they focus on physiology only and treating symptoms rather than actually incorporating anatomy and focusing on prevention. Our healthcare is failing us!

@chell926
Hello,
Thanks for your reply. Like myself and many other people in similar positions regarding the near impossible scenario and position we’ve been forced to endure. Severely limiting or preventing access to the opioids we respectfully utilize for our particular health challenges which we deserve and warrant access too. It’s an absolute travesty and lack of humane care that requires any patient to beg for their medication, (if they’re fortunate enough to even get them) and or the appropriate dosage they need to effectively manage their pain, (or at least not have to suffer more severe and un relenting pain than any human being should ever have to endure). The highly inappropriate, misguided and mismanaged opioid policy in this country and others is factually ,”COMPLETELY INEXCUSABLE!” I’ve been fighting the fight for about 35 years and it has become increasingly more difficult to almost impossible to find a doctor who is is appropriately, adequately educated, knowledgeable and empathetic enough to grasp at least a measurable understanding of what and how to treat severe chronic pain with the only effective method being through the use of opioids. Until another effective alternative is provided to patients it’s more than time to cut the absolute total BS about what opiates are not and what they’re not doing and tell the truth about how effective authentic patients and responsible doctors have been successfully managing their opiate usage for many years. The out of hand epidemic that was created and continued to exacerbate was created by a very inappropriate drug provider and a group of reckless doctors who participated in the scheme that has so seriously and adversely affected the legitimate usage for patients in need. Like other mismanaged atrocities, the extra suffering and inappropriate non treatment of pain are a very poor excuse for any kind of alternative medical treatment or ineffective prescriptions which have been forced upon the many patients like us without any consideration of the multiple problems they create
in our lives. I barely got access to my opiates about 2 years ago when my doctor retired and left medicine to go live in Texas. It was only because a long time friend and doctor who has known me prior to the onset of my debilitating pain personally vouched for me and my trustworthiness and integrity to another close doctor friend who was willing to take me on with me and my pain meds. I am the only patient he is willing to do this for. I share this just to point out that for a patient like myself who has successfully proven to never have abused or inappropriately used any opioids other than prescribed and a stellar track record for 35 years would be in a position where no other doctors or pain clinics would even consider assisting me!!!!!
I did obtain a palliative care physician for a back up in case anything happens to my current doctor where he would no longer be in a position to assist me, regardless of the reasons.
All we can do is continue to “FIGHT THE FIGHT!”
Best wishes and good luck,
Phil

@philipsnowdon
I empathize with your position. I live in New York State and have had no problems getting hydrocodone prescribed by my doctor for my lower back pain. May I ask what state you live in ?

@jackiet
Hello, thanks for your note and reply. I lived in California on the Monterey Peninsular for many years and had one doctor who took great care of me for many years. However, when he joined a corporate medical practice for cancer treatment they no longer allowed him to prescribe my my PERCOCET, (at that time). That’s when my real problems began. Of course, I had lived in Nevada and Tennessee in between the Monterey Peninsula and it took me a long time to finally find one doctor that would assist me. It’s never been easy but I’ve managed to always find one physician to assist me. This really changed after the so called “Opiate Crisis. True, it happened and it was a real problem but it didn’t involve me or any other legitimate doctor-patient relationship. However, the aftermath has in fact grossly and unfairly affected the legitimate doctor-patient relationship concerning opioids.
I’ve also live in France and Australia. It’s not easily or readily available there either. 2 years ago, when the doctor I had retired I could not find anybody in Northern or Southern California, doctor or pain clinic that would have anything to do with me. All I know is that if you lose the only physician you have that has been assisting you. Trying to find a new doctor to assist you is virtually impossible. I’ve spoken to too many patients and read too many online accounts of patients who can not get adequate pain relief treatment or access to opioids. It’s become too risky to doctors and they don't want to deal with it. If you don’t have cancer or dealing with an end of life situation it’s almost impossible to get access to opioids. I am a patient who has been actively dealing with these challenges for 35 years in various States and Countries. I have usually always found a way but it’s taken a lot of work and continuous pursuit to make it happen. I live in Mexico now and they don’t even have any opioids available in Baja California Sur. I have to fly back to the States once each month to get my prescription. I knew that before moving to Mexico but all the literature said that it was LEGAL to get prescribed opioids in Mexico and legal to use them. However, I was told, and it’s true. by a Mexican Anesthesiologist who said he would write me a script for it but that there wasn’t any pharmacy in the entire State that had any. As a general rule, Mexicans don’t use pain medication. It’s just not part of their societal makeup! Interesting, but not very effective if you’ve been in a severe car accident or some other serious physical injury a person could sustain.
In short, opioids are severely misunderstood and given a huge biased and unfair, non factual reputation that continues to make it an almost impossible situation for the truly needy and legitimate patient to obtain them.
There are Pharmacies in California who refuse to fill a legitimate Prescription from doctors for their patients to get opioids. The entire system is totally
F…………up about it!!!!!

I have chronic back pain from arthritis. Have had for 6 years . Tried steroid injections in back, nerve ablation, acupuncture and just about everything . I am taking gabapentin and tylenol arthritis which helps a little. My doctor just gave me go ahead for hydrocodone and gabapentin but stop tylenol. Hydrocodone really helps but makes me very dizzy. I am always dizzy 24/7 for 6 yeas. So I try to balance dizziness with pain relief. Just had neck surgery with a brace at C4-C5 and surgeon thinks this will help dizziness but will take months. It will not help back pain which is due to arthritis. I feel your pain and hope you find some relief.