Morphine, Aggressive doctor, Advice.

[Ricardo70]

Hi all,

I have had chronic pain for well over 7 years. I've been through the the pain management program twice. I have volunteered to try every alternative non opioid medication available in the UK. I eventually relented through advice from the doctor and being constantly in pain. I've been on morphine in one form or another for nearly three years. I am able to live a reasonable lifestyle as the medication controls my daily pain enough to make life livable. My doctor is now constantly pressuring me to reduce my dosage then eventually stop taking it. I have asked if there is any alternative to help me since I've tried everything else. So they expect me to reduce my dosage to zero, then accept they can't offer an alternative and finally spend the rest of my life in pain. I understand there is an opioid crisis in America and now here in the UK but surely genuine people who need the help are getting swept up in this aggressive behaviour from the very doctors who prescribed them.

I take 30mls of liquid morphine a day. Is this a very high dose, according to my doctor it is???

I haven't been constantly asking for more and more and been on the same dose for nearly two years.

Can they demand I stop taking some form of pain management completely and leave me in constant daily pain???

Sorry for the chapter and verse but I desperately need to know where I stand, my rights as a patient and what reasonable action I can take to get help. I'm absolutely terrified I'm going to be left, forgotten and in constant pain with no hope.

Please help, any advice will be gratefully received.

Bless you all and stay safe.

[Neckback]

I think a lot of doctors are being driven by government guidance with regards to getting people off chronic pain medication(google it).

It’s sounds that your pain is factual(Scans etc...) and not undiagnosed?

I would go down the Human Rights path with regards to protecting your medication: bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.c...

I am interested in any information you can pass on with regards to Pain Management as my solicitor for a car accident that I was involved in is trying to push me down this path. I take Gabapentin and CBD oil for my own pain management and I have been offered further surgery to try and alleviate my symptoms, which is riskier than my first surgery and has no guarantee of being fully successful. I am somewhat perplexed as I know that I manage to a degree with my everyday life and only surgery can offer me a potential better outcome of success with alleviating my symptoms and all the drugs or teaching me to suck eggs won’t help.

[Ricardo70 in reply to Neckback]

Having been through the pain management system it goes a lot like this. "Well we have alternative ways to help you deal with your pain." "Try meditating through the severe pain by chanting ooohhhmmmm." If that doesn't work how about some positive thinking! Then there's the process of acupuncture, IF it works for you, which in my case it didn't. One of the best ones is, exercise!! Great suggestion, I'm in so much pain walking down the road will cause me MORE PAIN AND DISCOMFORT IDIOT??!! I even had one German doctor suggest part time work for Christ sake! Then there's the mental health aspect of suffering with chronic pain, feelings of helplessness, frustration, anger and self loathing. The problem is the so called medical experts created this problem by prescribing opioids with thoughtless abandon and now innocent people with genuine pain are being made to pay and suffer for THEIR MISTAKES!!Thank you for the information it's nice knowing there are people who actually care. Good luck with your surgery I hope it works for you.

[Neckback in reply to Ricardo70]

Thanks for the insight on the pain management, it’s just what I have envisaged unfortunately. I’ve chosen not to have more surgery as the greater risk of paralysis is daunting, I will only go down this route now if things deteriorated to the point of being unable to function at all.

[Scotsman53 in reply to Ricardo70]

Pain management works well for some people, I know because I'm one of them! Don't try to put people off what might be a godsend for them just because it didn't work for you.

[Ricardo70 in reply to Scotsman53]

I'm glad it's working for you bud but I have a right to tell people about my personal experiences. At no point did I say don't give it a go so please don't try and tell me what I can and can't say when it's my own personal opinion.

[Scotsman53 in reply to Ricardo70]

I'm sorry but you said "I've been through it, this is how it goes". A naive person could easily get the impression you know what you're talking about. Many people are easily influenced, as we see in political developments in recent years.

