Michael Jackson's Death & Painkiller Backlash
It's easy to forget that those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome sometimes take drugs that are downright scary. When narcotics become part of your everyday life, they seem much more mundane than when they were something you only took after a bad injury or major surgery.
We still don't know the cause of Michael Jackson's death -- the coroner is still waiting for the results of several tests -- but a lot of speculation has centered on his use of the powerful painkiller Demerol (mepedrine). And even before those test results are back, the calls have begun to crack down on doctors who prescribe "too much" of these drugs.
I do agree that doctors need to act responsibly when prescribing medications that can be addictive. They need to look for signs of addiction and try to help their patients who become addicted. But already, many of us who live with chronic pain have trouble getting the painkillers we need in order to function. Many doctors are already afraid to prescribe opiates for chronic pain because they've seen some of their colleagues face criminal charges and lose their license for doing so.
The same call went out after the death of actor Heath Ledger, whose death was a result of several painkillers and sleep aids that all were legally prescribed to him. Because this is the second possible celebrity overdose and because of Michael Jackson's notoriety, this call is likely to be louder and more influential.
If you are faced with a doctor who's reluctant to treat your pain with the meds that work best for you, I urge you to take them a copy of the American Pain Society's guidelines for prescribing opiates. Here's the report: Opiate Prescribing Guidlines.
If you have friends or relatives who worry about addiction or hound you about getting off of painkillers, show them this report about the small number of pain patients who actually become addicts: Worried About Pain Killer Addiction? Why You Shouldn't Be.
If you think you are or might be addicted to painkillers, please do get help. I know it's hard, but because of the increasingly high doses you'll need to get the effect, you're at serious risk of fatal overdose. Here's one place to start: Symptoms of Addiction, by About.com Addictions Guide Elizabeth Hartney.
And to everyone who's taking these kinds of drugs, BE CAREFUL. A woman I know, who had lupus and fibromyalgia, died from an accidental overdose. Please keep in mind that these drugs can be dangerous, and if you're in a bad flare be sure to use pill sorters, write down what you take when, or give your pills to someone else to make sure you don't take too many. Believe me, I understand the desperation caused by severe, unrelenting pain (especially on top of sleep deprivation), and it's easy to see how someone could keep taking more and more painkillers trying to get relief. Add brain fog on top of it, and you've got a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Don't let it blow up on you.
Suggested Reading:
- 7 Types of Fibromyalgia Pain
- Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Treatment Options for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Photo © Getty Images
Comments
I agree with you that doctors need to assess their patients receiving mood altering medications for signs of addiction. Unfortunately, doctors and nurses (and many other health care professionals) have very little understanding of the disease of addiction. They don’t receive adequate education regarding the disease while in training. They also don’t attend continuing education regarding the disease. I’m a recovering, former nurse. No one was the least bit interested in helping me when I was circling the drain. Half of them believed I did it to myself and I deserved whatever I ended up with. They don’t believe it’s a disease. Tough to treat a disease when you don’t think it exists. This is one of the main reasons I’ve chosen to become a peer advisor and recovery coach.
Congress needs to change the way THEY see this disease before trying to tell doctors and other health care providers to change the way they see addiction. The only people dying in the current “drug war” are they addicts. Mr’ Jackson is one of the many casualties.
Adrienne and others:
Do you all think it’s possible that MJ had FMS, CFS,etc? It hit me, especially when they said he was in pain everywhere, how others thought it was in his head, how he suffered depression. What really got me was the insomnia. Did he go through what we did – as far as people thinking he was a hypochondriac and he may have had the same thing as us?
I’m just throwing it out there to be pondered.
I would like to know more about the illness that he lived with.
I’m seeing people saying that he had sleep problems and pain.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/03/jackson.wrap/index.html
Dr. Neil Ratner, an anesthesiologist who accompanied Jackson during the HIStory tour confirmed that Jackson had a sleep disorder.
Is it possible that they’re tip-toeing around saying “fibromyalgia?”
Then again, if it was fibro, then what would the impact be for us if it was confirmed? Would our medical care come under scrutiny or would we find greater support?
A previous article mentioned the possibility of Lupus but it was uncomfirmed as far as I could tell.
I seriously doubt that any of MJ’s doctors would even consider Fibromyalgia or CFS. Few Doctors conside it for those who DO have it and many have said to me “It is just a garbage can dx”. But then again, he may have gotten lucky. Was he trying an experimental treatment??????
How would fibro show on autopsy?
Well, most of the time I do not need narcotics for CFS/Fibro. I am afraid to ask for narcotics all the time. I also have kidney stones, so I have an “excuse” for getting them. I make sure I have some on hand in case of ann attack or stone that would likely occur at 5:01 PM on a Friday afternoon! I feel like I hoard my narcotics and collect them when I feel THE DOCTORS think it most appropriate. It is discouraging that you say, “OH, I have such pain” and they do not offer would they could give you. I have always had to ask.
Also, I recently asked for tramadol because I need something to take while I drive my kids around. It is supposed to act as an opiate agonist like narcotics would without some of the side effects. It helps the everyday pain, but sometimes I need something stronger, especially during a very bad flair. I will not take narcotis if I need to leave the house with the kids. I actually function much better on days that I do take a Percocet as it oddly gives me energy. I also do not realize how much pain I was in until I took one!!!
I understand about the Brain Fog and taking meds. Sometimes I just can’t remember if I took something or not. Pill sorter does help in the morning. I also have my meds in different drawer caparment. One is morning, another is lter morning, another lunch, another bedtime.
I make the Narcotics a “special thing”. I store them in a different place and only keep a few near my daily supplements. So, for me to overdose, I would have to go on a hunt for them!!! I hope that suggestion may help someone else.
If I were unable to obtain narcotics through a Docotr…..or refused them. That would certianly force me into a corner. That usually ends up bad for people when they are forced into a corner. I might look at another way I could get relief which might be worse for me.
Pain and Fatigue is so very disabling, I believe it is against the Hippocratic Oath to make patient suffer.