Question:
Ohio State University Medical School in Columbus Ohio recently closedits Pain Clinic altogether. In its place is being substituted a SpineCenter which will offer medical treatments for spine problems but NOpain medications. I and many other central Ohioans for several yearsrelied on OSU for pain med's and/or medical treatments aimed atreducing pain. Fortunately I have been able to obtain my pain medsfrom my family dr. for some time now using a letter from the painclinic as support. However, an anesthesiologist (sp?) at the painclinic recently told me that 25-30 patients had been unable to getanyone to provide them with medicine and the OSU response is to offerto "wean" them off the med's entirely. In discussing the problem of doctors being scared of federal andstate agencies when it comes to writing narcotic prescriptions theanesthesiologist said doctors wouldn't be able to write narcoticprescriptions as "liberally" as they had in the past. My question issince when have doctors been willing to use narcotics "liberally" totreat pain . I guess that means if you had trouble getting yourtreatment in the past just wait!

So take that all you pain patients who thought a major medical schoolshould be willing to treat chronic pain!!!

To be fair there is another hospital in Columbus that operates a painclinic but I don't know to what extent or even whether they will pickup any of the former OSU patients.

Answer: This has to be devastating to so many chronic pain patients, yourselfincluded. I understand the need for a Spine Center, but to close thepain clinic to do this is ridiculous!

This is no doubt not the first, or the last, pain clinic to close theirdoors due to increased DEA prescence in this arena. This is yetanother reason for those who can, to write their state reps, call theirstate reps and email their state reps. It's a shame when propertreatment for chronic painers must be legislated, rather than takencare of by doctors just as diabetes and heart conditions are.