Tips for working with your doctor to help pain

Right, and just because a doctor won't prescribe pain meds (opiates) doesn't mean they don't care. Some doctors are not willing to take those risks with their patients. In the past, patient health was second to a doctor being rich. They have truly acted like drug dealers. If a person can function without pain meds, they should. Opiates are no longer recommended for chronic pain.

I went to a specialist to see about the mass on my spleen and I asked what to do about all my pain
. He said he wasn’t a pain doctor and he didn’t have any help at all. I told him all doctors should at least try to help the patients with pain .

I am truly astonished by what all of you are posting about the difficulty in obtaining the medication that you need for relief. In as much as I might abhor my doctor, he has not once since I have known him ever told me that I needed to cut back. I suppose I just happen to be fortunate in this regard, but in all honesty, it has taken a log of learning on my part to advocate for myself and my need for pain control, which is sometimes over the top. Om the other hand, it could be that he doesn't know what to do with me in terms of my disease, so he just wants to keep my happy by prescribing the medication, Afterall, there is no cure for me.

I could not agree more, 6 yrs of a bad TKR , pain at a 9 everyday every moment I am not sitting down. Countless doctors have turned their backs on the idea of pain meds. They say it's not their fault , well if its not why can doctors stand and do something about it, The fear of law suits is so out of control. Luckly I think I have found a doctor who says he understands and will do all he can for me , for now. I really feel your pain and hope only the best for you, don't give up keep searching

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!

Great comment, though I'm sorry you're in so much pain.

"...physicians who don’t want to deal with managing..." Yeah, it's a bother for them, so they force patients to suffer the torments of Hell. Thanks a lot, Doc.

The war on opioids is causing so much suffering! I could never explain to a doctor that opioids nauseate me if I take much at all, but one hydrocodone a month would at least let me sleep for more than a couple hours before waking up in pain.

Argh.

Thanks for your understanding! It is very frustrating as a responsible patient to be treated as an addict. As a nurse I am aware of keeping my use of pain meds to the minimum possible because after time it does take more to produce the same level of relief! I really don’t know what the answer is, but just taking patients off these meds and refusing to help manage their pain is criminal in my opinion. Prayers for managing your pain and sleep.

I think you may have some misunderstanding around what addiction is. Maybe some biases. Whether or not a patient tries to manipulate a doctor or not is not really the issue. Many people want the drugs for a variety of issues. The issue is the opiate. If your opiates were to be taken from you, you would withdraw like any other human being taking opiates for any other reason. Physiological addiction is the result of these meds. Period. The longer you take it, the more likely to go through withdrawal. People can take opiates for only a couple weeks and go through withdrawal. Furthermore, just because a patient is "not addicted to their meds," the people around those meds are also at risk for addiction. There are many ethical considerations. Off my soapbox, too! 😉

@scottrl, I think, as you indicated, the war on opioids is causing an overreaction and unintended consequences for many. If you have a good doctor, cherish the fact you have support; so many of us do not, and that number seems to be increasing. Like you, Scott, I have stayed awake in pain night after night, week after week just wishing that I could have 3 or 4 hours of good sleep, knowing I will wake up in pain again.

That is not a life; that is more akin to a life prison sentence of misery. We only live once; it is our life, so why can we not live a life where we feel some fulfillment in a managed pain-reduced manner? There are indeed so many amazing doctors trying to help but their hands are being tied increasingly. The current approach to pain medication management time and time again places a person in a situation where they are denied adequate medication to control their chronic pain, so they decide taking their life is a better option than the daily misery they live in now. I have seen that and do not wish to see it again.

I will put my hand up and say if I lived 75 years ago without pain medication, I would have taken my life because of my chronic pain which is there every second of the day and which has only continued to get worse year after year, Modern medicine allows me to live a somewhat normal life and isn't that what responsible medicine was designed for? It's better living with some side effects than not living at all. Is this being dramatic - my children would say no, but many others will say yes, but I say I am just being honest.

I also have a son who has lived with chronic pain due to severe chronic fatigue since he was 14, so I speak from both the point of view of an individual and a father who has to watch a child lose the best years of his life to chronic pain. I will not even try to explain the issues with a person under 18 being in chronic pain and how few doctors want to help him. Several said if he had cancer, I could do something but since he does not, I will refer him to another doctor and so the doctor merry-go-round begins. I have not given up hope of either of us finding a solution for our debilitating pain, but while I try to find that solution, I only ask that our pain be managed.

I also think politicians should all understand the difference between dependence and addiction. They are not the same thing for those of us who live in a place where what others consider a typical day is only a dream we have. Dependence means we can live a somewhat normal life. What other option do we have when we have tried every avenue of conventional treatment, been in university pain studies, and tried cutting-edge treatment with no positive result?

Need to locate a Doctor who is licensed by the DEA to precribe opiates. Many are not.