Fibromyalgia is the new Low Back Pain

[humbolt]

I have low back pain. I could be faking it, but I think it has more to do with the three exploded discs than any faking. I don't take anything as I have an extremely high pain threshold. I'm fortunate in that regard. If someone is in pain and requires drugs to relieve it, furnish them. It's very, very difficult to make a judgement regarding the pain experienced by others. I have no doubt there are fakers. So what. (How many politicians of late have claimed they could "fix" the economy? One in particular claims he already has). If a person is faking fibromyalgia in order to obtain drugs, what makes anyone think that such a person wouldn't get the same drugs through a different source if they were denied them for faking fibromyalgia?

 

[Rocketman]

Any medical professional who ever accuses a patient of "faking it" when they complain of pain should lose their professional license permanently.

and why is that? it happens all the time

 

[Muhammed]

and why is that? it happens all the time

That's the problem. They should all lose their license to practice to help mitigate the problem.

 

[Rocketman]

That's the problem. They should all lose their license to practice to help mitigate the problem.

that is ridiculous. Claimed pained is the first step toward disability.

 

[danielpalos]

Hi Rocketman, are you wearing that "supporter" for low back pain?

 

[Muhammed]

that is ridiculous. Claimed pained is the first step toward disability.

Bull****.

Real pain causes disability.

Pain should always be considered real unless proven otherwise with 100% certainty.

 

[Rocketman]

Bull****.

Real pain causes disability.

Pain should always be considered real unless proven otherwise with 100% certainty.

I agree, but once figured out, it should be called out for what it is

 

[Threegoofs]

Chronic Pain management is a tough area. I dealt with it for years as a pharmacist on both the prescribing end and the dispensing end.

There are a lot of people who will manipulate you to get narcotics. It's easy to be cynical and dismiss them as drug seekers, especially when you are on the dispensing side.

But when I was helping manage these patients as a clinician, it was pretty clear that we were causing these people to develop manipulative behaviors. Patients would be 'allergic' to every pain med but Demerol. The conventional wisdom was because Demerol gave them a better 'high'...but what was really happening was that we were using morphine too sparingly and inappropriately- causing the patients to seek the better pain relief.

There were tons of other examples, and when you add on the simple fact that there were definitely real manipulators and abusers...it makes it fantastically hard.

I was a big proponent of chronic opioids...it never really caught on though.

 

[Muhammed]

I agree, but once figured out, it should be called out for what it is

It's impossible to do that.

 

[Dr. Chuckles]

Chronic Pain management is a tough area. I dealt with it for years as a pharmacist on both the prescribing end and the dispensing end.

There are a lot of people who will manipulate you to get narcotics. It's easy to be cynical and dismiss them as drug seekers, especially when you are on the dispensing side.

It seems working in an ER setting can put you on the fast track to cynicism here

 

[Rocketman]

It's impossible to do that.

no it is not, behavior is key and it can be documented

 

[Threegoofs]

It seems working in an ER setting can put you on the fast track to cynicism here

No question. I have been in the ER setting, and there is a strong tendency to just give GOMERs narcs to free up space. And then you feel manipulated and resentful.

 

[Muhammed]

no it is not, behavior is key and it can be documented

That's simply not true.

 

[Rocketman]

That's simply not true.

behavior can't be documented? hogwash, how do criminals acquire a record?

 

[Muhammed]

behavior can't be documented? hogwash, how do criminals acquire a record?

That's not what I said. Your just being intellectually dishonest. Your statement was nothing but a lie because you cannot prove with 100% certainty whether or not someone is experiencing pain simply by subjectively evaluating their behavior.

 

[Rocketman]

That's not what I said. Your just being intellectually dishonest. Your statement was nothing but a lie because you cannot prove with 100% certainty whether or not someone is experiencing pain simply by subjectively evaluating their behavior.

you and can and it is easy, the dishonesty is coming from you.

 

[Muhammed]

you and can and it is easy, the dishonesty is coming from you.

Prove it. Name a behavior that proves someone is not in pain.

 

[Threegoofs]

That's not what I said. Your just being intellectually dishonest. Your statement was nothing but a lie because you cannot prove with 100% certainty whether or not someone is experiencing pain simply by subjectively evaluating their behavior.

No, but when they are selling the Vicodin on the street that you just gave them, you can probably conclude their pain wasn't as bad as they told you it was....

 

[Muhammed]

No, but when they are selling the Vicodin on the street that you just gave them, you can probably conclude their pain wasn't as bad as they told you it was....

That would be jumping to a conclusion.

 

[specklebang]

Chronic Pain management is a tough area. I dealt with it for years as a pharmacist on both the prescribing end and the dispensing end.

There are a lot of people who will manipulate you to get narcotics. It's easy to be cynical and dismiss them as drug seekers, especially when you are on the dispensing side.

But when I was helping manage these patients as a clinician, it was pretty clear that we were causing these people to develop manipulative behaviors. Patients would be 'allergic' to every pain med but Demerol. The conventional wisdom was because Demerol gave them a better 'high'...but what was really happening was that we were using morphine too sparingly and inappropriately- causing the patients to seek the better pain relief.

There were tons of other examples, and when you add on the simple fact that there were definitely real manipulators and abusers...it makes it fantastically hard.

I was a big proponent of chronic opioids...it never really caught on though.

I've rejected Morphine because it has side effects for me. Oxycodone works best so I ask for that.

Do I "manipulate"? Yes. I'm in pain. Severe pain. These paranoid physicians try to give me a tylenol. So, as much pain as I'm in, I have to exaggerate that or get nothing. After all, who cares if I suffer? Not the DEA, that's for sure.