[Ricardo70 in reply to Scotsman53]

Having been through the pain management program no less than four times in two different counties I am speaking from personal experience. Your getting confused, it's not the dedication or professionalism of the NHS staff that are in question here. I have always been treated with kindness, respect and understanding. The issue is the tools they have at their disposal. Medical sciences do not fully understand the human body and as each person is different some treatments work for some like yourself and not for others like me. My frustration comes from being repeatedly put through a process that clearly doesn't work for me. Unless you're the Dali Lama it's almost impossible for us mere mortals to meditate away severe pain.In conclusion everyone has the right to voice their opinions and speak of their own experiences.

What you don't have a right to do is tell me that my opinion is wrong or discredit my personal experiences as "not knowing what I'm talking about"

I can't understand why you feel the need to bring politics into the discussion? Stating that millions of people have been influenced by certain political views is completely irrelevant here. Personally I'm very happy with the latest political developments. Were no longer being governed by biased EU politicians, nonsensical regulations and bargain basement officials who constantly dip thier grubby fingers into UK's pocket, sound familiar??

I personally support the Scottish government, it's about time they stood on your own two feet instead of being spoon fed by the English, but I digress one dream at a time.lol

God bless and stay safe my friend, and remember if we all walked in the same direction we would never meet.

[Petrina_gmfc]

Hi I have been on morphine tablets to take during the day and at night I take the liquid when I need it and it helps me with my joints just now as I am not on anything for my arthritis as I having pains in my stomach and I am having problems with my liver and they are trying to find out what is wrong with it I also have a cough (it is not that cough) when I cough I am bringing up stuff with blood in it so I am just waiting on my results for my lungs .I just hope I don't wait too long for them .

[Betsy50]

Hi ricardo70 oh I hear every word you are saying !!! Okay so I was on morphine for 6 years due to a really bad flare up of back pain and horrendous sciatica!!! I had back surgery in 1999 and have suffered constant flare ups ever since. I have alot of nerve damage etc do onto the morphine issue my brain fog got so bad I decided to come off them on my own choice. I tapered for 6 weeks and it was hell !!! Some days I wanted to through the towel in but I didnt I got there and I can honestly say I have my brain back !!! The downside is yes my pain level is sky high again but I've had a telephone consultation with Painmanagement just recently and told them it scares me that not one doctor gave me a review and how many other people are just left on this medication !!! I'm waiting to hear from them again soon and I've got loads to say to them. Pointed out via feedback form that once a patient has attended pa6theu shouldnt need to go back through the system from start should be directed straight to consultant. As you say they put is all on this stuff but I just feel reviews are a very important role and they DO need to find alternatives that actually work !!!!

[katieoxo60]

Good afternoon Ricardo70, I have been through a similar situation with opiods, but realise the dose you are taking does seem high as it is liquid morphine. In England there are many anti inflammatory drugs . I can't take them due to other illness so hence the opiods. In your case you ask a question about being left in pain, they have to do what is best for patient. Remember if you stop treatment due to shortage of drugs they must offer an alternative. You need to discuss this with your GP they may be able to eventually find something that does work for you. Stay well & safe

[Ricardo70 in reply to katieoxo60]

Boy have I gone through all the alternatives. I just hope they treat me like a human being instead of a prescription drug addict. Stay safe. xx

[katieoxo60 in reply to Ricardo70]

Know the feeling, we are not addicts just have no alternative but with the right pain relief we can stay reasonably active, I'm the slow train to the local shop takes 45 minutes to cash machine. Of course I could buy a mobility scooter or wheelchair like others do. Hope you find a drug alternative to morphine best wishes, stay safe and well

[Ricardo70 in reply to katieoxo60]

Bless you, stay safe and well and thank you for your response. xx

[scholey23]

Hi Ricardo70 I have been on Morphine and now Hydromorphone since 2007. I have also tried many treatments to help with pain. I eventually contacted a pain specialist who used two types of pain control depending on the type of pain. I researched the subject of pain and came up with a company called MEDTRONIC. Through this company and the pain doctor I had a drug pump inserted under the skin with a catheter to the spine and have morphine constantly dripped into the spinal column. It uses far less morphine it requires refills via a needle into the pump and has seriously reduced my pain from 10/10 down to a liveable 3/10.I live in the U.K. and attend the WALTON NEUROLOGICAL CENTRE for refills about every three months.

Talk to your doctor about this. Good Luck.

