Indiana’s love affair with drugs – Are they patients or criminals? Chronic Pain Rights

March 11, 7:29 PMIndiana Addiction Recovery ExaminerWendi Swindell

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Sigmund Freud used cocaine as medication to treat his own and others' depression and despair.

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Author and science writer Michael Pollan observed the following about Americans' illegal-psychiatric drug hypocrisy: "Historians of the future will wonder how a people possessed of such a deep faith in the power of drugs also found themselves fighting a war against certain other drugs with not-dissimilar powers” We hate drugs. We love drugs. Or could it be that we hate the fact that we love drugs?"

Sigmund Freud used cocaine as medication to treat his own and others' depression and despair. In the 1930s amphetamines were prescribed to treat depression; later amphetamines were prescribed for weight loss; while today amphetamines such as Adderall and Dexedrine are prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Alcohol was a recommended treatment for anxiety as late as the 1940s; and in the 1950s and early 1960s, psychiatrist Oscar Janiger treated the neuroses of Hollywood stars and other celebrities with LSD. Ecstasy was used in marital counseling during the 1980s, and today researchers are studying it as a possible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Opioids can potentially be used, either short-term or long-term, for any severe pain. They are widely accepted as the preferred treatment for acute pain and chronic pain associated with cancer. Although the use of opioid drugs on a long-term basis to treat chronic non-cancer pain is still controversial, pain specialists now agree that selected patients can benefit. When used appropriately, these patients can experience sustained pain relief with tolerable side effects and little risk of ever developing addiction. As pain relief improves, patients may be able to function better and experience a much improved quality of life. (Pain.org)

People with chronic pain should understand the difference between physical dependence and addiction. Unreasonable fears about addiction should not be the reason that doctors refuse this therapy or patients refuse to take it. Although some people believe that opioid drugs are only appropriate for certain kinds of pain, doctors are unable to accurately predict which pain problems will not respond.

Pain Patient’s Bill of Rights

You have the right to:

-Have your pain prevented or controlled adequately.
-Have your pain and medication history taken.
-Have your pain questions answered freely.
-Develop a pain plan with your physician.
-Know what medication, treatment or anesthesia will be given.
-Know the risks, benefits and side effects of treatment.
-Know what alternative pain treatments may be available.
-Sign a statement of informed consent before any treatment.
-Be believed when you say you have pain.
-Have your pain assessed on an individual basis.
-Have your pain assessed using the O=no pain, 10=worst pain scale.
-Ask for changes in treatments if your pain persists.
-Receive compassionate and sympathetic care.
-Receive pain medication on a timely basis.
-Refuse treatment without prejudice from your physician.
-Seek a second opinion or request a pain specialist.
-Be given your medical records on request.
-Include your family in decision-making.

The illegal-psychiatric drug hypocrisy in the U.S. is an ugly triumph. It is a triumph for those comfortably atop society who would rather Americans view their malaise as exclusively a medical rather than a social problem. And ultimately, it is a triumph of injustice and greed over human rights and a sane society. (Alternet.com) Be kind to yourself today. Peace

Pain Patients Bill of Rights: www.aapainmanage.org/info/BillOfRights.php

Pain Forums (Excellent website for those in chronic pain): www.spine-health.com/forum/pain-management/basic-rights-pain-patients

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