Depression is one of the common of coexisting disorders for someone living with chronic pain.  Unfortunately, the depression can sabotage a chronic pain management plan and chronic pain can intensify depression.  Another problem is when the depression doesn’t get identified and treated.  Below I’m posting a brief list of things to do and things to [...]

Looking for the Quick Fix When you live with chronic pain it can become very frustrating when you aren’t getting the pain relief you want. I know that when I experience a pain flare up my first reaction is I want it to stop—now! Many of the pain medications were developed for acute pain conditions. [...]

When you live with chronic pain it can become very frustrating when you aren’t getting the pain relief you want. I know that when I experience a pain flare up my first reaction is I want it to stop—now! Many of the pain medications were developed for acute pain conditions. It can soon become very [...]

Many people living with chronic pain with coexisting psychological disorders including addiction, are unwilling or unable to go into a structured treatment program.  Sometimes this is due to not having quality programs in their immediate area.  Other times it can be due to the financial commitment some of these inpatient or residential programs require.  While [...]

One trend I’ve seen over the past 27 years of working with people undergoing chronic pain management is how challenging it can be to describe what they’re going through. I also know this from a position of living with my own chronic pain for the past 29 years. I can still remember early in my [...]

While the vast majority of people undergoing chronic pain management may safely use pain medication, what may not be evident is that as many as 12 million people taking prescription drugs also suffer from coexisting abuse or addiction problems.  Often this problem only comes to the public’s awareness when a nationally recognized personality is “caught” [...]

In 1995 we were introduced to a new chronic pain management medication that was marketed inappropriately and eventually became a national problem.  The medication was OxyContin.  Now fifteen years later we have a new medication much more potent than OxyContin, and unlike OxyContin’s once every twelve hour formula this new medication is prescribed once every [...]