I have had Ankylosing Spondylitis or A.S. for about 30 years. When first diagnosed I was denied pain medication but numerous NSAIDS were thrown at me like candy. This is very inappropriate especially in younger patients. I often wonder how many of my current problems could have been avoided if I were not pushed to take all these NSAIDS. I was living in Northern California where I was approached by a local newspaper about Doctors complete reluctance to safely and effectively treat chronic pain via narcotics. NSAIDS can cause bleeding ulcers, liver and kidney problems and much much more. Pain medication cannot in mosy pain patients cause addiction. IN most pain patients the brain is not using the pain meds in the pleasure center, they are going straight to pain receptors thereby passing the pleasure receptors. I was fired from a job I loved, forced to move 90 miles south to Sacramento where I became a patient of Dr. Harvey Rose who was also in the article. Dr. Rose saved my life and allowed me to effectively work for about 8 more years until I needed my hip replaced at age 30. I would only move back to my home state of Minnesota if someone would mangage my pain like Dr. Rose did. My Mom contacted a Physician near them and he agreed to pick up the 4 medications I was on- OxyContin, OxyCodone, Restoril and insulin as I was on a insulin pump. My new doctor agreed and I moved home. I started coming to Mayo Clinic for new treatments and therapies such as Humira, Methotrexate and numerous other DMD's (disease modifying drugs). The result of these therapies? More physically and mentally costly hospitalizations for me as well as costly to the taxpayer. Does Mayo Clinic think about this? Absolutely NOT. These doctors are more concerned about their DEA record than the patients quality of life- somewhat rightly so, but if doctors refuse to treat chronic pain safely and effectively, then where does that leave the patient and what kind of physician is that doctor? Most doctors REFUSE to take the Hypocratic Oath today anyway citing it is too ambiguous. Really? More like it means that they will have to do their jobs. I have recently seen A TON OF PRESCRIPTION Medications on the street. They NEVER CAME FROM ME. I suffered a brain injury about 7 years ago and was taken to St. Mary's. People think I cannot remember any of that but I do. I had a medic alert bracelet on stating my condition and that I was on OxyContin for pain. I remember nurses and doctors making crude comments about the MINOR withdrawl I was going thru. Patients with legitimate chronic pain really have little difficulty coming off long term narcotic pain medicine as there body is using it as it needs it. Your pleasure center in your brain is not being activated. Mayo foolishly tests for Marijuana so they can deny patients that need pain medicine for QUALITY OF LIFE a Mayo "substantiated" reason to deny that patient medications. This is foolish and also descriminatory as ER patients who come in after killing people in accidents while on drugs or alcohol are never denied pain medicine. Why? Because Doctors say "they did not have a choice" or some other BS. I never had a choice and I certainly did not ask for this disease as well as I have tried every other available treatment or therapy Mayo offers and nearly died. Mayo NEVER takes ANY CREDIT for this. They screwed up. DMD's and IMMUNO-SUPPRESSANTS should not be offered to patients without cancer whose pain can otherwise be controlled. Using drug tests to deny patients needed medication is actually quite ruthless and irresponsible but Mayo continues these actions even today. What Mayo needs is a HUGE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT to knock these doctors off their HIGH HORSES. I will start to submit to a drug test when every doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner and physicians assistant does- and that includes EVERYONE else who has ANY CONTACT with a patient. We will see how Mayo deals with this- from experience I know of MANY doctors who are BIG INTO DRUGS. But because they are DOCTORS somehow they feel they have a HANDLE on it- more nonsense. Mayo Doctors get off your high horses and come and live with the rest of us in reality. I am not going to stop until this nonsense ends.