Chronic Pain: Causes, Symptoms & Effective Management

Tom Petty’s Cause of Death: Accidental Overdose Medication Opioid Chronic Pain

After months of speculation, a medical examiner has ruled that Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The Hall of Fame musician had taken several pain medications, including Fentanyl, oxycodone, and generic Xanax. Other medications included generic Restoril (a sleep aid) and generic Celexa (which treats depression). The Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, and more pay tribute to a genius craftsman who never stopped believing in…

by chronicillness•10/23/202308/22/2025•0

BLUE BADGE PARKING PERMITS TO BE ROLLED OUT TO PEOPLE WITH HIDDEN DISABILITIES, GOVERNMENT PROPOSES

People with hidden disabilities could soon be entitled to blue badge parking permits under Department for Transport (DfT) plans. The Government said the proposals would make it easier for people with conditions such as dementia, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, and autism to travel to work, socialize, and access shops and services. It is hoped the move – which would be the biggest change to the blue badge scheme since it was introduced in 1970 – would help…

by chronicillness•10/22/202308/22/2025•0

Chronic Pain Patient Abandoned by Doctor Dies

This will be the first Christmas that Tammi Hale spends without her husband Doug in over 30 years. The 53-year old Vermont man, who suffered chronic pain from interstitial cystitis, committed suicide in October after his doctor abruptly cut him off from opioid pain medication. “His primary care provider kept trying to wean him off his opioid therapy, which worked at higher doses,” says Tammi. “My husband ran out (of medication) early a few times,…

by chronicillness•10/19/202308/22/2025•0

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Harms The Brain: Northwestern University Research

Summary: People with unrelenting pain are often depressed, anxious and have difficulty making simple decisions. Researchers have identified a clue that may explain how suffering long-term pain could trigger these other pain-related symptoms. Researchers found that in people with chronic pain, a front region of the cortex associated with emotion fails to deactivate when it should. It’s stuck on full throttle, wearing out neurons and altering their connections. People with unrelenting pain don’t only suffer…

by chronicillness•10/17/202308/22/2025•0

Doctors Beginning to Speak Out about Pain Patients Denied Opioids

It’s a trickle at present, but the conversation around chronic pain between doctors and patients is no longer one way only. Over the past few months, the constant messaging suggesting chronic pain patients are dying in dramatically increasing numbers because of opioid overdoses has been questioned. Understand, the messaging was indeed clever. Chronic pain patients weren’t directly and specifically named, but the messaging caused listeners and readers to believe it was pain patients whose lives…

by chronicillness•10/15/202308/22/2025•0

Fibromyalgia Caused By Malfunctions In Two Key Body Systems – Autonomic Nervous System and Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

A recent study threw up an interesting notion on the root of fibromyalgia. The study suggests that fibromyalgia could be caused by malfunctions in two chief body systems – the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA). These two body systems are key in regulating the production of important hormones and managing stress responses by the body. Imbalance in the two-body systems can lead to sleeplessness, lack of energy, higher pain sensitivity, mood…

by chronicillness•10/14/202308/22/2025•0

Gabapentin Raises Risk of Opioid Overdose

Another study is raising questions about the safety of the anti-seizure drug gabapentin, especially when it’s taken with opioid pain medication. According to research published online in PLOS Medicine, combining gabapentin with opioid painkillers is associated with a significantly higher risk of dying from an opioid overdose than opioid use alone. “Clinicians should consider carefully whether to continue prescribing this combination of products and when deemed necessary, should closely monitor their patients and adjust opioid dose accordingly,” wrote…

by chronicillness•10/08/202308/22/2025•0

21 Little Things Partners Have Done for Their Loved Ones With Chronic Illness

Sometimes all it takes is a simple gesture from someone you love to help you feel a little bit better. We asked people who live with chronic illnesses to share one (seemingly) small thing their partner has done for them that touched their hearts. This is what they had to say: 1. “[My partner] reminds me daily I am wanted and needed and not just a burden.” — Ally Small 2. “I often feel bad that I can’t do…

by chronicillness•10/06/202308/22/2025•0

Jeff Sessions Says People Should ‘Tough It Out’ and Take Aspirin Instead of Opioids

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently shared his idea for solving the opioid crisis: aspirin, sleep, and less marijuana. Speaking at an event in Tampa on Tuesday to celebrate Ronald Regan’s birthday, Sessions said his goal for 2018 is to see a greater decline in the number of opioids prescribed (he said last year there was a 7 percent decline). “We think doctors are just prescribing too many. Sometimes you just need two Bufferin or…

by chronicillness•10/05/202308/22/2025•0

Exploring Ways To Treat Pain Without Addiction As U.S. Opioid Crisis Worsens

Addiction to opioids often begins in the doctor’s office. These drugs are typically the only option to manage pain after an operation or in patients with serious injuries. They’re also frequently prescribed to patients with chronic pain, and it’s these patients who are most at risk for opioid addiction. Ted Price is an associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas. His work focuses on the molecular mechanisms that cause pain to persist…

by chronicillness•10/04/202308/22/2025•0