That's what chronic pain sufferers can expect until it shifts the other way again after this panic is over. If it ever does.

By people keeping their scripts instead of looking for relief on the street.

I could not imagine life without opioids. For the first time j. Four years, I increased frequency and dosages by 1/3. New. Leg problem, unrelated to my esophageal cancer. I hope we get that together, via therapy, so I can go back to my usual. My hands and RMS, that's forever.

Treatment besides prescriptions we'd be in a better place with some patients. Some could possibly have additional surgeries, therapies, etc and eventually be weaned off in an in patient monitored setting. Some can never be weaned and some have no other options.

There's a real danger in blaming the patient. It's disturbing and frankly disgusting. This is not how a surgeon general should approach a problem.

to have problems with getting prescriptions before long. I fully expect an official push to wean everyone off opioids to begin very soon. And that push will come from lawmakers who do NOT have chronic, severe pain. They'll try to make it more and more difficult for doctors to prescribe the drugs by requiring costly paperwork, and require all sorts of red tape for pharmacies, as well. Prices, too, will probably go up, under the belief that people won't buy the medications if they're too expensive.

That's how lawmakers try to solve problems. They don't look for actual solutions, but for ways to get the issue off their plates. The consequences don't matter to them.

People with plenty of money will have no problem getting their opioids. It will be those who have financial issues, along with their chronic, unremitting pain who will end up being unable to get relief. Worse, that kind of pain makes it very, very difficult to continue to earn money. It's a lose-lose proposition for many people.

I expect things to get very difficult and quite soon. It will be a terrible time for many people. We should fight any measures that restrict opioid medications prescribed by physicians for pain. If we do not, the very people who need them the most will be left to suffer.

When I had dental work done, I got a script for 30 Oxycodone. I took one.

When I went to the ER for an abscessed tooth, I was given a supply of 30 Oxycodone. I took one.

When I had an ingrown nail corrected, I got a script for 30 Oxycodone. I took none.

So that's 88 Oxy more than I needed.


I suspect that the main problem is not chronic pain suffers receiving treatment for their condition, but rather the over-prescription of opioids for people frankly don't need anywhere near that many.

Drugs can be structured to stimulate the pain relief pathway, but not the respiration suppression pathway. They are therefore safer, since most addiction deaths occur when breathing stops.

It is still unclear whether they will be less addictive, but there is some indication of that in animal experiments.