Help Protect Chronic Pain Patients

Ask the chronically ill patients with years of being their best advocate, what treatment has given a positive result?

Please STOP torturing us

This really has been affecting my life. I have multiple problems that cause pain. And i am not getting the treatment i need or deserve. This whole ordeal has been ridiculous for us patients. Feel as though we are being punished for being in pain.

I AM SIGNING THIS PETITION BECAUSE I SUFFER FROM CRONIC PAIN AND I AM ALSO FEELING THE AFFECTS DO TO THE LOWERING OF PAIN MEDS AFTER TEN YEARS OF EFFECTIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT AND YEARS OF CONDITIONING. GOD BLESS US.

I'm a chronic pain sufferer. I have never abused my prescription and don't even use the prescribed dosage.

Valid studies have shown vast majority of chronic pain patients treated with physician prescribed opiod therapy do NOT abuse/misuse their medication! Intractable chronic pain can - and should be determined by our pain management physicians well-acquainted with each one of his/her chronic pain patients as individuals and extremely familiar with each patient’s previous and present medical records and tests - NOT policymakers in abstentia who have absolutely no knowledge of pain patients as individuals nor of the medical records and tests which document our legitimate, pain-creating medical disorders. The vast majority of us who live with intractable chronic pain have given various “alternative therapies” significantly lengthy trials prior to having been prescribed opiod therapy for our relentless pain, and a good number of us continue to use various of these therapies in conjunction with our physician prescribed pain medication; however, neither I, nor the many other legitimate intractable chronic pain patients to whom I have spoken, have experienced any lasting or significant amount of pain relief through the use of “alternative therapies” alone It is so very wrong for policymakers to lump legitimately identified chronic pain patients into the same treatment category as those who choose to illegally use narcotics for recreational purposes! Legitimate pain patients get no pleasure, no “high” from their meds…only a measure of relief from never-ending pain as well as a measure of quality of life unattainable without prescribed pain medication.

Too often long term opioid therapy is the best treatment for people living with chronic intractable pain. Don't punish pain -- allow doctors and patients to determine appropriate treatment, not the legislature.

let drs be Dr's not some commission.

Stop punishing chronic pain patients for the actions of recreational addicts!

Show mercy and compassion

I too suffer from chronic pain. I have an undiagnosed auto immune disease and have been living with pain for almost 5 years as I’m allergic to many of the medications they’ve tried. Percocet seems to be the only drug that takes the edge off the pain. I honestly feel if opiates are restricted for chronic pain patients the suicide rates will skyrocket! I have tried all the holistic approaches that they would like us to use to taper off and though on occasion they have provided some relief I certainly in no way take away the intense pain that we live with daily.

Mass suicides. That is what will happen to people with pain due to disease, accidents, and those who are aging. There are NO substitutes that will help everyone. It has been proven that men and women have different levels of pain. Genetics play a role in how one reacts to pain medicine, whether a person needs more or less. There is no cookie cutter fix that will help everyone. Reduction or elimination of pain meds should NOT be done to anyone until there is a viable substitute that works for everyone. Alternative therapies do not work for everyone. The only solutions you would be giving pain patients is suicide or heroin. If you have aging parents, if your child or family is ever in an accident or develops a disease, are these two options what you really want them to have? And how about yourself. Be human. Do not do this until an alternative that works for everyone is available. We are years away from that. Stop the ridiculous, horrific, terrifying plan now before you KILL thousands of Oregonians!

This would be a sadistic, puritanical approach based on serious drug abuse issues but instead punishing an entirely different population.

I don't live in Oregon but it's happening in all states & we, chronic pain patients need help & consideration to have a quality of life like anyone else

I'm a Chronic Pain sufferer for the last 15 years. I felt I was "cured" a few years ago with a combination of acupuncture, talk therapy, and meds at about 200mme. Over the past 2 years, the forced tapering has increased my pain level exponentially as the numbers have dropped. I currently cannot function in anything close to the levels I could just a year ago. My Doctors have told me they were being threatened by the DEA, and they were never asked for any input about the issue. This was a unilateral move on the part of the government. Stop this now and let Doctors do what they feel is in the best interest of their patients.

