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Isn't it time we stopped this silly charade and turned the FDA into an ADVISORY committee?
Adults in a free society should to be able to choose what they ingest, and when, and how.
That would solve multiple problems with a single blow.
They may be adults, but they don't always act like it. Adults taking opiates or other drugs frequently get behind the wheel of a car or put themselves in other situations where they can injure or kill other people. IMHO, that's reason enough to attempt to control abuse of both legal and illegal drugs.
They may be adults, but they don't always act like it. Adults taking opiates or other drugs frequently get behind the wheel of a car or put themselves in other situations where they can injure or kill other people. IMHO, that's reason enough to attempt to control abuse of both legal and illegal drugs.
Negligent drivers also kill other people, but no one wants to take away cars.
It would be considered "throwing the baby out with the bath water" as the old saying goes.
My son wasn't good when he cracked a wisdom tooth and had to wait three days to have it removed. I guess his dentist couldn't do it or had to get home for dinner on time on Friday. No pain medication.
He managed to drive to my house where I watched him sweat and vomit for two days. No one should have to go through that.
Same here. I had a tooth so deeply cracked, that the oral surgeon couldn't even see the bottom when he put dye into it to see if it could be saved.
My regular dentist wouldn't prescribe anything except prescription Ibuprofen, which does NOTHING for the severe nerve pain of a cracked tooth. He was AFRAID to prescribe opiates, thanks to the crackdowns.
I was supposed to drive two and a half hours to an oral surgeon, and I literally could not do it because of the pain. I had to wait and time a Percocet a friend gave me so that I could do the long drive, but not while the Percoset was at full strength.
I had the pain of the cracked tooth for several days, and I wanted to die. I was completely nonfunctional. If I had to live permanently with that kind of pain, nothing on this earth would have stopped me from suicide.
Those who want to moralize and pontificate have never felt such pain. Or they're idiots. Not sure what their problem is.
OP, there's no guarantee, but have you tried Kratom? Specifically a red variety, which is the type that works for pain?
Of course, lawmakers are such idiots that you have to make sure it's legal in your state. I'm caring for someone who had a couple of strokes and he's taking it for severe muscle spasms in his paralyzed arm.
It's the only thing keeping him sane.
The idiots tried to outlaw it in our state, but there was a public outcry. It's just amazing that they want to crack down on opiates AND they want to take away an herbal supplement that is giving relief to millions.
It's almost like it's a requirement that a person be a sadist to be a lawmaker.
The distinction between opiates as 'medicine that relieves pain' and 'drugs that get you high' is like the difference between flowers and weeds; there really is no difference.
It simply depends on who you ask.
Isn't it time we stopped this silly charade and turned the FDA into an ADVISORY committee?
Adults in a free society should to be able to choose what they ingest, and when, and how.
That would solve multiple problems with a single blow.
But just based on the moralizing and pontificating in this thread, that ain't happening soon.
It's the DEA you want to get rid of, not the FDA. I'm all for that. I particularly don't care what you do in your free time as long as you don't bring down the quality of my or other people's lives (or expect me to get you out of a hole you dug yourself into with my money). The problem is, that is what drug addicts do. So one of the two's go to go: DEA so doctors won't be scared to prescribe pain medications or drug addicts so there won't be this problem of people not having access to the drugs that help them have a better quality of life. Doesn't seem like either one of them will be happening soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shooting Stars
Those who want to moralize and pontificate have never felt such pain. Or they're idiots. Not sure what their problem is.
Exactly. Or those who say "I'm good" now will be eating their words later when they get into such a situation (and not feel so "good" anymore). Not sure why some people can't empathize, or visualize themselves in another's situation. Must be the age-old (dummy) reasoning: "It won't happen to me."
I'm sure there are people who both need strong pain relief medication and take it responsibly who are suffering under current cutbacks. What I'm not sure of is how to balance that concern with the huge numbers of people who abuse opioid pain medication and should be denied it, for their own good and for society's. Considering that many of the abusers do or did have legitimate pain as well, it seems to me that there's not a bright line or easy solution.
I have a number of chronic pain issues ranging from fibromyalgia to interstitial cystitis to a minor bulging disc in my neck that is inoperable. I also have retrolithesis in my neck. I have been through 3 rounds of physical therapy, one year of soft tissue therapy, a number of pain shots, acupuncture, stem treatment, etc., and nothing worked. My doctor finally put me on percocets. It was a total disaster. Number one, there is mental illness in my family ranging from depression to anxiety to schizophrenia. For people who have chronic pain issues like me, there gets to be a point where opioids just don't work anymore. They don't help your pain, and they put you through a psychological mess. Fortunately, I had a close family member who had already been through the heroin thing, and so I told my doc, I have to get off this crap because it's not helping anymore. I am now on a subuxone tapering program, and it is helping. I hope to be drug free soon. But it still doesn't solve the pain problems which have put me $17K in debt.
