I’m a chronic neuralgia sufferer for 12 years …severely disabled with very low quality of life . Endless number of meds , psych techniques and procedures , devices and surgeries . Nothing worked and only thing that helps is 8 mg of hydro morphone …gets me to occasional social events where I would otherwise be on the couch. Been off opioids completely twice . Pain soon required I go back on. I am at present substituting it for suboxone in the hope to wean down before I attend the Mayoclinic program ,
I am a Dr and I have asked all my surgeons , and Pain specialists I’ve seen ( 20 plus) . They all say they have patients that are stable on long term opioid doses as nothing else works. I am one of them too . People who legislate on this issue have to take this into account plus Drs and patients need to recognize and plan for the long term side effects especially the effect on testosterone.