Rev. White is just another example of prescription medication restrictions gone wrong. Below is a copy of a letter he sent to Congressman Paul Ryan, a Republican serving Wisconsin’s 1st District, on June 17, 2010, about the problems he’s encountered as a consequence of the new prescription crackdowns.

Do you have a similar story? Let me know.

Hello, my name is Rev. Jason White. I am a 30-year-old chronic pain sufferer here in ***, Wisconsin. I am writing in hopes that you may have some ideas or information on who I might want to speak with about a growing problem in our area as well as the country. I became disabled in early 2004 and had seen many doctors from several different medical organizations with no real relief. I have went through a battery of test to try and determine what is causing my pain but have not been able to get any real answers as to why this is happening to me. I tried several different medications all non-narcotic as well as having trigger point injections to try to relieve my pain with no result.

The difference between a patient with opioid addiction and a patient who is dependent on opioids for chronic pain is simple. The opioid-dependent patient with chronic pain has improved function with his use of the drugs and the patient with opioid addiction does not. – Dr. Scott Fishman

My pain started getting worse and worse and none of my doctors we able to find what was going on less much willing to treat the pain. I got to the point where I could not function; all I wanted to do was fall asleep and never wakeup again. Then I had my primary doctor tell me that he was no longer comfortable treating my conditions and that I needed to find another primary doctor. It took so doing but was finally able to find a doctor named Paul Mannino at Mercy East in Janesville. After having met Dr. Mannino, he shared his concern about the amount of medication I was taking, meaning I was on so many medications that there was a chance they were jeopardizing my life by taking them all together. He started adjusting my medications to a point that I was only on a few that were essential and the others that were not were discontinued. I explained to him what my situation was and how my pain had all started as well as what doctors I had already seen and what tests had already been preformed. At this time, I was still not taking any opiates for my pain as I was fearful of the side effects as well as the possibility of addictions since I had a history with drug use as a teen. He was sympathetic to my concerns and we tried some more non-narcotic medications to try to manage my pain levels. He also had me see several specialists and have many other medical diagnostic tests done to try to fine a reason for my pain. Unfortunately, we had no luck in finding the cause of my pain.

As time went on my pain continued to increase and my quality of life was slipping further and further away everyday because I was in such pain that I wanted to die. I finally told Dr. Mannino despite my reservations about taking narcotic painkillers that I think we were at a point that I did not have any other alternatives. Dr. Mannino started trying me on different opioids to try and manage my pain. We were finally able to find the correct medication as dosage that worked for me. I signed an opioid contract with Dr. Mannino and promised to always use the medication only as directed and to contact him immediately if any problems arose. Dr. Mannino continued to watch my progress on the medication as well as sent me to the Madison UW Pain clinic to see the Pain Specialist to get his opinion about my conditions and to see if he agreed with my medication regimen, I was taking. After seeing the specialist, he concurred that Dr. Mannino had me on the appropriate medication regimen and he sent me back to Dr. Mannino to continue with what at that time the correct regimen for me. Now Dr. Mannino was terminated and is being slandered by Mercy Health Systems.

His patients are being turned away with nowhere to go for effective treatment of their chronic pain. While I realize that there has been an epidemic of people misusing or abusing prescription narcotics, which does not change the fact that there are still people out there such as me that are legitimately in pain everyday of their lives and the only relief has been the opioids they have been prescribed by their doctors. Like many others accepting my pain was most likely here to stay and learning how to not let it dictate my life was not an easy task; I honestly do not believe that I would have ever gotten to that point if I had not found Dr. Mannino. In fact I would go as far as saying there is a good chance I would not be here today asking for your help if I had not met him.

I just turned 30 yesterday and I have two beautiful children and a wonderful wife of 11 years. Because of how Dr. Mannino was able to manage my pain when everyone else had given up, I am now able to have a relationship with my children and wife instead of taking my pain out on them. I have also enrolled in college and am getting ready to start my third class. I have been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I am certain that if I had not met Dr. Mannino and by some miracle was still alive, I would have never been able to go back to school less much be a part of my children’s lives. However, now that he as been terminated there are very few doctors if any that are willing to treat us (chronic pain patients). Most of us did not start out by taking opioids to manage our pain, like me a lot of us chose to try other methods to try to manage our pain, with little to no success. Now I fear that if I am not able to find a doctor willing to treat me I will have to drop out of school and I do not even want to think about what will happen to my family.

