MichealMcNutt
I do not believe anything is being done for us, and it is only going yo get worse. With the media jumping on everything as being caused by legal scripts they will only make it harder. They classify all as opiods legal and illegal together when they report an overdose death from opiods all simply assume it was legal scripts, when most og them ars from illegal fentanyl that comes across our southern border, building a wall is said to be punishing illegal alien's our reps in Washington only care about non citizens and continue to punish we in pain, by allowing illegal drugs to come in and than punish those in pain by restricting the only help we can get. I was watching a hearing this am and the temp head of DOJ talked about getting manufacturers to produce a lot less which will make it harder to get and much more expensive for all of us. Everyone of us needs to tell the buffoons in Washington that we matter more than what they have been doing

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The Social Media got a hold of some very SAD Stories and than the Politicians jumped on this because the State's Law Enforcers were screaming for help because if the amount of Heroin Overdoses. Than some of the Heroin Addicts surveyed, said it was Grandma's Prescription Pain Pill that Started them on the road of Heroin Addiction. Do you all realize that Individuals who abuse opiates and ARE Addicts, take over 40 Hydrocodone a day! How many of you take over 40 Hydrocodone a day? They cannot afford because they are $10 a pill! So they migrate to Heroin. Many will Accidentally overdose. Now handing out Narcan is as bad as supplying clean needles. They need to hand out Mental Health info. Many Heroin Addicts will be free and than chose to go back onto. Some is truly a inherited gene issue but in my opinion, most just do not know how to cope because of having Felony convictions, fearing they will never become suitable citizen's, have difficulty finding employment, etc. All issues of Mental Health and not enough money put forth into State Mental Health Options, but, that is getting somewhat better but what is Washington doing about this? What will Insurance Companies be willing to Cover?

Bottom line, We truly are such a small number to such a huge issue..Mental Health!!! Media Outlets have over Saturated about prescription Opioid Abuse in which it is like if you are a Smoker, do you smoke in Public, heck you are NOT allowed to. Now they are going after E Cigarettes and Adolescent use of E Cigarettes. Not All of these Youths will continue smoking. Yes Nicotine is even more addicting than Opiates and has just as severe side effects or worse! But all of these Youths are not going to end up Vaping for life.

We know our situation as Chronic Pain Patients. We ARE in Pain and some of us has Intractable Pain. We are being physically harmed by how these Physicians has taken some of us from a certain dose and lowered drastically in some cases.

If you want to do something, go to the American Pain Society web site, find where you can write your story about your history of pain, treatment in past and how your physician has handled you since the Guidelines and the effect on YoU! Hope this helps, and please, MY Opinion based on Facts, Lou

I totally agree. What actually is happening is purely political. They are wanting the issue of illegal drugs to be quiet because there is absolutely NO Way to stop the influx into our Nation. It has been an issue since the 60s with Marijuana, the 70s/80s with cocaine and Crack Cocaine, the 2001 forward with designer drugs and 2010 forward with MFG opioids from China and the past Three years with Fentanyl added to the mix.

Because Washington cannot stop this they have to make noise over there so they do not have attention over here (meaning borders). This President expertise is coming back from the bottom and raising up to fame. Meaning, he promised an agenda and the Border was one. He set a timeline. Keep in mind, this President DOES NOT FAIL, in his mind. So he set a timeline and BY GOD he will meet it. To cover his tracks, he Can Now Say, he has done something about the drug problem. Well there is a drug problem and yes, some of the guidelines were very appropriate, I.e., hone in on Pill Mills, as well as restrict the amt of pills for a prescription to be realistic. But to take it as far as telling a physician if this patient had this kind of surgery, for post operative pain, the surgeon can only prescribe Tylenol or Advil is ludicrous. Every patient has a different set of circumstance as it relates to their pain. Other conditions could be exacerbate by the surgery or, there could have been problems in surgery, that the surgeon may not want to emphasize!!! Who knows, but pain is subjective based upon the individual. This just reinforces that the Task Force does NOT know about PAIN.

That being said, and with ALL the back lash, the LA County Medical Examiner is documenting which death is due to Opioid Overdose, ex.: accidental but legally prescribed, Heroin or Fentanyl, Suicide, Elderly, etc...Hopefully, they Will get a better idea of the true #s instead of lumping into 1 category. If you will notice, because of the back lash, you do NOT hear the President touting soo much about Opioid Overdose, Nor is the Media Airing on a daily basis. You see, Pain has NOT been a popular subject ever!!! Pain use to be associated with Weakness. Chronic Pain NEVER is talked about or Known amongst those in the mainstream. Even Today much like Mental Illness, why, well partly because there was NEVER a real issue. Why, Why, Why NOW...The Pill Mills have been Shut down, it did not take long, in fact, the DEA was NOT doing their job!!! That is where the problem Was, the Physicians Over Prescribing, Same thing. So, you will continue to see the rise in Opioid Deaths and the majority will be from Illicit Drugs. No Doubt about this.

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I "climbed" the WHO pain ladder as recommended by my neurologist for my chemo induced peripheral neuropathy and found that only Percocet worked for me...45mg/day. Not pain free but at least I can sleep better. We pain patients are being persecuted due to a hysteria created by PROP and one Dr. Kolodny...go ahead...look it up for yourself. It's unconscionable!

Then, contact your State legislators and tell them about the intractable pain you are enduring from your State Medical Board due to their inability/unwillingness to understand that pain patients across America are suffering horrendous and unbearable levels of pain caused by State Medical Boards and the DEA who are imposing non-evidence based medical rules regarding controlled prescription pain medications, resulting in severe pain medicine shortages, thereby forcing legitimate pain patients to seek pain relief from unregulated sources, causing a worsening of our fellow citizens suffering from Fentanyl poison and death!

We must each find the strength to tell them, and to tell them in numbers too big to ignore...or they will in fact...ignore us! 💜

Yes there is a lot to this issue, and seperation of the ODs is very good to do. I am retired law enforcement and we never let any of them go without knowing exactly what the person had taken, where is was acquired etc. No did not always get every answer but very close. Some of the politicians say a wall will not work because they believe most drugs come through the check points. If that is true than building the wall would free up those working the open border, and allow them to better scrutinize the things at the check points, and thus eliminate more of it, maybe they do not want it caught as possibly some of them are getting kickbacks. I can not accuse anyone. However i do not trust any of the ones that have been there for several terms they get to comfy. Also at $174,000.00 salary it seems odd that many of them become millionaires while they are there and there are not many ways to do that if that is there only salary, and if it is not than they are not doing what they where elected for. But that is no surprise nothing gets done as they are never all there together. I am embarrassed to say im from Vt and the Socialist Sanders made himself a millionaire while there. And in 2016 ue ran for pres and only vote once the entire year. He was not running the whole year, and he was not elected to leave the seat empty so he could run for pres. I think if they want to run for pres they should have to resign their seat and allow that states gov. Appoint someone to rep the people as not being there is not doing what they are being paid for. I do not know of sny job where you can just not show up to do something else, and still get paid and retain the job title. There are many things wrong with how the professional politicians have changed things this government was set up to be by the people not by profession politicians. Enough of me bitching about the useless congress i hope you all have a great sat night and all day Sunday