Abdul Kicks Painkiller Addiction

"American Idol" Judge Says "I Could Have Killed Myself"

(CBS/ AP)  The strange behavior of "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul may have been due to her addiction to painkillers, according to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, Early Show medical correspondent.

"There's multiple factors at play here," Ashton told Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez. "One is just living with that kind of pain every single second, day-to-day, hour-to-hour is very difficult, and can have psychological and physical consequences. Also, narcotic pain medication ... really can have some significant effects both when you're on it and when you're coming off of it."

The 46-year-old star says in the June issue of Ladies' Home Journal she could have killed herself after years of dependence on painkillers she took for a chronic, painful nerve condition, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD).

Abdul told the magazine she checked herself into the La Costa Resort and Spa, in Carlsbad, Calif., last Thanksgiving to help beat her use of medication.

She told the magazine withdrawal is "the worst thing."

"I was freezing cold, then sweating hot, then chattering and in so much pain, it was excruciating," she says in the article. "But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been."

Abdul also told the magazine she started taking painkillers as a dancer -- starting when she had a back injury at age 17 -- and continued to take them after a plane crash neck injury in 1993.

Abdul was diagnosed with RSD in 2005.

Abdul says in the the article that she's feeling 96 percent better after rehab treatment.

But becoming addicted to painkillers when you have a chronic condition isn't just for celebrities, Ashton said.

"This is a huge problem and we have these oftentimes misconceptions about who this affects," Ashton said. "It can affect everyone from the housewife to the celebrity."

According to estimates by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the number of people who have received in-patient treatment for substance abuse from chronic pain syndromes has skyrocketed 155 percent in the past 10 years.

Some of the warning signs for people whose treatment may be heading for addiction, Ashton said, are feeling ill when the drug wears off, needing more medication to treat the same pain and spending a lot of time thinking about the drug.

Ashton said that if you notice these signs, you should see a pain specialist.

According to the magazine, Abdul is trying to resume her singing career with a new single, "I'm Just (Here for the Music)."

[cuppydog]

I watched your report about chronic pain. I seems to me that it is always someone that has never experienced this type of pain that calls the person in pain an addict. An addict is someone that take medication or drug to achieve a high. The type of pain these patients are talking about is relieved with medication so they can function. That's the difference. The brain sends out pain reseptors into the blood usually from your synpathetic nerve system. Pain is just like your temperature, it a signal that something is wrong. People that don't feel pain injure themselves because they can't feel pain. I have a daughter that contracted RSD from an infection. Her leg was on fire, turned purple and it was so painful she vomited and screamed as if someone was cutting her leg off. Now if you can tell me that giving someone a pain reliever to stop those symptoms is wrong, put a rubberband around your leg, cut the blood supply off and tell me you could live with that pain day after day. Your ignorance is pittiful. Did you also know that some RSD patients have the affected limb amputated to stop the pain. For every one person with AIDs, there are 10 with RSD. If your going to throw these poor people under the bus at least get the other side of the story before you call them addicts. Oh by the way, my daughter was 12 when she was stricken with this disease. She's in remission currently, but she never know's when it will strike again. Do a story on that if you want to make it right to all the people you insulted.

[naknek49]

This article is very wrong and the sad thing is us with horrible pain that we deal with everyday are the ones that get puished for these type of un-educated and un-informed articles. I myself got RSD when I was 16 and by the time I was 20 it spread full body and internal to the point I was hospitalized and bed ridden for 5 months. If it isnt for the pain meds I take everyday I still would be bed ridden. I cant stand all the small mided people who just think we want the meds to get high and think we dont really need it when in all reality we very much do. I am now 21 and these meds are what gives me the life I do have and without them of course my pain would be un-livible but also my blood pressure and pulse go so high from the pain I become at risk of a heart attack and also because me RSD affects my internal organs it can cause some bad problems including shuttng down my bladder. Whenever someone is to do a story on such a subject as this they should have all facts straight as there are people out there that are taking the hit for this including me. Whoever wrote this story and whoever decided to publish it really needs to think twice and even apologize for spreading so much mis-information through to the public, you just make us have to work that much harder trying to get poeple to understand.

