redhill
Banned. Flames, offending others
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 278
Loc: Hell on Earth, for now
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With more than a hint of pride will drug producers sometimes announce that a drug like Claritin or Prilosec can now be obtained without a prescription -- OTC. Well, this is, of course, partly due to us being able to tell when we have heartburn or the sneezies, when we don't think a doctor's diagnosis is going to be any more useful. The drug companies want to give consumers a (semblance of) control back, so they offer their drugs direct to the customer.
In my opinion, this is the way it should be with painkillers. We can tell when we have a headache or a minor back ache, so we buy Aleve.
But when the pain is worse, constant, and defies doctors' treatment (or he just doesn't care enough to help you out), then, really, isn't it about time you drove over to CVS (let's say), and browsed the shelves "serious pain relief" it say on the shelves, and you look around trying to make a right choice. Viciden or Percocet? 5 or 10 MG narcotic? And do you want it with or without tylenol. Need slow release? No problem, on the top shelf is the slow release stuff: Kadian, Fentanyl, and Oxycontin.
That's the was it should be. Card anyone who looks young, so no kids go around experimenting with drugs at a young age. Impose heavy sanctions. adults should know what they're doing to themselves, so it's they who are responsible for their behavior, not the Federal Government's.
We should all really take back our freedom in this country and INSIST that
1) The Criminal DEA is either disbanded or at least leaves doctors alone.
2) Narcotic drugs are made OTC
3) Pain is a vital sign that needs to be treated. It won't just go away if you think positive or apply ice.
We should start a petition. Make drugs accessible to patients!
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zorg
Veteran
Reged: 04/29/02
Posts: 559
Loc: Midwest
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I agree totally as long as there were extremely harsh penalties for contributing to minors. Before that is ideologically excepted, take into account that NOONE KNOWS what would happen in the U.S. if we were to make narcotics OTC. Without a trial, there can be no qualitative answer.
I do know that without local treatment for my symptoms, pain and otherwise, I am put in an inhumane amount of excess difficulty in my life. And about oh, 20 million others ?
Dangit, this will NEVER happen as a trial unless the entire government is reformed..... we are so shafted
Right: more war on drugs Left: more HMO and vioxx
Both are bedded with dollar bills. This sucks.
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537
Threadhead
Reged: 12/08/01
Posts: 811
Loc: west coast CA
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In a perfect world, where people did not have substance abuse problems, that would be awesome. Unfortunately, many people, IMHO, would abuse these drugs. WHat I truly wish is for doctors to ease their restraints on prescribing pain medication. And for them to not be so critical of every pain patient that comes in, by assuming they are drug seekers. Either way, I hope something changes soon. Undertreatment of chronic pain is rampant.
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yawkaw3
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/03
Posts: 1193
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I, too, agree that the meds should be OTC. If I am in acute headache pain, why do I need a doctor to confirm what I already know and be subject to whether or not he believes me?
Of course people will abuse it. If all drugs were legalized, they would certainly be abused. But so what? These people will get drugs elsewhere, and when they do, they will be supporting a criminal organization. Why not have them support American companies instead?
And not everyone will abuse it, per se. Some might just use it occasionally. Very similar to alcohol in that respect, with the difference being alcohol is much worse for your body than opiates.
-yawkaw
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omega55
Enthusiast
Reged: 12/03/02
Posts: 255
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Sorry redhill but your argument doesn't fly very well. First of all you cannot make the Claritin-Prilosec and the narcotic-drugs-you-mention comparison because nacotics are ADDITIVE and have a track record of being ABUSED. Narcotics would also be an open door to easy and painless suicide-by-overdose, especially by the young who are fragile and vulnderable. And can you imagine a world with narco's behind the wheel of an automobile or even worse, alcoholic-benzo-narcs. Also, narcotics, like alcohol, can destroy not just yourself but families as well. Quite frankly, over-the-counter narcotics NEVER happen. I'm very glad that they ARE controlled substances.
