National Pain Strategy Released

Absolute bs in the huge way. Obviously PROP had a major role in devising this plan and actual CPers or PMs had none. I will say again for the umpteenth time that the majority of CPers who have been doing this long enough that everything they are suggesting(not seeing much) we have already tried and some more than once. They have some kind of false thinking that we wake up one day in pain,trot off to the PM and get loaded up with big canon medications. They have absolutely no clue that the vast majority of us suffered years trying first one nonopiate or another,drug our rears off to physical therapy sessions after sessions,subjected our spine or other joints to mega doses of steroids in invasive injection procedures,have been handed off and passed around spending countless hours in appointments with countless doctor's and specialists sometimes getting nothing more but another referral. Until one day we have had enough of the years of suffering and missing out on life altogether and give in to what for us is a last resort treatment. Opiates.


I realize there are some out there who find a Dr who bypasses all these years of trial and error and jump straight to the big guns but far more went through just what I described I bet. Then you can add on all the side effects that now have to be treated for the years of those many trial and error meds that were supposed to be a miracle. Celebrex,bextra,naproxen,and the list goes on. Some even lost lives trying those miracles and some were left with more permanent conditions from injections administered by the wrong kinds of Drs or taking more class meds to treat gerd,ulcers,etc from longer-term inflammatory meds.

They can stop with the conception that we like where we are and the assinine thinking we got here without difficulty because its all false thinking.

Agree with the others.

And in my state they are passing a new marijuana law. Chronic pain is one of the inclusions for taking it.

So are we to take up pot when we can't get opioids?

Mercy & Grace, not to sound harsh but with the latest news from the CDC, MM might be our only option of pain control in a few years if the US government keeps up on this route and it might get to the point of people cancelling elective surgery, for example: the ortho doctor that did my knee surgey this past summer only prescribes norco (5/500) mind you, I'm on 7.5/325 which in turn had me panicking at my pm doctor for a stronger post surgerical pain control before my surgery last year, now as good as this doctor is I will never and I mean never have him or recommend him because of this and his serious lack of pain control for post surgical pain. So stories like this are having ramifications already. I will never let this surgeon do surgery on me again ever because of his post surgical pain controls and more doctors are doing this, its sickening...I'm considering moving to a US State that allows for MM, its that bad already. And its getting worse. 4 of my doctors already said that they would have no problem prescribing MM to me if it gets approved here, no problem, so it is a sad day already for pain management when the Government tries to take prescribing away from doctors...Used to be doctors were proud to hang up a shingle, but a doctor confessed if he just graduated from med school today he'd be afraid to hang up a shingle, its bad and a bad age in which to be a doctor...

Chartreux, you aren't sounding harsh Sweetie. Hopefully, if the pain management drs stop prescribing pain meds for chronic pain, they will be more in favor of MM.

Personally, I think that it will take time for these things to catch on, if they ever do. It may be that the younger drs are more eager to change things than the older drs are and the changes will come as the older drs retire or die. I'm 62 and I have seen it when the drs were very cautious about prescribing opioids for more than a few weeks and I've also seen it when the drs weren't cautious at all and this was all before pain management drs.

M&G, you made a very good point here about the cost of MM. I don't think most folks here have any idea of the cost involved & someone on SSD surely is not going to be able to afford to pay for it. I am not talking about buying a dime bag off of the street either. You can sure bet your prescription plan is not going to pay for it either. Like you, age wise, I have watched & lived the span of time in the prescribing arena of opioids.

I am glad that I am at the age I am. I would not want to be a young person today entering the arena of treating chronic pain.

What about getting a license in a state that allows mm and grow it...usually I have a green thumb...I know the brother of someone that grows it and that would help. If all 50 states approve of its use it might bring the price down as well...
I agree insurance probably won't cover it, but I'm also younger than you and just think if the US Government gets more control on pain meds what can we do, people can still OD on plain tylenol are they going to take away tylenol? Because it might come down to even banning plain old tylenol...
Again, if a higher power has given us free will then why is the US Government over stepping?

Susie, I have noticed that there are more reports about people testng positive for marijuana and having had a car wreck. Some have also tested positive for alcohol and some for prescription drugs as well. So I do agree that the federal government is going to step back in and either outlaw it again or severely restrict it, which will increase the price. There are some people that are addicted to it. So the risks are there.

I also wonder if weight gain won't become such a problem with it, especially when used for pain management, that it will get to a point where it isn't as effective as it once was. I think a lot of people are thinking about growing their own or they are thinking it won't cost much because of what they paid for it back in the 60's and 70's.

Just my two cents...MM is a viable PM option. I personally know many ppl who use it and have great results. No they are not addicted to it. They can take it or leave it. And no it does not cost much at all to grow...

according to Bill #271 it states, Severe muscle spasms as a condition (medical condition) in which is okay to use MM....
Most persons on here that have chronic pain also have severe muscle spasms, so that is your loop hole for MM...Doctor's will go over this with a fine tooth comb so to speak so they can prescribe it correctly...and I agree with 1 day at a time...
You do have a point about the drug testing, but in all fairiness with more states allowing for MM I think it's only a matter of time before it's accepted. Plus with so many on here in chronic pain how many currently hold a job? Most are filing for disability...If MM could make you feel better to the point of wanting a job wouldn't that be good?
Sorry, don't mean to be taking your thread over...just venting and Thanking you for this discussion, it's good to talk and have an adult debate on this issue, Thank you...

Agreed with MM you run risks if your going to file for or are on disability.
But for those like me where its not worth it to apply for disability then MM is still a option provided your US State allows for it...in my opinion its worth a try to see if itcan help.

From what I gather the permits to grow don't come cheap either.

Chartreux, there are no legal rights that entitle a patient to opiates for chronic pain. A lot of people think that the Patients Bill Of Rights does that, but that is not what the Patients Bill Of Rights is about. And having your pain address and having it address in the manner that you want are not the same thing.

I agree with you that none of these restrictions, laws or guidelines are goiing to prevent someone from getting pain meds if they want them to get high. Addicts are viewed as being "weak" and not able to take care of themselves properly when it comes to drugs. Chronic pain patients are not viewed this way. A persons ability to function being affected does not rate as high as the possibility of someone losiing their life due to overdose and drug addiction.

My personal opinion is that the vast majority of chronic pain patients are having their pain managed adequately. That does not mean that there are not people that can't get pain meds for their chronic pain, just that they are in the minority. If someone with chronic pain doesn't want to sign a pain contract or have drug screens so they don't go to a pain management dr, that is their choice. If someone can't find a dr that will manage their pain because they didn't go by the rules at their last pain dr, that was their choice. If a patient can't find a dr because they are a high dose of pain meds and they don't want them reduced, that is their choice. If the vast majority of chronic pain patients weren't able to get adequate care, there would have been many, many more comments against the CDC Guidelines during the public comment period than there were. The comments in favor of the CDC Guidelines or urging them to be made stricter far outweighted those from chronic pain patients that were against them. Life is full of rules that none of us likes, but we live with them. As long as a person goes by the rules and keeps their dose of pain meds low, they should be able to have their pain adequately managed. The days of taking pain meds and continuing to do the things that we did before we had chronic pain, with no adjustments, are over. We did more damage to our bodies by not alterating out life styles, by not keeping our weight down, etc and we also needed more pain meds. The pain meds are suppose to help manage our pain, not do all of it for us.