[ljpwrites]

Dr. Ashton failed to make any distinction between addiction, dependence and tolerance in her comments - which is a huge failing in any intelligent discussion of pain maintenance and drug misuse and abuse. She also referred to pain medication as "narcotics". Some pain medicine is narcotic, but not all, and to use the term is merely to add to public fear of addiction, which keeps some people who really do need medication from accepting help. The time for clear and focused and factual discussion of pain and pain medication is now - Americans are suffering needlessly. That Ms. Abdul felt that she was able, after surgical intervention and other therapies to live without pain medication is great; but why is everyone using language that seems to imply that she was a drug addict? Why are we not using her experience to talk about the millions of other Americans in constant pain, instead of focusing on the few who might misuse or abuse their medicine? And if that is the conversation you want to have, at least get your facts straight.

[yayaof7]

I am a 57 year old strongwilled woman diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 1998. As with any illness, the symptoms vary for all of us that need pain medication to get through a day. The stigma of being referred to as a pill-head as we wait hopefully for a cure, is crushing. I have never wished anyone a bad expereince untill now. For all of you ignorant judgementalist I wish you 1 month of walking in my shoes.

[boloty]

It's bad enough living with chronic pain then to be scrutinized by the public. I am on percocet and methadone daily and I take it as prescribed. Myself and others who need to to take it and take it the right way do not walk around like we are totally wasted. The ones that are totally wasted are the ones that are not taking it correctly. I do not tell people I am on it because there are so many misinformed people about these meds. I wouldn't go to a proctologist to get help for a heart problem. Why would you go to Dr. Ashton for information on pain meds? You need to go to a pain management Doctor for your information redo your story and apologize to all the people that were once again hurt for giving the public wrong information.

[frazdlow]

I am a pain management patient and was offended by this article and doctor. I also take opiod medicines and have for a long time. I also have a spinal cored stimulator implant.. I don't take the medicine to get high. Far from it. I take it to be able to function and try to have a normal life and spend time with my family. The pain is always there.. Anyone who suffers from chronic pain whatever the cause knows the devastation it inflicts on you, and your family both mentally and physically. It can also steal your life. The medications help you to regain that back. I can say if I did not have pain, I would not take the medicine. People need to know that they can find quality care, but there is alot of misinformation and ill-informed people out there including people in the medical field. So much about pain is still unknown but progress is being made and there are many websites, forums and newsletters out there. with good information. Maybe Dr. Ashton needs to go back to school. Either that or stick to reporting on stories she actually knows something about.

[duckie37]

After reading all the comments on here, I have to agree with everyone! This is a huge slap in the face to Chronic Pain patients everywhere! None of us asked to have Chronic Pain, not one of us "likes" to have to rely on pain meds to get through our day. There is a major difference between addiction and tolerance. Many of us are "dependent" on our meds simply because it is doing exactly what it should be...controlling pain, but to state that we use our meds because we are addicts is an outrage!! Taking a medication to ease pain is no different that using insulin to help with diabetes. Would you dare call a diabetic an addict???
I have had to take pain medication along with many other medications for most of my life. I have had over 30 surgeries to get rid of the pain, with no luck, so pain meds are all I have, to live as full of a life as I can! It is hard enough to have to live with the fact that my condition is incurable, and wake up every day in excruciating pain, but to have to sit back and hear someone say that I am an addict is appalling!!
I think that this so called "doctor" should have consulted a pain specialist before airing this story!! CBS News and LHG should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this!!! This is just one more unresearched article that harms those of us that are just trying to live a somewhat "normal" life!!! I think that an apology should be sent to each and every person that has to live each and every day....second to second with Chronic Pain!!