On the flip side of the coin, you would be correct about about the DEA having too much control over the dispensing of certain controlled drugs by doctors. Today doctors ARE afraid to prescribe narcotics for fear of going before a judge, losing their licenses or even being put in jail.They (the DEA) have, in essence, taken the doctor out of the doctor when it comes to pain control. But, I think tHe DEA had to do what they had to do because of too many bad doctors over-prescribing.. Should I remind you of Elvis Presleys' physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos?? Did he not turn his patient into a drug abuser?? Did he, in fact, KILL the King of Rock by over-prescribing numerous addictive meds?? You bet he did) Well there are many doctors just like him out there and that's just one of the reasons why the DEA decided to step in and take control of abused medications and the dispensing thereof. In fact, I have noticed something different on my doctors prescription that I never had noticed before, it has a DEA # on it. So I guess this is good for the patient as well as the doctor. It'll also keep law suits against doctors at bay which is a big time problem today.
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LostShopper
Enthusiast
Reged: 05/10/02
Posts: 208
Loc: Deep South
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I'm with Redhill on this one. To a degree. There are some pain meds which should be dispensed by a doctor, but take, say hydro in 5, 7.5 and 10 mg form and provide it OTC. For legitimate CPers, this would be a godsend and save countless dollars and time at the local doctor's office. For the abusers, well, they are going to obtain these meds regardless, why put the money in the pockets of the street-corner low-lives rather than into one of our local businesses? We already have ADDICTIVE products such as cigarettes and alcohol readily available - and the same monitoring system that is in place to try to stem access to minors of these items could well be used for the pain meds. This is only my opinion, but give us, as adults who know what we suffer from and know what our med needs are, the choice to obtain the meds necessary to allow us to live a normal life without going through the hassles/battles, and belittlement we face every time we must see our physician for the meds mentioned above. As for peeps mixing these meds with alcohol and what have you - THEY ARE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY if they are so inclined, whether the meds are obtained illegally, from a doc, or OTC.
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ItsOnlyMe
Newbie
Reged: 04/26/03
Posts: 26
Loc: Oklahoma
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Quote:
. For legitimate CPers, this would be a godsend and save countless --->dollars
I really think "dollars" is the reason it doesn't come about, assuming it never happens. William F. Buckley Jr. thinks the way to combat drug abuse is to legalize drug use, the same way alcohol is. His point is: we spend billions fighting it through the DEA, border patrol, TV ads, etc., and if it were legal, potentcy and quality would be assured, illegal importing would come to a screeching halt, and all things would eventually even out. When Bayer came up with heroin a century ago or so, it was the cure for everything. Soon enough, people realized that even though it helped ease pain and coughs, it was a monkey that was tough to get off their back. Before it was made illegal, the vast majority of those using it stopped, knowing it was for the best. I also agree it should be OTC; sure there would be abuse, but you'll have that either way. I think the point is that if it were OTC, lots of people would lose lots of money and power, and with the love of money being the root of all evil, and power tending to corrupt, we're probably screwed.
Anyway, best to all
Dave
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actonbell
Journeyman
Reged: 09/08/03
Posts: 82
Loc: Oklahoma
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I agree with the original post, until about 80-90 years ago there were no restrictions on meds. There were elixers of morphine and cocaine available at your neighborhood stores. Did people get addicted? You bet. More so than today? That is hard to judge, some sources say no, some say about parr with today and some sources say much more so for some groups (isolated farm wives was one group mentioned). Just because it is legal and available doesn't mean that everyone will try it much less become addicted to it. As happens with alcohol.
As to having people driving etc, while taking these drugs, what do you think is going on now? One of the most dangerous things to take and then drive are over the counter antihistames. If it is legal, the crime rate goes way, way down. And yes, the dea needs to stay away from the medical profession. Half or more of us here would not be posting these gripe sessions and pharmacy addresses if our doctors weren't afraid of the dea. There is way too much government regulation in our lives as it is. And there is that huge streak of puritanism in our culture that thinks that suffering somehow has redemptive qualities and that addiction is a sin as well as a crime instead of a medical and social problem.
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All it takes to fly is to hurl yourself at the ground....and miss.
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omega55
Enthusiast
Reged: 12/03/02
Posts: 255
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Yes. Both cigarettes and alcohol are addictive but cigarettes don't impair your thinking or judgement like alcohol does. Alcohol is also the #1 societal problem in America, Russia, Britian, and countless other countries where it is sold. And being an adult doesn't make you a person who thinks he/she is in control of self-medicating themselves with alcohol or narcotic drugs. It simply does not work, period!!
