OPINION: I Take Drugs For Chronic Pain, But I'm No Addict

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

OPINION: I Take Drugs For Chronic Pain, But I'm No Addict
Barbara J. McKee

Dec. 16th. 2003

Thanks a lot, Rush. Same to you, Ozzy. Oh, and I can't leave out Jerry Lewis.

All of these celebrities and many others have publicly admitted to abusing 
prescription painkillers. I "thank" them in
anger, because they have brought more pressure on physicians across the country 
to scrutinize which pain medications
they prescribe and how much. Many think this is a good thing - and, in some 
situations, it is.

But for those of us who rely on these medications to live with some semblance 
of normalcy, it is a nightmare.

Many do not understand the purpose of long-term use of prescription painkillers 
and therefore immediately label long-
term users as "drug addicts." This sweeping term has an enormous effect on 
people who suffer from chronic pain
disorders - and not in a good way.

For many years, I have struggled with extreme, chronic pain. Since the age of 
15, I have lived with searing pain, a
daily reminder of how my body is not normal. I was placed on opiate-based 
analgesics and weekly physical therapy to
reduce my pain. Eventually, I succeeded in eliminating prescription drug 
therapy and learned to rely on over-the-
counter pain relievers.

But that was 26 years ago, and I'm back on daily prescription medication. It 
was not an easy choice. Several severe
injuries to my shoulders and neck forced me back into prescription drugs to 
control a pain that didn't want to be
controlled. I could have had surgery on my two herniated cervical discs, but 
that would have left me a quadriplegic. My
pain would be gone, but my life would be one of total dependence on personal 
care assistants or institutionalization in
a nursing home.

I finally found a doctor who understood why I chose the life of what some would 
call a drug addict. I wanted to stay
independent and employed and live in my own home. Prescription painkillers have 
afforded me all this.

But I do not consider myself a drug addict. I made a choice that was best for 
me, and I have no regrets.

What many physicians and laypersons do not understand is the purpose of opiate 
drug therapy for those who suffer from
chronic pain. I don't get high from my medications. Just as diabetics don't get 
"a rush" from their daily doses of
insulin, my medication is soaked up like a sponge, stabilizing and equalizing 
my brain to make it think my pain is
gone. I still require a personal care assistant when I want to go to school or 
engage in other activities outside my
home. But I don't have the excruciating pain that used to force me to stay in 
bed, sometimes for several days or weeks.

I'm not saying that doctors should give painkillers to every patient who 
suffers from pain. For example, I question the
use of Oxycontin for a toothache. I had a friend who had a root canal and was 
prescribed Oxycontin. He was unaware of
its strength and effect and slept for 14 hours after his first dose. Oxycontin 
is an opiate meant for chronic, not
acute, pain. Its effects last 12 hours or more. The dentist should have 
prescribed good old Tylenol No. 3, as they used
to.

I can't blame the doctors because they really do want to give their patients 
the best possible care. The pharmaceutical
companies are telling the physicians how great these drugs are and how safe 
they are for most people. Doctors rely on
the drug company representatives to tell them about the effects and benefits of 
new medications. But the drug reps
don't always tell about the negative effects on ordinary people.

The blame rests with the drug companies. The drug Neurontin is a case in point. 
In the beginning, this drug was created
to treat epilepsy. Suddenly, it was being prescribed for bipolar disorder, 
acute pain relief, Parkinson's and numerous
other illnesses. The drug had little to no effect on these diseases, and last 
year the drug company manufacturing
Neurontin was investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

It's time to demand the drug companies to be accountable for their 
representations of powerful drugs to the medical
field. If more doctors prescribed medications such as Tylenol No. No. 3 instead 
of Oxycontin, you would see less abuse
of addictive drugs.

But chronic pain patients have suffered enough. Let's put the pressure where it 
belongs.

McKee, who gets around in a wheelchair, is an Albuquerque writer, poet, 
performer and producer.

SOURCE: The Albuquerque Tribune, NM


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