I think I need some opinions on this

[you you]

I don’t understand how a country legalises cannabis but restricts prescription opioids.

[Old Grinner]

I don’t understand how a country legalises cannabis but restricts prescription opioids.

The opioids are the most addictive substances . . .. They are very suitable for hospice cases but otherwise they need to be very carefully controlled due to the nature of their effect on human physiology.

Weed is not addictive like that. For some folks they may become psychologically addicted . . . like someone who can't get enough cheeseburgers . . . but it's not going to pull you in like the top 5 most addictive substances . . . heroin, cocaine, barbiturates, nicotine or alcohol. About 23% of all those who try alcohol will develop some kind of dependence according to statistics.

Plus, cannabis has a ton of other uses. Since it's more resistant to pests than cotton it makes a great fiber for clothing and doesn't require the amount of pesticides the cotton industry does. They've used it to make "hemp" rope for years. It helps people with cancer problems who find it difficult to eat to get some kind of desire back for food.

And, it's just plain fun, just don't drive under the influence and try not to eat too much pizza. My state may have recreational use legalized by the end of the year according to a recent news report. Like anything else too much of anything is no good so it shouldn't be abused.

[Mel46]

I can understand my doctor's point of view in that he is afraid of the DEA, but if you job is to help people live a better life without unmanageable pain, then it seems to me that he is doing his job.

Unlike the doctors who just write out opioid prescriptions like they were candy, he actually has a lot of safeguards in place and is very conservative. He somehow now thinks that all of the other things he does to help manage pain will totally replace the opioid. I am a prime example of how those other things DON'T WORK.

So far, I am taking the opioid for breakthrough pain at a rate that is two to three times what I use to take them. He use to give me 60 of them (much lower dose but still morphine) and they would last me a year. Now I am taking 4 per day, and my active lifestyle is no more. If I were not retired, I would no longer be able to work a standard 8 hour day.

Well, I can hope that it gets better, or push through as best I can. ...or I can find another doctor who wants to do his job.

[fish]

I don’t understand how a country legalises cannabis but restricts prescription opioids.

The opioids are the most addictive substances . . .. They are very suitable for hospice cases but otherwise they need to be very carefully controlled due to the nature of their effect on human physiology.

Weed is not addictive like that. For some folks they may become psychologically addicted . . . like someone who can't get enough cheeseburgers . . . but it's not going to pull you in like the top 5 most addictive substances . . . heroin, cocaine, barbiturates, nicotine or alcohol. About 23% of all those who try alcohol will develop some kind of dependence according to statistics.

Plus, cannabis has a ton of other uses. Since it's more resistant to pests than cotton it makes a great fiber for clothing and doesn't require the amount of pesticides the cotton industry does. They've used it to make "hemp" rope for years. It helps people with cancer problems who find it difficult to eat to get some kind of desire back for food.

And, it's just plain fun, just don't drive under the influence and try not to eat too much pizza. My state may have recreational use legalized by the end of the year according to a recent news report. Like anything else too much of anything is no good so it shouldn't be abused.

I suspect cheeseburgers take more Americans to Boot Hill than dopey-oids....and have for decades.
If pot gets legalized across the nation think of the cotton we'll need to import for the sweatpants !!
Walmart will need to widen the isles.
Fish

[Old Grinner]

I suspect cheeseburgers take more Americans to Boot Hill than dopey-oids....and have for decades.
If pot gets legalized across the nation think of the cotton we'll need to import for the sweatpants !!
Walmart will need to widen the isles.
Fish

Or people will be too fat too walk and need those mobility scooters . . . travel lanes and passing zones painted on the isle floors . . . just think of it . . . it would be like WALL-E.

But seriously though I have to say when I saw this I was surprised things have gone from bad to worse . . ..

https://www.wtnh.com/news/national/amer ... 1701837168

You may have to adjust the sound. . ..