[katrina124]

As you can tell from the posts above you really have hit a nerve with your reporting! It isn't written with all the facts. The journalist should have discussed with a pain management doctor just what real RSD is and the types of medication that is used to help those of us who suffer from this debilitating disorder. I've had this since 2002. And it went undiagnosed for a while until I ended up with a team of doctors who knew exactly what I had. Patients with real RSD will become "dependent" on the pain medication NOT addicted. There is a huge difference between the two. We don't take our pain meds to get high like those people who "score" on the street in order to get a buzz on, etc. If a patient with RSD was stopped cold turkey from all pain medication of course they would go thru physical withdrawals......it could even be fatal depending on what and how much they are taking!! That's because our bodies are physically dependent (not addicted) to the pain meds. We don't take these meds to get "HIGH" all we want is to gain some sort of control over the pain that is ruling our lives!!! I'm very disappointed in this "report" because it once again gives the family and friends of those of us who have RSD something to "point to" and say "What do you mean this RSD isn't curable? Paula Abdul was cured" Either she didn't have RSD or the doctor who was treating her is hiding the cure!!! I would LOVE to be able to wrestle with my grandkids, go swimming with them again........go to their baseball games and sit thru 2 hours of watching them play. They are my entire life, and before getting RSD I was able to participate in their lives. I can't now. And NOW, due to your reporting, being as biased as it is, you should be ashamed of yourself for allowing this to be reported without all of the information being told. You can't take the word of one person because she is a celebritiy and consider it gospel and then throw the rest of us under the "'bus" so to speak. If you suffered from this painful disorder and did all you could to live life with burning stabbing horrible pain and then you listen to a report by a reputable news agency, about what you were suffering from, and you find out that once again, the truth isn't being told about your disorder and you are lumped once again with those drug seeking people who have made it so difficult for those of us who truly need the pain meds to just live life!!! Wouldn't that upset you? How about doing an article on what RSD can to do a person's life, and do to their family, and also find out how we have to defend ourselves because people chose to be ignorant about something they know nothing about. You don't report something that is so one sided and not expect to hear back from the other side. You did a terrible thing to those of us who suffer from RSD. I think you at the very least should put out an apology for not doing your job as journalists by failing to report both sides of a story. You would be very surprised to hear what patients with real RSD live with every day of their lives! Shame on you

[rrozsa]

I thought Paula has repeatedly denied any such addiction?

[StellaG63]

I am very disappointed in regards to all the misinformation and misleading information both in the reporting of this story and Ms. Abdul herself. If she is "cured" from her RSD, please let the world know who the doctor is that cured this incurable desease.
I myself have been a Chronic Pain Patient for 9 years. I have had numerous back surgeries, nerve blocks, and years of physical therapy. My pain is managable (daily pain level of 7 ) with the help of medication and a Spinal Cord Stimulator. When I say "managable", I mean that I am able to get out of bed in the morning function at a somewhat normal level with others that do not have Chronic Pain. It has taken many years to acheive this much of a so called "normal life". I am not "addicted" to my medication. I must have to be able to function.
I am irrate at the implication that patients that take narcotics for pain management at addicts. Ms. Abdul has put herself in a very poor light. There are far too many holes in her story and the holes were only made bigger by the writers of the article and the so called Doctor. I am a firm believer that if you do not know what you are talking about, you shouldn't be talking. There was no research done for this article. There is no showing of accurate knowledge of the life and treatment of a Chronic Pain Patient. This is yet another story that poorly depicts the life of a person in Chronic, Uncontrollable Pain. This article has done far more harm then good for the readers. Once again, someone with limited knowledge has written another article that casts a very large shadow upon the Chronic Pain Patient. There is not regard for what a sufferer goes through. There is not mention of the facts surrounding pain management. All parties involved; writer, editor, Ms. Abdul, Dr. Ashton and the owner of the magazine should stand and be chastized. What ever happened to good reporting with investigation and true fact finding? Perhaps LHJ, should go back to the drawing board and find the basic reporting skills again.

[jrducky3]

I have suffered for 13 yrs the painful disease of RSD, fibromyalgia, connective tissue disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome and have had to take one or more types of pain medication during this time.
I resent the word addiction when referring to the use of the narcotics we use, there is a difference in addiction and dependence:
Drug Dependence vs Addiction
National Institute on Drug AbuseAddiction vs. Dependence
This is what distinguishes the pain patient who is tolerant to and
physically dependent on morphine, from the addict who is also tolerant
to
and physically dependent on heroin. Both are self-administering an
addictive drug several times a day.

