NPR – Patients Seek Out Alternatives to Opioids in Treatment of Chronic Pain

Opioids are often considered mandatory for treatment of chronic pain, but many patients would prefer an alternative. Doctors say those alternatives may also work better in some cases.

Link to NPR All Things Considered

4 Comments

  1. Captain Marvin G. Mosley Commander E-Co 2/180 Inf on August 17, 2016 at 6:16 pm

    69 year old medically retired infantry Captain. Injury in U.S. Army in 1995. Given oxy & I refused to take it. Next Hydrocodone. Surgery in Jan 2000 on 3 lower discs/screws & rods. Immediately went to pain hell. Too far to drive to Ft. Sill with pain so family Dr. wrote scripts for Hydrocodone 10, 4 tabs/day. Fenttnol 50 patches. I see my doctor once per month. Drug tested at unknown times. Do not use alcohol, smoke, or use any other drugs, legal or illegal. Was told by my doctor that treatment may end in January 2017 due to regulation pressure on him. What do I do? I’m furious. We need a machine that could hook a wire to our pain area and a wire to a doctor. Flip a switch and they immediately feel the pain we are experiencing.

  2. Kimberly J Williams on September 4, 2016 at 7:34 pm

    I had a half life being on 100mg duregesic patch for the past 6 years. I was happy with that half life , even knowing I could have had a full life if I had received a break through med along with it. But when my pain doctor went to training on the new CDC rules on chronic pain medication, he immediately began reducing my meds at a rate of 25mg every 30 days! It almost killed me! Now I have no life and my body is staring to destruct just like before. I was half dead when they sent me to pain management in 2006. My Primary care giver told me later that both he and the pain Dr he sent me to thought they had gotten to me to late. They thought I would die! Pain Kills. I know this well for when my pain Dr moved, I was once again without pain care. I once again found myself in and out of the hospital, often in critical care, nearly dying several times all because I had moved to Topeka, KS where they do not allow narcotics for pain management at all. Even after major surgery for deep thromboisi, I was released from the hospital 8 hours after surgery without pain meds! I was readmitted 4 hours later at a different hospital in intensive care because my heart was giving out due to pain! When they released me, I was given pain meds! Now for the 3rd time, through no fault of my own, I am without adequate life saving pain meds and am totally bed bound! I will die if I don’t receive adequate pain treatment. For those judgmental people out there, all non narcotic treatment has been tried and all failed! I am sick due to serious injuries I received in a strong-armed robbery by an escaped criminal. Again, through no fault of my own. I have never misused my meds. I have never taken anything not prescribed to me. I have never violated my pain management agreement in any way. I have never been a drinker or have any criminal record of any kind. I have always been a law abiding citizen. Now, due to the misuse of the new CDC guidelines, with the Mayo clinic and other groups misusing it, those of us who should have automatically been excluded from those guidelines under the Palliative Care section within the “original, full length” CDC guidelines are being given a sentence of unbearable suffering and ultimately death! Who will stop this slaughter? Who will step in and save us? Who will fight for us? As a former lobbyist, I know that it will take thousands to suffer and die needlessly before anything will be done. We are too sick to fight for ourselves. We are among the most vulnerable in society! Thus, we will be ignored till a hero shows up to fight for us! Yes, that will take years and we the suffering of this great injustice will have suffered horrible slow deaths long before our hero shows to defend us!

  3. janis on September 5, 2016 at 7:27 pm

    I too have been caught up in this nightmarish situation. Having chronic pain (all tests, MRI’s, EX-RAYS, etc) clearly show the abnormality’s and damage, has left me feeling lie I am a BAD person. Pain control have been taken away after 9 yrs of off and on pain meds. I am struggling on a daily basis to manage my life due to unmanaged chronic pain. Never mind that I am also physically sick vomiting, diarrhea, horrible stomach cramps, acute withdrawal because biologically I am dependent on the narcotics. I have heard from several pple who live in my area that they have also had all pain management meds taken from them. Some of these pple are elderly, in wheelchairs and were put on pain meds for a good reason. I dont know what is to become of pple in these situations. I think there is going to be a sharp increase in suicides.

  4. Patty Rosen on September 12, 2016 at 8:54 pm

    Thanks so much for your posts. I’ve been feeling alone with this problem and appreciate your words.

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