How do you deal with pain? Have you tried medical pot?
* Get you high * Make you drowsy * Addict you (yes, you'll have a tolerance, but no it won't be a problem) * Give you cravings * Stop your breathing
Each patch lasts a week and if they stick to my oily skin (I once dumped a 10 day heart monitor in 8 hours), it will stick to anyone. And you know what? It's not that much less effective than morphine. And it's even refillable.
Have you tried all the non opioid options? Lyrica, Gabapentin, Trifexis, Cymbalta, Nortriptyline (and other TCAs), etc? Lyrica is for nerve pain but Gabapentin and the others are used for all kinds of pain. CBD has limited evidence for helping nerve pain, but be aware that it has a long (>24 hour) half-life and can make you slightly high if you take enough daily (yes, in high enough doses it is psychoactive). There is good evidence for glucosamine/chondroitin for arthritis. There is limited evidence for tuermeric/curcumin (and its cheap!) for helping pain. There is limited evidence for SAM-E (but not if you've ever been manic) for pain. Are you on an NSAID? What about Tramadol? And for me, prednisone is a lifesaver for flights and conferences - I can't do either without it, but obviously you don't want to take it a lot. Great for flareups.
Have you tried compounded topicals? I have 9% Lidocain (store is 4%, pharmacy 5%), 9% Diclofenac (insurance covers 1$), 8% Tramadol (no mental effects), 2% cyclobenzaprine and 0.2% clonidine. You can pack in 30% of medicine, though I take 31.2% cause they still fill it. Topicals never helped me much - in particular lidocaine did shit. Until I tried 10%, that was magic. Most pain is felt on the skin - even organ pain, so you should definitely try this if you haven't. You can get a custom formulation fit exactly to your pain.
What about the various interventions offered via injection/rhizotomy? Do you see a physiatrist? Have you been to see an interventional anaesthesiologist? If you're really suffering have you asked about a spinal stimulator?
If you try most everything on the list, they will write you opioids even today, if buprenorphine doesn't cut it. Maybe you've tried all this stuff but most people I encounter on Quora aren't even anywhere near the end of the road and have given up.
Many people are unwilling to take drugs that affect the brain, and I always conclude they must not hurt very much because I'd take a pill with a 90% chance of curing me and a 10% chance of killing me.
No _legal_ drugs that aren't heavily addictive. And the predictable result is that you can't even get legal medicine that works any more, because no one dares to touch the addictive stuff.
And I sort of get it, I went through hell getting off OxyNorm/Contin after the accident. But it's really shitty to leave people hanging with no legal alternatives.
Edit: What kind of person down votes this? I would seriously consider seeking help.