Patients With Pain in Kansas City Join National Demonstrations "Gift Punishing Pain" | FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV



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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Government Data shows that more than 100 people a day die from an opioid-related drug overdose.

In response to the growing opioid crisis, some doctors are reducing the prescription of pain medications. But a group of KCMO residents says that this effort to combat drug addiction hurts them.

Sleeping, getting out of bed and walking for only a few minutes became very difficult for Gabriel's fall.

"I'm not able to do as much as I could do. My stamina is worse and the pain is also worse Gabriel said.

A bad car wreck in 1998 caused serious nerve damage and a lot of hip pain.

"Even with the best drugs, I still suffer. It's just a little more tolerable, " Gabriel said.

But recently, the drug Autumn said that it had to work has become much more difficult to obtain.

"Since the CDC published the national guidelines, my GP has taken my medication, reduced my dosage" Gabriel said.

On Tuesday, she and a small group of friends met near the Country Club Plaza to share a message with passersby.

"There are people suffering from chronic pain with insoluble pain who actually need opiates to live decently," Gabriel said.

Local doctors reported seeing patients who fit this description every day.

"We see a lot of patients receiving high doses of opioids," said Dr. Muhammad Farhan, chief director of pain management for University Health.

Farhan, who works at the University Pain Clinic, said that each patient and the way they felt the pain was different, but it could be a very slippery slope.

"Once you have taken opioids, there is no end. You develop a tolerance for this, and then you know that you need more drugs to control your pain, "Farhan said.

In his pain management clinic, staff are focusing on other ways to treat chronic pain.

"We have a body / mind clinic in which we do a lot of relaxation techniques, biofeedback, hypnosis, meditation, yoga for pain," Farhan said.

In the last three years, it has been overwhelmingly successful, even among the most reluctant patients.

"We see a lot of patients at the clinic who consume a lot of opioids and who are still not better and who are still suffering. But when they learn to manage their own pain with the help of meditation, hypnosis or relaxation techniques, they feel more in control, "Farhan said.

Tuesday's rally at the Country Club Plaza was organized by a national group called Don`t Punish Pain. Similar events took place on the same day in cities across the country.

The purpose of these demonstrations is to bring the CDC to modify its guidelines to better accommodate patients with chronic pain. In late August, the CDC released its latest set of guidelines for the prescription of opioids for chronic pain.

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