Concern from patients after Nice advise against painkillers for chronic pain

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “What’s best for each person will vary so Nice’s recommendations for anti-depressants and exercise is all well and good, but a blanket statement saying these should be used instead of analgesics completely ignores our individual experiences and causes of chronic pain,” she said. If an individual needs pain relief, I think it’s cruel to withhold that based on a study that shows ‘little or no evidence’ for analgesic treatment, when we all know that these clinical studies have their limitations.” Steve, another chronic pain patient from Lewisham, south London, said he would “probably have to leave my job” without medication. Doctors should be working closely with their patients to lessen it, monitoring them closely, and using every tool at their disposal: not denying painkillers to patients who are in intractable pain.” Nick Kosky, a consultant psychiatrist at Dorset Healthcare NHS University Foundation Trust and chair of the Nice guideline committee, said: “Understandably, people with chronic pain expect a clear diagnosis and effective treatment. “This guideline underlines the importance of appropriate assessment, careful drug choice, exercise programmes, psychological therapies, and consideration of acupuncture in improving the experience and outcomes of care for people with chronic pain.”