ITS possible to use and not become addicted

[johnnykelly]

It seems that a lot of people are under the impression that by using a narcotic pain pill,or a benzodiazepam.The ultimate and only conclusion is to become addicted/dependant.I beg to differ,the abuse of these drugs is the foundation for addiction,not the as RX route,another observation i notice is an across the board paranoia especially from people that where once addicted.

[mimi1313]

I agree with the paranoia about taking a pain medication when you have been addicted to it. I have a hard time taking them for fear of getting addicted again. Its very difficult to stop once I start. I only have that fear of opiates. I can take benzos and have no problem with them. I don't feel the need to take more and I have no problem stopping them. Vicodin is another story. I personally think its good to have a healthy fear of your DOC. As for using either narcotics or benzos, some are prone to being addicted and/or dependent. Not everyone of course. You can also take either of these for years and not have addiction. I do think that dependance can occur if taking these for a long time.

[youngdude421]

this topic hits close to home with me,  about addiction and dependence and alll that.  Plus i know alll about opiates and benzos, I am addicted to heroin and painkillers(i dont shoot up never have never will) and i am prescribed klonopin because i have panic disorder and agorophobia. I know im full blown addicted to the opiates but i am dependent on the benzo to help with my anxiety am i addicted i dunno i know i cant stop that med CT  but i know i truley need it for a medical purpose. I look at it as i am dependent on the klonopin to give me a shot at dealing with my panick attacks and a shot at having a normal life and working through the severe anxiety and panic. The opiates im addicted to and have plans to go to rehab 4 i just have to find a place that will let me take my klonopin b/c  i have been diagnosed by more than one doctor with the above conditions.

[enemy48]

It's whatever floats your boat.

I'll stand next to a tree all day as long as it makes me feel good.  

[ochooked]

So, you think you can play with fire and not get burned?  Keep reading from the literally thousands who have posted on this site and see how many you find that thought they too could play with the fire and not have it burn them.   ALL of us thought that addiction was for the other "Losers" out there and it wouldn't and couldn't happen to us - - we were too strong - -   Yeah, right.   good luck to you

[johnnykelly]

Maybe you misunderstood the assessment,i was refering to non addicts(IM an addict) People who use as Prescribed.Studies have shown that pain pill used by and for ligitamate pain as prescribed show that physical and psycholgical addiction is not the norm.You stated something to the affect that thousand of people have posted to the contrary,WELL what about the Millions of people that have used pain-pill and not become addicted. Check-mate HA HA

[enemy48]

I have a friend that had 2 back surgeries.  She has been prescribed lortabs for severals years now.  She didn't hardly take them once recovered, but kept up the script for her husband and for me.

After her second surgery, while still in recovery, she developed a rash that drove her nuts.  At that time, she was taking 10mg 4 times daily (sometimes more) for 6 months.  The doctor asked her to stop the pain pills to see if the rash disappeared.  It did, and she didn't go through any withdrawal symptoms.  None.  Not even the bathroom issue. WTF?

[corey411]

It's not about the drug, it's about the addiction.Thousands of people take opiates and do not get addicted and don't even especially like them. They are not addicts. I am, and that has nothing to do with paranoia. It's a fact that I know, accept and need to stay vigilant of on a daily basis or it will either put me in jail or kill me. I also can take benzo's as perscribed but switched to antidepressants because when I go to meetings and hear addict after addict tell their story of how alcohol or another drug that was not their DOC caused them to become cross addicted or triggered a relapse I know that the best thing for all addicts is to find another option whenever possible. Most addicts cannot control alcohol or any mind altering drug and since relapses take away added years of your life if not kill you any addict needs to be smart. You may see this as paranoid, addicts with time in recovery know this and are simply being smart.

Saw you post yesterday telling someone that it was OK to take Ultram, they wouldn't get addicted. That was really irresponsible and totally wrong advise. Can't figure out why someone would come on a recovery forum and try to tell people who are seeking recovery from addiction to use drugs. Your advise would serve others best if you kept it to yourself. Corey

[johnnykelly]

Cory your intitled to your opion (FREE speech) Cory I at NO time told anyone it was okay to take Ultram,what i said was in re-lation to what the medical profession/pharmaceutical people say,and that is its NON addictive.So please get your facts straight,moreover whats wrong with a little intellectual debate,you dont see me attacking you,as we are supposed to be hear to help one another.THe use of the word paranoid by myself may of bee inoppropriate and i withdraw it ,i ment no harm,ONe more thing buddy-BOY WHO are you to tell me to keep my opinion to myself.ARE you the C>E>O. no ,your a stiff john

[lady67]

I agree with your post.  My father took percocet (1 pill per night) for 30 years and he wasn't addicted or dependent on them.  I don't believe that everyone who is prescribed a narcotic is going to become addicted, but I do believe that once you cross that line and begin taking more than prescribed and more frequently than prescribed, you are setting yourself up for problems.  That is what happened in my case.  Once I started taking more than I was supposed to, it was a short jump to dependence. However, that is not the case for everyone.

