Chronic Pain Management and the DEA

By Rob Streno Tuesday, January 09, 2007

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I said at the beginning that this is peripherally related to migraine, and this is the point where I tie it together. It is rare, but migraines sometimes transform into something called “migraine status,” which essentially means “a constant migraine.” Combine that with a high level of severity and no reaction to abortives or regular analgesics like ibuprofen, and the only way you can get any relief is likely going to be through “pain management.”

This is judicial and governmental stupidity at its absolute worst. If you care about people being able to get relief from their chronic pain without having to worry about going to prison for 25 years, call your congressional representative and let them know that these “zero tolerance” laws need to be changed to be more compassionate towards the people who need these drugs legitimately.

Do you think doctors will be less willing to prescribe painkillers for individuals with migraines or chronic pain, due to pressure from the DEA? Leave a comment below or post your opinion on the Migraine Message Boards.

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Comments (16) |

1/11/07 2:30pm

I can't take opiods but I suffer terrible from migraines. Sometimes they stay with me for weeks on end. If I could take the meds I would hope they could be prescribed for me. Heck, I wished there was something that could be prescibed for me now. ;-( The DEA needs to go after the real drug trafficers and leave the people in pain alone.

Ann

1/11/07 2:49pm

I have proof that doctors fear the DEA! My primary care physician told me he could not give me more pain meds for fear of being investigated!!

Country Pain

1/11/07 5:55pm

I have CPS, CFS, Migraines, Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis, IBS, GAD, and Depression. When I lived in a small Eastern KY town my MD told me to make pain my best friend and wouldn't give me the pain meds I needed, because of DEA stunts just as described. There are a few bad doctors and more bad patients, but if everything is well documented then I don't see the problem. Now I'm in a bigger metropolitan area and getting barely enough to live on, but my MD here said it is getting harder to treat chronic pain due to crazy government restrictions requiring them to see the patient every month, which limits the number of patients they can have because it leaves no room for new ones. It is a no win for people like me who have worked hard all our lives, now we have to be in pain the rest of the time. I can no longer work(no social security yet either 3 yrs now), clean house, play with my grandchildren, or shop due to any exertion making the pain so much worse I can't move for 2 or 3 days. If we quit letting big government give all our tax dollars to study animal sex or pay immigrants to come over here and have 5 American babies for us to feed, then the pain they would feel from the lobbyists might make them open their eyes.

Brian

1/12/07 7:37pm

The US medical system does an abysmal job of pain management. Nowhere is this worse than in terminal care, where problems from addiction are moot.

Bill

1/13/07 7:37am

the people at DEA should suffer the pain then they might learn to understand the purpose of pain medication and what is real criminal acts vs. desperate need for pain relief. And any doctor who doesn't treat the patient should lose their license.

Robert Engelbardt

1/13/07 4:05pm

For people having problems receiving a sufficient amount of narcotic medication from their regular physicians to control their chronic pain, I suggest that they search for a pain management clinic or a physician who specializes in this field. They are generally more experienced in dealing with the drug control authorities. In addition to being able to more freely write narcotic prescriptions, they can offer advanced chronic pain control treatments such as an implanted morphine pump which can provide relief at much lower doses of narcotic medications because they are applied directly into the spinal canal. Pain management specialists may also be aware of drugs for pain control that may be more effective than the typically prescribed medications.

i m not a drug seeker need help

6/24/09 7:23am

What do you do when you have daily migraines and pain clinic after clinic refuse to take you because you are a "headache" patient. I've been through about 8 now and a research University hospital just turned me down. I need help and can't find it anywhere??

Teri Robert, Health Guide

6/24/09 10:02am

I'm sorry to say that pain specialists generally aren't a good solution. Very few of them know much about Migraine and headaches. Their primary goal is to manage pain, but that's not the best goal of Migraine and headache management. With Migraines, it's just as important to prevent them as to treat the pain and other symptoms. Pain management specialists seldom know much about Migraine prevention, Migraine abortives, and total disease management.

It's important to note that neurologists aren't necessarily Migraine and headache specialists. Take a look at the article Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special? If you need help finding a Migraine specialist, check our listing of Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists.

Hope this helps,

Teri

Anonymous

11/27/09 10:08pm

Do we have any rights when these clinics turn us away? I'm tired of being treated like a drug addict when I need a pain shot for my migraine flairup. I thought it was illegal for someone to turn you away for medical treatment.

