Last year I contracted a virus that caused symptoms similar to an extreme case of arthritis. I was hospitalized and on round-the-clock Demerol for seven days, weaned to oral Percocet for one day and then sent home by my in-hospital doctor with a prescription for Ultram. Over the course of the week I had regained some range of motion and had some easing of pain. But after three days at home with virtually no real pain relief, I was in as much pain as when first admitted to the hospital and had lost most of my range of motion.

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Re "A New 'Worst' Drug Stirs Up the Snoops," Commentary, July 19:

Last year I contracted a virus that caused symptoms similar to an extreme case of arthritis. I was hospitalized and on round-the-clock Demerol for seven days, weaned to oral Percocet for one day and then sent home by my in-hospital doctor with a prescription for Ultram. Over the course of the week I had regained some range of motion and had some easing of pain. But after three days at home with virtually no real pain relief, I was in as much pain as when first admitted to the hospital and had lost most of my range of motion.

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