The life-threatening cost of a pain-free life

My journey with persistent pain and the drugs prescribed to treat it began back in 1968. Following an accident at work, I was subjected to an X-ray procedure where a dye was injected into my spinal canal. The dye should have been aspirated out, but this didn’t happen.

Two decades later, I was in severe, debilitating pain, and when I sought help, I was consistently told it was “all in my head.” This dismissal was demoralising. Desperate for answers, I paid £1,000 for a private MRI scan. The scan provided irrefutable proof: the dye was still there and had caused full spinal adhesive arachnoiditis – a devastating, progressive condition.

That diagnosis put me on the road of opioids.

I started on DF118, MST, Tramadol, and various other pain relievers. My life became a miserable cycle: I was either out of my head from the drugs or in excruciating pain as the dose wore off. I was forced to manage it, because the alternative was lying in bed to shrivel up and die.

15 years ago, I was put on slow-release Tramadol and Pregabalin. But after two years, my brain couldn’t cope with the mental fog and impact. I weaned myself off that regime entirely.

The next solution was a surgical one: an intrathecal pump inserted into my body, delivering opioids directly to my spine via catheters. I asked if this was safe. I was told yes, because it only used 300th of the oral dose needed for the same relief. It felt like the answer.

The Ultimate Consequence

Twelve years passed on the pump. Then, the side effects arrived. I developed lichen planus, caused by the combination of opioids and my BP medication. My BP meds were changed, and I was started on a tapering schedule to reduce the opioids. Six months into the tapering, my body went into a complete crisis.

After a special round of blood tests, the horrifying truth was revealed: I had developed Addison’s disease/adrenal insufficiency.

The long-term presence of the opioids hadn’t just dulled the pain – they had stopped my adrenal glands from working. These glands control essential messages to and from my brain and glands, regulating most of my body’s functions. The opioids stopped this communication, rendering my adrenals inactive.

Now, I am on steroids for life.

The Fatal Risk

In the last month alone, I have suffered three severe adrenal crises. This is a life-threatening situation where, if I do not receive an emergency crisis injection within a very short time, it could be fatal. I carry the reality of this risk with me every second of every day, a risk caused not by the initial pain, but by the very medication meant to treat it.

Short-term use of painkillers might be acceptable for acute pain, but please, I urge you: no matter what it takes, stop the painkillers, especially opioids, for long-term use. The cost can be your life.