So actonbell, do you think that legalizing all drugs will add to the current drug problem we have today, will it be the same, or will it be less. I think the answer here is a no brainer. It would multiply 1000 fold or better. 80-90 years ago, not much was known about the problems these over-the-counter drugs were causing. Today, we live in a high tech world where everything is documented, studied, and scrutinized. If there is a documented problem with a specific drug, what's the solution? We know so much more about every drug today than we did then and that's why the controls are in place. They are there to protect society as a whole. Consider safety in the workplace and legal suits when someone dies as a result of someone on drugs. Think about how weak our country would be if half the population was narced and drunk all the time. Narcotics impair your thinking and your judgement. That's why there is drug testing in th workplace. Good luck finding work. Leagalizing drugs would encourage, not discourage, drug abuse.
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redhill
Banned. Flames, offending others
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 278
Loc: Hell on Earth, for now
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I realize that my original point did not have much nuance in it, and I agree with another poster that, maybe the weaker opiated/opioids ought to be made OTC while it would be foolish to release the strong pharmaceuticals onto the open market (Dilaudid, Fentanyl, Oxycontin to name a few). In that regard, my original post was over the top, just to drive home a point.
But for people in pain to be able to self medicate with a percocet or a codeine, that should be our right. It will not take the place of going to a doctor, but sometimes, as we all know, the doctor just won't help, or sometimes you just can't to a doctor for a few days.
One poster said my arguments won't fly well. That's not a matter of fact, it's a matter of opinion. Will there be addicted people, well yes. However, a lot of people have a self-regulating mechanism that stops them. I can drink all the liquor I want, but I don't. Besides, it's our own business, and I don't think the government should intrude. I don't take kindly to being protected from myself, especially with penalties. Besides, the DEA really is a band of thugs with an agenda, instituted under that trustworthy soul Richard Nixon.
The war on drugs, and conservative views of doctors who have the power to dispense or withhold pain relief, is sprung mainly from a Puritan, religious and judgemental way of thinking. It should not be imposed on those who do not share those beliefs. If other pain sufferers than me believe it is admirable to tough it out without pain relief, then that is fine. Call me weak, but I want my back pain medicated, and not only that, I want a say in what I am medicated with. Not because I want to get high, but because I want to function normally. And if the fact that I am knowledgeable about pain drugs and palliative care makes me look suspect in the eyes of the doctor, I really believe that that is not my fault, and it should not cause me to be labelled a drugseeker.
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TXR
Member
Reged: 02/27/03
Posts: 108
Loc: East Coast
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Hell of an idea -- if Bill Maher was president, Alan Ginsburg and Tim Leary ran Congress, and all 9 Justices on the SCt. were from this board.
I don't mean to mock, I support the idea 100%. It's just so far afield from reality. I mean, you can't even get a paltry 8mg of codeine here OTC like in every other civilized country.
Believe me, if marijuana 'aint even legal with a Rx, you can forget about powerfully addictive Oxys and the like are going OTC.
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Caveman6666
Enthusiast
Reged: 01/15/03
Posts: 218
Loc: Earth
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Never happen. The medical/drug co. lobby is too influential, and our spineless elected reps. too ready to save us from ourselves.
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Perrin
Stranger
Reged: 09/10/03
Posts: 3
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It can happen, but something really bad, worse than 911 has got to take place first. Nothing, no freedom comes without a price.
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moonbeam
Member
Reged: 05/23/03
Posts: 181
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Things can change. DRCnet (The Drug Reform Coordination Network) has ongoing summit meetings in many different countries to change the current world laws with regards to legalizing drugs. As the laws relax in other countries, such as it has in the Netherlands, we can and will see things change here. Most countries are now seeing the United States as the bully that we are, and a lot of these countries are beginning to stand up against some of the policies that we have forced on them in the name of "freedom". Their legislators and leaders are beginning to see the harm that the war on drugs has caused to their own countries, and I just see it as a matter of time before policies change here, too. We as citizens need to tell our politicians what we want.
I wanted to also say that I am almost 50 years old. My parents are still alive. Back in the 60's and early 70's, I would hear them discussing the harms of drugs, the hippies, the Vietnam War, and remember my dad talking about "locking up everyone of them drug addicts!" Today, my parent's attitudes have done a complete 180 because they have lived through all of the legislation. They have seen firsthand the pain that families go through when a parent or child is locked up, and they have seen more harm caused by the current laws than by drug use itself.
