Help with advice about pain medication please

[Cn13]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here and posting about some help and advice for my husband. He has had chronic back pain since an accident in 2011. When we lived down the South of the UK he was prescribed various strong painkillers including tramadol, mst morphine and oromorph. The last medication he was on was a Fentanyl patch which was working fairly well. We have now moved to a new area of the UK with a new GP and they are very reluctant to prescribe strong painkillers. He is currently on Solpadol which are just paracetamol with some codeine and they are not offering much pain relief.

He was referred to the local pain clinic which was a 3 month wait for the appointment to be told (by a physio) that the solpadol is the strongest pain medication that can be prescribed. She said that these are the guidelines and they don't prescribe any kind of opiates anymore. I can't believe that this is the only help he is going to receive she also suggested he could try amitriptyline but he doesn't think these will work very well.

Does anyone please have any advice about what he can do next it is awful to see him in so much pain every day not really functioning properly.

Thanks for reading and I will welcome any advice please.

[Foxgal17]

I am sorry for your husband. He deserves better care. My advice is to find a doctor that will show your husband compassion by giving him something that will work. I have been through the same thing with cervical and spinal stenosis, and 5 neurological disorders. Gabapentin doesn't work. Don't let them try and give it to you.

[Victoriapain in reply to Foxgal17]

What medication do you take if you don't mind me asking? Xx

[paddy19]

I can not believe this i have the same problem with my back iwas on fentanyl 100mg patch but after using them for a while they didn't work so i was put on 40mg two times a day but they just take the eage of the pain,i to have amitriptyline,25mg i take when I can tell sleep they knock me out for 24/30hours your husband needs a lot more than solpadol i would try and get a new Doctor.i Feel for him

[Jan101]

Morning Carmel13n

I am truly sorry that your husband has to suffer like this. I have just started talking 90mg of slow releasing dihydrocodeine and 30mg of normal dihydrocodeine with 2 paracetamol 2 days ago for my spine and I truly can't believe how they have worked in 2 days it has reduced the pain to where most of the pain has gone. I have had 4 procedure done on my spine and I was still in pain but now in such a short time I have very little maybe twinges if I am on my feet to long. If his GP does not let him at least try these then maybe you need to see another gp. I can't express enough how they have worked for me and my sister she could not walk the length of her house and her legs would buckle and she would fall down now she also has no pain like me maybe a little if she is on her feet to long. I truly hope I have been of some help. Also I hope that your husband can at least try them. In 2 days I have some Quality of life back it's really lovely. I really wish you and your husband all the luck in getting him sorted. Sending you both warm hugs 🤗🤗xxx

[Victoriapain]

I'm currently using butrans patches prescribed off my gp. My surgeon recommended pain clinic but also said they may take me off my patches as they are reluctant to describe any opiods. I've stuck with my gp. It's shocking to think you poor husband is going through this. I live in the north east. Keep trying as like myself I couldn't imagine life without these patches. Tried many other ways of lessening pain. Good luck x

[frankdobermann]

Sorry to hear about your husband I have the same problem, and this is shocking to hear I personally would contact the nhs complaints dept I have used them before but not for this matter of my back, I don't know how your husband is surviving back pain can be very depressing as your whole body centralises around it! Luckily for myself I have a good pain management doctor who overrides what my GP says I'm currently on pain relief injections every 6months, lyrica for nerve pain and morphine slow release and oramorph, I can't believe a doctor would let one of his patients suffer! My first step would be change your doctor, then if no help contact the NHS complaints as no one should be made to suffer!

[Cn13]

Hi All,

Thank you all so much for your helpful replies and support. We have just moved to this area in July last year and since then we have registered with one GP who would give no medication to my husband and this new one we joined about 3 months ago and it is the same story no strong painkillers offered. I don't know if it's the area we live in which is South Yorkshire or what is going on really. The physio said these are the NHS guidelines that no opiate type medication is now offered. The solpadol does have 30mg of codeine in them but this is only taking the edge off my husband's pain.

Does anyone have any advice about trying to find a GP who would provide stronger pain relief. How would we know before we joined a new practice.

My husband has even thought about using CBD oil to maybe provide some relief does anyone know anything about this?

Sending you hugs too Jan.

[Foxgal17 in reply to Cn13]

I live in MA, USA. The docs are not prescribing opiates here now because there are so many overdosing on it. From info on this forum, I am seeing many from the UK are still being prescribed opiates by their GP, not pain management. You may have luck with a new GP, but you may have to go to several before you get help. Best of luck. God bless!

[Hidden]

Hello, I'm so sorry for you and your husband, this is very wrong. No one should be in pain and all health professionals should work to reduce the patient's pain. My GP is very good but my Pain Management Consultant at the Pain Clinic went through my meds with me and changed things as the Oramorph my GP had prescribed wasn't doing me any good. As this is more his specialist area my PMC could offer me several different options to tackle a very complicated problem (I have fibromyalgia on top of everything else).

Your husband needs to see the GP again, ask for an appointment to see a PMC and as that can take three months, to be prescribed some proper painkillers for the interim period. If not the he needs to ask his GP for a second opinion.

It might be worth finding out if he can take an anti-inflammatory like Ibuprofen alongside the Solpadol too.

I hope this helps, best wishes to you both.