'Like many drug users, Heather Fugere experimented before she started taking opioids regularly. First there were the Tylenol 3s. Then there was the Tramadol. But it wasn't until a bad fall led her to the emergency ward where she discovered Oxycodone. 

"All of a sudden I was pain-free in my back and it was just like living again," Fugere said from her home in Coquitlam, B.C. 

With almost 60,000 listens and counting, Pain BC's Pain Waves podcast is your “go to” for the latest tools, trends, research, and stories on chronic pain - and now it has a new look and a new home! Make sure you update your bookmarks and RSS feeds, because Pain Waves is now on Spreaker.

Since the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) announced changes to the opioid prescribing standards on June 1 2016, Pain BC and people living with chronic pain, along with representatives from a variety of organizations such as the Pain Medicine Physicians of BC Society, the BC Psychiatric Association, and the People in Pain Network, have been raising concerns with representatives

Pain BC is excited to be launching a new Ask the Expert Series on the Live Plan Be Forum. This is a live event where users can ask a special guest questions and receive answers in real time.

Is chronic pain making you feel like you’re losing control of your life? Dr.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) has just released a list of questions and answers related to the June 1st opioid prescribing guidelines.

When it comes to government funding announcements, one issued on July 18 managed to fly under the radar screen, receiving little media attention, with no mention in newspapers, radio or television.

Perhaps this was because it was an insignificant amount of money. Indeed, with a provincial health budget of $18 billion, awarding a mere $50,000 doesn't exactly stop the presses.

Pain BC's Executive Director speaks to CBC News at 6 anchor Andrew Chang about the impact of the new opioid subscribing guidelines. Watch the story below starting from 20.35 minutes.

A list of standards on opioid prescriptions recently formalized by the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons is coming under fire from critics who say it's forcing those in chronic pain to seek drugs on the streets.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The public health emergency declared over the number of opioid overdoses in BC should lead to more help for people at risk of overdosing, but it may also be hurting one segment of the population. A group which supports chronic pain sufferers is worried more of its members are having to turn to street drugs.

A pain management and advocacy group in British Columbia is worried that BC’s new guidelines for prescribing opioids could cause more chronic pain sufferers to turn to street drugs for pain medication, a risky prospect according to Pain BC, as pain sufferers can’t be sure of what they’re getting w

The increased reluctance of B.C. doctors to prescribe opioids has some chronic pain sufferers turning to the black market.

Maria Hudspith, executive director of Pain B.C., said her organization is hearing from concerned pain sufferers who no longer have access to drugs they need to function normally, and are turning to the streets to acquire them.

CBC Radio

Rick Cluff