1. < Chronic Pain

Abuse of Opioids takes away from all the good it can do

Posted by rayjay535353 @rayjay535353, Sep 18, 2022

Hi, I'm Jaime- 68 year old male having chronic pain for 30 years.
I've had 14 sports related surgeries that began at age 18 and have just gone through 2 Posterior cervical decompression with multi level fusions during the past 18 months. I have been to numerous pain specialists, tried every supplement advertised, have every gadget that is offered online, and have had no less than 25 cortisone shots, knee replacement, epidurals etc. Throughout the 30 years, I have found that Opioids are the only thing that has allowed me a quality of life. Side effects? Show me a medication that doesn't have any. I had to be extremely disciplined to only take as prescribed. If a pain doctor doesn't offer opioids, they should find another profession. I take Hydrocodone 10/325 4 times a day max and less if not needed, Nobody seems to defend the use of opioids, but if you don't abuse it, it could be a life saver, not a killer

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willows | @willows | Nov 5, 2022

So unfair that medicine has a knee jerk reaction to the use of opioids. People that take them for pain control and the ability to live a relatively pain free existence are better able to contribute to society then if they are a home suffering. They are not looking for some high for pleasure, the high they are seeking is freedom from pain and the consequent ability to lead anormal life. I am disgusted with the prevailing attitude that makes people suffer in order to what, prevent them from becoming dependent on drugs ! Better to make them suffer? I have said before that I have loud, persistent, 24 hr a day tinnitus. If opioids could alleviate my suffering from this awful condition I would take them in a heartbeat. Alas! No such relief for tinnitus sufferers.

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1 reply
notmoff | @notmoff | Nov 5, 2022
In reply to @philipsnowdon "Absolutely, I’ve been successfully utilizing “OPIOIDS” for 30 years now. It’s the only thing that’s kept..." + (show)
@philipsnowdon

Absolutely, I’ve been successfully utilizing “OPIOIDS” for 30 years now. It’s the only thing that’s kept me alive and enabling me to enjoy some quality of life. The entire
“Opioid Crisis” is greatly over reported and mis reported to the detriment of genuine and authentic patients who relay upon them as their “ONLY” viable source of effective pain management. Legitimate pain patients rarely if ever s Ouse their medication. There’s nothing to abuse. It’s not like the opioids take all of their pain away and they attain some kind of ethereal state of mind or sense of ecstasy! Rarely is all my pain ever gone! At best, most of my pain is managed where I am not in a state of horrific and uncomfortable pain beyond tolerance. The “street epidemic” and abuse of opioids has absolutely nothing to do with this self invented drug crisis and or drug war which can’t be fought or neutralized. It’s like blaming astronaut for not getting off the launch pad because the booster rockets didn’t fire propetly!

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It is good to hear you have found some relief with prudent use of opioids.

I am reluctant to use the relatively mild hydrocodone 5 mg and acetaminophen 325 mg (Norco) for pain attributed to multiple spinal compression fractures due to a history of "obstipation" aka chronic constipation. Instead I limp along with about 2200 mg/day of acetaminophen but am very unproductive and limited due to the chronic, but tolerable pain.
Is constipation an issue for you or others using opioids? How do you handle it?

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3 replies
klstenzel | @klstenzel | Nov 5, 2022
In reply to @sueinmn "Here is news you have all been waiting for! A new CDC Clinical Guideline is being..." + (show)
@sueinmn

Here is news you have all been waiting for!
A new CDC Clinical Guideline is being issued, instructing doctors that the earlier instructions are not a "rule" per se, and there is leeway in prescribing opioids. I have not seen the full document yet, but her is the earliest article about it:
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2211040

As always, it will take a bit for the full (100+ page) document to filter down to providers, be vetted by clinics, hospitals & insurance companies, and be put into new clinical guidance for front-line docs.
But there is light at the ent of the tunnel for some chronic pain sufferers.
Sue

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Sue - thanks for letting us know about the new opioids guidelines. This will really help!

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dmk | @dmk | Nov 5, 2022
In reply to @budreaux "How effective is your stimulator? How about location of generator ?Near buttocks or abdomen? Everything stopped..." + (show)
@budreaux

How effective is your stimulator?
How about location of generator ?Near buttocks or abdomen?
Everything stopped helping my nerve pain. I got so stiff dt decreased activity, I’m stiff as a board usually the worse is evenings & night. My intrathecal pain pump is being reduced 10% twice monthly to wean off Opiods, Baclofen, Bupivacaine, Clonidine all in unnecessary pain pump.
New pain management doctor told me to take Alpha Lipoic Acid/ OTC antioxidants. Shockingly the past four days have been remarkable. Driving after two years, new puppy has me everywhere like back yard, training, use of puppy door.
Evenings go back to hell, puppy screeching 😬 Research ALA as it could not hurt & safe, but research necessary for your own proof. Higher dose split twice daily per self research. It’s used for other ailments.
Good luck & Best Regards,
Nancy

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They could not do stimulator as there wasn’t enough room in the spinal cord with syringomyelia

