I have chronic low back pain that does not seem to respond to opioids, despite me being on a heavy dose. I don’t like the way they make me feel or the dependence on the drugs itself. Is there a better option for managing my pain?

The recent consensus within the medical field is that a team approach is most important when managing chronic or persistent pain. Additional drug options for pain management that are recommended you first try are: Tramadol, Nortryptyline or an alternative TCA/SSRI, or lidocaine. You can ask your doctor about any of these. Non-pharmaceutical treatment is also important. This should include counseling or help from a psychiatrist to deal with any depression, anxiety, or past trauma as emotions are big controllers of pain as well as physical therapy to help to calm down your central nervous system and help it realize that movement is healthy and not damaging.