[Mel46]

Well, it has been a month since my last appointment with my pain specialist, so it was time for the doctor to see me again. I let him know that my activity level has dropped down to mostly staying in bed in pain.

He wasn't happy to hear that so he has put me back on the previous level of pain meds and says that we can work on lowering it some time this Spring, when other factors such as weather are not involved.

Interesting. I had already mentioned previously that I could try lowering the opioids a little at a time, but his PA decided that dropping all at once was quicker. I hope I don't bump into that PA next time...and they wanted to work in pain management??

[Old Grinner]

Mel - Every cloud has it's silver lining . . ..

Sounds like you'll be able to face each day with a little more grin power. Hang in there!

We all have a cross to bear. For some it is physical, for some it is emotional, for some it is obligatory, and for others it's just a royal pain in the ass.

Again, thank you for your service.

Maybe this will take the edge off and make you laugh for a few seconds. . ..

[Mel46]

SUGAR!! YES!
I think my wife would be really upset if I was turned loose in a donut shop. :-)

[howard]

Marijuana may not be legal in Georgia (although it is worth looking into. If it's not now, it probably will be.) but have you looked into trying CBD oils? They are legal and can be sent to you via mail. I know a lot of people getting a certain degree of relief using them. Google them and check them out. The ones you take sublingually are what most of my friends recommend.

I'm a nurse at the Tucson VA and know a LOT of chronic pain sufferers, including myself and my wife.

Best wishes, sir

Howard

[springer1]

Again, thank you for your service.

I second that Mel. And seriously thanks for your many contributions to this forum too.

[Mel46]

Well, I saw that PA yesterday, again. She made sure that I understood that this was only a temporary reprieve, and I WILL be put on that lower dose next month, whether I like it or not. I told her that I did not care how they did it but I needed something that stops pain, not just appeases the DEA, which is what I know they are trying to do. I also told her that I didn't come to their office to be belittled and talked down to because they were under new management that didn't give a rat's ASS about their patients.

Then my wife chimed in and essentially said that I didn't need pain killers because she had gone through shoulder surgery without any, so I should be able to live without them! She neglected to tell them that she is highly allergic to almost every pain killer out so she had no choice...and she was in a lot of pain.

Whatever I suggested was shot down, even moving down to their recommendation at a slower pace. They said I am going to do it their way, period. I let that PA know that I was PISSED...and I was not happy with my wife either.

As far as CBD oil, I mentioned trying it to my wife, who uses it on our sick dogs. Her reply was that we don't know how it will interact with what I am already taking. I could ask my doctor, but I doubt that he will know either. It is too new for them to have done studies of interactions yet.

Next month, well I don't know what choices I have. Pain or pain. It looks like if I got on my bike and rode off into the sunset I would get just as much help for my pain as staying here. Yep, when you are a vet, once you get out you are really on your own if you get injured while in the service. (I understand that the VA is under the same mandates now as well.)

[Jge64]

i suggest you leave your wife at home next time.

if you needs opiods, forget CBD's- they are a relaxer, not a painkiller. again, many of my retired friends have them prescribed here in fla (legal) , no real effect.

time to “dr shop”- find a pain doc that will dispense you some relief. many of my legit friends have done so.

[Mel46]

I just have to wonder if every other pain specialist is under the same mandate. When I saw my doctor in person...which almost NEVER happens now, he seemed genuinely afraid that the government would shut him down if he didn't follow their instructions.

The DEA has set some kind of Mark that is suppose to be the maximum recommended amount for EVERYONE who is in pain. That to me is like saying everyone must drive the same size car or shop in the same stores. Are we a socialist state now?

[Jge64]

What is changed is that now the DEA and all the other people centralize through "authorized pain doctors."That's why your local guy is afraid to prescribe, because they are literally taking that away from him. Everything's got to go through a pain doctor so they have a centralized set of records. In Fort Lauderdale I would say based upon my friends situations, but for every 10 general practitioners there is one pain doctor.

