5 ms·

As european, may i ask from americans - what pains do you have so that doctors so easily prescribe hard painkillers? When taking into account that one can sue d

by atirip 11y ago

As european, may i ask from americans - what pains do you have so that doctors so easily prescribe hard painkillers? When taking into account that one can sue doctors easily in US, why they even dare?

Alex3917 11y ago
> what pains do you have so that doctors so easily prescribe hard painkillers? http://www.nap.edu/catalog/13172/relieving-pain-in-america-a-blueprint-for-transforming-prevention-care http://www.nap.edu/catalog/13172/relieving-pain-in-america-a... tl;dr - "Chronic pain conditions affect at least 116 million U.S. adults at a cost of $560-635 billion annually in direct medical treatment costs and lost productivity. [...] [It] is much more than a biological phenomenon and has profound emotional and cognitive effects. [It] contributes greatly to national rates of morbidity, mortality, and disability; and is rising in prevalence."
- atirip 11y ago
  Interesting, that is 50% of adults suffer from chronic pain. Thats a lot.
- DanBC 11y ago
  Although opioids should not be used for most types of chronic pain.
  - Alex3917 11y ago
    Well there is a lot of research showing that opioids aren't effective when used longterm. But the caveats are that most chronic pain isn't continuous, it's intermittent, so maybe only a couple days per month. And also there are ways to reset your opiate receptors to undo the damage from opiate use, which this research doesn't take into account. For most people weed is probably a better choice for chronic pain, but I also think opioids have a more negative reputation than is deserved.
    - DanBC 11y ago
      But also people with long term pain get better pain relief with exercise programmes and physio therapy than with opiates.
- raverbashing 11y ago
  I wonder what would be the % of cases of chronic pain that would be solved with weight management and moderate exercise.
  - DanBC 11y ago
    The bulk of disability (after mental illness) is musculo-skeletal. Very many of those people would benefit from exercise. Here's a programme from BBC Radio 4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06vkg24 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06vkg24 > If you struggle to screw the top off a jar, or use your arms to push yourself out of your chair, that's a sure fire sign, according to Dr Philip Conaghan, consultant rheumatologist and Professor of Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Leeds, that your muscles are weak. And the good news is that building muscle strength will protect your joints, not damage them. Dr Conaghan tells Mark that there's a worrying lack of understanding about the impact of muscle weakness on arthritic joints.
marcusgarvey 11y ago
Painkillers are often prescribed after serious surgeries, like knee or hip replacement.
maccard 11y ago
U.K. here, but im allergic to NSAIDS (as are many asthmatics) so they're immediately off the table for me. It severely limits your options when you're in pain.

by atirip 11y ago

Alex3917 11y ago

> what pains do you have so that doctors so easily prescribe hard painkillers? http://www.nap.edu/catalog/13172/relieving-pain-in-america-a-blueprint-for-transforming-prevention-care http://www.nap.edu/catalog/13172/relieving-pain-in-america-a... tl;dr - "Chronic pain conditions affect at least 116 million U.S. adults at a cost of $560-635 billion annually in direct medical treatment costs and lost productivity. [...] [It] is much more than a biological phenomenon and has profound emotional and cognitive effects. [It] contributes greatly to national rates of morbidity, mortality, and disability; and is rising in prevalence."

atirip 11y ago
Interesting, that is 50% of adults suffer from chronic pain. Thats a lot.
DanBC 11y ago
Although opioids should not be used for most types of chronic pain.
- Alex3917 11y ago
  Well there is a lot of research showing that opioids aren't effective when used longterm. But the caveats are that most chronic pain isn't continuous, it's intermittent, so maybe only a couple days per month. And also there are ways to reset your opiate receptors to undo the damage from opiate use, which this research doesn't take into account. For most people weed is probably a better choice for chronic pain, but I also think opioids have a more negative reputation than is deserved.
  - DanBC 11y ago
    But also people with long term pain get better pain relief with exercise programmes and physio therapy than with opiates.
raverbashing 11y ago
I wonder what would be the % of cases of chronic pain that would be solved with weight management and moderate exercise.
- DanBC 11y ago
  The bulk of disability (after mental illness) is musculo-skeletal. Very many of those people would benefit from exercise. Here's a programme from BBC Radio 4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06vkg24 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06vkg24 > If you struggle to screw the top off a jar, or use your arms to push yourself out of your chair, that's a sure fire sign, according to Dr Philip Conaghan, consultant rheumatologist and Professor of Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Leeds, that your muscles are weak. And the good news is that building muscle strength will protect your joints, not damage them. Dr Conaghan tells Mark that there's a worrying lack of understanding about the impact of muscle weakness on arthritic joints.

marcusgarvey 11y ago

Painkillers are often prescribed after serious surgeries, like knee or hip replacement.

maccard 11y ago

U.K. here, but im allergic to NSAIDS (as are many asthmatics) so they're immediately off the table for me. It severely limits your options when you're in pain.