Develop procedures and/or testing to separate addicts from pain sufferers!
As an advocate for chronic and intractable pain awareness and laws (and being a pain sufferer myself), I wrote this petition to appeal to you (President Trump, CDC, FDA and DEA) that we understand the war on drugs and wanting to stop the overdoses, abuse and addiction caused by illegal use of various substances (including opioids) is justified. However, it is causing harm to real chronic and intractable pain sufferers. The harm goes from a low to no quality of life to suicide! We deserve to be treated like human beings and taking away a big part of pain management is inhumane.
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Many strategies and options exist to treat chronic noncancer pain. Since chronic and intractable pain is not a single entity but may have myriad causes and perpetuating factors, these strategies and options vary from behavioral methods, alternative medicine, rehabilitation approaches and using several different medications, including opioids to help the pain sufferer.
We now are looked at as addicts and abusers when in fact many of the pain patients that I have come in contact with throughout the world are just the opposite. They follow their doctor's guidelines perfectly. The biggest question that is asked all the time is "what does it feel like to get high"? Pain patients medications are going to the areas of the body to help their pain and thus no extra medication to get high. Treating pain sufferers is very difficult. Treatment plans made by a team of doctors is the best way. This includes, internal medical doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists. physical therapists, dietitians, alternative medical doctors, holistic medicine and homeopathic medications. I realize this is a lot of specialists, but I feel they at least should be available to the patients.
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Our bodies are all different (as you know) so using a one size fits all way of treating pain will not work! We have no problem with some all-inclusive pain treatment plan using other methods with the opiate treatment, but just cutting people down to a one size fits all approach to opiates is insane and will cause more suicides with the pain population. You may help the abusers, overdoses, and deaths from those individuals you are trying to help, but you will cause more suicides and deaths from those pain patients who really need their medications. This makes our pain sufferers collateral damage!
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We are tired of being collateral damage in the "war on drugs"! This war has been going on a long time and you have all had issues separating addicts and abusers from those people who have chronic and intractable and need opiates and other medications to have some semblance of normalcy.
This is a violation of our human rights! Please stop the suicides and treat chronic and intractable pain sufferers with treatments that their physician deems appropriate!
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