When someone lives with chronic pain, it’s important that they are able to get the medications and treatments they need to minimize it and help them live their life as normally as possible. It’s realistic that some people do abuse medications and treatment options when they’re in pain, so the medical field has had to start restricting the use of some medications, like opioids, to minimize the risk of addiction and other problems.
That being said, it’s inappropriate for a medical provider to ignore your pain or to tell you that you cannot take a necessary medication that would be used normally to treat your condition. For example, if you have just had surgery and are in extreme pain, it would be normal to use opioid drugs including things like fentanyl or hydrocodone, to get that pain back under control. Refusing to do this without just cause could create a scenario where a patient is left to suffer when they should not have had to.
Getting help for your pain isn’t the same as pill-seeking behavior
It’s typical for those who are in chronic pain or in pain regularly to go to their medical providers to seek help. This isn’t the same as pill-seeking behavior, but since the opioid crisis has been so severe, many medical providers won’t even consider prescribing these helpful pain relief options. They may tell someone to lose weight or to start exercising when it would be beneficial for them to take a medication to get the pain back under control first.
As a patient, it’s important that you start keeping a pain journal and list out what makes it better or worst. Look into seeing a physician who manages chronic pain and who is willing to look into underlying issues that may be leading to pain instead of only considering treating it with medications. If necessary, do look for another medical provider to help you. If one is ignoring your pain or refuses to help, then it’s time to move on to someone who may have a different opinion. If you find that you’ve been left without treatment when it was readily available, then you may be able to look into a malpractice claim for not being inadequately diagnosed or treated.