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I am not sure if it's legal in your state, but have you looked into medical marijuana? You do not have to smoke it like lots of people think. It helps with pain and inflammation among other things. It keeps you calm and able to handle stress like an antianxiety medication would. There are educated pharmacists that can help find what helps you. Before going into a nursing home, my father ate edible cookies. It helped him when his medications wore off, took his constant, chronic knee pain away. He also had trouble swallowing food and when he took this, the problem went away. it is a different option that does not include medication. I just wanted to express this other option to you. Please know there are other options even though you might not feel that way right now. Please talk to someone and do research. I hope this helps you in some way, even if my just chiming in might show you we all care on here and we are here for you. This has been a great helpful website for myself and my father and i hope you give all these people a chance to help!
Peace to you.
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Agree with the medical marijuana. Those patients take the THC in pill form & do not smoke it.
I am for any pain mgmt option.
Re: traction- several years ago I developed numbness & tingling down an arm and neck pain. MRI showed cervical spine herniation. My Ortho also prescribed cervical traction and it worked 100%! I have never had a problem since (knock on wood).
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I understand what you are going through. I have suffered from chronic back pain for the past 20 years, have had 4 surgeries and have taken all types of pain meds. A good pain clinic can find the right medication for you. There are all types of other medications that can help your pain and they may not be prescribed for pain. I have taken Suboxone that is actually used for opioid addiction. It is used as an "off-label" pain medication. I no longer take Suboxone, but am now taken Methadone, which is commonly used for heroin addiction but is also used for pain. I am very happy with Methadone that I take in a tablet form of 5 to 10mg per day. For me, it works so much better than any other pain medication I have used and I don't get that "buzz" that you would get with Oxycontin or other opioids. Yes, there is the problem of becoming addicted and having withdrawals when you stop, but so does everything else.
Lately, getting help with pain can be a difficult task in the United States. You almost feel like a criminal when you ask a doctor for pain medication, and the pharmacies are becoming more and more stringent and unreliable with their stock. Opioid addiction and abuse is a serious problem and our country is dealing with it with some extreme methods.
I moved to Mexico 5 years ago, to a location where there are thousands of American expats. And, although my reason for moving was not for seeking pain medication, it is much easier to get pain medication in Mexico, and cheaper to get medical care. There are many very good doctors here that speak English and they have excellent modern medical facilities. A doctor's visit for a specialist costs around $50 US and about $5 for a family doctor. I pay about $150 US for 100 10 mg. tablets of Methadone, which is 2 doses. So the box will last about 100 days, about a 3 month supply. So, my meds cost me about what my co-pay would be in the U.S. Same for doctor's visits.
Moving to Mexico may be extreme for you, but I have met many other expats that have moved to Mexico for health care reasons. I came because of the weather and the cost of living. And fate would have it that my pain is under control with medication.
One last note. I had a cervical disc replacement done in Mexico and all went well. My U.S. insurance footed the bill.
Whatever you do, I hope you find relief and that you do not have to go through difficult hurdles to get there.
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I agree that it is time for a re-evaluation as to pain meds - if not working then it might be getting into addictive stage - cut your losses & try to go a better route - opioids sound good to start with, but are bad in long run - I refused to take them home with me when I came home from bi-lateral knee replacements due to press about celebs getting into trouble taking them - I'm not sorry I chose to go with the nerve calming route [gabepenten sp?] & I recommend this over the overblown opioids

My dad is a retired physician/surgeon & he told me about a friend whose med wasn't covered because it was a lotion but the ointment [or vise versa] was but the same med so talk to the pharmasist to see how to get things covered - FYI you are paying for that info in the price of your meds so use that to your advantage
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