My mother died from pulmonary fibrosis. She also had bone crushing arthritis and neuropathy. I have strong feelings that people with conditions like hers (or cancer, etc.) should not be experiencing the hassles they are now when it comes to getting their pain meds. There should be enough flexibility in the system to understand the difference between a patient who is trying to get high to a patient like me to a patient with terminal pancreatic cancer. Instead the stupid drug administration have forced pharmacists into becoming pharma-nazis, and I just despise this. They have also stripped power from doctors.
As for me, I should have never been given percocets as an everyday drug. I should've just been prescribed them as an occasional drug. In fact, when I first asked for them, i asked that the doctor just give me 30 for 30 days. I wanted them for breakthrough pain. I have come to understand that I am always going to be in pain. I can't do Lyrica and other drugs like it that make me feel sleepy and dopey. Funny enough, Percocet really never did. I guess what I am saying is that I don't like this all size fits all mentality. And for God sakes, for people who are dying or who are experiencing horrific illnesses like cancer, give them whatever they need. And yes, getting some euphoria when you have pancreatic cancer is a good thing. I just hate how they are all painting us with the same brush.
I already KNOW I will be denied. It's not just conjecture on my part. I had some dental work done almost a year ago. It was very painful and one side of my face looked like I had been beaten. I asked for 2 pain pills and they refused. 2... They acted offended like I was going to take my 2 pills and fuel a world wide opiate addiction. 10 years ago I would have walked out that door with a prescription for 30 pills.
I am not sure about the regulations but I am positive things have changed. It's now become a discriminatory practice as well. Going back to my dental work, first I went to my regular dentist and she was all booked up. So they made me an appointment with another of their offices. I was in the first office and it looked like it always had, no changes. The other office was in a poorer part of town. When I went in they had signs all over the place saying they would never under any conditions write a pain prescription for anyone. Of course I had to ask why and they said their office was in an area where prescription drugs were often abused. Probably code for poor and ethnic.
Well, I was in pain so I had the work done and sure enough, no pain meds under any circumstances. I texted my own dentist and told her I was very upset about this. Luckily I have a small stash of real pain meds and I used exactly 2 pills so I could get some rest and heal. After that the pain was manageable. Ever since I had this experience, I collect pain pills whenever I have the opportunity.
Same story. I'd been seeing my dentist for years before I had the cracked tooth.
He prescribed prescription Ibuprofen. The full pain of the cracked tooth didn't begin until after I filled the prescription and the Ibuprofen did nothing. When I called to ask for something more, the receptionist said he would not prescribe anything stronger, and that I couldn't talk to the dentist directly.
He was more concerned about getting into trouble with the DEA than about my well-being. I will never go back to him.
And just like you, IF I ever get another prescription for pain medication for any reason, I will take as few as possible and try to hold onto the rest in case of a future emergency.
BTW, I once knew a pharmacist who worked at a mail order pharmacy, and he said years ago that the DEA regulations had gotten so onerous that he quit filling mail order prescriptions for pain medicine. The number of forms he had to fill out for each pain medication went up so much, that he couldn't devote the time to filling them out. It wasn't worth the hassle for him or the pharmacy.
Same story. I'd been seeing my dentist for years before I had the cracked tooth.
He prescribed prescription Ibuprofen. The full pain of the cracked tooth didn't begin until after I filled the prescription and the Ibuprofen did nothing. When I called to ask for something more, the receptionist said he would not prescribe anything stronger, and that I couldn't talk to the dentist directly.
He was more concerned about getting into trouble with the DEA than about my well-being. I will never go back to him.
And just like you, IF I ever get another prescription for pain medication for any reason, I will take as few as possible and try to hold onto the rest in case of a future emergency.
BTW, I once knew a pharmacist who worked at a mail order pharmacy, and he said years ago that the DEA regulations had gotten so onerous that he quit filling mail order prescriptions for pain medicine. The number of forms he had to fill out for each pain medication went up so much, that he couldn't devote the time to filling them out. It wasn't worth the hassle for him or the pharmacy.
My colleague who lives in Maryland just had dental surgery for old wisdom teeth that weren't removed properly long ago. Pretty routine, she only missed a couple days work. She told me she was prescribed 4 different kinds of narcotics!!!!
Just saying this to illustrate how much doctors still vary in willingness to prescribe pain meds.
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