Those of us who live with chronic pain take pain medication, including opioids. There has been quite a bit in the news about the growing opioid epidemic which is killing thousands of Americans. Most of those who die are abusers who overdose. The resulting laws trying to restrict access to opioids causes difficulties for those of us who actually live in chronic pain and need the opioids to function.
Could you imagine needing to go back to your doctor's office to pick up a paper prescription to bring to your pharmacy to refill it? That is what happens now. Yes really. Can you imagine being in total pain and having to drive or ride a bus just to get that little piece of paper?
The new laws designed to restrict access by drug users have the unintentional effect of making it harder on the people who need them to function. For someone in chronic pain, who has to limit their efforts and make deliberate choices on how to spend their time and efforts, any extra trips are avoided at all costs.
So what do we do? We cope. We look for alternate therapies that make life easier for us. I am on opioids but mine come in patch that I apply weekly that gives me a controlled dose of pain medication that is essential for my daily activities. I hope more manufacturers step up and come up with more alternative delivery methods which allow pain relief for those in need but does not allow easy access by abusers.
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