Its really sad how those who abuse drugs can ruin it for those who need them.
I went to presentation by a dr about this once. He was trying to encourage his fellow doctors to prescribe whatever pain treatment is needed.
he said if you had a diabetic patient, you would give them insulin. You wouldn't accuse them of being addicted or abusing insulin. So why treat patients who are in pain this way when they need their painkillers every day?

Naltrexone is available in the U.S. It is a Schedule II med.

My doctor said something very similar to Ashleyjanette's - he said if we treat high blood pressure with blood pressure meds, and we treat diabetes with diabetes meds, cancer with cancer meds, and on and on and on, why do people have so much trouble with the concept of treating PAIN with PAIN meds.

Seems like a no-brainer to most of us here, but pain is the most under-treated condition out there, and the use of pain meds is really the only medical treatment that has a stigma attached.

Make a rational case to your doctor - tell him your current med regimen is what keeps you functional and allows you to have some quality of life. Don't get emotional if you can help it - just be calm and rational and make your case.

Hope it goes well.

I lost that argument---my doc is terrified of hte DEA b/c I'm close enough to WVa that apparently this part of VA is some sort of "source" for WV's "issues" with prescription abuse and... I am on half of a single low dose vicodin a night. That's it. ALl I get for pain besidse OTC tylenol. Oh yeah....

UNLESS I want to go on a fentanyl patch. WTF? Trade in a PRN daily vicodin (never took more than 1 5/500 pill a day anyway) for a freaking opiate PATCH? How does tha tmake sense? So I said NO PAIN PATCHES and am just gonna soldier on until... y'know, I really don't know. *sigh*

I'm not asking much. I can deal with pain if it's 5 or 6. Just when it's 7 or up I really don't know wth to do but pain meds.... since obviously all else has failed by then... Argh...

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack it's just frustrating.... ARGH.

(I will add a local pain management doc did have a rep for handing out scripts without asking questions.)

Well, the vicodin runs out in a week or so, and then I'm flying free of any pain control meds at all. Wheee..... Not. I wish they understood how much pain affects us mentally. We can't sleep, we can't conentrate to work, we don't want to move so we fall behind on physical exercise.... Is all that "better"? Guess so.

Thanks for your comments. My fears were unwarranted. I brought it up at the end of my visit. The doc said is it working for you. I said yes. Ok he said and asked that I bring in any other ideas for meds if I want to try them.

I guess I misconstrued his comments from before.

Whew!

Shakota, I'm so glad your appointment worked out well for you. Sounds like you've got a very understanding doctor!

Meds for high blood pressure and diabetes aren't addicting. That is where the difference lies. Also a person can die if their high blood pressure or diabetes isn't treated, no one dies because they have chronic pain. Not having your chronic pain treated can lead to falls that can lead to death, but that doesn't seem to count. It also doesn't seem to count that you lose your quality of life if your chronic pain isn't treated, which can bring about death sooner.

It is hard with the fear that Doctor have to give meds you need. I had Dr. that would give me more than what I could use and now they are to scared to give me the pills I need.