Pain pill addiction

[Brother Jason]

Just out of pure curiosity, does any one here suffer from pain pill addiction? I have been on them for well over a year now and still not addicted. My doc says if you take them for pain you will not get addicted like someone who is just taking them to get high.

I've been on 8 percocets a day plus muscle relaxers for a while now but am positively not addicted (because I run out of money every once in a while and can't afford them ).

Just looking for some feedback and maybe some life in this place!

 

[Blank123]

nope, i'm very careful about that. I do have prescription strength painkillers but i'm careful only to take them when the pain is just so bad nothing else will touch it otherwise i'm down to home remedies (soaking in the bath, headon, icing, etc...) and over the counter pain killers.

 

[Brother Jason]

nope, i'm very careful about that. I do have prescription strength painkillers but i'm careful only to take them when the pain is just so bad nothing else will touch it otherwise i'm down to home remedies (soaking in the bath, headon, icing, etc...) and over the counter pain killers.

Wish that worked for me, the pain pills wont work most of the time. I do love my heating pad though!!

 

[Blank123]

heating pads rock

yeah i actually had to change my pills several times before i found one that actually helped.

 

[Angeldove97]

I'm very glad to hear you to have not been addicted to pain pills--- I remember watching the show "Intervention" about this one Mom who was addicted to them and what it ended up doing to her and her family (VERY SAD ).

For those who may be suffering from this, PLEASE GET HELP NOW! Here are some resources, should you ever need them (You being the general population, not the members who have posted in this thread):

http://www.turntohelpnow.com/?qs=ga&gclid=CIzS6oCJsJYCFQSwFQodUG-wLQ
http://ezinearticles.com/?Treatment-Options-For-Pain-Pill-Addiction&id=1578157
http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugs-prescription-otc.aspx?id=search_addictionPharma
http://www.rehabandtreatment.com/?cpao=111&cpca=General_-_Drugs&cpag=27969706&kw=pill_addiction
http://www.highfocuscenters.com/

If you need to find help in your area, please feel free to contact a Recovery Staff member (like myself) and we'll do our best to provide you with resources.

 

[Treasurer]

Wow, here where I live the doctors are terrified to give pain meds.

Even if you go to the ER with severe pain, they want you to have a note authorizing them to use pain medication.

The last time I went in to the ER they gave me antisezure meds for migraine pain. Needless to say that didnt work. Crazy.

I am glad your doctors arnt as paranoid as ours are.

 

[Brother Jason]

Well, my doctor is just a country doctor, not saying that we don't have people addicted to drugs around here but it's not as common as it would be in more populated areas. I feel bad for those that need pain pills but can't get them.

 

[mont974x4]

I talked about my concern of addiction to my pain management doctor and he said it's a non-issue for me. He said that given chronic pain like mine that the body has a natual guard against actual addiction in the usual sense that we think of addiction. Unless the Lord heals me I will be on meds the rest of my life. I don't know if the guard is chemical in nature, meaning that since my pain is chronic and usually severe the meds will act on that as opposed to the nerve/chemical doodads of the brain that would lead to addiction in a normal person or what but he was not worried about addiction issues in my case.


Currently I do a darvocet with an advil every 4 hours and 1 or 2 muscle relaxers at night. In addition to my enbrel injections every 72 hours. If need be all I have to do is call my pain management doctor and he will write me up for something stronger but I don't tolerate opioids very well.


I cycle heat pads and ice packs, and I have prescription for hot tub but haven't saved the money to buy one.

 

[nannymaroon]

The last time I went in to the ER they gave me antisezure meds for migraine pain. Needless to say that didnt work. Crazy.

Hi All,

What everyone has said is true, people with bad chronic pain are very unlikely to become addicted to pain meds. The percentage rate is below 4%.

Also antisezure meds are the first line of defence against Neuropathic pain, and there are some like Topamax that are antiseizure meds as well as a migraine preventative. They work to help calm down the nerves in the spinal cord and brain. Some work as sodium channel blockers and others as calcium channel blockers. Some of them help some people and not others because we are not able to tell exactly how our pain is caused.

So it was not a crazy decision to write a script for anti seizure meds........it is called "Off label" use most of the time.......and that is annoying because some governments won't subsidise it for neuropathic pain!!

God Bless

Mel x

 

[pumanator]

My doctor said most likely be defendant for the rest of my life and if I don't take them the discomfort is overwhelming and no sleep. Had to sleep down the hill one night after school and had not meds and it was worse than just dealing with the pain and no sleep...no relief from the pain of work and school was like one wicked withdrawal and I make sure I have a supply where ever I go.

 

[namelessjuan]

Yeah, I've been addicted to pain meds. It was part of my treatment. And have been off and on since my injury. Function or be incapacitated by pain? I chose function. Oxy was the best other than injecting morphine or being on the drip. Too bad it is so addictive. I've gone through withdrawals several times. Worst was the oxy. It was nightmarish. And I couldn't get in to see my doctor, so I stopped cold turkey. Fortunately I had a rather large supply of lortab on hand which allowed me to fight off the sickness enough to make it to the bathroom, kitchen, etc. And I would go through it again in the same situation just to be able to have a break from the pain enough to actually have a life. I still deal with it. Just nowhere near as bad as it was pre-op. And I've not been addicted to pain meds in any capacity for 3 years now. Though I do occasionally take them for breakthrough pain.

 

[Ranger97]

Thankfully i'm not addicted to them yet though i'm very carefull. I know hard to believe for a 16 year old being carefull to not get addicted to something but i am. I currently take vicoden for chronic pain throughout the back, hips, and knees. I normally try and cycle it like 7 days on and 14 off or just take it when i can't bear the pain. Sadly stuff like tylenol, advil, or even Tylenol with codine doesn't do much of anything for me. Yesterday i took 6 tylenol in the course of 8 hours and it didn't even do anything to the pain. I would have taken a vicoden but i didn't have any and don't like keeping it in my truck. I'm just hoping they figure this out eventually, there for a while i was taking a muscle relaxer to but my family doctor won't renew the perscription. yarg.

