RELIEF FROM CHRONIC PAIN AVAILABLE:

Dear Abby:

In reference to the letter from the 71yearold woman who suffered from
chronic pain after a car accident: Your advice to see a pain specialist
about alternative methods of dealing with pain needs to be heard by all.

At 40 years of age, my car was rear ended. A year later I was in another
car accident. I was diagnosed with three neck and back injuries and had
surgery on both my hands for carpal tunnel syndrome. I was treated with
pain medication, high blood pressure medicine, antidepressants and muscle
relaxants. I was in diapers for two years for incontinence (a side effect
of the drugs). The only constant in my life was pain and depression. I
was under the care of doctors, but finally came to realize that I had to
take charge of my life. I had to either change it or end it!

'To make a long story short, I heard about hypnosis and biofeedback. I
went, and after four sessions, I was painfree! My blood pressure is now
normal, I've lost 40 pounds, and I'm no longer depressed. I love being
around people and enjoy living again.

I lost seven years of my life to pain. Abby, please advise your readers to
never settle for living in pain. Miracles do happen. You may use my name.
L. Barras, St. Martinville, La.

Dear L. Barms:

I'm pleased to learn that your recovery was so successful, and I'm printing
your testimonial. No one should have to live in constant pain. Read on
for another view:

DEAR ABBY

Advice by Abigail Van Buren

Dear Abby:

One of your readers recently expressed concern about becoming addicted to
pain medication. I agree with your recommendation to see a pain specialist
for nonpharmaceutical treatment. Unfortunately, these methods are not
always effective. Many patients continue to require strong pain medication.

The vast majority of people who take narcotics for pain do not become
addicts. Although tolerance (the requirement for bigger doses) and
dependence (the development of withdrawal symptoms after sudden
discontinuation) are associated with addiction, they do not represent true
addiction by themselves.

Addiction is a conditionin which people make obtaining and using the drug
the centerpiece of their existence. The use of the drug is an end point in
itself. Drug addicts withdraw and become less functional when they take
drugs. In contrast, chronicpain patients become more functional when they
use their drugs and are able to join in basic social activities frequently
denied them by their pain. It is well established that chronic pain
sufferers develop tolerance and dependence while on narcotics, but these
are expected side effects not signs of addiction and are not considered
indications for discontinuing the drug. Tragically, tolerance and
dependence are often taken for addiction, and the drugs are abruptly
stopped. Pain patients sometimes take their own lives when their
medications are discontinued. I have come to call this "algocide" suicide
driven by pain.

Better understanding of true addiction, as opposed to the commonplace
occurrence of tolerance and dependence, would help alleviate the daily
suffering of millions of people and prevent many deaths per year due to
algocide. Michael S. Gorback, M.D., The Center For Pain Relief, Houston Dow
Dr. Gorback: Your philosophy may be viewed by some as audacious, but it's
logical and sensible. I was fascinated to learn that in the late 1980s,
Texas was the first state to pass intractablepain statutes that grant
physicians great latitude in prescribing medication to those who suffer
from chronic pain and since then, more than half of the other states have
enacted similar guidelines.

Perhaps this will put to rest the concerns of chronicpain patients whose
quality of life suffers because they fear chemical dependence.

Abby, whose column appears daily, welcomes reader mail at: Dear Abby, PO
Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.