Now, are there people faking it to get drugs? Yes. Should the rest of us suffer to protect the universe from somebody getting drugs? No. It's unfair and ridiculous. Why invent them if you won't give them out? So what if some junkies get a scrip? Does that matter that much that you'll make others suffer?

 

[Threegoofs]

I've rejected Morphine because it has side effects for me. Oxycodone works best so I ask for that.

Do I "manipulate"? Yes. I'm in pain. Severe pain. These paranoid physicians try to give me a tylenol. So, as much pain as I'm in, I have to exaggerate that or get nothing. After all, who cares if I suffer? Not the DEA, that's for sure.

Now, are there people faking it to get drugs? Yes. Should the rest of us suffer to protect the universe from somebody getting drugs? No. It's unfair and ridiculous. Why invent them if you won't give them out? So what if some junkies get a scrip? Does that matter that much that you'll make others suffer?

I agree.

But physicians have a good reason to be paranoid. That's why it's a good idea to be seen in a clinic that specializes in pain management.

 

[Goshin]

This post is due to an educational grant from The Raging Server. Blame him that I’m ripping on all of the FibroFakers(tm, ie: TAestP dont steal this).

Usually when I write stuff like this which pisses off a ton of people, there is an implied concept that I’m bitching about one small subclass of people. Unfortunately, some of my readers here just got off the short bus. Example: I made a rant recently about Type-2 diabetics stupidly testing 5 times a day, and got tons of comments by a bunch of well educated Type-1 folks on insulin pumps (obviously well educated, low in common sense). So I have to make the following statement:

This post is about the joke diagnosis known as Fibromyalgia. If, in fact, you do have Fibromyalgia and are on Lyrica, Neurontin, TCA’s, Ibuprofen, and everything BUT SOLELY Vicodin/Valium/Soma, then disregard the rest of this post. I am not talking about you. Unless you want to be publicly made fun of on here, do not write me a 10 page comment bitching me out about your life story, how you are on ALL of these drugs to treat this “condition”, how much of an asshole I am, wah wah wah. I repeat, I am NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU. Other readers of this website will be quick to point out the error of your way.

There are two types of people who have “Fibromyalgia” – Those who actually have something wrong with them, and those who just use it an an excuse to get narcotics. I must say that I have seen a whole lot more of the latter than the former. From just my own experience, it effects the poor more than the rich, and only Vicodin/Valium/Soma combination will ease their pain. To hell with Lyrica or anything else like Ibuprofen.

For those of you NOT in the medical profession. Fibromyalgia is one of those diagnosis which amounts to “You say you are in pain, yet we have no idea what is wrong with you”. Its a crap diagnosis which even the inventor of it says it does not exist. Basically what this comes down to is that it is indeed the new “low back pain” that people use to get narcotics. It indeed is the “low back pain” for the 00′s.

I do a ton of prior auths for patients to get their Norco/”Somas”/”Vico-DAN 7.5′s” covered. Its gotten to the point now that when the patient or doctor responds with “Diagnosis: Fibromyalgia” and I see nothing but narcotics on the patients profile for the last 10 years I want to put down on the prior auth “Diagnosis: Patient has a ****ty life and just wants to get high”. For an Incidence of 2% of the general population there has to be something big that ALL of my patients seem to have acquired this condition. Maybe its transmitted by toilet seats or welfare folk having sex with unicorns or leprechauns. Or heres a novel idea, maybe they are just FAKING IT.

The Angry Pharmacist » Blog Archive » Fibromyalgia is the new Low Back Pain

Fibromyalgia, or whatever you want to call it, is real. All three of my sisters have it, in varying degrees.

My youngest sister struggled almost all of her adult life with a disease/disorder that got progressively worse and was classified as various things for years until finally diagnosed as fibromyalgia. Once more doctors were familiar with the disorder, my two other sisters were both diagnosed with it by separate doctors within another decade.

My baby sister has gradually lost the ability to leave the house for more than an hour at a time, and that only with great effort. The simplest things leave her exhausted. My oldest sister is not quite that bad yet, but she misses a lot of family activities that she really wishes she could have attended due to pain and exhaustion.

My middle sister is not as bad off, but she struggles with it many days. She is a stoic and a fighter and will rarely admit how much she is suffering except on those few days when it overwhelms her and she is unable to function.

So as a family we've been dealing with this "mystery disease" they now call fibromyalgia for over three decades, and I assure you that whatever it is, it is real and people are actually suffering.

None of my sisters have ever been drug addicts of any kind. The older and middle sister have been vehement teetotalers (no alchohol, no drugs) for decades and are reluctant to take strong painkillers unless utterly necessary.

It infuriates me to think that some assholes are using this real disorder as an excuse to get drugs, but that is no reason to tar all those who are suffering with the label of "faker"... that is also ****ing infuriating, when you've watched people you LOVE suffer and slowly lose chunks of their lives over decades.


Think long and hard before being quick to judge.

 

[Dr. Chuckles]

That would be jumping to a conclusion.

lol ...

 

[Dr. Chuckles]

Now, are there people faking it to get drugs? Yes. Should the rest of us suffer to protect the universe from somebody getting drugs? No. It's unfair and ridiculous. Why invent them if you won't give them out? So what if some junkies get a scrip? ***Does that matter that much that you'll make others suffer?***

I think when it comes down to facing legal consequences and the loss of a livelihood that you invested huge amounts of time and money in, the answer is "yes".

 

[Rocketman]

Prove it. Name a behavior that proves someone is not in pain.

anyone that can play but not work, recreational behavior, the list is endless