It's just not correct to say that opioids don't work for nerve pain. They provide excellent pain control for many people. They don't work for everyone and people have to have sensible and have realistic expectations of the amount of pain that they will still have to live with when's hey take theses drugs for neuropathic pain.

One of the big problems is that people are allowed to take multiple opioids together along with all sorts of other drugs. This causes all manner of interactions and complications. Another issue is that as people keep increasing the doses because they want to be pain free, they require greater and greater amounts of medication because their body becomes increasingly tolerant. Opioid induced pain is another significant issue, increasingly being recognised by pharmacists and doctors and that also increases pain levels. Basic paracetamol can do exactly the same thing.

For anyone whose pain levels reduce when they simplify their drug regime and remove opioids, that is great. However, for those of us who have a sensible and realistic approach to our chronic neuropathic pain management, opioids are an excellent (and necessary) addition to the tool-kit of medication and other interventions.