This is an easy question to answer about opioid crisis posed by journalist at Politico.

[GaYellowDawg]

6. I've got issues with pain right now.

It feels like I've been set on fire all down my legs, around my waist, and under my arms. Topical agents don't touch it. It's most likely neurological. I have tried every prescription medication short of opioids. The pain is constant, and is anywhere from distracting to absolutely debilitating. When it's really bad, I can't do anything but lay down and moan. Sometimes howl or cry. The only thing that lowers it to a level where I can function is oxycodone. Even hydrocodone didn't work. I have never gotten a high. All I've gotten is some pain relief. I could go to a higher dosage, but all I want is for the pain to back off enough for me to function. Not pain free. Just enough to function. I have felt, and still feel, all kinds of shame for taking hydrocodone and oxycodone. But nothing else works. I am trying to find a doctor who can diagnose the root cause of the pain so that maybe it can be treated. But in the meantime, I have to work, and I can't do it without the painkillers. I am not an abuser. I am not part of an epidemic. I only take what I need. But I still feel shame because of how people talk about the medications I take.