Fears chronic pain sufferers may fall through the cracks if medication is banned without alternative

Chloe_Alumni

Fears chronic pain sufferers may fall through the cracks if medication is banned without alternative therapies better funded – inews

Following NICE’s draft guidelines advising paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin and opioids are not given for chronic primary pain, the Royal College of GPs said sometimes medication is ‘the only thing that brings relief’.

As someone with chronic pain this scares me. I appreciate that medication is not always the answer, but it's often incredibly hard to find a health professional that takes chronic pain seriously.

Painkillers allow me to (kind of) function and have a quality of life. If doctors take this literally and refuse any form of medication this will cause so many people to suffer.

You can read the full article here: Fears chronic pain sufferers may fall through the cracks if medication is banned without alternative therapies better funded – inews

Do you experience chronic pain? How do you feel about this news? Are you happy with how your chronic pain is currently being managed? Let us know in the comments below!

jinnty

Hello, both my son and I suffer from severe chronic pain, and my son’s medication is now being reduced, I’m expecting mine to be reduced next week. My son is already crying with the pain and he has been told that there is nothing else he can have. Before, he had some quality of life but not now, he’s in so much pain which for me, his mum it’s very hard to see. I think sometimes they only study a certain number, but discard the rest they there pain relief works for them. I’m angry and upset and don’t know where to turn. 

Welliboots93

Hi!

I suffer with chronic pain in both knees, legs and feet and literally no meds work!
I am on Gabapentin for the pain which has been prescribed to me for the past couple of years but it barely does anything. 
Swimming is the only thing that eases some of the pain, but since the baths have been shut the pain has increased massively, especially since my mobility has decreased!
Ive got used to the pain now though, I've not been pain free in my legs for 17 years and I've ran out of options of what to do and I think my doctors have Aswell!

Bumbles

Suffering myself with chronic body pain, very bad migraines and constant headaches I can barely function now even with the medication, if they start to cut it down I really do not think I could cope.

Topkitten

I have suffered Chronic Pain for almost 15 years now with it constantly rising with the progressive issue. I take Paracetamol, Pregabalin, Nortryptylene and Tramadol and I can only just walk with them all plus restricting the movement of my ankle. Without the restriction I cannot walk at all. Most people would not even bother trying to walk with my pain levels but due to other factors it's walk or die.

TK

alieshia

Am I right in thinking this advice is only for GPs, not pain specialists?

Cindy7007

Hi,

I have to say the prospect of taking away the medication that gives me some kind of life is terrifying, if I have to live a life with chronic pain and no way of easing it, I truly don't think I would bother.  

I have had chronic pain since the birth of my first child 24 yrs ago when the Registrar literally broke my pelvis in order to deliver my child.  My pubic bone has never realigned or lessoned the gap of about 4cm. The point Im making there is that I now suffer with movement in all of my pelvic joints, that shouldn't occur, this has created growing pains over the years.  Now osteoarthritis has set into my spine and hips.

I have received several brief courses of acupuncture (once a week for six weeks) which does not even scratch the surface of the pain.  I have had several corticosteroid injections in my spine and both shoulders.  If I'm very lucky I might experience several weeks of reduced pain in that particular area.  Whenever I can reduce my medication in a day then I do try to. I have in general, over the years, reduced the amount of medication I take quite a lot as I am aware of the potential damage to my liver.  I don't feel I could reduce any further than I have already.

If I am in a position of not being able to receive my medication through my GP then I do think I would turn to the black market (which sadly makes me sound even more like an addict).  The added concern then is, what are you really buying? For me it is pain relief or bedridden in chronic pain and then there is only one thing left to do.  I don't say that with any kind of flippancy and I don't suffer with depression.  Just saying how it is for me.

I will say I have found great relief from having a water bed as it is obviously warm and soothing but as it carefully moulds around your body I don't feel the pressure points I feel on  a regular mattress. I also find using a body wrap heat pad very soothing and it helps to relax muscles in my back that tend to spasms from pain.

I appreciate chronic pain is caused by many different things.  I send my prayers and good thoughts to you all and hope we all find a way through this.

For now though, I will try not to worry about what might occur and will focus on what is occurring now. 

Best wishes to all
Cindy
 

Tori_Scope

Thank you for sharing that so candidly @Cindy7007. It can't be easy to deal with but, as you say, you have to take each day as it comes. The community is always here to support you  

Lisatho11987777

I think this is a hard  because I know lots of people take pain relief  but if you read the packaging  on strong pain killers  it is only meant to be taken for seven days  and  there is a possibility after that  that a a person csn get addicted  and will need to tske them and the addiction can cause pain 

I was addicted to co codomol  and I had to bee weened off them  and my dr referred  me for pain management but I was lucky  I worked in pharmacy  in boots chemist brecon   and we were allowed to refuse to sell Co codomol 

For years drs handed out pain relief like they were  sweets and now it has dire affects  and caused alot of problems 

 But they  do need  to find an alternative  treatment  because there are  alot  of prople suffering  I was lucky I have a good doctor 

RichardLel

Hi to everybody!

I had the same conversation with psychologist while attend A@E today from a fall I had outside, which also about my mental welfare and pain managment. I stated that can issue hundreds of these tablets, no support and can easily go bad and  then lose access to pain managment support because of it. I had a really good chance to vent every frustration going and felt whole lot better for it, put the responsibility back into my doctors than me carrying the frustration. 

I can understand everybody frustrations with chronic pain, as been chewing at me since I can remember with my legs want to go into knots. Talked to psychologist that been in chronic pain for years without effective pain relief, which now pushed the issue back on the GP deal with.

Sometimes I have no choice keep going in meeting family needs which really cranks up the pain of mobility. 

What I vented tonight was better any antidepressant as cleared away frustration of being in pain all the time. But staying in bed, staying immobilised can’t really be helped suggested by my carecocodiantor, but I rather be doing something every day.

I got heated blanket, cooling blanket, weighted blanket, I really want to get away from a normal mattress anything take the pressure away.

I understand like proagblin become a controlled medication becuase it was handed out to everybody, which ends put restrictions on it, which causes problem for pain suffers who do really need it. 

Take each day as it comes is a good suggestion and my friends reaching out to me be more involved take mind off things. I wonder how much a water mattress would cost, as when in hospital have pressure reduction mattress which did find helpful.