But while the addict takes his drug to
get high, "mellow out," and largely avoid life, the pain patient takes
his
drug to get on with life. This apparently subtle distinction between the
contingencies surrounding drug use lead to a remarkably different
outcome
for these two different kinds of users.
Heroin addicts are lost to themselves, to their families, and to
society.
Not only can't they work,but they are almost certainly engaged in
criminal
activity, and they are at high risk of a variety of infectious diseases,
including
hepatitis and AIDS. Indeed, intravenous drug users have become the major
vector for the spread of AIDS into the heterosexual community in this
country.
Current estimates are that more than 55% of addicts in New York City are
HIV
positive. (16)Pain patients, by contrast, couldn't be more different.
Being on an opioid allows them to interact with their families, to get
out
of hospitals, and to go back to work. Indeed, their efforts to maintain
their health are in marked contradiction to the utter disregard addicts
show for their health. If we wish to equate addicts with pain patients,
the more appropriate comparison is with the under treated pain patient.
He is in the hospital or inactive at home, he is a major drain on his
family's emotional and financial resources, and he does not contribute
productively to society.

Another difference between addicts and pain patients comes when it is time to get off the drug on which they are
physically dependent. For addicts, this is a major hurdle. For the pain
patient, it is typically an uncomplicated process. ... Drugs have a completely different meaning to pain patients, however....Because of the
meaning of drugs in an addict's life, drug addiction is a chronic,
relapsing condition. Because of the very different meaning of drugs in a
pain patient's life, drug addiction rarely, if ever, occurs after opioid
use has stopped. (10-12) This is a crucial point.
The data most often cited to link addiction to medically administered
opioids were derived from studies with addicts. (17-18) In the first
place,
this group is highly unrepresentative of the general population. In the
second, it is
made up of highly unreliable people. Self-reporting about drug use by
addicts is not the method of choice in studying drug use. (9) The more
appropriate data to address this issue have been derived from
retrospective reviews of large numbers of patients who received opioids
to
determine how many became addicts.

Of 24,000 patients studied, only 7 could be identified who got into trouble with drugs as a result of medical administration. The conclusions of
this
discussion are clear:
(a) dependence and addiction are not equivalent to each other;
(b) patients who become dependent on opioids during the course of
medical therapy
rarely become addicted to those drugs; and
(c) in managing pain withopioids, there is little need to fear
addiction. Tolerance to opioids is
rarely a problem because it is possible to continuously increase the
dose.
Dependence is only a concern when prescribing drugs with antagonist
properties and in managing withdrawal. If addiction is not a reason to
avoid using opioids, many of the other reasons that have led to
widespread under prescribing can be addressed more directly. Most important among
these are the legal barriers we have erected to limit the use of opioids
and the lack of knowledge among health care professionals about the
proper
use of these agents.
This appears on the Action on Pain website where they rally against poor pain managment by DR's and health care workers.
The website address is
http://www.asappain.com/placementreps.htm
The site is owned and operated by Skip Baker

[tjbird]

I can't believe that there was not a responsile interview here. Those of us that have RSD and are on "longterm opiate treatments" Have been appaulled at this intire issue. Those of us that take it responively are not addicts. We are closely monitored, I personally have to do 4 drug screens randomy, a year first to check tomake sure I am not taking unsubscribed or illegal drugs, and also to make sure we have the opiod in our systems that is subscribed. Is this not done with the "famous"? We do not use the word "narcotic "as it is opiate treatment that without it we would not have any quality of life.
Everything including to where I get my perscription filled to no 30 day supply, the supply only lasts the amount of days in between appointments. I am on an opiate treatment program; I have a Spinal Cord Stimulator and I live with a pain level at a constant 7 out of 10. Maybe the question should have been is where do you get all of the drugs that you got addicted to? If it was by perscription I think those issues need to be addressed, along with the diseade of RSD/CRPS or Caustalgia. I can't ake a chance of loosing my treatment by abusing it, then I wouldn't have as little of quality as I have. I agree with boxerlover5 when we who suffer are actually undertreated and live in unnessassary pain because of all the "Paula Abdul"s" in the world. It is too bad she can't speak up for the chronic pain sufferers that can't "just worriied about getting back to singing".
tjbird

[DianeBNYC]

As a former RSD sufferer, I would like to "set the record straight" on a few things, as there appears to be an awful lot of disinformation out there, even among doctors.

