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Readers react to use of opioids to manage pain

Lynn Frank's column was published last week on Philly.com and sparked debate immediately. Here are excerpts from some of the comments.

Lynn Frank's column was published last week on Philly.com and sparked debate immediately. Excerpts from some of the comments are here; go to the story for more.

"In 2010 on my way home from work a drunk driver hit my car and I was ejected over 40 feet onto I-95. I was in a coma for a week. ... I was a model patient in pain management for years, never had a problem. Long story short after the accident I lost my job and eventually my insurance also. I couldn't afford the $350 office visit monthly plus out of pocket medications monthly. I was desperate. I got state Medicaid because of the accident but no pain management doctor was accepting new patients for fear of the DEA."

"I have lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative bone disease and have suffered terribly over the past 22 years with chronic pain. I have tried every type of conventional and non-conventional pain treatment available in my country (Canada) and much to my dismay I either cannot afford the treatment or my body has rejected it. So, in order to get any type of pain relief I have to take opiates and live with the side effects."

"Although I do agree that most therapies for chronic pain are ineffective, the new stand by the medical profession is that opiates are not indicated for chronic pain. Studies have shown that NSAIDs are as equally efficacious as opiates, and that aside from the problem of habituation with opiates, other medications, such as antidepressants and nerve stabilizers, are more appropriate, I believe that this stand is incomplete, but we are faced with an unending desire for opiates, which claims more and more "victims" each month. The requirement for a urine sample is to prove that the patient is actually taking the medication and not selling it. The reason for monthly visits is to limit the total number of pills sitting out there."

"Maybe doctors should start looking into a cure for the problem causing the pain, not a temporary relief. . . . And maybe those in this story who have taken opiates for 10 years resulting in no "addiction" (hard to believe), should consider themselves very, very fortunate! Sorry for the inconvenience you face when going to the doctors. I bet the mother of the child who overdosed on opiates wishes her child would have been as fortunate as you or as inconvenienced; maybe they'd still be alive!"