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Tips for working with your doctor to help pain
Chronic Pain | Last Active: Jul 8 5:10pm | Replies (74)Comment receiving replies
To draw a line between people with "real pain" and people who are "drug addicts" is short sighted and stigmatizing. People with pain are commonly addicted to their prescription drugs. It is virtually impossible NOT to be addicted to things like opiates if you have taken them long-term. So the line drawn would be more like people who take their drugs as prescribed versus people who don't have prescriptions or misuse their prescriptions. Drug addicts are often in pain, which can be a reason they are seeking drugs in the first place. Many people who are given prescriptions, then become addicted, and when they can no longer get those prescriptions, they start drug seeking from other sources that are likely illegal. Doctors in the past have been shameless and unethical with pain drugs and it has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Doctors generally do want to help people in pain. They also want to prevent harm to people.
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Retire Registered Nurse. I have severe arthritis in all joints, especially neck, low back and erosive arthritis in my hands. I have been on tramadol, hydrocodone/APAP for about 18 years. Taking a minimum of tramadol 2x/day, adding an extra tab during the day if needed. If pain is still bad, not improving I will take the hydrocodone/APAP—usually 4-6 tabs per week. I have never had any kind of high or craving of these meds! I am not addicted, I have a tolerance for these meds. If I don’t take the minimum, such as forgetting to take a dose, I will become nauseated, high pain levels, ending up in bed! Without these meds I would have a poor quality of life. Tolerance is different than addiction! My rheumatologist has me on a drug contract, can only get narcotic meds from her, Dr appointments every 3-4 months and urine drug screen yearly! I think there are many physicians who don’t want to deal with managing all the appointments, drug screen, drug contracts and the patients who try to manipulate for more drugs! Okay, off my soapbox!