Pain meds

[Guest guest]

I have found that getting appropriate pain management can depend on where you

live. In GA, when I lived there, the pain docs that I knew of had a pretty free

hand to deal with your pain. In Illinois, evidently the state has something

against people taking the scheduled pain meds, even if they are needed, thus

docs really do not want to prescribe them, even the pain specialists.  When I

was in an acute flair the only meds that I found that would take care of the

pain was methadone and hydrocodone in combination. However, I only was given

that by a pain doc who insisted on " weaning " from the hydrocondone.

 

And I know how intense the pain from ReA can be. Just basically living a

nightmare at times. However, it should respond to prednisone.  The only problem

with that however is that prednisone can not be taken long term.  I do think

that pain is undertreated, at least in this country (US) because all the docs

are afraid of either the feds or state authorties coming down on them for

treating it in any very aggressive way (unless they are sure you are going to

die pretty soon, and sometimes not even then.

 

Now I take an standard anti-inflammatory, a couple of Tamadol and sometimes add

a vicodin.  For really bad flares or if I am going to be in a situation when I

am going to be more active than usual than I add some short term prednisone. 

Still does not quell all of it but does help.

 

Sorry for the rant, but the subject of pain control hits a nerve.