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

I took hydrocodone for over 10 years. My dosage varied from 5 to a 15 mg per 24 hours depending on the pain that day. When I could tolerate it and was able to just rest around the house, I would skip a day or two as to keep my tolerances from building up. Clearly, I do not have the addictive personality. When I read about people taking 10 mg 5 or more times a day. I cannot imagine how they can function without help. I used to be able to manage the pain with this medication. It allowed me to go to work and do chores around the house. Be social able and not suffer and be miserable. My quality of life was much improved. Unfortunately, now doctors have been targeted and unable to prescribe this medication without political backlash. I no longer am able to work I am very unhappy with my ability to do just about anything. I am pre-occupied with being in pain, tired and generally miserable. Quality of life is so diminished; I am in a very dark corner of society's unwanted an feel as a burden to anyone including myself. Yes, this is it and it's not good. Those who do not suffer this way can say all the words about how meaningful and wonderful life is. It's all insulting to me as they and I both know its not the truth. Everday and night is just another painful disappointment. I am sorry for those who died and feel punished by them for their irresponsible use of their medications. Of course, most were using heroin, fentanyl, alcohol and whatever else. The politicians are disgusting the way they lie and grandstand on anything that gets them attention whether it is right or wrong.

I have received Rx for pain meds from GPs & DOs for the past 22 years with no problems other than having to test neg for THC by some of them. Hopefully a President that needs votes will get THC legalized by the Fed Gov in the near future. I did not like PM doctors (too many restrictions & hoops to jump through) nor some of the patients in the waiting rooms.

Senokot (natural veg laxative) & vegtables

Have you tried a mixture of All BrN, Harvest crunch, nuts, dried cherries. Works wonders.

I know exactly how you feel. Although my pain is not as intense, it does prevent many daily activities. I have been taking Tramadol since 2016 which does not eliminate the pain but it does take the edge off so I can walk without assistance. In March I had a back crisis; I could not walk without assistance, could not stand up, needed assistance to go bed, get out of bed and use the toilet with 24 hours of pain for months. The Tramadol did not help at all. The ortho pain doctor said she could not give me anything else. A surgeon said surgery was too risky and a narcotic was not allowed. I asked what other options were there. He said, "I do not know." That was that. So you and I and many others are paying the price for those who misuse medication. I am not longer able to travel the world as I have been for years, no longer able to clean my house, no longer able to do my workouts and long walks & hikes. PT so far has not helped. This is the price I am paying. I am so sorry for your painful situation. Your price is hight than mine.. I would like to know what the politicians do for pain.

I cannot eat dried fruit. when I’m doing works pretty good

Opioids have an important place in the treatment of many conditions. I use them as prescribed and my quality of life is much, much better than when I am in constant pain (spine and other issues). I'm gratified to see that the new CDC guidelines attempt to go toward fixing some of the hard and fast rules the 2016 guidelines insinuated. This led to a very large drop off in opioid scripts and many people cut off or down suddenly by their doctors and left suffering. The new guidelines attempt to correct this rigidity and restore more compassion and options to the doctor-patient relationship. It does seem to counsel overreliance on NSAIDS, which carry almost as many risks in some populations as opioids do. I for one can't take them because of GI issues.

Anyhow, you'd expect a concurrent drop in ODs with a drop in scripts; that did not happen. ODs, in fact, increased dramatically. Why? In a word, fentanyl. It has infiltrated the illicit drug supply and is killing people. It's the iron law of prohibition--the harsher the prohibition, the more concentrated the substance becomes. The war on drugs (people) is killing the vast majority, not prescribed opioids. In fact, research says far less than 10% of people misuse prescribed opioids.

America needs a new approach to regulating drugs, period. What we're doing now is killing people, filling jails and prisons (mostly with black and brown people), and stigmatizing anyone who uses drugs, including pain patients.

Thank you for the reply. Sorry I took so long to answer, lol, I only get on when my pain is totally out of control. Thank you for sharing. I’ve been interested in turmeric since I have RA. Hey, it’s worth a try! Best wishes to you in this altered doc landscape.

Right. I totally agree. Here I am, 70, can barely walk because of RA, Fibro, spinal degeneration, etc. I know everyone here has extreme issues… but why are we all suffering? That seems inhumane to me.

My age group does not abuse drugs at a very high rate. Why are docs so afraid to help? Compassion is not enough. I have a pain pump with fentanyl and I’m scared all the time. What if it malfunctions… or the dose is incorrect? I had it implanted 3.5 years ago when all this mess started… the dose is still not close enough for me to have a “semi” normal day.

My PC said part of the prob is conflicting guidelines from multiple sources… how do we correct that? I guess docs are afraid. I get it. But, now, time to move on. Close and prosecute pill mills and unscrupulous docs. Give appropriate care to those that need it. Follow empathy with compassionate TREATMENT.

PS. Sorry it took so long to comment.

I don’t know where you live, but look for a reputable pain doc. They should be able to help you, at least some. That kind of pain should be treated. That’s ridiculous!