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lorimarie | @lorimarie | Nov 6, 2022

Oh my gosh I TOTALLY agree with you and have done about all there is to do HERE anyways. I too have opioids to take oxycodone 5mg 3times per day or 8 hrs apart and let me tell you after the first two hours I'm in horrible panic because I know I have to wait 6 more hours! I can't take this. Quality of life is definitely an issue and I've been addicted and I've gone off at one time for 3 yrs with tramadol ( a good in-between) I feel now I could benefit from.
Addiction is constantly on my mind and I don't mean in the back of it it's front and center.
How do you cope with the opioid limitations and did your physician let you try different meds before landing on the one you're on?
If I didn't have my pain medicine I really wouldn't care to continue on with this life as it is now. I'm not by any means a pestamistc person but this i TRULY know and I've become extremely honest because what does one lose for not?😏

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kenc | @kenc | Nov 6, 2022
In reply to @willows "So unfair that medicine has a knee jerk reaction to the use of opioids. People that..." + (show)
@willows

So unfair that medicine has a knee jerk reaction to the use of opioids. People that take them for pain control and the ability to live a relatively pain free existence are better able to contribute to society then if they are a home suffering. They are not looking for some high for pleasure, the high they are seeking is freedom from pain and the consequent ability to lead anormal life. I am disgusted with the prevailing attitude that makes people suffer in order to what, prevent them from becoming dependent on drugs ! Better to make them suffer? I have said before that I have loud, persistent, 24 hr a day tinnitus. If opioids could alleviate my suffering from this awful condition I would take them in a heartbeat. Alas! No such relief for tinnitus sufferers.

Jump to this post

The situation is that it appears MD's are afraid of the government, when it comes to prescribing opioids, even though the rules allow the use of opiods based on an MDs prescription and oversight. Try finding a physician that works for a hospital. There appears to be less restraints for doctors employed by a hospital and recently the FDA loosened it guidance (not rules) for the doctor to prescribe opiods.

REPLY
2 replies
bustrbrwn22 | @bustrbrwn22 | Nov 6, 2022
In reply to @notmoff "It is good to hear you have found some relief with prudent use of opioids. I..." + (show)
@notmoff

It is good to hear you have found some relief with prudent use of opioids.

I am reluctant to use the relatively mild hydrocodone 5 mg and acetaminophen 325 mg (Norco) for pain attributed to multiple spinal compression fractures due to a history of "obstipation" aka chronic constipation. Instead I limp along with about 2200 mg/day of acetaminophen but am very unproductive and limited due to the chronic, but tolerable pain.
Is constipation an issue for you or others using opioids? How do you handle it?

Jump to this post

@notmoff I never had constipation while taking Norco and I was very careful with my doses. If I had an issue my prescriber offered a prescription to deal with it that was well tolerated by other patients. I can get the name of the prescription if it would help you. My own experience has been that sometimes help from medication (the choice of which should be up to the individual) keeps you more active which is much healthier than being sidelined due to pain. I learned the hard way.

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jojo58 | @jojo58 | Nov 8, 2022
In reply to @notmoff "It is good to hear you have found some relief with prudent use of opioids. I..." + (show)
@notmoff

It is good to hear you have found some relief with prudent use of opioids.

I am reluctant to use the relatively mild hydrocodone 5 mg and acetaminophen 325 mg (Norco) for pain attributed to multiple spinal compression fractures due to a history of "obstipation" aka chronic constipation. Instead I limp along with about 2200 mg/day of acetaminophen but am very unproductive and limited due to the chronic, but tolerable pain.
Is constipation an issue for you or others using opioids? How do you handle it?

Jump to this post

It constipates me but if you take magnesium with it that alleviates that problem. I also take calcium which does the same thing but they have calcium now with magnesium in it to prevent constpation. Hope this helps. Good luck 🍀

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notmoff | @notmoff | Nov 8, 2022

@jojo 58 I think Mayo suggests that calcium carbonate is the most constipating.

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dkappel | @dkappel | Nov 9, 2022
In reply to @kenc "The situation is that it appears MD's are afraid of the government, when it comes to..." + (show)
@kenc

The situation is that it appears MD's are afraid of the government, when it comes to prescribing opioids, even though the rules allow the use of opiods based on an MDs prescription and oversight. Try finding a physician that works for a hospital. There appears to be less restraints for doctors employed by a hospital and recently the FDA loosened it guidance (not rules) for the doctor to prescribe opiods.

Jump to this post

You are correct about the issue’s that doctors have in prescribing opioids. But the reality is Fentanyl and heroine are 80% of opioid deaths. OxyContin if taken as prescribed does nothing in terms of death or abuse. Yes if you abuse anything it could have dire consequences. Take a 1/2 bottle of over the counter Tylenol and you could die. The issue I believe that outweighs what opiates negative publicity is a person’s right to have some quality of life, pain does not allow that. If you have MRIs that shows you have issues that cause severe pain then there should be no issues getting what is needed.

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