What are some strategies for advocating for chronic pain patients facing opioid restrictions?

What are some strategies for advocating for chronic pain patients facing opioid restrictions? Advocating for chronic pain patients with opioid restrictions requires education, collaboration with care teams, monitoring of effects, addressing barriers such as discrimination and safeguarding limitations, and involving patients in support groups and education. Patients benefit from an education that highlights the complicated nature of chronic pain management, alternative drugs, and opioid hazards. Monitoring and documenting results demonstrate therapy's efficacy; nevertheless, empowering patients through support groups and education enables them to fight for their rights and treatment options effectively.

Stay informed about the latest research and guidelines on chronic pain management and opioid use. Share this knowledge with your clients, helping them understand their condition, treatment options, and the reasons behind opioid restrictions.

Knowledge is key: understanding what the current regulations are, risks/benefits, contraindications, drug interactions, as well as alternates to opioid/opiate-based therapy. Chronic pain can be a problem with a complex origin, but pain reducers do not resolve the source contributing to the issue (pain). Working with trained professionals to get to the root cause of the pain and addressing that issue may reduce the need for opioid interventions.

I often bring mindfulness into therapy sessions. I incorporate mindful breathing, focusing on the breath. 4, 7, 9 breathing works well as the patient has to focus on the count. This assist in preventing the mind from wandering to other thoughts that may trigger anxiety, increase muscle tension and increase pain.

Work closely with healthcare providers, including doctors, pharmacists, and pain specialists, to ensure a comprehensive approach to pain management. Effective collaboration can lead to tailored treatment plans that adequately address the patient's pain while adhering to opioid guidelines.

What ever happened to nurses giving back rubs? As a RN and very frequent & long term (7 month) patient myself, was invaluable tool for comfort and assessment. I am living at Evergreen Retirement Community. Several Independent Residents routinely consume decaf coffee and opioids at bedtime & report unable to sleep. Diet, caffeine, alcohol combinations with opiates need education.

Regularly track and record your clients' pain levels, medication effectiveness, and any side effects. This documentation can be invaluable for adjusting treatment plans and advocating for necessary changes in medication or therapy.

Identify and tackle obstacles that your clients face in accessing alternative pain management options, such as insurance coverage issues or availability of specialists. Providing support in navigating these challenges can improve access to effective treatments.

Encourage clients to take an active role in their pain management. This includes educating them on self-management techniques, involving them in treatment decisions, and supporting them in advocating for their own healthcare needs. Empowered clients are better equipped to manage their chronic pain within the constraints of opioid restrictions.

This must be a two-way street between patient and physician. It’s got to be a planned strategy that encompasses both parties. Eg - work with the prescribing doctor and set a strategy in place to stabilise and not increase the doses and even dose reduction if the doses are high. - aim for a maximum morphine oral equivalent of 50mg/day or less. - use non-opioid pain medications - use non-opioid pain management strategies. - meet regularly and assess if this strategy is working. - monitor for aberrant behaviours.

Apart from NSAIDs, stetoid, opium, physical therapy, psychological therapy for chronic pain management, we should focus on nerve stimulation. For example any pain stimulation causes releasing of endorphins (endigenous analgesic) to relieve pain. Acupuncture and eletrical stimulation (e.g. TENS) are certain type of pain stimulations. But those techniques are not perfect for treatment of chronic pains. Nerve stimulation by using Vitamin B12 is effective for chronic pain especially for OA knee, encapsulitis of shoulder and sciatica pain. But endorphins has no inflammatory effects, so that combination of B12 stimulation and intra-articular stetoid injection should be used to get anti inflammatory effect. For PID further surgery may be needed