As far as the harm caused by legalizing drugs, well, my opinion is that I would rather have my child be able to go down to the local health department to score his day's fix, then to go down to the local black market drug pusher on the corner for something that may or may not be poison (that is if he doesn't get shot first by the dealer who just wanted his money).
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redhill
Banned. Flames, offending others
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 278
Loc: Hell on Earth, for now
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Thanks for all the posts, depite the fact that I am still a total newbie here!!
I still think we should lobby for easing the dispensing of opiates, and for doctors to listen to their patients with more compassion and less suspicion.
I am willing to do what it takes - legally of course, but we patients need to be heard. Now, with the closure of one OP and the imminent threat of more, Washington DC is closing in on total control of our health, our Doctors and medication. Let's keep the ball rolling and bring up the subject from time to time.
For my own part, I am looking for work in the field of pain management, so I can feel less helpless. Also I am writing a book on the state of pain treatment today, discussing opiophobia, dependence vs addiction, and the idea that pain is subjective, not conveyable to a doctor either. You can be in pain, and the physician can tell you, "you look fine, take six Advil"
Let's keep this spirit alive and do something about it.
- a disobedient civillian
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Greycie
Old Hand
Reged: 07/08/03
Posts: 474
Loc: Pacific NorthWest
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Great Scott! Self-medicating?! Who'dve thought that could happen? Okay, so all of us here are guilty of self-medicating TO A DEGREE(!). Still, without the control of these substances, how much worse would our worlds be? I'm disappointed by the post that referred to those of 'us' who need pain meds. to do certain things we would otherwise be limited by our pain from doing as living a 'normal' life. What's normal about needing pain medication to do those every day things? Are we not impaired when on the medication? If we can agree that our lucidity is challenged when on the medication, then how can we say that we're living normal lives by taking the medication? Is that not an oxymoron? I'm sorry- I'm now 2 weeks off the Hydro and with each passing day am beginning to feel more 'normal' (finally)- more like the person I was before I felt the dependency growing. I can't say I agree with the meds. being over the counter for these reasons. Though, I suppose in saying that prohibition is okay, it's contradictory to some extent. The biggest difference? With time and a tolerence/dependence... we begin to feel *normal* while taking the narcotics. Why? Perhaps because our judgement is *so* impaired that we're no longer able to decipher between when we're 'normal' and when we're not. Just my opinion and I have no other facts to base this on other than my own experience with the meds.
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"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
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redhill
Banned. Flames, offending others
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 278
Loc: Hell on Earth, for now
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my point it that a lot of people in pain are finally able to act normal, or close to it, once medicated properly. Not everyone that takes pain meds is chasing a high or feels they are medicating some other deficiency with opiate in able to feel "normal" . No I was talking about a Normal feeling, as opposed to feeling the stinging pain in the lower abdomen, or the constant pain in the spine, or the pain of DVT, or migraines. People in pain feel more normal once medicated. Initially the drug will make you high, but that wears off and is not what pain patients are after.
And no of course these will never be OTC, where the hell did I think I was? Just a dose of reality.
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kimbell1
Board Addict
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 316
Loc: Route 666, Painville, Texas 6...
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You make an excellent point where people in real pain will not benefit from not using these drugs. And yes, they will get a person 'high' for a bit until that person settles into a drug regiment. Soon, all the pain killers will do is allow people to function as normal as possible. Of course, there will always those even with legitimate pain that will want that 'high' to last forever. The responsible people with a real need just want to feel and act normal.
This is the most drug regulated country in the world.
You can even buy a Canadian pain killer called 222 that I think has 30mgs of codeine. I have read some posts of people just walking in and buying it like regular asprine from Walmarts!.
In this country, you need a prescription for just about anything. This is the most regulated country that I know of.
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Paranoia is just hightened awareness.
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ItsOnlyMe
Newbie
Reged: 04/26/03
Posts: 26
Loc: Oklahoma
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Quote:
What's normal about needing pain medication to do those every day things? Are we not impaired when on the medication?
