Opioid Use and Opioid Cessation: From the Perspective of Chronic Pain Patients

Jenna Goesling, PhD
Assistant Professor and Clinical Psychologist, Anesthesiology
University of Michigan

[kenaultman]

As a nurse who worked in a pain clinic, this lady is so far off the mark I'm speechless.

[wordswithyoda]

It would be a reeeeally good idea for you to have a guest speaker…who is an actual chronic pain patient. You’ll get a lot more data than these graphs

[TuxyKat]

Update: I have now been totally off my pain meds (Dr forced) for 5/half mths. My life doesn't have much meaning anymore. Just pain to deal with every day. Basically bed bound, wait days to shower, haven't washed my clothes (in shower) for 5 mths. I just can't believe they would leave me like this. I need knee and hip surgery soon. Possibly neck surgery also. I was told a few yrs back that Rheumatoid Arthritis is not curable, the pain would get worse, would need surgeries, and the medication for it has bad side effects and could hurt you in other ways. I now know. I didn't realize how bad it was until I didn't have any numbing for the pain. And I'm not going into a hospital right now. What's the use? Every morning I wake up in a very dark mood, with very dark thoughts. I have to do this AGAIN!! I'm not sure how long I will last. I'm on Disability and paying 950.00 a mth rent in a motel room..with my best friend, Angelcat. She's the reason I'm still here. Back in 2016, my Dr cut my meds too much. I ended up losing everything. Job, apt..16 yrs each, both I loved, and all my belongings. By May 2017, I was homeless in my car, broke, for 4/half mths. I was 59 then, sleeping in my car. This happened only because I was in pain, and the new guidelines made a Dr go overboard cutting my pain meds. I lost everything, and I still suffer from PTSD whenever I have to go anywhere. If I had enough money, I would be buying pain meds off the street, even heroin. Just want to not feel pain anymore. I can't stand over 10 min. How will I go for walks every night with Angel? I can't even be a good pet owner anymore. I know they could care less. I'm so tired of having someone else decide how much pain I will live with, and what my quality of life will be. Day to day, struggling quite hard. I'm on a dual Medicare/ Medicaid plan now. Won't cover what I'd been taking for yrs. Gave me the name of an equivalent, but I can't find it. I also have to change Drs. It's hard to find one that would prescribe Opiates. I know it's the only thing to help me be more mobile. I need to make calls to see a new Dr. Which means I have to sit there, not really looking like anything is wrong with me, no wheel chair, etc. and try and convince a Dr how much pain I'm in. No dout he will have a list of other remedies I have to try, which I have tried. I'm not willing to go through that anymore. I've basically given up, and will no doubt die in this motel room.

[irenehansen]

PEOPLE WANTED TO KEEP THEIR OPIOIDS! Are you kidding? If it isn't broke don't fix it. This woman needs to FEEL PAIN!

[annefuqua]

When you say opioid user, it sounds like you may be referring to non-medical use. These patients started opioids because they were prescribed by a healthcare provider.

[WireWeHere]

Anyone wishing to speak as a qualified representative of chronic pain patients and their use of opioids should be obligated to seek the approval of an audience of chronic pain patients and their loved ones before being permitted to influence others.

[BillyBob-trjr]

I cannot imagine how infuriating it must be to listen to this lady lecture if you suffer from chronic pain

[irenehansen]

COMPARING SMOKING WITH PAIN! She needs to be investigated and EVERY DOLLAR ACCOUNTED FOR!

[QueenJellyBean]

Taking away pain medication from chronic pain sufferers does not reduce drug abuse. Those who were obtaining them simply to “get high”, most likely were never in pain in the first place, so they will move onto heroin, or whatever other substance they can then use to get high. The pain patient is then either going to live their life suffering, try to end their life, or a small percentage of those will turn to the streets for “relief”. Most patients who have their medications taken away are not going to turn to heroin, they’re going to suffer.

[kmkcopkiller]

Terrible terrible terrible I can't beleive these are the "professionals". Disgusting...

[Friskyhorton]

Her problem is that she doesn’t believe what the patients say.

[coolcreamykiwi]

The point people like this woman miss completely is some severe pain is simply not tolerable. When pain is long term and severe it is like be cornered in a cave by a grizzly bear with no escape. Teaching people what life with severe chronic pain is like, is like trying to teach someone to swim without ever stepping in the water... "us and them" is the first clue she has no clue...

[irenehansen]

No kidding after the pain ceases you stop using the medicine. 49 patients. WOW, you really did a good survey.

[bonnieplastino]

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. I CANT WALK I GOT (3) TYPES OF ARTHRITIS DID EVERYTHING AND INJECTION THEY ALMIST KILLED ME WHY DONT YOU HAVE YOUR KNEE EATING AWAY FROM THE MONSTER THAT GR OJ WS INSIDE STAB YOU BURN YOU TILL YOU PEE ON YOURSELF CAUSE YOU WONT LET MEHAVE MEDS YOU
CANT HEAR ME. YOU DONT WANT TO HEAR ME YOUR CRAZY LUNATIC

[BethHutch-pgyi]

the doctors and i have tried everything for 1 2 years now my pain is out of the ballpark so I DO NEED SOMETHING

[HVACinstructer]

Very poor presentation, she hasn’t lived with chronic pain for one single day. With Methadone and Morphine I ran a business for 34 years before be forced to retire because my degenerative disc disease got worse and the CDC kept me from be treated adequately.

[greg]

People who don’t have pain shouldn’t be able to talk about, and definitely not set the rules for it.

[chynz]

The title should say Perspective from people who once used opioids but were able to stop for whatever reason, maybe they’re not in as much pain or really didn’t need to be on it for life. It’s clearly not from chronic pain patients because if they’re able to stop without killing themselves than they’re no longer chronic pain patients. How is this not obvious to them?

[jonasghafur]

as a med student who had issues throughout my childhood, youth and are ongoing in my still young adulthood, i am appaled by this open call to ignore the obvious endless suffering pain patients that have to live their lives every day with a condition so horrible, it left them with no choice but to resort to opioid pain control. The politically and ideologically tainted scientific put forward by this woman that has more experience than anyone should need to recognize the cruel indifference on display. I have no qualms to go so far as to call this an instruction for medical malpractice to the extent of fitting the description of torture. This appalls me so deeply i am sick to my stomach. I hope to never ever in my career be so heartless to my patients i swore and oath to protect from undue pain and suffering.

[kmkcopkiller]

This disgusts me so much...."alternative pain management" no patient that i know is genuinely happier without their opiates....no one is saying they feel better by doing "alternative methods" ya know why? Because no one just gets thrown on opiates first thing....they have most certainly tried many of these other treatments before ever being on opiates...