Dan

 

[pumanator]

Yarp...a doctor that understands pain and addiction and you needs is essential. I have been taking similar meds for 7 years now, mostly at bedtime and sometimes on the weekend if I over do the honeydo's. Addiction has been a concern that I have brought up to my doc but she says I have the choice, function with the help of pain relievers or don't...have to work so...meds. As to over the counter meds they can be hard on the liver...ask your doctor. NSAIDS have other nasty side affects...I know I take them everyday also...the ringing in my ear is a bugger as I play piano and love the silence of the woods....nasty interuption.

 

[One day at a time]

I have been on pain meds now for almost 2 years. I was on Lortab 7 and 5 most of that time along with Valium and now darvocet. I was taken off the Lortab about a month or so ago and had to be just on the Darvocet and valium and then they gave me Tylonel 3 (even though it doesn't work). I'm saying all of that because even though I wasn't addicted to the Lortab (was trying only to take one a day at bed, or when I was having to travel) I noticed that I felt sick for about a week until I started to feel a bit better. I do notice I like the fact that I have better thought process without the Lortab then I did when I was on it. I'm just afraid that they are going to cut me off and not be able to deal with the pain. Has anyone had that happen?

 

[pumanator]

After the "Old Fire" of 03 here in the mtns where I live, we had some really devastating flooding and land/mtn slides. I got caught off the mtn one nite and couldn't get home so I stayed with family overnite...no meds...worst nite of pain and no sleep I have ever experience and I FEAR, I kid you not, of that ever happening again. Like you I only take at bedtime and travel or late day on a weekend after over doing the honey do's...there is no doubt of dependence as there is just no way around it if you have to take it everyday...my doc told me straight up about my concerns and said just that to me as well as it will probably going to be life long.

I was in the ER couple years back for kidney stone...thought I knew pain till that...4 injections of morphine and then and only then did I stop writhing (was freakin the nurse out > ) and all I could think about was the poor slob in some 3rd world hole that was suffering the same thing or worse but WITHOUT meds...God knew what He was doing when He created opiates...it is our responcibilty to be just that...responcible.

 

[brother_of_invention]

After the "Old Fire" of 03 here in the mtns where I live, we had some really devastating flooding and land/mtn slides. I got caught off the mtn one nite and couldn't get home so I stayed with family overnite...no meds...worst nite of pain and no sleep I have ever experience and I FEAR, I kid you not, of that ever happening again. Like you I only take at bedtime and travel or late day on a weekend after over doing the honey do's...there is no doubt of dependence as there is just no way around it if you have to take it everyday...my doc told me straight up about my concerns and said just that to me as well as it will probably going to be life long.

I was in the ER couple years back for kidney stone...thought I knew pain till that...4 injections of morphine and then and only then did I stop writhing (was freakin the nurse out > ) and all I could think about was the poor slob in some 3rd world hole that was suffering the same thing or worse but WITHOUT meds...God knew what He was doing when He created opiates...it is our responcibilty to be just that...responcible.

I suffer from chronic pain too, and struggle with opiate addiction. I have found that smoking medicinal marijuana significantly reduces the opiate dosage required to relieve my pain. In fact, Ive gone days without taking narcotics and slept just a well with only marijuana.

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, and the herb yielding seed...
and God saw that it was good... And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth"

 

[One day at a time]

I take 2-3 darvocet during the day and then the valium and Tylonel 3 at bedtime. There are times I need it more depending on the weather etc. Because of scar tissue in my throat if I don't have the meds I feel like I'm gagging or can't swallow. What bothers me the most right now is that if you were to look at me--I look fine. (I also hate that when people say that to me--even though I walk like a board up my butt b/c of my spinal fusions) The other thing that I noticed...I'm now getting my symptoms back from before my surgery--tingling, numbing and burning down my legs...so it looks like I'm back to the dr. and they will probably have to do scar tissue scraping on my nerve endings What am I to do? I feel stuck...but yet if I say something like that I get...that's not a very good attitude! But yet no one understands what is going on inside my body except me---(and of course ya'll who also suffer through similiar things) it can drive a person insane at times!!

 

[pumanator]

Had the "you look ok" flap taused (someone please spell that one for me >.< ) in my face awhile back at a mens Bible study...it happens again and I'm gonna say something...in love...if possible. =^..^= (watch it, I think that cat bites-lol)

Nope, we here and others like our ilk are the only ones that really get it so post away...we'll be prayin'

 

[Blank123]

yep i know what thats like. i look perfectly healthy and thats actually why i've never bothered telling people about my problems unless it was necessary or i found someone going through something similar because they either think, 'but you look ok...' or they start pitying me because i'm too young for this sort of pain apparently. i hate that. but such is life i guess.

its definitely good that this forum exists because we can understand what each other is going through and that definitely helps i think.

 

[One day at a time]

Had the "you look ok" flap taused (someone please spell that one for me >.< ) in my face awhile back at a mens Bible study...it happens again and I'm gonna say something...in love...if possible. =^..^= (watch it, I think that cat bites-lol)

Nope, we here and others like our ilk are the only ones that really get it so post away...we'll be prayin'

Thanks! (the word is "tossed") I think that the meds mess with the brain--I have had more trouble spelling since I've been on meds. Which drives me nuts (I'm a teacher by profession!).
Well, they have put me back on Lortab 5 since the Tylonel 3 isn't working
and now I have to go back to the dr. on next Wed. to get checked out again to find out what is going on---ugh!!