[knuthom]

The reluctance to prescribe pain medicine is hurting patients - literally. I went to an ER while traveling in another city. I had a kidney stone. I have had them before. The ER staff acted like I was a drug addict when I pleaded for something for the pain.

[Cate]

OMG- I worked in a local physicians office and witnessed first hand the kind of pain kidney stones cause. A man sort of ‘walked’ in our office doubled over in pain. He collapsed at the front desk- could hardly speak due to the pain. I say if you could utter the words, kidney stone, the ER docs should have given you everything in the cupboard.
Pain medicines are an important part of our treatments for illness. As with anything, some ‘dope’ will find a way to abuse it and cause the rest of us to suffer due to their stupidity. Patients in lots of pain don’t heal. My thought is, if you need the medicine, take it.

[tajgirvan]

This is EXACTLY the problem! Quality of life is desired over constant pain! But the MD’s clamp down on pain meds to steer chronic pain sufferers from “addiction”. That’s a CROCK! When a person can’t walk or bend or stand for a period of time, you have to question whether the Quality of Life is being served....rather than PC crap from MD’s
Mrtagirvan