>the opioids that are being prescribed were never intended for
>extended use

Actually, they are. And when used in people with medium to severe pain addiction isn't a worry. Because if you're in pain and take a drug that greatly decrease your pain then it's effective - and physical depndcy , in my mind, is a lot better than being in severe pain for days/weeks/years on end.

>as they don't address the issue causing the pain

Well something like severe back pain because of disc herniation can't really be addressed in any other way.Surgery only helps so much.


>and are highly addictive

Again, not so if you take them only when you have pain. And , let's just say that they were addictive - who cares if a 70 year old woman who has chronic and agonizing back pain is addicted to pills?

>has your Mom considered an implant?
>
>http://www.tamethepain.com/chronic-pain/spinal-cord-stimulation-neurostimulation/about/index.htm?loc=testa

My understanding is that those don't really work as well. I could be wrong - but they're for more mild pain. I know my mother met with a lot of doctors to discuss her options as recently as a year ago.

Pain is just neurons in your brain firing and being received - opiods suppress those signals - and long term users of them actually think and function better than those with severe pain.

Drug addicts and drug dealers are fucking this up for everyone.