This is said with a mild voice, in all sincerity, and with no malice or sarcasm at all: I do see a point in what you say, but what really is normal about someone who gimps along like quasimoto with his back on fire? If walking upright with a smile instead of crouched with a grimace is the benchmark for normal, I'd bet lots would fall short of the mark. So would the person suffering from lupus (though less likely to be denied treatment with pain medication). I think you are absolutely right, it's just that some have to decide which is the lesser of the two evils. (I don't think medications are evil, just said to make a point). I agree that to be able to live without would be ideal, but if it's a choice between a mind partially clouded with medicine, or one totally consumed with frustration, anger, fear and embarassment, I think most would choose the former.
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Greycie
Old Hand
Reged: 07/08/03
Posts: 474
Loc: Pacific NorthWest
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I know, understand and have lived the point you all are making. I think the point I was going for was missed, however. I'm not saying people shouldn't be medicated because quite frankly, on days when I can't stand on my feet because the back pain is so intolerable my legs won't stand for it (no pun intended), I *need* the opiates to get to a place where I can walk to my bedroom... or clean my house or what have you. I suppose my point is that after a dependence has formed, we can no longer act normal on account of the dependency. It hasn't just effected our levels of pain, but it's impaired our thought process- what use to feel like the high some people were referring to, then begins to feel 'normal'. That's the way things work with any drug addiction. I'm not knocking anybody here and I hope this isn't taken that way- but think back to a time before you began taking your meds- think of how your pain was then comparitively to now. Was it not as frequent, perhaps? Maybe not as severe? Again, this is only based on my own experience and I will take the meds again, but I am all for them being controlled- Heck, mine are being controlled for me now at my request so that I do NOT become dependent again. And as I'd mentioned before, I'm feeling more and more like the person I was before I started taking hydro all the time with each hydro. free day that passes  I know that each of us takes our Rx because we need it- I think my point is that if it were otc, it would be that much easier to get the addiction and would be that much less thought of... *I think*.
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"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
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zorg
Veteran
Reged: 04/29/02
Posts: 559
Loc: Midwest
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Interesting...... most seem to be accepting of the loss of their sharpness on chronic opioids....... I do not lose this whatsoever, and have a very reliable benchmark of work output, innovation and peer review, that actually goes UP when I'm in less pain, and doesn't dwindle whatsoever until 1.5-2 month mark when it's time to take 1.5 week off (minus acute needs, at which point there is a full or partial counting reset). I wonder wtf makes some people get a bit dulled on them while I do not feel it at all. I do get slightly more prone to moodiness close to a vacation , but NOTHING like the snapping I can do when in severe pain.
I do think Greycie is correct that there is a contingent that needs the medication less than physical symptoms dictate, but I think that takes a while longer and perhaps staved off with frequent vacations ? Of course they may be taking care of part mental pain as well, which honestly I would rather see them do that and do something positive, than to always be in the dumps.
My hypothesis is that the opiate derivatives have a HUGE spectrum of treatment applications...... BUT, are VERY tricky to apply for consistently good results in cases where pain decreases or the mental component is needed.
Guess the mental acknowledgement means I won't be getting my M.D. anytime soon eh ? Oh well, I like running with the big boys with my lil' high school diploma.
Do what ya gotta do just be SAFE!
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tansun
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 05/28/02
Posts: 1152
Loc: southern USA
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I think low dose codeine products should be OTC. Like nuphren plus etc. Really no harm in that. If people wanted to extract the codeine to get a buzz , so what? If they have the time do do it , it really doesnt effect anyone but the person doing it. Generally the codeine in the OTC meds is so low , it would take alot to get a buzz anyway ( if that was all one was after )
On a different note, are you all aware that the crime rate in Amsterdam , which everything is legal there ( hash ) is non existant????? Now , could that be because everything is legal? My bet is yes. 
Tansun
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"Madam Meanness"
---------where theres a will, theres a way ----------
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toe
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/09/02
Posts: 1494
Loc: MidWest USA
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Quote:
You can even buy a Canadian pain killer called 222 that I think has 30mgs of codeine.
Sorry, couldn't let this one go by.30mg of codeine is tylenol 3, which is not OTC in Canada.
222's (I'm reading this off the bottle I brought from my trip to Ontario) contain 375mg ACA ,15mg caffeine, and 8mg of codeine.
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"It's the end of the World as We Know it. . ."