I developed RSD following surgery. At first, it was episodic - I would take a handful of Motrin and the pain would settle down; but over the following weeks, the episodes became more frequent and took more Motrin and time to settle down. My surgeon was clueless and reluctant to prescribe pain meds, responding to my increasingly desperate pleas by prescribing the lowest possible doses. To make matters worse, because RSD can cause blood vessels in the skin to constrict, it prevented my surgical wounds from healing; to put it bluntly, I walked around for over six months with two huge holes in my body.

Finally, at a post-op visit 10 weeks after my surgery, I had an episode so intense that I shook on the examination table and had tears streaming down my face. Afterwards, all I could do was whimper for most of the day. That episode would never "shut off" completely; from that point on, the pain was 24/7 and it was excruciating. I felt as though I were being electrocuted or like I was on fire. I could not take a shower or wash my own hair. I could not take public transportation. I'd be in such unbearable pain by the end of each day that I started drinking, downing several shots of vodka each night just to dull the pain.

Finally, I went to a pain management specialist. When he first diagnosed me, he said he was "delighted" that I came to him so early on, because RSD is progressive; the longer it goes undiagnosed, the less a patient'schance of going into remission, and the pain intensifies and spreads to other parts of the body. Eventually, with aggressive treatment, I went into remission, the surgical wounds closed and my pain resolved. I did not stop taking the meds all at once, as the pain did not go away all at once. First I was able to go longer between doses, then reduce the dosage and eventually was able to stop altogether. And I did not experience any noticable withdrawal symptoms. I like to say that I am living proof that if you are in such severe pain that you cannot function without the meds, you will not become addicted.

I was lucky. Many patients with RSD have gone for years undiagnosed and untreated - an inconceivable and terrifying prospect to anyone who's experienced such agonizing pain (rated at a 46 on a 1-to-50 scale, making RSD the "most painful medical condition rated"). In some cases, they have even had insult-added-to-injury by being told that their pain was "all in their heads!"

According to my doctor and medical websites (including sites sponsored by research hospitals exclusively for health care professionals), if you are diagnosed and treated aggressively enough to bring the pain under control within the first three months after onset, there is an 80% chance of going into full remission and making a complete recovery; after that, the longer you go undiagnosed and un-or under- treated, the lower your chance of recovering - and the less complete any recovery will be. THE KEY IS TO GET THE DISEASE UNDER CONTROL AND INTO REMISSION AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. Unfortunately, the social prejudice towards many of the meds used to treat RSD - fueled by media hype of their potential addictive properties when misused, substantially decreases a patient's chance of being diagnosed and treated in time to make a full recovery. Among those unfortunate enough to develop chronic RSD, there is a whopping 30% suicide rate - a fact which deserves mention not only to point out how unbearable RSD can become, but also to point out how terrifying a diagnosis of RSD is.

It would appear that, like so many other celebrities. Ms. Abdul is hawking her addiction and recovery story to gain publicity and boost her career (and maybe also to explain away some embarrassing behavior). What's truly shameful on a whole, new level is her casual, passing and unsubstantiated mention of RSD; she fails to make much of any mention of what someone with RSD experiences, instead subsuming it as just another chapter in her saga of sin and redemption. In doing so, Ms. Abdul and the media make a mockery of RSD and perpetuate the ignorance that deprives so many of its victims of the early diagnosis and aggressive treatment so vital to their chances of recovery, leaving them disabled in permanent, excruciating pain and destroying their lives. This is a glaring instance of the disservice America?s obsession with falls, comebacks & redemption does to the unfortunate souls who suffer needlessly with chronic pain, deprived of access to the meds and care they need.