STOP PUNISHING RESPONSIBLE CHRONIC PATIENTS! this is both cruel & inhumane

I'm a chronic pain patient, pain meds help me exist. I'm not an addict. My Dr. counts pills, does random urine tests, requires opioid education classes and has me see a therapist once a year to ascertain if I'm at risk for addiction. My pain keeps me from living, the medication helps me function a bit better. Don't let politicians decide.

Wow. Just Wow! Very well written! (standing ovation)

These new laws are not in the best interest of American citizens. We are all concerned about the illicit drug deaths but that’s exactly what they are. In 99.4% of all cases if a patients life is stable enough to see a doctor regularly they are not abusing anything. There are already more than enough sage guards to protect the 2% addict population. The doctors themselves, random urine testing, pill counts, pdmp, prior authorizations from insurance to provide even more scrutiny to the patient as to whether it’s needed. Why are you trying to deny all medications period. This is irrational and abusive to your patients and their families. Medicine isn’t a one size fits all. Active therapy doesn’t fix everything or everyone. These therapies are not covered and not cost effective. Patients on stable medication with no signs of abuse should not be stigmatized and abused any further The water bottle A lesson in the mindfulness of chronic pain I would like you to hold a water bottle at arm’s length. I would like you to think of that bottle as pain. It’s not really heavy at first. It’s bearable. But the longer you hold it the heavier it becomes. Keep that bottle out there for 5 minutes. It’s harder to hold now isn’t it. This has now transitioned from acute to chronic pain. Now what if you held this bottle for 5 hours? How would your arm feel do you think? It would be excruciating right? Almost too much to bear. But you could probably do it. What about 5 weeks? 5 months? 5 years? How desperate would you become to put this down. How would this make you feel inside this agonizing thing that you can never let go of on your own. Now what if I told you that not being treated for this condition adds a second bottle (depression)….a 3rd (anxiety) and it becomes overwhelming. Years have passed and your bottles have become buckets chained to you with new water steadily raining in. How would you feel if this happened to you? This is happening all ov

Tapering and ultimately relinquishing the use of opioids to people, particularly Medicaid recipients, who suffer with chronic, everyday pain, such as myself, is cruel and highly prejudicial. It is a basic human right to live without suffering, and it's a physician's duty to facilitate a treatment plan that provides a combination of therapeutic and medicinal relief for suffering individuals. The therapeutical approach by itself, such as with holistic medicine or physical therapy isn't always efficacious. For most chronic pain sufferers, physical measures coupled with opioid therapy provides the best possible outcome. It is extremely difficult to live every single day with pain, but it's nearly impossible to blend in with others who don't. There is incredible stigma associated with individuals who need medication for painful conditions. We are looked upon as weak, incompetent, lazy and/or dramatic. We face constant discrimination and ridicule. These demeaning remarks and innuendos lead/force people coping with painful conditions and disabilities into seclusion. Every individual yearns to feel self-worthy, self-confident and be considered a productive member of society. Taking away a human being's dignity to live with the least amount of pain through the use of opioid treatment is cruel. It fortifies the message that those people don't matter. I suffer with a congenital spine defect that has rendered me in constant pain. I wake up with pain; I go to sleep with pain. It is my constant companion. Enduring my condition is psychological warfare since my mind and my body are in a constant state of opposition. I WANT to vacuum my house. I WANT to take my son to the park, but my body is ultimately the sole proprietor of all decision-making. People who suffer with pain suffer in silence. The battle, however, is loud and clear within the mind. This leads to the onset of depression and the breakdown of their social skills. No one can deny that we are clearly in the midst of an