My one friend who is having terrible problems with his back has more opioids at his disposal than anyone I ever known, like about 70mg of oxy daily He takes a single long-acting opioid daily and then a short term opioid if he has extreme pain. He's never had a problem getting the meds.

[Mel46]

At the moment I take 60 mg twice a day, plus 2 mg as needed for breakthrough pain. I have worked hard to get down to that amount. I started out having to take 200 mg, so ropping to 120 mg total per day is a lot of progress, from my view point.

I informed my doctor back in September that when the new year arrives I would like to drop lower in increments, starting at 50 mg twice a day instead of 60 mg. Keep in mind that I dont walk around pain free as it is. I have just learned to manage the pain a d limit my activities when the pain is too great.
I THOUGHT that we had an understanding because "I" am doing all of the work in this "relationship ".

Then the new year came and the agreement was forgotten in favor of some arbitrary number set by some group that do not know me or care to understand what I have been trying so hard to do. I don't like having to take this stuff, so I am not that hard to get along with, usually. But when someone I have never met comes in and orders me to drop down right this minute, and could care less what I have to say about it, then I am NOT their friend. That is a good way to make enemies quickly. I wonder how many other patients she has pissed off? She does not need to be in the medical field.

[cnikonpete]

Hi Mel,you have helped so many people including me on this site. As far as I have been told no normal painkiller will help with nerve pain.
I have severe Sciatica,and am not looking forward to surgery,however the first bout was about 6 years ago and that was helped by a drug called Amytriptylene in the UK,it is actually a drug for depression but has the effect of acting upon the nerves in such a way as to confuse/deaden the pain signals. Your problems are far worse I know,but if you haven’t already tried it might be worth a shot. It usually takes about 3-4 weeks to take effect, unfortunately my latest bout has not responded (had it since July) so surgery is my next step.
Strangely and happily the only place I have no pain is when riding my scooter,something about the seating position suits my spine.

[Mel46]

Hmmm...Amytriptylene? Is it just an antidepressant?

At the present time I do take two different antidepressants, one to offset the side-affects of the morphine, and the other in order to sleep through the night (which isn't working very well lately).

I hate taking morphine, but it works. I understand that there are some new drugs on the market that may work as well as morphine. Maybe SOMEONE will allow me to suggest trying them. Well, I will find out next month.

[cnikonpete]

It is a trycyclic type? I think,when it didn’t work on my latest bout I also tried Duloxetine, that hasn’t worked either,not a very good advert am I?
However,https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/amitriptyline-for-pain/ is probably safer than listening to me.

Probably in the US it extremely expensive,highly illegal etc

Just think with the reduced morphine it could be worth trying, can’t remember which doctor told me in simple terms that damaged nerves will tell lies regarding where the pain is,and how much it’s hurting.
Made sense to me because they transmit the pain signals to the brain.
It will probably have a different brand name where you live,but might be worth a bit of research on your part.

[Mel46]

I understand the addiction symptoms because at one point I was given the wrong dose at the pharmacy. We were flying out to visit our daughter that afternoon so I just put the entire bag with its contents into my suitcase. I ended up going through withdrawal and a lot of pain before a solution was found. We cut our vacation really short in order to get back to the local pharmacy to get the proper dosage.

I am also sure that I will go through withdrawal this time. That is why I asked to lower the dosage in increments, always aiming toward that goal of much lower use. What pisses me off is not that the dose is being lowered, but rather the fact that the PA has decided that I am not involved in the decision of how much the dose should be dropped and when. My say so means nothing. She said, "Take it or leave it. You ARE going to take the amount I say you are."

I have an appointment with a pain psychologist now because I am resisting, and my wife and the PA have decided that I need psychological help because I dared to speak up. Is this a socialist system we live in Now? Resistance is futile. You must conform. We know what is best for you. You do not.

[fish]

Mel, give the psychologist a chance.
Your wife and your PA care about you, and have your long term best interest at heart.
Other things aren't working too well for you as it is.
Fish