[efdc]

Dr. Ashton did a huge disservice to those of us who suffer from chronic pain. I suffer from pain in 1/2 of my upper torso from nerve damage after critical surgery. The amount of pain medication I took at two months out from surgery barely took the edge off. After several months of therapy, a second surgery and pain injections, I had stopped the pills because they did so little and I knew they were useless. One year ago my pain management doctor implanted a spinal cord stimulator which has given me good relief. I still have pain breakthrough, but I can resume living. I didn't bat an eye when he suggested a battery in my left hip and a wire going up my spinal cord would give my brain a stimulation signal that would block out some of the pain signal. I am now volunteering with a program that talks to people who are considering SCS. I have yet to talk to a single person who would prefer to take their "narcodics" instead of another solution, even one that requires one to recharge their battery weekly. Dr. Ashton should get herself some education on pain, pain management clinics, and treatments. I am glad I am not looking to her for medical treatment.

[rgbassman1960]

I agree with every reply I see here. I'm also a pain patient. My pain comes from a few diseases and conditions. It seems the responses are mostly aimed towards RSD/CRPS. The most painful of conditions. You can't see it. It is often undiagnosed, or the doctor may simply not believe in it. Yes,sometimes they don't believe in a disease they can't see, like RSD, Fibromyalgia, etc.
It's sad. But true. Pain patients are also often told their pain is "ALL IN THEIR HEAD!" Imagine being told the excruciating pain you deal with daily is all in your head? Not only is it an insult to one's intelligence, but you are basically being called a liar! Pain like this, is NEVER "all in your head!"
I don't know how many times I've heard people say their doctor actually told them this! A doctor may say this when nothing shows up on the usual battery of tests. But that doesn't mean the pain is not there! It may mean the doctor is stumped and just won't admit it, but people know if they have pain.
I have the most aggressive form of Rheumatoid Arthritis, inoperable back issues that cause me the most pain, and Fibromyalgia, which often accompanies RA, and I would not want to live without pain medication.
A poster seemed to be upset because Dr. Jennifer Ashton, referred to pain medications as "narcotics." I don't have a problem with this because many ARE narcotics.
I am a member of the American Pain Foundation, as most other posters who replied to this interview seem to be, and I'd like to inform Dr. Ashton, and CBS about a few facts:

For one, did you know that pain is THE number one reason the healthcare system is accessed? And that pain is grossly undertreated, or not treated at all! It sometimes takes a long time, working with your doctor, or a pain specialist, to get the proper medication(s) that work for YOU. Some people may respond to one drug while another may not. I, personally, have just gone 16 months working with my doctor to get the right drugs, in the right doses, so that I may feel like getting out of bed in the morning. I'm glad to say that just this month we may have hit the right combination.
And as far as "narcotics" (sorry MareLeV) go? I have a host of other diseases, such as Diabetes, Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Irregular Heart Rhythm (murmur and A-Fib usually), to go along with my RA, FMS, and back problems. I've also had three knee surgeries. I also have an Anxiety Disorder that I take medications for.
My point?
While talking to my pharmacist one day about 4 years ago, I was concerned about all these medications I have been taking for many years, so I asked about each one, and what kind of damage they may do to my body after such long term use. We went over them and afterwards, I was afraid to take my BP meds, my heart meds,(all 3 drugs said there was a risk of sudden death when I read the literature), and even the smallest dose of Glipizide I take for my diabetes scared me.
But I was no longer afraid of the narcotics as I learned, from my pharmacist, an authority on medications of all types,narcotics alone have no damaging effects on the body's organs like most drugs people take do,(as long as they have no acetaminophen in them,and what I take now has none).
Everybody will take "NSAIDS" from time to time for pain, right? It's interesting to know these drugs are dangerous to your internal organs, such as the kidneys, stomach, and even the heart! NSAIDS can cause a number of problems, such as stomach bleeding, cardiac incidents, and do permanent damage to your kidneys when taken in large doses for extended periods of time!
My wife is proof of this. Her story?It's sad and it makes me want to cry.I should have told MY WIFE'S story first,because her pain actually came long before mine.Mine shows up on blood tests,X-Rays,MRIs,CTs,etc.
Hers does not,so I guess it is,or was,"ALL IN HER HEAD?"
She has Fibromyalgia and RSD(from an accident) but to treat HER pain,she permanently damaged her kidneys from taking Ibuprophen in very large doses,her doctor writing the prescriptions for very large doses,taken for many years!When her urine started coming out dark and her legs started cramping up and fatigue set in,it was off to the ER!Of the tests they did,it was the verbal information she gave them about the Ibuprophen that two and two were finally put together.They gave her some Percocet, told her to stop taking Ibuprophen, and sent her home.So,with no way we knew of to treat her pain once the Percocet ran out and her doctor never offering anything else,she would sit on the side of the bed and cry all night.I watched.Her doctor said "HE didn't use pain pills.He didn't understand.We weren't asking HIM to use them!
Then,though it was years too late and will cost years of her life,she was referred to a "Pain Clinic" once we moved to a different town. We had no idea these doctors existed at the time.No one told us about "pain management!" We thought you went to your doctor and got the pain fixed!

