Pain Killer Addiction

[startingover]

Pain Killer Addiction

Cap, thanks for sharing your story too. I can totally understand where you are coming from there.
I have just read up about Dolased, they are similar to the tablets I used to take.
Are you going to stop taking them now?

[startingover]

Pain Killer Addiction

Ficks, what a moving post, its good to ramble, dont every apologise for it.
Have the hospital mentioned anything about your drinking and not allowing you to have surgery?
Maybe you could talk to someone about this? I would have thought this pressure you are putting on yourself is creating more of an urge to drink too?
I know you are a very private person, but dealing with all you have to on your own seems impossible. Maybe if someone else could take some of the burden perhaps?
Big hugs to you in the meantime my friend.

[Captnjack2]

Pain Killer Addiction

Yep definitley starts ( Stopped) however are we different why cant we deal with every day plane jane....... every day....... why are some of us doing this//// pills drink........ sorry sort having a bit of a brain overload today sorry I can assure you i wont be reaching for a pill

[fickle]

Pain Killer Addiction

Starty, I think I need to be more accountable. Shall I pm you? I am trying to manage everything and constantly in a muddle.. obviously taking anything brain numbing is not helping. Sheesh you know how it is Capt! Caught myself going through a red light the other day with the kids all in the car and was seriously frightened. No more of those particular pk's for me.
Problem in this country is if you seek help via detox centres there is a punitive attitude - ask for help - must go via 'mental health intake' which goes on permanent record & wrecks your career - plus
'drug abuse' is seen as criminal. I've avoided all this in order to keep a roof over our heads. Only time I did detox years ago (before I had a career) it was full of 'court ordered' folks who i did not relate to. They forced us to attend AA meetings and the whole process was so demeaning & disrespectful I really resented it. Seriously, there is NOTHING here for people who voluntarily WANT to quit or get help. It's catch-22 - asking for help labels you as F'd.
Somehow am making progress with life for now and don't want to risk losing it all by going that road.
I will however phone the one contact I do trust and ask for some advice.
Hugs & gratitude to you Starty & all who post in this thread.

[startingover]

Pain Killer Addiction

Ficks, yes of course you can pm me and I will help you in any way I can. But phoning someone you trust and talking is definitely a good move too.
I can really understand the stigma too. I looked for help with my drug addiction once and from there on in I have been labelled as a drug addict on my medical records...I have always regretted doing that. Plus, there was no understanding or help forthcoming, simply a threat that if I didnt stop I would be committed to a mental institution.

[fickle]

Pain Killer Addiction

Oh yes they are bastards for sure... and they threatened to take away my kids! I actually was told by a doctor to think twice before I ask for help because they would take my kids.
Thanks for your help Starty!
:l

[nancy]

Pain Killer Addiction

Roly Poly, can you talk more about the effects of all the anti-seizure meds?
are you saying you could have a seizure if they are withdrawn?

[rolypoly]

Pain Killer Addiction

Starty I need to address this so much.
Thanks to you and all the folks who are taking time to answer
we are juggling so many balls in the air walking backwards down the road. I know if I drop one, it will take me forever to get them all back in the air again.
I have a 'roly' ball for my desk. I can manage about 1 1/2 hours before my brain goes on vacation and I just leave.

Has anyone been to rehab....gotton off all this stuff and found their pain more tolerable?


I have a few productive hours in me a day. I try to manage work(brain stretch) time and body work...I can't let it all fall apart.
I used to smile and laugh found a lot of pleasure in life. Now I just exist.

Fickle If you go off a few days (I've heard valium helps) can't you get your body in a safe place for the surgery?

They detoxed my stepdad....several days valium, before his surgery. I bet you are really ready for the surgery.

Hip replacement ? Wish you well. I've seen some friends cruise right through that.
later

[Popeye]

Pain Killer Addiction

Hi Startingover.
I've just seen this thread.
What a fantastic effort you're making.

My mother was an alcohlic for as long as I can remember and she too became addicted to painkillers. She started ot buying Askit Powders, a mixture of Aspirin, aloxiprin, caffeine from the local shop and was taking sometimes 10/12 sachets a day. I was only young at the time and I'd no idea what they were or what they were for. She ended up with very strong prescription drugs and she had a fiddle going with some of her friends whereby she would get theirs too. Till the day she died she was popping one thing or another. Valium for a while and Tomazapam,. I'm not really up on the names but it must have been whatever she could get her hands on. She always said it was for rhuematism but she was obviusly addicted.

