Health bosses have been accused of failing patients who face losing their livelihoods to chronic pain.
Latest figures from NHS Grampian show that fewer than one in 10 referrals to pain clinics in the area are seen within the 18-week guideline.
Now it has been revealed that some are having to wait 40 weeks to get specialist treatment and medication for their conditions.
Last night, Moray MP Douglas Ross said patients living with chronic conditions deserve the “full attention” of medics.
However, the NHS explained that priority must always be given to emergency cases.
Chris Bridgeford, who founded the Affa Sair (CORR) group in Moray, believes the condition is not taken seriously.
He said: “It’s invisible, but not imaginary. The effects are very real. You lose everything to it. You can’t think or sleep, let alone work. I’m virtually housebound now.
“The medication I take is five-times stronger than morphine and I have to take 300ml of that every day, sometimes extra.
“The consultants are great but they’re gnashing at the waiting lists too. It’s completely underfunded. We hear the government allocates extra money but it never seems to get to the clinic.”
The latest three-monthly figures published by NHS Grampian showed that only 51 of 536 referrals were seen within the target. Pain clinics currently run at Dr Gray’s in Elgin and Aberdeen.
It is estimated that about one in 20 Scots suffer from chronic pain, which is classed as lasting for more than 12 weeks.
People can suffer pain in their joints, headaches or constant fatigue as a result.
Mr Ross said: “The Affa Sair campaign group has done a lot of hard work in trying to keep the issue at the forefront of the agenda and campaigning to get a pain clinic at Dr Gray’s.
“But it isn’t much use if they can’t get an appointment and it shouldn’t be up to them to resolve this issue.
“Those living with chronic pain go through so much and deserve our full attention to improve the care they expect and should receive.”
Mr Bridgeford added: “It’s soul destroying. I used to be able to communicate well but I can barely make a decision now.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon vowed to get Health Secretary Shona Robison to look into NHS Grampian’s waiting times when the issue was raised in parliament this month.
A spokeswoman for the health authority stressed if somebody’s condition worsens during their wait for an appointment then they should contact their GP to be reassessed.
She added: “The public should be assured we will always see people as quickly as possible but, as they would rightly expect, our first priority must always be urgent or emergency cases.
“Unfortunately, in some specialties, our waiting times for routine outpatient appointments is higher than we would like and we are working on a variety of new initiatives and on recruiting additional staff to help address these.”
