being a pain patient in the middle of a drug addiction crisis

As most of you all will be aware these days, time and time again you'll see on the news something to do with the opioid crisis gripping the country, actually a lot of countries around the world. This person overdosed and died. Kids left in cars, parents passed out. Doctor shopping gone crazy, the up scheduling of medications, doctors constantly told not to prescribe too many, and they'll have to explain themselves, should that rates they prescribe opioids, be too high compared to other doctor's in the same area. Unless, of course they are a pain specialist, palliative care or cancer specialist. While changes are badly needed and I certainly agree with certain steps there are a lot of things that need to change before its too late. Before people feel that suicide is the only way out of their constant, draining and soul destroying life. See, now things have gone too far on the side of caution, pain patients, who could access their pain medications now have to jump through hoop after hoop. Like they have to prove they aren't addicts or drug dealers. You'll see your doctor for your regular medications for your non-cancer pain, especially since the new rules came in, feeling like your doing something wrong. Something you have done quite possibly for years, only to feel like your be looked at like an addict or dealer of some kind. You feel like that if you ask for an increase of medication, or just going back up to the doses you were on a month or two ago, because you gave it a go at a lower dose and it's not enough, is a luxury that you have to earn. You are at the mercy of the doctor you see. And what kills is you feel like a lap dog begging for a treat after fetching the ball for your owner, a second class citizen just for accessing the necessary medicine you need. And of course, the younger you are the worse it is.

It's like this, say you have a C-section, a broken leg or arm. When you go to the emergency room with a clearly broken bone, the doctor's will give you pain relief, instantly without saying please prove you need it. The doctor's don't say' oh, you have a broken arm or leg'. 'Here, just take some Panadol and if the pain is really bad, take Panadol and Nurophen together, you'll be fine once we wrap it up. We don't really want to give you anything stronger just in case your an addict or planning on selling your pain killers to someone you have waiting in the carpark outside. Not to mention the law suits that would follow such a scene if this scenario ever actually took place.

For chronic pain sufferer's though, it's a totally different story, even with a properly diagnosed condition or conditions, the doctor's now basically now have gotten to the point, in more words then this of course, just take some Panadol and Nurophen. Use arthritis cream, heat packs, ice packs, massage, Chiropractor, exercise and a heap of other remedies. And yes they do all help to a point and do have a place in pain management. But there gets to a point in a sufferer's life where it isn't enough to control the pain, or give them any quality of life. Yes your alive but your not living your life. And so better pain management is required and no you don't just have to prove it once or once every so often but you will basically have to prove that you still need your opioid pain relievers at almost every single doctor's visit when the next script is due. However, after by the time you get to 60-70yrs old it should become a lot easier on you to receive your normal medications. Not that you should have to wait till your that age. But until, they stop taking the minority of people's drug abuse and addiction and dealings out on the majority of people who legitimately need these medications. We will be stuck with jumping hoops, proving our pain problems time and time again along with being made to feel bad and like a criminal for getting the medical help and medication we actually need