There’s Big Money in Withholding Pain Relief

It seems that you can have over-the-counter pain meds or extreme opiods. There is very little in the middle since Darvon/darvocet was removed from the market. It was on the market for over 60 years, but suddenly it is a problem. Then we have an opiod problem because there wasn't a good medication in the middle. Hubby on occasion needs extreme pain relief due to multiple severe injuries over the years. Some days he practically lives on ibuprofen. He does have tramadol, but it doesn't really do the job and he only takes it at night when the ibuprofen just isn't cutting it. He takes a number of supplements to help with the arthritis pain from the injuries and that has helped some. He does go to a chiropractor also. So yes we also do alternative therapies to keep him going.

At 82 I know about pain. My left arm wakes me each morning. my aching feet put me to bed each night, and in the meantime my back is good for 15 minute stints before needing to sit and wait for the next 15 minute stint. Arthritis and old injuries from years as a professional Firefighter all combine to make it a little rough. Tylenol is a joke. The same goes for Ibuprofen. Aspirin will rot your stomach. Tramadol, Hydracodone, they block your bowels and make you sleepy they don't really take away the pain they just make you sleep through it. Nothing I have ever tried actually takes away pain. Nitrous Oxide is great, but since I only have 4 of my own teeth left I won't be getting much more of that. Besides no one can use it and be any good for anything else. Nope old age pain is something we just have to live with or be in a fog for the rest of our lives with opioid's. Erectile Dysfunction, Swollen Prostates. Arthritis, bad vision, Deafness, loss of hair, getting out of bed 3 times a night to pee and everything has calories. Just things we learn to live with in old age , and pray we have more years to enjoy them in.

#1 A friend’s husband has found great relief from using Voltaren Arthritis Cream. It can be purchased on Amazon.

Try a Hemp ointment, it's pretty good for muscle relief. I recently bought a tube of Frankincense & Mryrr. It's helpful too. Stay away from pain clinics. They will own you. They need to be outlawed.

fta...Problematic opioid use following a prescription is extremely rare. That's because opioids are a controlled substance. At the very least one's doctors and pharmacies are watching what the patient takes preventing abuse. Don't think anyone wants to relax opioid regulations. They are addictive. Many people have died due to opioids. People are getting them out on the black market. Know someone that uses gabapentin. They say it helps their pain. It also makes them drowsy. They are careful how much they use and don't take too much. I use Tylenol for osteoarthritis, Aspirin for a blood thinner, and caffeine for headaches. Ironically the same ingredients in Excedrin which I avoid because it upsets my stomach. Taken separately, I use less Aspirin. I also use massage therapy for my arthritis. I also use Voltaren. I constantly fight pain. Agree there need to be better alternatives for pain relief.

fta: The only transformation of pain care that should occur in the U.S. is to return prescribing decisions to doctors and stop government bureaucrats practicing medicine without a license. --- THIS, and for countless other medical issues too!

I have osteoarthritis in both knees. Both are now bone on bone. In my right knee, I also have a meniscus which is torn to pieces due to a fall several years ago. And my doctor suspects Sciatica is adding to the mix. It is my right knee that wakes me out of a deep sleep feeling like someone is cutting into my knee with a rusty carving knife and an old ice cream scoop! I have Tramadol but I can only take 1/2 of one at a time or it triggers my migraines, so I back it up with ibuprofen. I also use a generic version of Voltarin which provides temporary relief. Then there is my lower back. I have had degenerative disc disease for several years now. It doesn't bother me unless I am standing longer than 10 minutes or walking long distances. Then, besides the pain, occasionally my legs forget what to do, the message from my brain gets blocked and I stop dead in my tracks. I need to sit down to "reprogram" everything, which is why I'm being tested for Sciatica. Back in the early 2000's, Ketoprofen was available OTC. It worked for everything and was very effective. Then it was taken off the market and is only available by prescription. IMHO, more drugs like ketoprofen, which are effective but not addictive, need to be made available OTC again.

Re #7, find a top notch (all surgeons are NOT equal) knee replacement guy and get new knees. I put this off for too long, and have now had 5 years of zero knee pain, and a knee that is very, very functional, essentially as good as my old knees when I was 30 years old. As far as Darvon.....it was hideous for me, made me very sick, and wore off way too soon, like in 2.5 hours when there was a mandatory 4 hour wait between doses. I had an extremely serious accident with MANY broken bones in August, had hopefully my last surgery for that last week. Currently, I am only using tylenol for PT soreness and a bit of pain at the incision site in the arm that was operated on to remove a plate. I have been pleased with the effectiveness of tramadol when more than tylenol is required, which for me is rarely. During the early days after my accident, with 13 separate broken bones, I needed more. I avoid opiates as much as possible because of addiction, but more importantly for constipation. You haven't seen pain until you have been taken to the ER for extreme constipation from opiates. Not a joke, for sure.

Because of severe intestinal issues, I was put on hydrocodone, three times a day, in 1998. I stayed on them til the big 'pain med scare' in 2018 and the dr stopped prescribing them. He gave me a bunch to wean myself off but it only took three weeks and I never had a withdrawal symptom. My son said I should have been studied because he never saw a sign of withdrawal. I think the difference is I never requested to be on hydrocodone. I didn't know you could use it for a life time problem that's not in a good stage even now. And if you think you can't get pain meds, have you tried getting antibiotics? That another big con by the insurance agencies.