Why can't people with chronic pain/fatigue use performance enhancers?

Posted by robbinr @robbinr, Jul 4, 2017

Surely if there are medicines that performance athletes can use them, there should be some way that people who cannot go about their day without pain and fatigue could use them. I'm not talking about blood doping - I'm already at 8,000 feet.

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bobsconnect | @bobsconnect | Jul 4, 2017

I live in Arizona which has a medical marijuana law. Sounds like you may have this available where you live "at 8,000 feet". With the opioid Rx squeeze coming from Big Brother soon, I may have to resort to alternatives for my constant pain. Friends of mine vape with a cannabis oil with low THC (the good stuff) for nagging back, neck, and neuropathy pain. If smoking isn't your game, then there is a large variety of backed goodies available. Just saying.

Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira | Jul 5, 2017

Great question, @robbinr! Here is some information about painkillers, opioids and athletes:

– Opioids for treatment of pain — benefits and risks http://mayocl.in/2ss3C0G
– Avoid opioids for chronic pain http://mayocl.in/2trT82W
This link, http://mayocl.in/2uMlPqJ, will take you to a number of Mayo Clinic news articles related to your questions.

You may also wish to view this discussion in the Chronic Pain group on Connect:
Pain Doctors restricting treatment http://mayocl.in/2tKJjjd

I'd like to invite @coolrufus @daybyday @contentandwell @mikween @medic7054 and @jimhd, to join this conversation and perhaps provide some more insight?

coolrufus | @coolrufus | Jul 8, 2017

In reply to @kanaazpereira "Great question, @robbinr! Here is some information about painkillers, opioids and athletes: – Opioids for treatment..." + (show)

THC and CBD from marijuana are very helpful for some. I myself have overproduction of a hormone that deactivates THC before it crosses the blood/brain barrier. Therefore I take gabapentin which has proven to help with intractable pain and is not a scheduled medication. For opiates, don't take no for an answer if you have tried everything else. You can actually report a doctor to your state health board if the refuse you treatment and you've tried everything else.

JK | @contentandwell | Jul 9, 2017

In reply to @kanaazpereira "Great question, @robbinr! Here is some information about painkillers, opioids and athletes: – Opioids for treatment..." + (show)

@kanaazpereira Kanaaz, I have taken opoids on a few different occasions and they really do generally work wonderfully, except when I had cirrhosis and they kept me awake. I can actually understand how some people become addicted but I was extremely conscious of trying to not overdo it and trying to get beyond needing them.
They are great after a knee replacement, I just took before bed because when I go to bed that is when I become more conscious of the pain and discomfort. After my transplant I took them for awhile, again generally just at bedtime but when they told me I couldn't drive until I was off of them I had real incentive to get beyond taking them.
I can't believe I can only take acetaminophen now. It really is not a huge help.
JK

Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Jul 10, 2017

I've been taking mscontin for several years for peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet, among other things. I hate to think what the pain would be like without it. I've tried every medication for neuropathy, and nothing has helped. A few months ago I decided to taper off the morphine to see if the Cymbalta I'd been prescribed for the neuropathy would work on its own. I found out. After being off morphine for a few weeks I started taking it again. I had been taking 30mg tid, but when I restarted it I decided to see if 30mg bid would be enough. It really isn't enough, but it makes my wife and doctor happy. I had a spinal cord stimulator implant 4 weeks ago and it finally started to help yesterday. Today I had to walk around Walmart and they hurt tonight. The hope of is that I'll be able to cut back on morphine and maybe stop it completely. I know that would be good, but I want to be able to take it if I need it. We shall see.

The clinic where my pcp practices only permits 100mg of opiates or narcotics per day, and I take Clonazepam every day, and Percocet as needed. I had a bleeding ulcer 7 years ago, so I'm not supposed to take NSAIDS. If they cut back any more on how much narcotics the doctor can prescribe, a lot of us who truly need it will be in trouble. I could get medical marijuana here in Oregon, as all use is legal, but it's not covered by Medicare and it's very expensive. That means that people will be forced to get it illegally. Just about every little town has a dispensary. I tried making cookies with marijuana, and it did help, but if I told my doctor about it he would stop all of my pain medication.

That's the world today.

Jim

JK | @contentandwell | Jul 10, 2017

In reply to @jimhd "I've been taking mscontin for several years for peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet, among other..." + (show)

@jimhd Medical marijuana is also legal here in NH but as you say, it is very expensive and because it is not legal at a federal level it is not covered. I haven't had a need for it but I was thinking last summer that if I did need it and asked my doctor for it he probably would have fainted. He is not one to prescribe anything easily.
JK

robbinr | @robbinr | Jul 10, 2017

In reply to @jimhd "I've been taking mscontin for several years for peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet, among other..." + (show)

It is a wild world. Those who would abuse will, those who actually need medication to live a semi-normal life are grossly impacted by the abusers. Myself, I'm tired of being treated as someone seeking drugs for fun. The pain is no fun, the stigma is insulting.
I am wondering more about HGH or other performance enhancement modalities. I had HGH with great effect for several years, but the Dr. left the Pain and Fatigue Clinic and no other Dr. would prescribe it. My PCP doesn't even have a legitimate option to order it. Other offerings (such as on the web) are suspect.
When you have little to lose but your pain, it seems reasonable that the Medical community would at least try other options.
I was hoping someone would be in a trial, or using an alternative that is effective.
Regards,
Robbinr

Jen, Alumna Mentor | @sandytoes14 | Jul 10, 2017

In reply to @jimhd "I've been taking mscontin for several years for peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet, among other..." + (show)

@robbinr I'm glad you have had good results from previous use of HGH and this part clarifying performance enhancing drugs. I didn't even think of marijuana and the drugs others have mentioned, so I was going to change my Google search terms. In the side effects for HGH, I saw that joint and muscle pain could occur and honestly, it's not something that I had ever thought of using.
My research did find a place to look for and perhaps join clinical trials being conducted. The National Institute of Health, NIH, has a section of their web site for this. You can access it at http://bit.ly/1RdhaVT
Jen

robbinr | @robbinr | Jul 10, 2017

In reply to @jimhd "I've been taking mscontin for several years for peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet, among other..." + (show)

Thank you, I will check it out. I don’t think anything should block all joint and muscle pain; otherwise, we are subverting the body’s natural warning system.

It is when the warning system has turned into a shrieking alarm for no real reason that can be quantified (like when a paper cut hurts like a broken bone, or when you actually have displaced a joint and you think it is just “the normal pain”) that we know

something aint right:}

Jen, Alumna Mentor | @sandytoes14 | Jul 10, 2017

In reply to @jimhd "I've been taking mscontin for several years for peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet, among other..." + (show)

@robbinr I agree. We have warning systems for a reason. It's our ability to deal with the different levels of pain that have me looking for less pain not none. Like I've told my doctors with my neck issues and fibromyalgia, I'm not looking to have a pain free life, I'm looking to manage pain and still have a life!

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