TREATING PAIN

CHICAGO -- In response to your article "Painkillers deterring suicides"
(News, Feb. 21), doctors are being urged to use more drugs to ease pain,
but those of us who have spent long periods of time with people in pain
know patients rarely speak up for themselves and tend to suffer in silence.

Pain management is a family affair. Get involved. First, ask your loved one
if he/she is in a lot of pain. If the answer is "yes," tell the doctor. If
your doctor won't prescribe larger doses of painkillers for fear of
disciplinary action, call your state medical board and report the incident.
For terminally ill patients, ask your physician to prescribe hospice care
as an alternative. It is a crime that anyone today suffers from severe and
persistent pain.

Joy Loverde, Author, "The Complete Eldercare Planner."