KNOW SOMEONE WHO SUFFERS FROM PAIN IN THE U.S. AN ESTIMATED 51 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE WITH CHRONIC PAIN.

TODAY.

THEY'RE SUFFERING IS COMPOUNDED BY RESTRICTIONS ON THE MEDICATION.

MANY NEED OPIOIDS, CAROL MARINE AND STUDENTS FROM DEPAUL UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR JOURNALISM, INTEGRITY AND EXCELLENCE INVESTIGATE IN CARROLL JOINS US NOW.

WELCOME BACK.

CAROL, THANK YOU, BREE AND THIS.

WE KNOW ABOUT THE OPIOID CRISIS THAT'S KILLED 640,000 PEOPLE NATIONWIDE SINCE 1999.

PORTING.

>> NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.

BUT TONIGHT THERE'S ANOTHER CRISIS.

A RESULT OF THE FORMER CRISIS, MANY CHRONIC PAIN SUFFERERS ARE STRUGGLING TO GET THE PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS THEY NEED.

AND YOU'RE ABOUT TO MEET 2 OF THEM.

WE BEGIN WITH THE NORWOOD PARK WOMAN WHO SAYS SHE HAS TO GO FROM PHARMACY TO PHARMACY TO FILL HER PRESCRIPTION.

>> YOU HAVE THE WHILE WALKING IN AND HOPING AND PRAYING IT THAT THIS PROMISE WILL SYMPATHY, EMPATHY AND HELP YOU FILL THIS PRESCRIPTION BILL.

XENIA CONLEY IS 66 YEARS OLD.

>> SHE SAYS SHE STARTED EXPERIENCING CHRONIC PAIN IN 2006.

GET LIVE WITHOUT THESE NOT.

NOT TO TRY AND EASE THE HURT SHE TAKES 6 PILLS A DAY PRESCRIBED OPIOIDS CALLED PERCOCET.

IT ALLOWS YOU TO MANAGE.

BUT AT LEAST YOU ARE ABLE TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE GO TO GROCERY STORE.

YOU KNOW, YOU GOT TO HURT.

>> BUT IT IT KEEP SHOE.

>> SAME AS HER DAY WEARS ON THE PAIN, SHE SAYS INCREASES BY 2 O'CLOCK THIS I FEEL LIKE I'M AND MY LEFT SIDE OF MY BODY.

BY THAT IS SHEER PANIC.

ONLY THING I CAN DO IS LAY DOWN AND COMPLAIN.

>> CONLEY IS DIAGNOSED WITH COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME OR CR P S THE PAIN IS SO BAD.

IT IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE SUICIDE DISEASE.

>> I CAN BE ON THERE'S BEEN SO MANY TIMES I WANTED TO GIVE UP.

>> SOME 50 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHICAGO IN SANDWICH, ILLINOIS.

CHRISTIE EARNS LAKE MILLS CONLEY STRUGGLES WITH PAIN.

I THINK PEOPLE LOOK AT YOU AND SAY.

FINE.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

YOU LOOK FINE AND ALL UNDERSTAND.

BUT IT'S PERVASIVE AND ITS.

THEY'RE ALL THE TIME.

SO THIS IS WHAT WHAT I DID TAKE ON DAILY BASIS MY PURSE.

SHE HAS HAD 15 MAJOR SURGERIES AND THEN IN CHRONIC PAIN FOR OVER A DECADE.

LIKE CALMLY, SHE IS PRESCRIBED PERCOCET AND LIKE CONLEY, IT'S INCREASINGLY HARD.

SHE SAYS TO FILL HER PRESCRIPTION FROM HER LOCAL PHARMACIST.

THEY'RE TELLING ME THAT IT'S A SUPPLY ISSUE THAT THEY'RE JUST NOT ABLE TO ACCESS, THAT THAT THE SUPPLY HAS BEEN CUT WAY BACK.

SO SHE MAKES THE ROUND TRIP FROM SANDWICH ALL THE WAY TO NAPERVILLE TO FILL HER PRESCRIPTION AT EDWARD HOSPITAL.

