We pain patients and our doctors face some real problems when it comes to narcotics, such as Vicodin and Oxycontin. As patients, we don't want to be treated like criminals for simply managing our pain, yet we understand that there are some criminals out there trying to scam doctors out of those meds. Doctors, meanwhile, want to help legitimate patients feel better, but they don't want to give drugs to addicts.

So how do we show that we aren't addicts, and how can doctors be sure they're giving drugs to the right people?

A new study from the University of Michigan and Ohio State University offers a solution. And implementing it takes work from both doctors and patients.

The study consisted of putting measures in place in one busy, multi-doctor clinic. First, it created an opioid registry of all patients who got opioids from the clinic. Second, it required doctors and patients to sign agreements detailing conditions for receiving narcotics. One condition was random urine tests for illegal drugs. Another was allowing the clinic to check state prescription records to see if patients were getting drugs from more than one doctor at a time.

The study showed that 35% of the 167 patients on the opioid registry violated the policy in some way. Those taking a medication containing oxycodone were twice as likely to be violators.

While 35% seems pretty high, the researchers expected the rate to be higher than it would in private practice, because this was a clinic where patients were likely to see a different doctor each visit, which makes it easier for addicts to slip through the cracks.

Are you willing to periodically take a urine test and have the doctor check your prescription records in order to consistently get your refills? Do you think a system like this should be in place everywhere? Post your comments here or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forum.

Suggested Reading

• Read more about the study, and see if you'd like to recommend it to your doctor.
• Learn more about your prescription drugs, interactions & side effects with About.com's Drugs A-Z.
• Get info on multiple treatment options for fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue syndrome.

Do you worry about becoming addicted to pain meds? I do. And I've heard enough stories to know I'm not alone. People around us frequently worry about it as well, some of them even making accusations of addiction and distancing themselves from someone who's really just trying to manage extreme pain.

The DEA has been plenty worried about it in recent years, which makes doctors nervous about prescribing opioids. Even some doctors, nurses and pharmacists look at us suspiciously when we get refills. I get my refills through the mail, in part because I don't want to pick them up with my young children in tow. And then, I worry that some criminal will steal it en route, and I won't be able to get another refill for a month or so.

All this worry, all this suspicion, all the guilt we feel over taking medications we need - all of it should be erased by evidence that we're actually quite unlikely to become addicts.

That does need some qualification: according to a report out of Johns Hopkins, which was presented at the American Pain Society's annual meeting, less than THREE PERCENT of all chronic-pain patients without a history of drug abuse eventually show signs of dependence or abuse.

That's right - less than 3%. So why do we hear so much about abuse of drugs like Vicodin and Percocet? According to the report, it's because of things like theft, prescription forgery and unregulated online pharmacies, not legitimate prescriptions for legitimate reasons.

The man we have to thank for this information is Srinivasa Raja, MD, who's a professor of anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins. He's calling on the healthcare community, law enforcement and the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that those of us who need these drugs will still be able to get them, saying that the benefit usually far exceeds the risk of dependency.

Thank you, Dr. Raja. I hope a lot of people hear your message.

Suggested Reading

• Read more from Dr. Raja's report (you might want to print this out for your doctor!)
• Drugs for Treating Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Acupuncture, Massage, Rolfing & Other Bodywork for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Nutrition & Exercise for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome