pain meds or meditation?

[anniecat1971]

I am a chronic pain patient, I have fibromyalgia, arthritis and have severe nerve damage on the right side of my face/head and I have been on 20 mg of oxycontin 3 times a day and 5 mg of Percocet for breakthrough pain for about 3 years now.  The doctor that I'm seeing now has never given my any hassle getting a script....up until my appt Monday.  I go to the appt to get my scripts and he says "we have gotten it all wrong, we shouldn't be treating pain with pain meds" and other gems like "we aren't treating the pain, we are treating the pain experience".  Basically trying to get me to stop taking the medication.  I asked him what I was supposed to do and he said that I should start meditating and using guided imagery and now he wants me to see a shrink to learn coping skills.  I offered 3 times to go to our local pain management clinic and he kept saying, "no, you are a good patient, I trust you, I have no problem prescribing to you".
I don't know if he had just gone to a seminar or read the latest article or what, but it was nuts!  Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before?

[MarianneY3]

Many doctors no longer want fibro patients to take pain meds. Evidently, there are study's that show pain medication can actually make firbo pain worse. Haven't read it myself but this is what a doc told me. I don't know what they do then when have another pain condition... Whether they do or don't, they still shouldn't take you off abruptly.
Good luck!

[Kleeks2]

My pain management Dr. recommended the Kabat-Zinn Mindfull Mediation for Pain Management, and I love it and recommend it, but I would not recommend tapering medication while starting alternative therapies.  The tapering should be done only when you've mastered and are happy with doing meditation.  It took me a long time to buy the books and tapes, read them, understand them and work through the meditation to the point where I could cut back.  It is not an easy process and I can understand that meditation is not for everyone.  

My legs were crushed in a car accident. I do tons of swimming, aqua-jogging and P.T. They help me with building up my body, pain management, stress relief and weight maintenance, but at times I have to take more pain meds to get through a swim session or recover the next day.  It is a delicate balance only you know how to do.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
Well, chronic pain is best managed by a combination of pain medications and alternative therapies. So, yes, you should not completely go off the pain medications. You can ask your doctor to slowly reduce your pain medication and start alternative therapies while you are tapering the medication. Over a long period of time you will do better at a lower dose of pain medication and still have the option of increasing the dose once your body starts tolerating this dose. Please discuss with your doctor. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.