OPIOIDS
Q: My doctor is reluctant to give me narcotics for my back pain. I don’t understand what the big deal is. I hurt all the time due to arthritis in my back.
A: Opioids are medicines used to help relieve moderate to severe pain. They may be used for pain that you have had for a long time, such as for cancer or your arthritis. Opioids relieve pain by changing the way your body feels the pain and the way you feel about pain. They don’t fix anything, but they do help you manage the pain. We follow a strict set of rules for prescribing opioids to our patients who have chronic pain. They are strong medications and have to be used correctly and may be misused. Getting a prescriptions may seem hard to do and may seem that you doctor doesn’t trust you, but the rules are the same for everyone. He will go over your history and do a physical. Probably, he will want to know if you have seen a pain specialist. Missouri is in the process of developing a program that tracks opioid prescriptions, and will make it easier to see who is doctor shopping. You will probably have to get an occasional urine test to check for opioids in your system. If the doctor decides to use chronic narcotics on you, he will want to see you, frequently. The goal is pain relief and improvement in your ability to function. Other avenues may be discussed, such as injections, ice or heat, physical therapy or stress reduction. If he decides that long term narcotics are right for you, you both will sign an agreement that lays out exactly what will be expected. Follow up will be necessary to see you pain is controlled, if you are more active, if constipation problems are occurring and if there are any signs of narcotic abuse.
Dr. Rick Casey
Questions can be submitted directly to the providers, called in to Mercy Clinic at 417/876-5851 or submitted through their new App mymercy.net.
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