anonymous
One thing all chronic pain suffers should consider - something that I, a healthcare professional, and a chronic pain suffer was extremely naive of - once one begins high dose narcotic, long acting pain medication, it is extremely difficult to wean off should you so desire sometime down the road. Yes, I knew about physical dependency in my clinical practice,that is true, however I personally had no idea how it would so quickly take me over, and how difficult it is to get off this medication due to the chronic, excrutiating pain we suffer from already. The side effects of even a slow wean are so astounding, and the physical dependency happens relatively quickly. The discomfort I experienced was magnafied 100x due to my painful chronic conditions. Imagine suffering from narcotic withdrawal symptoms - even "minimal" symptoms - on top of the severely painful condition you already have! I was also very surprised at the negligence of the pain clinic staff that never warned me about the difficulty of attempting to wean off completely from my medication, and at their ignorance of how to do it. They had no clue - and had to read an insert from the pharmaceutical company that suggested how one goes about tapering off long acting narcotic medication. Unfortunately, the manufacturer was also clueless regarding realistic tapering assistance. I know that we all need real pain relief that comes with long acting narcotics - I know that I would probably be unable to walk without it, however being on it has it's price too - a double edged sword. Yes, I am aware there are other medications one can take for chronic pain, however none are quite as effective for the pain that reduces an adult to tears related to a chronic, severe pain. I just want others who may be venturing into a pain clinic type setting for the first time to be aware of this situation I am describing - because you may not hear it from the healthcare professions that will be attempting to provide you with relief. I want all of us linked by chronic pain to make an informed choice - something I didn't get the benefit of. I pray for us all to find comfort, and peace of mind. God bless you all, and I hope that if I can help even one person, that it has been worth while.