Do not get me wrong, I have told every doctor I have seen that I am willing to give up the opioids if they can provide me with another method of successfully managing my pain. I did everything the doctors told me to concerning alternative treatments and nothing worked. I am writing you in hopes that you might be able to help or point me in another direction to get the word out that people with chronic pain do exist and if the medical establishments keeps refusing to treat them, they are leaving them with very little choices. I do not agree with people using alcohol or other illegal drugs to manage their pain but being someone that knows first hand how devastating the pain is to our lives I can understand how someone can get to that point. I also do not believe it is fair that the doctors are being punished for doing exactly what they were trained to do and following the oath, they took when they got their medical license.

I personally know that Dr. Mannino kept on top of all of his patients to the best of his ability. He routinely administered urine test to make sure that we were taking what he prescribed as well as making sure that there are no other drugs in our systems that should not be there. If the doctors are going to be held responsible for patients misusing there medications then they need to make them come in and get their medications from the doctor or have it administered by a nurse or other trained medical professional. Having patients go to the doctor everyday is extreme and costly but there has to be a way to treat the patients effectively without punishing the doctors for those that abuse there medication. The biggest problem seems to be with the doctors knowing the differences between addiction and dependency.

Below is an article written by a pain expert, Dr. Scott Fishman;

What is the difference between being addicted and being dependent?

Fear of addiction has prevented many physicians from prescribing needed pain relief and many patients from controlling their pain and reclaiming their lives. Pain doctors have known for years that taking opioids over long periods of time for medical reasons does not have to lead to addiction. More than a decade ago, neurologist Russell Portenoy, who was most recently President of the American Pain Society, reviewed studies of almost 25,000 cancer patients. Most of those patients had been on opioid therapy for many years. Of the whole group, very few showed any signs of drug abuse, drug craving, or drug-seeking behavior.

Every one of these cancer patients was dependent on their medication. However, their physical needs were worlds away from addiction. Addiction is a biological and psychological condition that compels a person to satisfy their need for a particular stimulus and to keep satisfying it, no matter what. It is a compulsive behavior that demands more and more drugs, regardless of the consequences that lead to dysfunction. A person who is addicted to opioids has a disease that undermines optimal function and drives one to compulsively use a drug, despite the negative consequences.

The pain patient who is effectively treated with opioids finds life restored-even if he is dependent on them. With the pain muted by stable and steady controlled use of long-acting opioids, a patient can reclaim his life, go back to work, return to family life, and pursue favorite pastimes. Dependence is a physical state that occurs when the lack of a drug causes the body to have a reaction. Physical dependence is solely a physical state indicating that the body has grown so adapted to having the drug present that sudden removal of it will lead to negative consequences such as a withdrawal reaction. This can occur with almost any kind of drug.

A good example of dependence is a heavy coffee drinker’s use of caffeine. If you are used to drinking several cups of coffee each day, you soon learn about physical dependence when you miss a day or two. This does not mean you are addicted to the caffeine; it only means your body is surprised not to see what it has come to expect.

In the case of opioids, a certain amount taken every day fills the glass, and no more may be needed or desired. If the medication is removed, the consequences are physical (sweating, running nose, diarrhea, racing heart, or nausea), not psychological.

As any diabetic will testify about insulin, or any heart patient will testify about blood pressure medication, dependence is not necessarily indicative of addiction or drug abuse. In fact, regular use of these medications may be essential for good health.

The difference between a patient with opioid addiction and a patient who is dependent on opioids for chronic pain is simple. The opioid-dependent patient with chronic pain has improved function with his use of the drugs and the patient with opioid addiction does not.”

In closing, I just ask that you keep my words in mind and please if you cannot help then maybe you know someone that can. Thank you for your time.

Best regards,

Rev. Jason Jay White

Rev. White can be contacted via email at revwhite1980@email.phoenix.edu or jwhite1980@sbcglobal.net.

Note: I have eliminated his address and other personal information for his protection.

Congressman Paul Ryan’s website. His Constituent Hotline is toll-free: 1-888-909-RYAN (7926). All other information and an email form are located on his website.

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