Again, I'd just like to express my admiration for your effort in getting completely clean.
Fantastic!!

[rolypoly]

Pain Killer Addiction

Hi Nancy,
Yes that's what I'm saying. Frightening.
Several have warnings that the most dangerous time a seizure might occur is when you are being taken off that med. several have seizure side effect warnings.
I know lots of drugs seem over the top when you read the small print.

Cymbalta is a drug I was given for nerve pain(off label use) it has very potent side effects. At one point the company producing it had to remove the claim that it was useful as an off label pain med.....then it regained it's status...hmmm
I picture the lab coat genie being called out of his bottle,'How do we tweak this'.

neurontin, wellbutrin topamax have all been in my treatment regimens. After several severe reactions I began looking them all up on line. Not just the company spin. Side effects studied by reputable institutions.

Not saying they are not usefull in some situations.....just use extreme care and know your drug..
They are indeed very powerful.
For 2 years on neurontin I stumbled, slurred words, lot of difficulty with memory...I thought it was one of my milder meds!!
Ran out during an unexpected trip. Not real bad w/d, but suddenly I could think speak and walk again.
Docs weren't surprised!!!
"But it probably helped your pain,right?"
too high a price...
lot of false info on line this way to the wonder elixir also

go to a few sites if you want to check something in particular

[startingover]

Pain Killer Addiction

Pops, thank you for the encouragement.
I am so sorry to hear about your mum, it must have been pretty awful living with someone who has those issues.
It is also very scary how easy it is to get strong opiates from a GP too. I managed to get a supply of morphine derivative for 2 months very easily! Totally unnecessary and all it took was a phone cal....madness.
Your poor mum, benzos are notoriously hard to come off. How the doctors think its OK to prescribe this stuff continuously is beyond me. They seem to have no idea of the destruction it causes or if they do, they dont have the time or resources to address the issue....very sad state of affairs.

[startingover]

Pain Killer Addiction

Roly, you have raised a valid point, some of these drugs are very useful, but often the side effects are worse and more damaging than the benefits.
I am a fan of alternative therapies. I try to research any natural remedies for the ills that I get. Fortuately I am pretty healthy but if there is a natural way, I will try it even if it is alongside the allopathic regime.
I agree, researching your medicine is a must. I never take a drug without research. This is surprising to me as I would still take anything despite the addictive properties and side effects. Thats how desperate I was to "feel good"

[fickle]

Pain Killer Addiction

Hi Roly,
I know what you mean about the NON-accountability going on in the drug/medical industry - it is truly frightening, especially if you have an accident and wake up on a cocktail of mysterious drugs! I had a very close call myself and that was supposed to be a mild and non-opioid drug. I was clean at the time but it nearly killed me anyway.
As for getting off them, start with a hospital detox centre and ask to speak to the nurse - explain your situation and ask if she can refer you to someone who knows about coming off painkillers. From what I've read some pain meds make the pain worse. That certainly was the case for me - codine was maxing out the pain (not to mention freaking me out in other ways). Since I've stopped and learned what exactly is causing the pain, I have learned to avoid certain actions and only take the milder more predictable things at certain times. For example there is a slow release high dose panadol called osteo that if you take 4 times a day prevents pain becoming unmanageable. No doctor suggested that, it was an arthritus help line.. I still have pain but I can work around it. It has saved my life! Not sure if that is at all an option for you.

At the end of the day, acceptance, to some degree, is part of any long-term pain management. Learning where the pain is coming from, what you can stop doing that exacerbates it, how much pain you can tolerate and for how long and what things make it worth while to put up with some pain in exchange for some clarity. I am sure you know all about this - you sound like a veteran to me.

Roly, you have my deepest respect and I hope you find answers.. sorry if I've been annoying in any way.. as I don't know the full extent of your condition and I'm certainly no expert.

Wishing you strength and hoping you find some answers soon!

[startingover]

Pain Killer Addiction

I too have heard that codeine can increase pain. When I had an abscess I was just about begging my dentist to prescribe extra codeine, but he explained to me it was better to take a simple painkiller. Needless to say I ignored that bit.

[Angelcakes]

Pain Killer Addiction

startingover;610029 wrote:
I looked for help with my drug addiction once and from there on in I have been labelled as a drug addict on my medical records...I have always regretted doing that. Plus, there was no understanding or help forthcoming, simply a threat that if I didnt stop I would be committed to a mental institution.

UGH...drives me insane...we're not bad people, at least we're tryng to deal with it ya know??!