Gretchen

1/16/07 1:02pm

The Miss. State Board of Medical Licensure sent a warning letter to doctors a couple of years ago. My internist (primary care) doesn't prescribe opiods in his practice. He had one patient get out of control, and he has decided to refer a patient to a specialist who will treat the entire pain-causing condition. It's been inconvenient at times, but I respect him for it. My neurologist will not call in opiod refills or prescriptions. They have to be mailed or picked up at his office. He now gives me 30 Hycodan a month, but when he was prescribing Lorcet, it was a once-every-three-or-four months deal. He was worried about acetaminophin toxicity. A pain, because if I was calling, I was in the middle of a monster that hadn't responded to a triptan and was in no condition to either drive or wait 2 days for a prescription to grind through the cross-town mail.

SHARON

1/19/07 11:11am

i am so mortified that richard has to spend 25 yrs in prison for doing nothing but waking up one morning and finding out he has a disease that will not only leave him in need 24/7 but will live in chronic pain the same 24/7. why am i so intensely angered? i too suffer from chronic disabling intense pain 24/7 and have done so for these past 38 yrs but more so in the past 16 yrs. my life too has been turned upside down. one moment you are vital and running around and the next moment you can not get out of bed or move one single inch due to horrific horrendous searing pain. have you ever sat on the burner of your stove or decided to lie on your barbeque? i think not, but we who suffer this pain feel as though we are on those burners and we can not get off them. how dare the government choose to do this to us the people who make this country what it is today. how many of them live in pain and take these same drugs. i am so mad there is not words for me to describe my total feelings. thank you for listening.

Cynthia

3/ 3/07 3:42am

I KNOW the doctors take into consideration the DEA. It is an outrage that they have to check with them before taking proper care of a patient in any kind of pain. This has been intolerable for a few years now. It is still easier to get drugs around the corner where I live in a town of 3000 than to get a doctor to give me what I need. The police stopped arresting the drug dealers even after I kept calling and calling and went for the easy ducks. The doctors who were trying to help. I've had too many doctors tell me upfront "don't ask me for pain meds". That, before they even knew what I was there for which happened to be a kidney stone! I understand how they feel. Why they aren't complaining more I don't know except they are afraid to stick their heads above water and draw the attention of the DEA to them. The DEA is running the medical situation is this country. That should not be allowed. Other countries think we have gone insane with this.

Anonymous

3/13/07 8:37pm

Here something to post and send to drs.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=64929&nfid=nl

11/14/07 7:20pm

What A shame! It seems that all doctors are in fear of prescribing too much pain medication because of prosecution. why do people need too suffer? Not all people abuse medication! Doctor generally don't over- prescribe just a few "bad apples".

Debbie

9/23/08 8:42am

Rob, I am so happy you wrote on this subject. I am so angry and don't know who to write about this. On my last visit to the ER, I was told that my chart has been flagged. They would no longer be able to give me a narcotic to help with my pain. I wouldn't go there until my 3rd or 4th day of being on a 9-10 leval of pain, and exhausted all my other migraine medications. I am very careful with my medications, as I do not want to go into rebound. I have daily migraines, that I stay at a pain leval of 4-5. I do not take anything unless I start going higher then that. I did average going to the ER every 12-14 days. I see Dr. Young in Phili, which he is aware of how often I was being treated. Apparently, because I was prescribed percocet for a torned rotater cuff, I was considered a drug seeker. I had taken only one, which I explained to the Dr. They also can cause rebound headaches, and I was afraid to take them. I was also scheduled for surgery for my shoulder, and only took 4 percocet then. As you can tell I am not a person to take narcotics. This flag was done from what I understand through pharmactical, I guess federal. The pharmicist does not even understand from looking at my meds, why I was reported. He said it does make it hard for my dr's to give me any medication. This is so unfair, and really angers me. I know there are people out there that want the drugs, and we only want releif from the pain we are in. There has to be help, and I feel they have gone over board. I am so sorry for going on and on, but this is a very sore subject with me. Dr. Young did write me a prescription of Nubain, that I can give myself when I am in bad shape. At least that will bring it down some. Thank you for writing on this subject. I have wanted to, just didn't know where to begin.

Have a good day & pain free!

Debbie

j davis

7/23/09 7:29pm

Sadly many pain patiens are sent to 'pain clincis' where thay are subject to new age psychobabble and taught 'acceptance' of pain instead of being treated properly. We can all thank the cowards and sociopaths of the DEA for this situation! Many legitimate undertreated patients have been 'red flagged' simply because they seek relief fron intractable pain. If they are 'lucky' enough to reach a pain clinc they are subjected to humiliating pain 'contracts' and suspicionless urine tests. Fortunately where I live there is a thriving black market and should I find myself in this unenviable situation I would not hesitate to avail myself of there services.

Chronic Pain Management and the DEA

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