3/26/2008 04:58:00 pm BenefitScroungingScum 7 Comments

One can only hope that the empty bottle belonged to a client and not the staff... LOL
pxx

Is that your scripted lot in the picture? It's not often I see a lot bigger than mine lol ;-)

Though I should admit I was admiring your Oxycontin 40's and 10's. I'm currently being fobbed off with Buprenorphine 10mcg/hr patches which are not very effective.

Anally-retentive Doctors have forced me to move counties in order to get proper CFS/Pain clinic treatment. My consultant is proposing some oramorph or similar which would be nice on the bad days. I'm currently on the "waiting list" for an appointment even though I am a registered outpatient already??! NHS pain treatment is really overstretched by the looks of things.

Still I suspose it's my penance for the NHS covering £1000 worth of Ondansetron I go through every 3-4 months in order to keep out of hospital. PCT wont allow GP's to prescribe it off-label due to costs. Fortunatly my consultant doesn't mind getting flak from the Hospital trust to script it himself.

Back to the subject of your post; I didn't know oramorph was scripted for substance misuse. Likely these days a heroin addict could have stolen it from to cover him till his next fix. It really gets me that they get methadone dispensed on-tap whilst chronic-pain sufferers are viewed with suspicion and have to fight for every last bit of pain relief.

Rant over now; keep up the wonderful blog!

Pixie: I certainly hope so! lol

Mr Colt: Yes, that's mine. It looks like alot but I think it's nothing compared to the amount of meds people with more serious conditions need every day.
Pain clinic treatment is very limited, I believe it has something to do with the way funding is allocated, chronic pain comes way down the list compared to say cancer.
I used to take ondansetron (not sure if it's in that photo) but found if I was going to vomit it would happen anyway. It also gave me some major side effects.
Oxycontin is an expensive medication which may be why it's not so widely used.
TBH though, I'm no fan of pain clinics. I think ultimately the only way to control chronic pain is through self management and strategies which are generally not well taught by professionals who, however well meaning have no idea what it is like to live with a painful condition. That said, I have to be honest and say these days I have more problems with explaining why I don't want additional pain control than with not being able to get it.

I'm not sure if oramorph is scripted for substance misuse or if it's actually just quite easy to get hold of. I suspect the latter.

Good luck with being able to access some treatment and thanks for the compliment about the blog, BG

No probs BG;

Actually it turns out according to my trusty BNF (was going into Pharmacy until this all happened.) : That the Buprenorphine patches are more than twice the price of Oxycontin.

I think it is just the fallout from the "war on drugs" cough...pain patients going on in the US. Oxycontin has a DEA invented notoriety for "abuse" apparently. It's much the same with all the strong opioids:

Most Doctors are told it is better to leave a c.pain patient in pain, than risk the potential they might be a junkie looking for a fix. Being only 19 does not help very much either.

I have looked at the facts and stats for getting strong opioid at such a young age: The benefits in being pain controlled and more independent as a result, outweigh the low risk of addiction. (According to the British Pain Association's research anyway.)

Fortunately I now have docs that agree with me on this; hopefully not long to go till I can see them to get a treatment course rubber-stamped.

Regards,

mr_colt.

BG,

Sorry for hogging the comments page; but I forgot to post this in my reply:

I thought perhaps you may be interested in the documentary by the PRN: http://painreliefnetwork.org/oldsite/chilling_effect_video/chillingeffect.mov

Alongside Michael Moore's "Sicko"; it portrays a very worrying image of the US healthcare system...

Mr Colt: TY for the link. I'm a little confused though are you in the UK having problems with accessing care or in the USA?

I'm aware that oxycontin is a relatively popular drug to abuse in the USA but having been taking it for 5+ years I don't think that is the reason for it not being prescribed in the UK. In my experience it simply isn't a medication many doctors are aware of. Usually I have to explain what it is and spell the name out. I think logically that if it were a major problem here then doctors wouldn't be asking that.
Having said that, any junkie will happily have off any oxycontin they can get hold of.

The benefits of controlled pain do outweigh the risks of addiction, but an attitude of not treating pain isn't something I come across with any of the doctors who treat me these days. It was an issue prior to my diagnosis when I was labelled as attention seeking, but I've not come across it for years.
Ultimately any form of pain medication can only be one of the methods the individual uses to manage their condition.

Good luck with accessing your pain clinic, BG

BG,

When I was drawing comparisons to the US; it was because I think it has certainly had influence over here in the UK. Even after a valid diagnosis of a pain-causing condition; the bad docs said they wouldn't script opioids strong enough to to help ease the pain because of my age group having a "junkie risk" even though my notes indicated I was anything but a drug user.

As I previously posted; by moving counties. The good docs can now script me the relief I need due to being close enough for their team to adequately supervise a treatment course. Just waiting for another appointment so it can be formalized and rubber-stamped for the GP etc.

mr_colt.