[Ricardo70 in reply to scholey23]

Thank you for your exceptional response. I will definitely look into it. xx

[Callie789 in reply to scholey23]

Thank you so much for sharing this information. This gives me hope! Wishing you continued relief.

[completely-zero654]

Hello Ricardo70, I too am on Slow release Morphine x 4 daily and liquid Morphine (OraMorph) for when the pain gets really bad, Gabapentin 2800 daily, Baclofen 8 daily, Clonazepam x 4 night, Diazepam for when I have those spasm (like a Chinese Burn but never lets go), Venlafaxine for depression x 4 daily, Omprazole to stop any feeling of sickness, Lactulose to help with going. Have had facet joint injections which did not work, numerous MRI scans and x-rays, also been on a programme at pain clinic, acupuncture, physio, hot & cold treatment at hospital, 10's machine doesn't even touch the pain, spoken to a physcologist. This was all before I went on any of the tablets and Morphine and it was the pain doctor at the hospital who put me on them and when one did not work gave me another to go with that and so on, finally it got to the slow release Morphine which helped for a little while like the others, then went back to the pain clinic and saw a really decent German doctor who put me on OraMorph and can honestly say that the combination of all these help, but if I try to live a normal life I can't. Have been registered disabled for nearly 20 years now and instead of my joints getting better they have got worse. Even tried some exercises for my particular back problems but too much pain to do them, do not know where I would be without the Morphine as there is nothing else that will help unless they have brought out a miraculous cure for an inoperable back problem.

If they do bring out a cure please let me know as I, like you have chronic back pain and just can not do a thing without taking Morphine to help me throughout the day and night.

Take care and please keep taking the Morphine if it helps you like it helps me too.

[Ricardo70 in reply to completely-zero654]

Thank you so much for your response, I am completely with you and I'm so pleased that you understand.👍

[completely-zero654 in reply to Ricardo70]

Dear Ricardo 70, thank you for your kind words, I just wanted to say thank you for your acknowledgement.🙂x

[morphalot]

Hi - I've had severe back pain for 10 years. I''ve had several operations, one of which was the insertion into my spine of a spinal stimulator or neuromodulator. This was accompanied by pain management course at the hospital that provided the implant - In my case, St Thomas Hospital in London. I would speak to your GP regarding a referral to any of the several hospitals that offer this treatment. GPs are trying to reduce morphine prescriptions because it is the wrong way to treat chronic pain. I was on morphine and oramorph for about 4 years and am convinced it was responsible for the 2 strokes I had in 2014 and 2015. After the first stroke I took myself off morphine (in 2 weeks) and have never looked back.

[Jenles]

I believe that opioids supposedly don’t work well for chronic pain. Certainly I have been prescribed one or other (morphine, codeine, Tramadol) as well as Gabapentin and Paracetamol. I used to take an anti inflammatory med as well, but that was stopped when I was in hospital with a heart problem. They prescribed Codeine instead and when I next saw my GP it was suggested that, since I was unable to take the anti inflammatory med, I try Tramadol in its place. (It was my request to come e off the opioids -not my drs.) as I don’t like having my system filled with them. All the drs I have seen in the last several years have a actually or virtually made the decision to prescribe them.I have arthritis, fibromyalgia and a host of other problems, and have also attended two pain management courses. ( I would really like Tom ow that those who design and/or run these courses have ever suffered from chronic pain!)

I have also had two major spinal surgeries - the first for two seriously prolapsed discs while the second was a 4 level lumbar fusion. Each worked for a time...

Personally, I think that within reason you should be able to take whatever is helping you. But it is possible that you are unaware of side effects that your doctor suspects or has noticed. Have you asked him or her why they want you to stop?

[Ricardo70 in reply to Jenles]

That's the question, apart from my pain I'm fairly fit. Heart rate, blood pressure, lung capacity all good. I have no side effects at all. Had my bloods done to check my kidneys and liver and again no problems. It's all down to the problems they created prescribing opioids willy nilly over the past twenty years. Look what happened in the USA.

[Jenles]

I have heard good reports about St Thomas’ Hospital. I think I should wait until the Covid crisis is over though.

[Ricardo70 in reply to Jenles]

Good idea, best to wait until the pandemic is over love.👍