- When Arizona declared an opioid emergency,
it rolled out new prescribing guidelines
to counter the increasing number of deaths
from prescription opioids.
As awareness rises about the risk these medications pose,
so has interest in alternatives for treating chronic pain.
This week in our special reporting series,
Arizona Addicted reporter Judy Alley
looks into some emerging options.
- It was devastating.
I could not function,
all I wanted to do, was chew on a shotgun.
- [Judy] It was a narcotic nightmare Joseph Ketterer
says he could not wake up from.
- Because of my chronic pain,
from my exposure to my military service
and also my commercial diving time,
it had caused me to need a very high dose of Tramadol,
Flexeril, and a few other medicines
that had caused me to go into a state
that was spiraling downward very quickly.
- [Judy] Ketterer says the opioids caused him
to gain about 70 pounds
and his behavior started to change for the worse.
He says his extreme highs and lows,
caused his marriage to collapse.
That's when he decided to kick the opioids
and try something new.
- When I first started applying CBD topically,
I was on seven different pharmaceutical medications.
I don't take any pharmaceutical medications today,
and that was six years ago.
That's how long it's taken for my system to repair itself.
- [Judy] Keterrer credits CBD or cannabidiol,
for his miraculous recovery.
CBD is the second most prevalent active ingredient
in cannabis or marijuana and is said to inhibit inflammatory
and neuropathic pain without the high
and other side effects of opioids.
- There are a lot of data that says
that CBD has great(mumbles) relieving qualities.
I'm a big fan of the topical CBD creams.
- [Judy] Dr Eric Cornidez
of the pain Institute of Southern Arizona,
has met with many patients looking
for alternatives to opioids.
- Some patients
are not so much physically depending on these medications,
but they're psychologically dependent, right?
It's more like a crutch.
It's more like,
"This is what I need in order for me to survive."
- [Judy] Dr Cornidez says in addition to CBD,
he sees some exciting new developments
over the last five years, including a new medication
called ATA 121,
which is about to hit the market.
He says it decreases pain by stimulating
and blocking pain receptors
without the high associated with opioids.
- This is the one that we use.
Same thing, you know--
- [Judy] But he believes,
the most promising treatment for pain
is neuromodulation therapy.
It involves implantable and non implantable devices
that deliver electrical or chemical agents
to modify brain and nerve cell activity.
It's been around for decades, he says.
But recent technological advances,
have made it a game changer.
- We're no longer manipulating just to signal pain,
but we're manipulating the impact
that signal has on our bodies and on our minds too.
And that's amazing.
To be able to pinpoint nerve structures
to manipulate that signal here
and with minimal side effects.
- The nerve stimulator has completely changed my life.
- [Judy] For years,
Monica Ibarra suffered from debilitating chronic back pain.
- I was at the point where,
(mumbles) get emotional.
I didn't really know how I could continue on.
I was in so much pain, just I couldn't sleep.
I couldn't even rest on the couch.
- [Judy] She tried opioids, which made her sick.
She tried steroids and cortisone shots,
which had some limited results.
Running out of hope, she finally decided
to try neuromodulation therapy and it was successful.
- I really like to work out.
I was a big aerobics person, 1980s style,
you know, the leg warmers and all
but never thought I could do that again.
And so now I'm back on the treadmill
and I'm actually running
and I never thought I could run again.
- [Judy] She also says,
(mumbles) rich plasma therapy
has helped with her muscular pain.
And while many of these new methods
are providing encouraging results
and are helping people like Joseph Ketterer wake up
from the debilitating days brought on by opioids,
- I'm ready for active duty service again,
if it's so needed.
- [Judy] Dr Cornidez says it's important to be realistic,
open-minded and impatient.
Because although there's a pain relief method
for pretty much everyone, sometimes it takes a while
to find the one that's right for you.