opioids

I just watched Painkiller on Netflix. A powerful story about the exploitation of opioids by Purdue Pharmaceuticals and the damage done to thousands of people. Just a reminder there are many alternatives to opioids. #Opioids #OpioidEpidemic #OpioidAddiction #alternativpainrelief #ChronicPainRelief #chronicpainawareness

Does anybody else feel like your chronic pain was caused (or worsened) because your doctors didn’t adequately treat your acute pain after a physical injury?

I was hit by a car 11 years ago. (I was outside the car.) That accident left me with broken bones and a lot of physical tissue damage to my body. But my doctors were scared to prescribe opioids due to the DEA crackdown. They treated me with suspicion, like I was a pill-seeker, even though I had a completely clean record and no history of addiction. I would BEG them to help relieve my pain. It was downright cruel how they treated me. Sure, they would send me to physical therapy (which helped a little, but not nearly enough), perform surgeries (which didn’t work), or do radio frequency nerve ablations on my spine (which often made the pain worse), but opioids were off the table. Opioids were and still are the only reliable treatment I have for my severe pain. Without opioids, I’m bed-bound.

So I was forced to live in a hellish state of constant & severe pain for 2 years without pain meds. (I live in GA, the Bible Belt, so there’s no medical marijuana here.) I would vomit b/c the pain was so bad. I developed high blood pressure and tachycardia because my nervous system was so stressed from the constant severe pain.

FINALLY, 2 years after the accident, I found a reputable pain clinic with a pain management doctor and got the opioids and other pain treatments I needed. Those help me have some semblance of a life. But 11 years after the accident, I still have pain everyday. I’ve been told that my tissue damage has healed and now I have a chronic pain and Central Sensitization—my pain seems to have a life of its own. Parts of my body that were never injured in the accident now hurt like hell. My legs were not injured, but now they burn. My whole body hurts, it seems, and I wince when someone pokes me with only mild pressure.

I can’t help but feel like a victim of the “other” opioid crisis— the crisis where people with severe, legitimate pain from physical tissue damage are denied pain medication when they need it most. I feel like my pain got stuck in the “on” position because I was forced to live with such severe pain for so long. Does anyone else feel like a victim of this “other” opioid crisis? #Pain #ChronicPain #Opioids

Just in case anyone wants to share their story regarding pain medication and how it has helped them, I've submitted a story to The Mighty explaining the situation. I have a link to help, but I cannot publish it here without going against community guidelines. To access the site, please Google search "beta regulations . gov" and "Management of Acute and Chronic Pain: Request for Comment". The deadline for public and stakeholder comment is June 16, 2020.

If you have #ChronicPainor #Intractablepain please consider submitting your comment. By and large, most government officials that I've spoken with do not know how many people are losing their pain battle because they aren't hearing from us directly. We need to speak up and soon.

Asking on behalf of a well known Chronic pain advocacy group involved with all levels of advocacy including working with government.

Looking for people willing to share their story on a special Radio show in a segment this weekend. We are looking for Canadians to speak along side some US guests who have lost their father to suicide when his opioid medication was cut and he could no longer live with the pain. If you have had a similar experience where the health and well-being of a loved one was seriously compromised due to medication cuts due to Opioidphobia hysteria please let us know. #ChronicPain #Opioids #ChronicIllness #Opioidphobia #SuicideSurvivor #Suicide #Witholdingcare #SuicidalIdeation #SuicidalThoughts

I just had back surgery, and hope to stop taking opioids. My insurance is denying my meds now, also (grrr, another topic). How did you get through coming off pain meds? Insurance is forcing me to stop one cold turkey, and I already feel the effects starting. Help! #Opioids #nomoreopioids #takingbackmybody

Opioid withdrawal... Equals Hell. I’m laying here on the couch and it is currently hot as Hell, among another myriad of unpleasant feelings. So yeah I feel like Hell is a good descriptor. I have been on Oxycodone for a year and a half 10/325 5-6 times a day for most of it. And here I am, 30 hours in to my cold turkey, knowing I’m not even it the worst part of it yet.

I had back surgery back in January. Ruptured disc for the second time. Drugs leading up to and after the surgery. I mean, I don’t know how not to take drugs for that level of pain, but I also know I probably used more than I needed and for longer. It’s too bloody hard not to. They tried to wean me off but it was torture over a longer period of time. I can’t. So I’m ripping off the bandaid.

I’ve been here before. It’s a familiar place but that doesn’t mean it is not a Hellish one. I am a recovering addict. I could go down the list. Well... Why not? Pot (don’t know if that one counts), shrooms (that one either), Dab, MXE, Cocaine, Heroin (Very briefly luckily), and Meth (Not briefly enough unfortunately. If you want to meet Satan face to face, his name is Meth). That about sums it up. But I’m 5 years clean. Then this back pain, surgery, shit fest happens.

Don’t know why I am writing all this. Haven’t written in this community before. I came here initially because I have GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), Panic Disorder, Dysthymia, and mental OCD. Reading your stories has helped me through some tough moments. Well here is part of my story, and I am coming to you at my most vulnerable moment.

#Addiction #Recovery #Opioids #withdrawal