[Angi_H]

Why must this false reporting continue to go on. Living in Chronic pain is not a cake walk. Do you really think we like taking all of these meds. NO but we have to in order to live a some what normal life. This reporting as it is being done here only hurts us who are chronic pain patients and who are having a hard time having our pain treated correctly due to these exact stories. I to take a pain patch and a break through med and a muscle relaxer. I also take meds for restless legs. And My pain still breaks through that pain. I am afraid to take the amount of meds I do take for what it can do to my body and my liver. There are few cases where Actual Chronic Pain Patients become addicts. But we are not addicts we require the meds in order to function day in and day out. If it was not for not sleeping and being in day in and day out pain I would not take this stuff. But in order to be Mom and A wife and Run a Farm I have to be able to function and not be in bed crying from the pain all day. I still do get those days even though I am being managed by a dr. But that is Life. There is no Cure for RSD or CRPS. And no one who is a chronic pain patient will ever be 100% cured of there pain. It will always creep up on them. I do not ever expect to be 100% pain free. But I do expect to have help. And with reporting like this and the drs always being afraid of the DEA it is a sad state of affairs for us who suffer with it daily. Please print a retraction or say something. INterview Pain drs and Pain patients do not mis represent us again.

Thanks

[jwilcox120]

CBS news and in particular Dr. Ashton- delievered extremely biased and inaccurate reporting on the story about Paula Abdul. The following is the comment I posted on the Ladies Home Journal website.

jwilcox120 wrote:
I too always thought the LHG was a reputable publication. Your article regarding Paula Abdul- was a huge injustice to the people who suffer from RSD and CRPS. My cousin was diagnosed too late- to have any chance of treatment. She was diagnosed 8 years ago and is now at late stage 3- very close to stage 4 RSD. This stage of RSD has the following symptoms:
* irreversible changes to skin and bone
* continuous burning of the skin- to the point where nothing can touch it
* pain is continuous even with large doses of medication
* muscle atrophy
* severe limited mobility
* contractions of muscles and tendons (limbs may be twisted and atrophied )-
My cousin has an internal morphine pump that doses her 24/7. Every day she must take additional doses for her "break through" pain. On a pain scale of 1 to 10- a "good day" for her is if her pain is "only a 6 or 7". She has gone from a dynamic career woman to practically an invalid- who spends 24 hours a day- just managing her pain.
One last thing- the suicide rate for patients with late stage RSD is higher than any other disease or illness. Many studies show that 70-80% of late stage RSD sufferers attempt or commit suicide.
I am not a medical doctor- and do not know if Paula Abdul truly suffers from RSD- or if she has used it as an added excuse for taking pain medication. I do know that even with the amount of medication my cousin takes daily- I have NEVER seen her exhibit the type of behavior Ms. Abdul has exhibited over the past few years.
Ladies Home Journal has done a huge injustice to those who suffer from RSD and cannot live without their medication. You owe RSD sufferers another in depth article with a true representation of this little known disease.
5/7/2009 11:05 PM CDT

[sufferinginky]

I absolutely agree with the above comments. The article is very misleading, even dangerous in most cases. You would think with all the resources that are available at CBS, they would be able to produce a more fact based article!

[bac7477]

If Paula Abdul had RSD, her pain treatment was appropriate, and she was not an addict unless she started adding to her pain medication to get high. And anyone who told her otherwise, lied to her and did harm to her.