-REM "and I'm seeking asylum in Canada"-toe
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DrMom
Newbie
Reged: 08/28/03
Posts: 25
Loc: Great Lakes
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Toe is absolutely correct. I have been buying 222's for years. They are generic Tylenol #1. They are not sold right off the shelf you have to ask for them at the pharmacy counter (at least in Windsor). I live in the Detroit area and until 9/11 going to Canada was like going to Ohio. Luckily I found OP's because now it's not quite as easy to travel to and from Canada anymore.
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ML63
Member
Reged: 02/08/03
Posts: 194
Loc: Upstate New York
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Right now I'm watching a very interesting program on the The History Channel. They're presently covering a time in U.S. history,circa the early 1900's, when morphine, cocaine, heroin and other various goodies were sold OTC in various healthful remedies. Seems things didn't work out for some reason. Go figure.
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moonbeam
Member
Reged: 05/23/03
Posts: 181
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Our current drug laws stem from years of racial prejudice and bigotry, beginning with the Chinese who brought their custom of opium smoking when they were sent over here to build the "white man's" railroad, to the Latinos who came to this country with their own customs. The American Indian indulged peyote in their religious customs, which also became a No-No because protestant-caucasian America couldn't accept another's culture.
You can go to www.drugpolicyalliance.org and click on the links to the Schaefer Library on Drug Policy, and read to your hearts content on the history of drug policy in America.
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nihil
Journeyman
Reged: 09/15/03
Posts: 70
Loc: New England
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Does anyone know of any countries where opiates ARE over-the-counter? And I don't mean codeine or anything like that. I mean the HARD stuff like oxycodone, morphine, diacetylmorphine, or hydromorphone.
I don't care if it happens to be the shittiest third-world country in the world. All I know is that when I find such a place, I'm moving there.
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night_shade
Threadhead
Reged: 08/26/03
Posts: 907
Loc: The State of Hockey
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I spend about 1 month every year in the UK (for leisure) and stock up on OTC PARACODOL. This contains 8mgs of codeine and 500mgs of acetaminophen (called Paracetamol in Europe and Australia) and comes in an Alka-Seltzer-like or capsule formula. They can be purchased at any "chemist" (pharmacy) over there and you don't have to sign any forms. You just ask for it and they give you a brief "this is a narcotic analgesic..." blah, blah, blah. Even so, it IS still illegal to bring into the US, so I always am at risk when I bring it back. If I got caught, I'd play dumb and just say, "Jeez, I had NO IDEA it was a problem to bring home..." I don't really think Customs would do more than confiscate it and issue a verbal warning.
Think how many ER/doctors visits would be avoided if this was available OTC in the USA. And I honestly believe MOST people would buy it for genuine pain issues and not abuse it. Besides, no addict is going to waste their time with 8mgs of codeine!!! You'd OD on the tylenol in the medication before you ever got high on the codeine!
This medication is perfect for children, too. It's just nice to have some options when ibuprofen or acetaminophen fails.
night_shade
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
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quincy
Board Addict
Reged: 11/07/02
Posts: 333
Loc: pacific northwest
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The last time I had a prescription filled, I asked the pharmacist if you could buy codeine cough syrup OTC, and she said yes, although most don't because of liablity. Im going to call around and ask who sells it, anyone in WA state know anything about that?
Quincy
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IMSUSCOT1
Threadhead
Reged: 10/23/02
Posts: 922
Loc: usa
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Well, medical evidence just doesn't bear this out.....impairment is an initial side effect that tapers w/continued use...i.e. tolerance...which DOESN'T always mean you need more narcotic to get relief. If your on Vicodin or Percocet for 2 months....that tolerance is limited and impairment is much more of an issue....but for those who have been on long term opiod therapy...impairment is not an issue. And as far as what is more normal...I ask you, would you like to support me while I lay in bed 10 hours a day, or would you prefer I pay taxes, my house payment, my car payment, buy my groceries, go on vacations, by clothing...all those things that keep the economy running and give people jobs.....cuz before I began on long term and what I view as permenant opiod therapy... I was off work 7 months following my 3rd spinal fusion and Doc's were pushing me to apply for SSI disability....I don't know about you, but I like going to work and supporting myself and my family...I like having my laundry done and my house clean and my roses in top shape. I could do none of that prior to being treated appropriately for pain. And if you're constantly "feeling" the impairment, you may want to question why your on pain meds.or whether your dosage is appropriate..as there are numerous studies that show that patients in legitimate pain get very little "euphoric" effects of opiods...
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