Pain management and anxiety disorders

I wish I could give you some answers other than you are not alone. It is possible that things will change, my doctor told me not to get too excited yet as many people disagree with these changes and he said to wait to see if it all happens. The only thing I can think of is to leave this country and try to go to one that has better laws that will allow a continuation of treatment. If you have a good relationship with your doctor ask him/her what they would do if they were in your shoes. Also a letter writing campaign to your elected officials that presents your position. Respectfully ask your officials what they would do in your place. Make sure to point out all the different types of treatment that you have tried that did not work. If you can make them see it from your position they may change. Do not threaten self harm or you may find some authorities at your door with a straight jacket and most elected officials already know that chronic pain suffers have one of the highest suicide rates in the country.
In addition to writing officials yourself ask others who understand your position to write their officials for you. If moving is possible for you then say that, since most officials do not want you or me taking our social security and pension money to some other country to spend it. There are web sites that provide information on countries that are good retirement sites. There are many Americans who move overseas for retirement since in the right country their pension and social security goes a lot farther. There are web sites that provide information on overseas retirement locations that welcome Americans.
I know this may not be much help for you, but all of us that use strong pain medication to lead a more normal life are in danger and we need to do what we can to convince others that the proposed rules will not help anyone. Good luck and keep trying. 19lin

Thank you so much for writing back so quickly Just your words and compassion show me that I’m not alone Moving out of the country I probably wouldn’t do but I could if I had to My husband is a doctor and completely disagrees with everything that’s going on The letter writing campaign sounds like the best idea and just hope for the best Thank you so much and I look forward to reading about you and getting to know you

Hi Lisa. I am brand new to this wonderful Mayo Connect group (this is my first post). After reading your post and the very thoughtful and informative reply you received from @19lin, I wanted to share that I also understand and share your concerns. Like you, I am under chronic pain management (10 years now) and I have anxiety and depression. These new laws make it difficult for us to continue taking our pain medications with benzodiazepines. I'm not sure if you see only one doctor who prescribes all of your medications or another doctor, as well. I see my psychiatrist who prescribes me my antidepressant and anxiety medication - and then my pain management doctor for my pain medications. All of my diagnoses are well documented and supported by images, a plethora of various tests, back surgeries, etc. I'm sure you have supporting documentation, too. In the event it may help you to have both a psychiatrist and a pain management doctor who prescribe your much needed medication, I thought I would toss this info out to you. I am a firm believer that we need to advocate for ourselves and reach out to our local politicians, regarding the challenges we face and our legitimate fears of having certain medications taken away from us. Hang in there and please know that you are not alone. Best wishes to you.

Thanks so much for your response. I’m new here as well. Like just a couple of days. I will message u if ok