I'd either say make a lawsuit and fight it, or try low dose naltrexone or marijuana. That's all anyone's got for the most part :( I'm sorry you have to go through that :( I'd also get a copy of ALL of the documentation from them, so you can look through it and see the crap they wrote, so when you go elsewhere you know. Have you been to a multidisciplinary pain team with specific pain doctors? That's what I'd try to do, but its hard fighting legislation without getting a lawyer unfortunately :(
I am in a similar situation, except that I've opted not the have the back procedure (ESI). I am sorry that you are suffering so! I, too, am running out and being "tapered" at a ridiculous rate. Been on for 40 years. Don't know what I will do. Best wishes to both of us.
I have been on pain meds for about 40 years. My Doc just caved in to the gov't powers that be (CDC, FDA or DEA?), and will no longer be prescribing, within a few months. I have multiple pain issues: (hemiplegic migraine, arthritis manifesting in various forms, degenerative disk, sciatica, fibromylagia, CPPD, asthma, various digestive disorders, and broken, infected teeth)... and a low dose such painkillers allows me to function. The other meds-- the antidepressants, and such garbage as Lyrica-- just short-circuit my brain, so that I cannot function at all. I've been to the so-called Pain Management clinics: they are a waste of time. I have done all these treatments with an open mind and heart, but more and more, I see this as a conspiracy to sell drugs, sell a certain psych mindset, and to allow the current political climate to carry on as if everything were normal, whilst obliterting those pesky, poor or disabled ppl who just cause trouble with wanting programs and disability rights. So they put us on drugs, in which we can't think. Meanwhile, as I will have no pain pills after a few months, I have no idea what I will do. I am trying to detox, myself. All this has occurred within the past day or so, and I'm coming off of a larger end dose, since I just had abscessed tooth and infected face (had I not had pain pills, I probably would have jumped off a bridge!) But now, I'm hearing that even the dentists don't want to prescribe pain pills? Such fear of the gov't! I don't know what will happen to those of us who can still think, within our pain. I would rather die than to go thru the kind of mind-control I see awaiting me. I'm do not consider myself an addict (nor did my doctor); nor do consider myself in need of dangerous psych drugs that turn ppl into zombies. The current socio-economic and political climate has de-legitimized pain. It is time for pain patients to mobilize and advocate for their rights-- to be treated as a pain patient--not as a psych pt., and not as an addict! I feel sorry for any prescribing doctor with a conscience, currently practicing medicine. Any suggestions for how to procede next? Thx.
I'm a chronic pain patient myself and have been for more than 4 years. My PCP used to prescribe my medication. Of course this was after many tests, MRI's and so on that showed why I was having the pain. I went to her office around 2 years ago for a regular visit and she told me that she would no longer prescribe my pain medication. That there were 4 Drs in the office and 3 of them had decided that they would longer be treating pain patients because they were afraid of the FDA and CDC. She did recommend several pain clinics and I was lucky enough to find one I liked with a very understanding and caring Dr. There are almost no PCP's that will treat chronic pain patients any more because they're just too scared. I don't think it's right to do away with opiods completely. There are many of us who would have no quality of life without these medications. Studies show that most chronic pain patients take their meds as prescribed and don't abuse them. And when you're forced to go to a pain clinic you have to sign a contract, take random urine tests, have pill counts, and you can be called at any time to come in for a random urine test and pill count. The problem with celebrities, in my opinion, is Drs being afraid to tell them no, you do not need that much medication.Or, it could boil down to money. I read a report in the New England Journal of Medicine not long ago that said deaths from opiods has steadily been going down for years. We have a huge problem with street drugs though. I don't understand why the government has basically given up on that. Maybe because they were loosing the fight? They can take away all of the opiods but I guarantee you people will still be dying from street drugs, tabacco and alcohol. In the mean time, honest chronic pain patients will be left to suffer. We all have to be responsible.If you get an opiod prescription because of surgery, an injury or because you're a new chronic pain patient make sure no one can get to that medication except for you. I keep mine in a safe even though I have no youngsters living in my home.Do this especially if you have young people living in your home. Of course not all drug addicts start off taking opiods.My own child was a drug addict for years and she started off by sneaking beer out of the refrigerator.I'm very proud to say she's been clean from everything for over 8 years.I know this post is a little old and please forgive me for it being so long. I just feel like if I said, we should get rid of all alcohol because of the deaths that are caused from it, it would not be my right. We all have choices. I've had several operations and have been hurt many times in my life and have been prescribed pain medication. I may only take 1, 2, or none.I've done my best to do without the meds because I know the pain will go away at some point. What I don't use I know I can take back to my pharmacy. Now that I am a chronic pain patient I take my meds as prescribed and at the lowest dose possible, that my Dr and myself decided on, to give me some relief. To the original poster, I recommend you do your research to find a good pain clinic.It's basically your only choice at this point. Your Dr should have recommended this instead of just deciding on her own that it was time you went off of your meds. A good clinic would have went over your records, maybe done more tests, maybe recommended you have more surgery so you could have more pain relief and would have decided, along with you, if you should continue your meds or taper off of them.Pain clinics do not just offer meds. There are many other things they can do to help your pain. Heart disease is the leading cause of death. Overdoses are not even in the top 10 causes of death. Still, it's sad and it's such a waste of a life to loose anyone to an overdose. I think this country needs free clinics so people that have an addiction can get the help they need. It seems that if you don't have great insurance, and many of us don't, you can't get the treatment you need that could save your life.I would love to see this happen and I would love to see more education on all drugs, alcohol and tobacco. People can not understand chronic pain unless they're going through it. I know I didn't completely understand it until it happened to me and how much it changed my life. It makes me so mad at the people who con Drs, hospitals, and the people who are chronic pain patients but will sell their meds. They have made it so very hard on us that truly do need these meds.Again, I'm sorry for the very long post and for getting off topic. I'm just trying to educate anyone who is willing to read this that opiods do have their place in medicine and they do help many thousands of us be productive members of society.
The opiod epidemic started way before Prince died. It is the leading killer right now. I asked the original poster if there was another reason why she was being taken off the meds.
I'm sorry to hear this, Raysteven is right.
There is something called rebound pain once we start coming off pain meds. The pain will get worse before it gets better. When did you start the tapering?
Were you running out early? How fast was the tapering schedule you were on?