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

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!

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

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

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.

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?

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?

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.