Pain Much Better off Opioids

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Patient disabled with CRPS/RSD markedly better after off opioids. The intense nerve pain began in his left ring finger eight years ago, not the dominant hand. Now he has pain everywhere below the neck. He has been bed-ridden for years.  Now his “bones feel like ice, freezing from the inside out and shaking.”

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Had been on Fentanyl patch 100 mcg/hr for years. Dose was lowered to 75 mcg/hr, then his pain specialist did an involuntary taper off in two short weeks. Both of those doses are far higher than the new CDC guidelines from 2016. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine.
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He says his pain is feeling much better off the opiates. He is quite surprised. On Fentanyl 100 mcg/hr patch, he rates his pain then as 6 to 8 on scale of 10.
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Pain is now  2 to 4 off opioids the last 3 to 4 weeks. Even the hands are not hurting as much..

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Initially after the abrupt taper, he spent 7 days in bed, then says he “started getting out a little bit, now hands are not hurting as much. Neuropathy even isn’t hurting as much.”

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I have seen several patients who said opioids caused pain, all over the body in places they never had pain before or since.

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Yes, clearly many are helped by opioids. But many are simply afraid to taper off. I understand this. The question then is, what will we do to treat pain? Most doctors have nothing else. Patients rightfully fear stopping opioids.

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We need to understand there is outstanding science that demonstrated years ago that opioids cause inflammation in the CNS (brain and spinal cord). Inflammation causes pain.

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Treat pain with glial modulators that relieve inflammation in the brain, neuroinflammation. These are off label and most of them must be compounded. Compounded medications are not covered by your insurance — thanks to pharmaceutical donations to congress.

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Cannabis (medical marijuana) can help some with spasm, pain, insomnia. Also not covered by your insurance — thanks to pharmaceutical donations to congress. But patients in New Mexico were able to get insurers to reimburse them for the cost of their medical cannabis.  Congress should allow dispensaries free access to banking systems and allow insurers to directly pay the cost for medical use. We all know the emperor has no clothes. Lets be real. Pain leads to desperate measures.

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Let me say right now, to all those who will send in comments attacking science, attacking me, attacking my clinical experience (my patient reports) on opioids, I will not post your attacks on these pages. I do prescribe opioids to select patients. I strongly believe all pain should be treated initially by glial modulators that relieve neuroinflammation before we begin causing pain and inflammation by ultimately having nothing else to turn to and then prescribe opioids. There is no better solution because pharma wants you on a drug for life. That’s money in the bank, forever, every single month for decades. It’s awful.

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The material on this site is for informational purposes only.
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It is not legal for me to provide medical advice without an examination.

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It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

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