2. I have the right to have my pain controlled, no matter what its cause or how severe it may be.

Pain must be understood, as well as believed. In recent years, major advances have been made in understanding pain and its effective treatment.

Members of the health care team must seek all information and resources necessary to make patients as comfortable as possible. Failure to aggresivily treat pain on a timely basis is now thought to be the main cause of chronic pain.

3. I have the right to be treated with respect at all times. When I need medication for pain do not treat me as if I were a drug abuser.

Health professionals, the public, law enforcement agents, and even people in pain often believe that using pain-relieving drugs will lead to addiction. Yet this almost never happens. The abuse of drugs is unrelated to the use of drugs for pain treatment. It is normal to want to be comfortable: it is a way of taking care of yourself.

Many of us are fearful about pain medications because we don't know the facts. Learn the facts about narcotics and other pain treatments. It is your responsibility to help patients and families understand that fears about addiction, sedation and other side-effects are understandable, but often exaggerated. Most side-effects of pain medications are treatable. Treat them! Never use side effects as a reason to discontinue treatment for pain.