If she claims she was an addict, then she was either lied to, and forced off an appropriate pain regimen - OR she lied about having RSD so that she could get pain medication. There is no middle ground, and I would like some clarification from her on this point.

RSD has no cure. Some interventions, like surgery, make it easier to live with, but it doesn't go away. She may not need narcotics at present, but be assured, it doesn't go away and it generally gets worse. If she really has it, she will need stronger medication again.

If Paula is claiming she was addicted and is now cured from an incurable pain syndrome, then she truly is an addict, as she would have to have lied about having RSD to get drugs in order for her claim of addiction to be true. Considering the reports of her injuries when reported, I don't believe this to be the case. But the medical facts about RSD and about medical pain treatment do not mesh with the story you presented on her. It gives anyone with a condition causing chronic pain a bad name. It's simply untrue that anyone who takes pain treatments, even narcotics, is somehow an addict.

People in agony don't always speak or function well when in the throes of severe pain. In fact, people in severe pain act more like addicts when they are NOT treated correctly than they do when they ARE taking pain treatments. For example, someone with the injuries she was reported to have sustained, would stagger from the pain in order to try not to make it worse. The times she acted odd, were likely times when she was in too much pain to think straight, NOT times when she was taking prescribed medication.

By the way, allow this old, beat up, hurting nurse to give you some much-needed education on pain treatments. Lidoderm patches are NOT narcotics. They contain 5% lidocaine, a local anesthetic. They are worn on 12 hr., off 12 hr., and decrease the sensitivity of nerves in the area to which they are applied. Fentanyl patches ARE narcotics, but not lidoderm. Also, tramadol, or Ultram, is not a narcotic. It is a pain reliever in a class of its own. It is potentially addictive to some people, but most people do not become addicted to it.

And, contrary to what your agenda appears to be regarding pain control and the prescribimg of narcotics, there is a medically appropriate, evidenced based use for the prescription of narcotic pain killers in the treatment of chronic pain.

If Ms. Abdul wants to help people, I would suggest she at last respond positively to the organizations attempting to help people with RSD, the disease she claims as the reason for her alleged "addiction" to painkillers. A spokesperson such as Ms. Abdul would be of inestimable help in finding ways to treat RSD.

If she's been cured of it, as she claims, she should share that with others who have the same condition. If her cure is only for wealthy celebrities, and is not to be shared with the "underdogs" who suffer from RSD, I say that she truly has limited, if any, interest in helping "the little guy," contrary to her proclamations and the impressions of those around her.

I do not have RSD, but have a close friend and colleague who does. She has had multiple surgeries and nerve blocks, including the removal of major nerves in her legs, nerves without which her ability to walk without falling is impaired because of the lack of innervation, NOT from medications.

And as a chronic pain sufferer myself, I resent the implication of this article that all of us are drug addicts who need rehab, not compassionate pain treatment to allow us to live productive lives. Don't we have enough problems with the DEA? They spend more time investigating physicians who prescribe pain relief for suffering patients than they spend stemming the flow of illegal drugs into the US, closing down meth labs, or stopping the creators of "designer drugs" from flooding our streets with crime and addiction. If they'd do their job, and let the doctors do theirs, this world would be a better place for everyone.

Let's not let the 1 - 3% of pain patients who become addicts, or the less than 2% of physicians who prescribe narcotics criminally, stop the legitimate treatment of thousands of chronic pain sufferers. Don't pander to this for ratings. You'd have more respect from a lot of people if you just stuck with Journalism 101: present a balanced, WELL RESEARCHED, story. Yours was neither.

[Anne Beckett]

I agree with the above commentors. As a woman who has lived with chronic, intractable (meaning 24/7) pain, I don't need someone else who was supposedly "cured" from an incurable disease telling the world that she is ANYTHING LIKE ME..
She MAY have had a lot of pain at one time. In face, as I remember, she had an accident which would have caused her much pain. But, if her pain had dissipated and she was still taking her "medications", what she was doing is completely different than most Pain-Patients.

Gotta say that the mag really dropped the ball on this one. We pain-patients really do not need more problems in obtaining relief. We deal with enough as it is!