4 ms·

Painkillers are a massive plaster over complex inflammatory issues modern medicine can't yet properly diagnose and treat. (affordable) Doctors don't have the ti

Painkillers are a massive plaster over complex inflammatory issues modern medicine can't yet properly diagnose and treat. (affordable) Doctors don't have the time to do a deep investigation into root causes. As a result you get an outgrowth of snake oil salesmen and quacks along with legitimately well intentioned holistic healers building the alternative medicine industry. Most people with chronic conditions end up bouncing around in the second space until they get lucky or never find anything and suffer on painkillers for years before they die young. We really could do better.

dudyehhrf 6y ago
We have these things called opioids that are extremely effective at treating severe chronic pain but people decided weed was good enough because they saw John Oliver talk about it and that convinced them that depriving junkies was more important than ensuring patients be able to easily access the most effective medications.
- milkytron 6y ago
  Are you advocating that doctors prescribe more pain killers to treat pain instead of medical marijuana?
- salawat 6y ago
  Wow. That has to be the least well thought out, context blind post I've seen in a while. Especially given the fact the aftermath of the opioid epidemic are still being worked through. I mean, hell, I'm not big on the whole marijuana industry, but the products have been found to work and be effective for people without the deleterious effects on loved one's mental state. As someone who had an SO on a pain management regimen with them, who has had first hand experience with the effects on personality they can have, opiods are absolutely not the answer, likely for anyone but those already so far gone medicine has no other options but pallatative care. If anything, the damn things mar your loved one's personality and perception enough that they don't care or can't articulate the pain they are in. So I don't know about anyone else, but take your opiods and keep 'em. We'll use cannabanoids that take off 80% of the pain and inflammation out so the last 20% isn't an issue, with no need to worry about withdrawl, or adverse side effects.
- Nginx487 6y ago
  I have chronic headache, caused by some kind of vascular dystonia (still can't be properly diagnosed). I would say, opioid-based painkillers is a terrible way to treat chronic pain on a long-term scale. Not to mention harm it cause to your liver (especially when medicine has Acetaminaphen as one of components), all opioids have tolerance - sooner or later it would stop helping you, until you bump into maximum daily dose. Also, all opioids have withdrawal effect. Imagine yourself flying from one country to another, there's no way you can bring any strong painkiller with you, unless you want to be accused of drug trafficking. You have to bring prescription with you, see a doc in other country and buy medicine, it may take up to week. All this time you're going to experience pain AND withdrawal effect. I would not say about others, but I sincerely hope that soon would be available medical marijuana without affecting cognitive abilities, allowing you work, drive etc.
  - bill_from_tampa 6y ago
    The effectiveness of chronic opioids for pain is really patient and disease dependent. My SO has chronic abdominal and widespread somatic pain diagnosed with autoimmune small fiber polyneuropathy (by biopsy) and also chronic intermittent small bowel obstruction (diagnosed by gastrografin small bowel xray, thought due to peritoneal adhesions). Local surgeons refuse to try to lyse adhesions. But opiates have been helpful and remain helpful 8 years into the disease process. They are pretty much the only thing that helps (have tried pain psychology, acupuncture, physical therapy, occupational therapy, several antidepressants, lyrica, gabapentin, celiac plexus block). So persons with chronic (apparently incurable) disease with pain that responds to opioids <should> have access to the medication that helps. Maybe only 1/100 or 1/500 persons with chronic pain caused by an underlying disease do have a good response to opioids, apparently that was not your experience -- but please don't deny others the benefit of a medication that is helpful because you found it unhelpful!
- alpineidyll3 6y ago
  Bro, get help for your junk problem.

dudyehhrf 6y ago

We have these things called opioids that are extremely effective at treating severe chronic pain but people decided weed was good enough because they saw John Oliver talk about it and that convinced them that depriving junkies was more important than ensuring patients be able to easily access the most effective medications.

milkytron 6y ago
Are you advocating that doctors prescribe more pain killers to treat pain instead of medical marijuana?
salawat 6y ago
Wow. That has to be the least well thought out, context blind post I've seen in a while. Especially given the fact the aftermath of the opioid epidemic are still being worked through. I mean, hell, I'm not big on the whole marijuana industry, but the products have been found to work and be effective for people without the deleterious effects on loved one's mental state. As someone who had an SO on a pain management regimen with them, who has had first hand experience with the effects on personality they can have, opiods are absolutely not the answer, likely for anyone but those already so far gone medicine has no other options but pallatative care. If anything, the damn things mar your loved one's personality and perception enough that they don't care or can't articulate the pain they are in. So I don't know about anyone else, but take your opiods and keep 'em. We'll use cannabanoids that take off 80% of the pain and inflammation out so the last 20% isn't an issue, with no need to worry about withdrawl, or adverse side effects.
Nginx487 6y ago
I have chronic headache, caused by some kind of vascular dystonia (still can't be properly diagnosed). I would say, opioid-based painkillers is a terrible way to treat chronic pain on a long-term scale. Not to mention harm it cause to your liver (especially when medicine has Acetaminaphen as one of components), all opioids have tolerance - sooner or later it would stop helping you, until you bump into maximum daily dose. Also, all opioids have withdrawal effect. Imagine yourself flying from one country to another, there's no way you can bring any strong painkiller with you, unless you want to be accused of drug trafficking. You have to bring prescription with you, see a doc in other country and buy medicine, it may take up to week. All this time you're going to experience pain AND withdrawal effect. I would not say about others, but I sincerely hope that soon would be available medical marijuana without affecting cognitive abilities, allowing you work, drive etc.
- bill_from_tampa 6y ago
  The effectiveness of chronic opioids for pain is really patient and disease dependent. My SO has chronic abdominal and widespread somatic pain diagnosed with autoimmune small fiber polyneuropathy (by biopsy) and also chronic intermittent small bowel obstruction (diagnosed by gastrografin small bowel xray, thought due to peritoneal adhesions). Local surgeons refuse to try to lyse adhesions. But opiates have been helpful and remain helpful 8 years into the disease process. They are pretty much the only thing that helps (have tried pain psychology, acupuncture, physical therapy, occupational therapy, several antidepressants, lyrica, gabapentin, celiac plexus block). So persons with chronic (apparently incurable) disease with pain that responds to opioids <should> have access to the medication that helps. Maybe only 1/100 or 1/500 persons with chronic pain caused by an underlying disease do have a good response to opioids, apparently that was not your experience -- but please don't deny others the benefit of a medication that is helpful because you found it unhelpful!
alpineidyll3 6y ago
Bro, get help for your junk problem.