Doctors & Pain Meds

[Devilstompa]

What I don't understand and makes me very angry is when you have a doctors visit they want you to manage the pain & to be active but they are either against pain meds or wont prescribe them. How can you have a chronic pain condition and your doctor wont give you meds to help with the pain. There is not one day since if be diagnosed with fibromyalgia where I haven't felt severe pain that really limits me in life. The only thing that has brought down the pain a bit is tramadol but they don't want to prescribe it ? I need to find a doctor that takes my condition seriously and will actually treat the pain.

 

[moe1959]

Great! I WILL be going to a new Dr this month, when I called the secretary said. Well its not (HIS FILOSIFY) sp? To give pain meds. What! Just fn shoot me.I will shop for a dr. That knows.

 

[Devilstompa]

Has gabapentin helped anyone?

 

[Turtle]

I was not able to take Gabapentin due to CV
SE. It elevated my BP and caused vein distention in my forehead.

 

[Cary]

I have also been in pain for the last 6 months and every doctor visit I walk (actually practically crawl from pain) away in tears bc I have been denied any pain control medication. I have tried cymabalta, prozac and now im taking gabapentin. I understand doctors need to be cautious about addiction but there are ways to monitor, etc. Its truly unfair and in an off beat way its abusive to not provide pain relief.

 

[hisolblonde]

This is truely a bad thing happening that people in chronic pain cant get pain meds from drs and people without chronic pain and just have a little bulging disc can get alot. Its truely ashame. FDA is monitoring so bad that drs are afraid to treat the patients that truely need it and I know of at least 5 people that get heavy pain meds and sell them and people like us suffer for it.

 

[Margareth]

Regular training (walking, muscle training etc) and Q10 has helped me a lot. I can not take any painkillers because of my digestion problems and also any antidepressants because of hormonal problems, so there were no options left for me. Now I am training regularly and taking Q10 and I must say that the last months pains have not been too bad. Yes they have not gone and probably never will but I can manage them and live with them. I also have heard that regular massage is good (very painful in the beginning but has good results later). Also I do not feel soooooo tired all the time any more. I do keep very strict sleeping rythm but still it was just horrible, I could not work or do anything else. But now it is a bit better. What I am still struggling with is coordination and memory disorder. I am a musician and there are times that I can not read music nor play it properly! The pains I can live with but not being able to play music - thats what I dont want to even think about.

 

[Dom333]

I cannot believe a doctor would not prescribe tramadol. I'm stuck at a point where I've been on pain meds for 4 years now and my dose has barely increased. I've spent time off and on medications but some tolerance just doesn't go away and am always picking and choosing which days i will be completely miserable and which days i can move. These doctors think they are doing the right thing when all they are doing is making life miserable for chronic pain sufferers. Right now as I type this, my neck, lower and middle back, and hamstrings as well as shoulder end elbow are all in pain. Extremely tight muscular pain that basically renders me useless. What other options are there?? I can just imagine how many people turn to illicit drugs because of this new system. Tramadol is probably the lowest form of pain killer, maybe equal to codeine. You either have to be forceful with doctors or spend your time and money finding someone who understands you need relief.

 

[remnant]

Hi there. You should visit a medical counsellor to advice you on the best approach if you can access one. New frontiers in research in FM are leading to new interventions to treat FM with new drugs like Xyran and Savilla as well as medical marijuana. A bit of research on your part shouldn't hurt. You could also have the answer right there with you. Keep a journal to monitor your pain to identify patterns and predisposing factors specific to your case.

 

[WarriorPrincess]

In my experience and also based on what I've heard and read, it's not always the doctors who are against prescribing pain medication for patients. The government has cracked down on how doctors can treat their patients due to the high level of abuse, much the same way we now have to sign for basic allergy medicine, due to the rise in using Pseudoephedrine to make Methamphetamine.

That being said, not all doctors are the same. Some have and exhibit more sympathy or empathy for patients, and are willing to try new and different approaches to help patients coping with chronic pain. If your doctor isn't responsive to you, you could try finding a local in person or online support group, and ask those members who seem satisfied with their care who they see.

 

[knitmehere]

Sadly, it's gotten to the point that doctors are really limited on what and how much they are able to prescribe, not always because of their own beliefs. They can get into a lot of trouble for writing more prescriptions than as seem as being standard.

It might be a good idea to try to find people in your area who suffer from the same issues and see if they can point you towards a doctor who may be able to help you out a bit more. I know that I visited six different ones before I found one who was willing to help.

 

[kdb890]

I can understand them not wanting to prescribe it because perhaps they don't want you getting addicted to it or they think their patients are liars. On the contrary, however; there's lots of doctors who will prescribe them and want you to take so many of them that you become addicted. My boyfriend's cousin has fibromyalgia and instead of taking pain meds, she smokes marijuana for the pain because she had to grow up watching her mom go through being addicted to pain killers and she doesn't want to deal with that herself. Perhaps try some alternative therapy, like acupuncture, shots, and physical therapy. Or perhaps you could switch doctors altogether, and maybe start going to a pain clinic when they're more sympathetic to the needs of their patients?

 

[WarriorPrincess]

I agree it's helpful to talk to people in your area with the same or related conditions, to help you identify effective doctors and other treatment professionals who can help you. I also think it's important to share information with as wide an audience as possible (including our legislators and federal agencies), about how the government is limiting our access to medicine that we have legitimate need of. I don't have an issue with addiction, and I resent being lumped in with people who do, and who try to abuse the system. I also resent that the illegal drug sector has affected our access to other medications besides pain meds, such as how we now have to sign for Pseudoephedrine. I have a friend who has very serious health concerns and was on a successful regimen with a medication that included Pseudoephedrine mixed with another ingredient. That combination pill worked for him, but because of the prevalence of its use by that group, his medication is no longer available, and he's having to make due with another medication that isn't working.

 

[oportosanto]

That's the whole thing, many times it's necessary a pill combination for the effect to happen, so it's a matter of keep trying.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

I think the problem with pain medication is that eventually the body will develop a tolerance on it, leading to the patient needing higher doses for the same effect. That's the problem, as it leads to drug dependency and even drug tolerance, which would lead to even more pain for the patient. That's why alternatives can be made to complement the medications, such as deep breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and even environmental manipulation to improve the well being of the patient.