The doctor who gave up drugs

[Suzyhayes]

Second part of the programme which caused a lot of controversy on this site last week. I wonder what the response will be to his suggestions for alternatives to drugs will be this week.

[Madlegs1]

I only saw the first programme- I thought he was very selective in his subjects. Muscle pain and depression- both of which are well able to avoid chemical interventions.

If he had taken on RestlessLegs syndrome- I would have been mightily impressed.

[deejames]

I am very interested in what he has to say. Yes he is selective in his subjects but his basic premise is one I believe in - reducing or stopping medication for conditions that might have other alternatives. He is right in stating that many drugs become inacfective over time and reducing medication through suitable exercise programmes is possible in many cases.

Dee

[Sheryl4659]

Hi Suzyhayes I haven't actually seen the programme but get the gyst of what it was about, I'm nearly at the end of an 8 week pain management programme which I was put on by my pain clinic.

The whole of the programme has been about alternatives to medication, we were told that pain relief medication is only 20% effective and that there is no such thing as breakthrough pain in chronic pain conditions. It's been all about changing habits, thoughts, the way we do things and pacing. I don't know about any one else but the only thing I have really gained from it, is that I have gained new friends who understand each other.

I feel that this is the way we are being encouraged to go, is to save the NHS money on medication for chronic pain sufferers, am I being cynical?

Any thoughts anybody, sorry for butting in on your post suzyhayes but I just thought it was a similar thing to what this Dr is doing.

Good wishes and hugs to you all Sheryl xx

[deejames]

I read all these comments a few days ago but not having watched the programme. Having done so I thought this doctor was remarkably brave to stick his neck out and say he was going to try to stop or reduce some patient's ( and doctor's) dependency on medication. Seeing Crystal in a gym learning a martial art after being so crippled , with her life so reduced , was emotional. And the girl who went swimming and reduced her anti depressants not to mention the walking group.

He acknowledge that GPS did not have the time and resources to spend with patients and that there needed to be much more support for therapy outwith the surgery but showed it can in some cases be done. I'd opt for his Drug Free clinic any day with the hope I could reduced my medication. I was chilled hearing about the damage to my body that years of strong pain medication will be doing. Well done Dr Chris.

I just wish he could have had more successful with antibiotics. If we carry on as we are all the other medications will not matter as dissemination will sweep the world with no remixes available. Science cannot always beat nature.

Dee

[ukmsmi4 in reply to deejames]

I agree Dee. I've now watched both the programmes and i don't have any problems with them. Yes it's not a one size fits all solution, but I don't think he was saying it is. Just that we and our GPs should, for the sake of our long term health, always explore other alternatives first.

Far too often GPs just push drugs on us as a quick fix because they just don't have time to sort the problem properly. But we are just as guilty for far too often expecting to be given that quick fix. I don't think we can blame individual GPs but instead the health system as a whole is far too reliant on drugs when it should concentrate much more on preventative medicine and delving further into the real causes of issues and treating the cause instead of just dealing with the symptoms. And therein lies the problem. It's not a one size fits all solution but GPs will never be able to fix the real issue unless they are given time to properly assess what the real issue is in the first place.

I think overall the message was right and even if it just helps some people to reduce the amount of medication that they take to those that are absolutely essential then I can't see who that is bad for.

I believe GPs should be much tougher on simply telling people, no I won't give you tablets without trying other avenues first. And like you I especially think that is so with antibiotics. The fact that GPs feel pressured to giving us antibiotics for what are most likely viral infections (and therefore will do diddly squat to help the illness) just because they don't have the time to do the appropriate tests to prove what the infection is, is ridiculous. And is part of a massive problem that is threatening to throw us back into the dark ages. Though there is much more to it like the massive over use of antibiotics in livestock farming.

Personally I thought he talked an awful lot of sense and it's about time the medical system started allowing GPs the time and resources to effectively treat people instead of tinkering with symptoms and pandering to what we think are our entitlements. 😷

Just my opinion though.

Gentle hugs, Margaret.xxx

[Suzyhayes]

I agree. I thought the two programmes were well balanced and any attempt to get patients to reduce the amount of drugs must surely be a good thing.

I know since I stopped taking so called pain killers I feel a lot healthier and my system feels clean. The pain is always present but it was when I was taking the drugs as well. The problem with most drugs is they have side effects and sometimes these can do a lot of damage long term.

[ukmsmi4 in reply to Suzyhayes]

Hi Suzyhayes

Well done for coming off pain killers, I bet that wasn't easy. Just wondered if you have managed to find any alternative methods of pain relief to replace the drugs. I have been considering asking my GP to taper me off my drugs for a while but because of ME I'm not able to do enough exercise to make a difference in terms of pain relief.

Currently I try relaxation and meditation, I'm considering mindfulness. I have lots of wheat bags and heat pads. I use epsom salts in the bath

I'd be grateful for any other tips though!

Gentle hugs, Margaret.xxx

[Suzyhayes in reply to ukmsmi4]

I did find Kratom capsules taken occasionally gave some temporary relief but they are not available here, and now banned in the U.K.

I bought some from Amsterdam but they are too expensive to have a constant supply.

Krantom comes from a natural leaf commonly used in the Far East countries and is used for pain relief with few side effects but the pharmaceutical companies see Kratom as a threat so have sought to have it banned as a legal high like medical canabis.

Otherwise I just try to keep my brain occupied to distract myself from the pain. I improve my French on duolingal on line, play scrabble on line, read, do crossword, listen to radio, watch TV, do exercises and walk and most importantly a couple of glasses of red wine in the evening.

Bon courage and bisous

[deejames]

Do try Mindfulness Margaret. I've slipped in my practice since I had surgery and my mood and ability to deal with pain has diminished I must must get back into daily meditations. Just 10 minutes is better than none. There are loads of free apps available

Dee