Posted by MERM on 1/26/2009, 9:10 am
Opioids and Fibromyalgia
If you suffer with fibromyalgia pain, chances are that you have already tried a variety of medications and therapies. For many who suffer with Fibro pain the mainstream therapies can change their life, treatments like antidepressants, muscle relaxers, stretching, water exercise, anti-seizure drugs or heat and massage may lessen the pain and allow you to work and take care of your family.
There is a subset of Fibro sufferers who do not respond to these types of treatments, and others who may have overlapping conditions such as Diabetes, CMP, TMJ, Arthritis, Degenerative Disc Disease and other conditions, for them the only answer may be Opiods.
This is where controversy enters your life as the use of opioids to treat chronic pain is a subject of great debate. Many of the physicians in the U.S. are reluctant to prescribe opioids as they were trained to fear addiction. They were taught that anyone who was prescribed opiods for pain relief would develop a tolerance for the drug or become addicted to the drug. All this keeps you from pain relief despite the studies that prove that chronic pain patients do not feel high, or euphoric when taking opiods. They do not exhibit the usual benefits that someone who takes a drug for fun will experience; they simply experience less pain and are able to function within society.
This brings up the dependency issue, if you are not addicted, but dependent on a drug it is just as bad. Wrong again! You can be dependent on your glasses, you are not addicted to them, but you sure lead a better life when you can see where you are going. Is a diabetic addicted to insulin? No, but they are dependent on it, they need it to survive and have a quality life. You can depend on a drug to insure a better quality of life; this does not mean you are addicted.
Why are doctors reluctant to prescribe? Let’s toss our government into the mix; their stand on the issue has caused the majority of care providers to back away from the issue. Many doctors have been under investigation, or arrested for prescribing opioids to pain patients. As a result fibromyalgia patients and others who suffer with chronic pain will be left without appropriate pain relief.
If you are interested in using opioids for pain relief, do the research so you can understand the controversy and present your case to your care provider in an educated manner.
What are Opioids?
Opioids are more commonly known as narcotics. They stem from opium, a natural element that is found in the opium plant. Natural opium has been in use for hundreds of years, and synthetic opium is now available. Opioids are most widely prescribed for acute pain, such as having surgery, or having a tooth removed. They can be used to treat chronic pain if prescribed, and used carefully.
The most common forms of prescribed opiods:
oxycodone
morphine
fentanyl
Why the Controversy?
There is much debate about both the usefulness and safety over the use of opioids to treat fibromyalgia pain. The main reason most care providers will not prescribe opioids is the lack of documented research to show that opioids actually provide pain relief for fibro patients. Others cite concerns about tolerance and addiction issues associated with long-term opioid use. Antidotal evidence from fibromyalgia patients show that opioids can be highly-effective in treating widespread pain and muscle stiffness. Thanks to the lack of scientific study and the fear of legal repercussions the majority of doctors shy away from prescribing opiods and fibromyalgia sufferers find it difficult to get help.
Do Opioids Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain?
The effectiveness of opioids in fibromyalgia pain relief is one of the key components to the controversy, many patients claim that opioids have given them significant pain relief, some doctors disagree. However, there is research that shows that opioids are effective in relieving fibromyalgia pain. A recent study showed that fibromyalgia sufferers experienced pain relief and a better quality of life from the use of opioids. It was reported that 38% of the subjects a noticeable reduction in pain, the subjects also reported less anxiety and depression, less sleep disturbance, increased mobility and an over all better quality of life.
Do Opioids Cause Addiction?
If we tackle this issue with facts, less than 0.5% of people who are given opioids for pain become addicted. Is there a risk? Of course some people will become addicted; it is a sad fact that there are drug users in the world who seek these drugs to get high, feel good, and to avoid dealing with life’s stressors. Heredity and mental health issues also play a part in addiction, in these cases opioids help them to feel high, get away from life. Chronic pain patients will not feel the “high”, they will only feel a lessening of symptoms and they will be able to work, care for their family and themselves. We may become dependent on the drug to keep moving, but we will not become addicted.
How do you ask for Opioids?
Asking your doctor for pain relief can be stressful, you feel like some kind of trash asking for drugs thanks to media hype, but you can do it in a calm and professional way.
It is important to provide your doctor with as much information as possible about your symptoms and their severity. Provide a list of things you have already tried to get rid of the symptoms, list drugs and therapies tried such as massage, stretching or water aerobics. Keep a daily log, journal or chart that records your symptoms and their severity, rate the pain level for each day from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most severe pain. If you go shopping and carry the bags into the house and then are unable to put the items away, say so. If taking a shower and washing your hair leaves you in so much pain you can not go to work, tell them. Make sure they are aware of overlapping conditions you may be dealing with such as disc disease, diabetic pain, arthritis etc.
Always include a paragraph about your life before the disease infiltrated your life. If you worked full time, played tennis and rode bikes, say so. Let them know the pain is keeping you from making a living or leading a decent quality of life with your family.
My Doctor will not Prescribe Opioids.
Some doctors will not prescribe opioids unless it is an end of life circumstance, nothing you say will change their mind. The best thing you can do is change care providers if your insurance allows. You may have used the same doctor for years, you trust and respect them, but you may have to cut them loose to find a caring doctor who will help, if your insurance allows. Your quality of life must come first. wellnesstrainresearchteam!M!internetmedicalnews
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