Reputation and narcotics

Your post has just made me wonder something. Is it possible that doctors who fear over/mis-prescribing pain medication to drug-seekers, might under prescribe for people in genuine pain.

In my case I had a kidney stone with a stent that was extremely painful and debilitating. I was prescribed Tramadol (can’t remember how much) and it barely took the edge off the unrelenting pain of the stent. It meant I wasn’t screaming and gnashing my teeth in bed, but it wasn’t strong enough to allow me to do much more than barely survive until I could get the stone and stent out.

Would there have been stronger pain medications that I could have been prescribed that might have let me get up and around (not to mention get back to work) for the three months it took for me to get my stone and stent out?? And if so, why wasn’t I prescribed them? (I did tell every doctor and specialist I could get my hands on, how much I was suffering with the stent.)

(As a side note, I’m a Muslim and have never taken illicit drugs and have a religious prohibition against taking them.)