Less Pain, Fewer Pills

"Dr Darnall is thoughtful and pragmatic, encouraging and supportive: she has made a career out of helping countless patients mitigate their own pain...For patients being handed an opiate prescription to manage their pain, Less Pain, Fewer Pills is a welcome resource." -- Patricia Gale, Blogcritics What we forget is that opioids dont simply dampen pain, they dampen everything -- joy, energy, memory, social interactions, personality, life itself. If you want to fully experience life, you can -- even if you have chronic pain -- but not if you let opioids rule. Read this book and learn how to take back what you may have lost. -- Jane C Ballantyne, MD, Professor of Education & Research; Director of the Pain Fellowship, University of Washington Every person with chronic pain can benefit from self-empowerment and the opportunity to reduce the need for drugs or medications. Dr. Darnall offers a critical review of chronic pain management and a thoughtful and pragmatic approach to self-empowerment -- and to living with chronic pain in a manner that promotes as much personal wellbeing as is possible, ideally with fewer drugs and less pain. -- Philip Pizzo, MD, Former Dean & the David and Susan Heckerman Professor, Stanford UniversitySchool of Medicine Pain is a difficult symptom that is often over-treated by opioids, which in themselves lower the quality of life. This book gives great real-world examples and tips on how to avoid this vicious cycle. Beth Darnall is a leading expert in her field and has helped thousands of people with pain. -- Kate Lorig, DrPH, Director & Professor Emeritus, Patient Education Research, Center in the School of Medicine, Stanford University This book is a wonderful guide to help those suffering from chronic pain to not only understand the pitfalls of long-term opioid use, but more importantly to return to good health and everyday life activities. Dr. Beth Darnalls Less Pain, Fewer Pills offers readable and understandable advice to manage pain successfully while avoiding ineffective and harmful treatments, especially with opioids. For those suffering from unrelenting chronic pain, here is the guide that will make a difference. -- Steven D Feinberg, MD, MPH, Board Certified, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Board Certified, American Board of Pain Medicine, Past-President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine Dr Darnall writes clearly and with empathy, and her balanced approach will help anyone struggling with chronic pain. This book provides patients with the tools they need to take back control of their pain and their lives without having to rely on pain medications. -- Roger Chou, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University Dr. Darnall has created a book that eloquently articulates the perils of relying exclusively on opioids for the management of chronic pain. Through case studies and a very readable review of the scientific evidence, she makes a compelling case for utilizing non-opioids and behavioral therapies to manage ongoing pain. While this book is wholly accessible to lay readers, I would strongly encourage our medical colleagues, particularly those with substantial populations of pain patients to read this volume and to recommend it to their own patients and colleagues. -- Robert Paul Cowan, MD, FAAN, Professor of Neurology,Stanford University School of Medicine, Director, Stanford Headache Program Dr. Darnalls new book provides a refreshing approach to reduce reliance on prescription opioids for chronic pain. The book not only provides an accurate description of the problems related to long-term opioid use -- it also presents an effective, step-by-step approach to eliminate the use of prescription opioids. -- W Michael Hooten, MD, Division of Pain Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota Dr Darnall offers a refreshing approach to sensible opioid-use reduction by considering the real issues facing patients today. I was particularly impressed that she did not set out to criticize opioids as a class, but rather articulated the conundrums and associated risks that prescribers and patients alike should understand before considering opioids acutely and chronically. More importantly she recognises opioid usefulness balanced against important psychological vulnerabilities and non-medication strategies. She simplifies many of the issues without placing blame on patients with persistent pain or on clinicians. Overall, this book will help patients and providers understand the how and why of opioid prescription benefits versus risks. The importance of recognizing vulnerabilities and appropriately stratifying them is discussed; this will enable the patient-reader to take control of their prescribed medications and seek professional help if required, rather than falling victim to opioids controlling the outcome." -- Jeffrey Fudin, BS, PharmD, FCCP, Diplomate, American Academy of Pain Management, Owner & Managing Editor, PainDr.com & NovaPain Associates "Dr Darnall has written a superb book for anyone suffering from chronic pain who needs alternatives to opiate medication. She has provided detailed cognitive-behavioral strategies that the patient can utilise to gain control over chronic pain. She also fully depicts the risks of chronic opiate therapy. The knowledge and skills she acquired in over 15 years of treating chronic pain patients are the cornerstones of this book." -- John Loeser, MD, Professor, University of WashingtonPast President, American Pain Society & the International Association for the Study of Pain