WHAT'S HAPPENING EARNED IN CONLEY IS HAPPENING TO MANY OTHERS.

THE OPIOID CRISIS HAS NOW CREATED A SECONDARY CRISIS.

>> IN THE EARLY 2, THOUSANDS OPIOIDS WERE HEAVILY MARKETED AND IN SOME CASES, OVERPRESCRIBED, WHAT FOLLOWED WAS A RISE IN OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATHS.

FEDERAL REGULATORS MOVED TO CONSTRICT BOTH THE MANUFACTURER AND THE PRESCRIBING OF THOSE DRUGS.

THE QUESTION NOW, WHETHER THAT BECAME OVER CORRECTION THAT WENT TOO FAR.

>> IT'S BECOME A CRISIS, SAYS CHRIS HERNDON, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN A NUMBER OF WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE CRISIS STATUS OF SHORTAGES OF A INDIVIDUAL DRUGS WHERE OUR PATIENTS JUST CAN'T GET HIM BECAUSE THE PHARMACIES CAN'T GET UP.

>> HE'S A PROFESSOR OF PHARMACY PRACTICE AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY.

EDWARDSVILLE.

>> THAT THERE'S A PENDULUM THAT SWINGS AROUND THESE THIS PARTICULAR CLASS MEDICATIONS WHERE WE HAVE LOOSENING AND TIGHTENING OF THE BELT IN TERMS OF ACCESS.

>> IN NORTH SUBURBAN BARTLETT AT THE LOCAL PHARMACY THERE.

DOCTOR NOREN CAUSE SHOW EASE THE SHORTAGE PLAY OUT ON A DAILY WE ARE MONITORED BY THE D A PHYSICIANS PRESCRIBERS AND PHARMACISTS.

SO WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL HOW MUCH WERE DISPENSING THEM TO BE CAREFUL HOW MUCH THE PRESCRIBING.

WE'RE ALL TRYING TO FOLLOW THE RULES.

>> CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

ARE THOSE IN PAIN SEEKING MEDICATION?

THE WHITE FORD AT THE BARTLETT PHARMACY SHOWS DRUG AFTER DRUG ON BACK ORDER.

>> I WOULD SAY THAT THE DA PLACE A LARGE PART THE CONSTRUCTION.

THEY SET PRODUCTION QUOTA.

IT'S SO HOW MUCH OPIOID WERE ALLOWED TO ACTUALLY MANUFACTURE IN THE UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR DURING THOSE QUOTAS BEEN GOING DOWN ANNUALLY.

>> AND GOING UP IS THE FRUSTRATION OF CHRONIC PAIN SUFFERERS LIKE MEL XENIA, CONLEY AND CHRISTIE STARTS.

>> SO THERE ARE SOME DAYS WHEN I YOU KNOW, WILL NOT SOME DAYS EVERY DAY I WOULD LOVE TO GO PARTICIPATE.

BUT THERE'S JUST SOME DAYS WHEN YOU KNOW, GET MY COAT ON.

AND I I BE IN TEARS.

I CAN'T I CAN'T DO IT.

>> YOU KNOW, I HAVE PEOPLE ALWAYS ME HOW DO YOU TAKE THAT TO YOU FEEL ABOUT GIVE TAKE THAT?

YOU KNOW, IT'S SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND.

HOW I GET UP IN THE MORNING.

PUT THESE CLOTHES ON AND SHOWER AND HOW I FEEL.

>> DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE DEA CONCERNING THE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER THAT HAS BEEN A CONSTRICTION ON THE MANUFACTURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF OPIOIDS.

OR IN THE WORDS OF CHRIS HERNDON, THE PENDULUM OF PRODUCTION FRIEND US.

>> CAROL, IT CAN BE KIND OF HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND DESCRIBE THAT PAIN.

WHAT DO THE PEOPLE WHO MONITOR PAIN MANAGEMENT TELL YOU?

THEY CALL IT THE 5TH VITAL SIGN.

NOW.

BUT THE PROBLEM IS, I CAN MEASURE YOUR RESPIRATION, YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE, YOUR CHOLESTEROL.

>> TARA, NOT MEASURE.

YOU'RE