As for the paranoia, once you tare burned by a hot stove, you are very paranoid about getting too close to it and for good reason.  When people are addicted, it makes you very nervous about taking the same thing that caused you so much grief.  I know that I can take it responsibly, but I also know that I can become addicted again.

[Jimmy1975]

Stop this nonsense and save it for the debate team .We are here to help one another period ! Its really as simple as this . Its a roll of the dice . Why dose one get addicted and another dose not .  Peace  Jimmy

[johnnykelly]

HI Lady,you explained it as i ment it,as for the word paranoid  it typed it prior to thought and if i offended anybody i apologize.YOU atre a case in point people can use as RX and not get addicted,they may develope an increase dependance,but addiction is more than that. thanks for sharing your experience,strength,and hope. john

[Soon2BMrsTurner]

Everyone thinks different. And we are all more than welcome to express our feelings. Some people take pain meds for years without just going nuts some cant, I have been on them for 4 years and at one point I was taking a few more than I was supposed to but never ran out early or did anything against the law to get them. I think that it depends on the person, I dont think of myself as being an addict, I see myself as someone who has to take them , but at the same time when my health issues are better I will need support to taper off with my docs help. Just dont bash people John was just asking a question and everyone started seeing red and got pissed. Does it make one mad to think about those that can take them without being an addict? That is my question, dont attack just post and see that everyone isnt going to see eye to eye =)

[SammyTheSnail]

Nature and nurture ...

[broknbck]

Well if you take pain killers long enough- they simply stop working and therefore you have to take more for them to work. I suppose if a person never raised their dose (or their doctor didn't), maybe you would not be addicted physically?  But then they wouldn't be working for the pain unless your pain just wasn't that bad and the tylenol in it was enough to ease the pain alone.

Everyone will build up a tolerance who takes them for an extended time every day. There is no doubt about this. I think is when we start uping our doses (because they don't work) that we start really getting physically addicted.

[marcatj]

many people can use pain pills and not become addicted. i know alot of them.

it's when people use for the long term - for over a month, every day, for whatever reason - that addiction usually sets in for most.

but for occasional use, for non-addicts, that is not necessairly the case.

[joangy]

I have been reading a lot about addiction and narcotic abuse, as well as speaking with many people in the health care community and it has been proven time and time again that there is a genetic link to people who are prone to become addicted. I am very envious of those who can take the meds without feeling like they have to have it!

Unfortunately for me, addiction is on both sides of my family. So, after a bad accident 3 years ago my addiction started sneaking up to me and eventhough I was in a lot of pain and had a clinical reason to be prescribed the drug- I knew I was ADDICTED!!
I am now fighting hard to get through it... and I will :)

[usarmymedic1]

addicted/addiction bottom line malidaptive behavior with drug seeking to include all dependant S/S


dependant/dependancy the increase in tolerance over a prolong use of an addictive substance. no malidaptive behaivior nor drug seeking most people continue the use of siad substance due to the knowlege that there will be withdrawal S/S . this can turn into addiction but not always. is also the bodies chemical reaction to the substance with decreaseing chemical production due to the increase is DOC. any Prolong use of a pain killer is going to become dependant polong use is greater than 6 months

so yes and no not all prolong use turns into addictions but all prolong use turns into a dependancy in one way shape or form

medic1

[usarmymedic1]

the above information comes from the DSM 4R in axis 2 mental health diagnosis

[4afriend]

You are so right in your post.  Yes, there is a huge genetic link to addictions (esp narcotics and alcohol). There is the same link with mental illness.  Yes, there are mulltitudes of people in the world who use narcotic meds as prescribed without any problems of abuse.  However, I do wonder if in those studies they actually look into how many of those people have those types of issues run in their families?   I do believe that many people who use narcotics as prescribed and do become addicted...have some sort of history of that behavior in their family history.  Look at how many of us..."don't tell" what we have been through...so many things are hidden and not discussed to save ourselves and our families from hurt, anguish and every other emotion that comes with addiction.  I don't disagree with not discussing those types of things, because that is everyones own personal choice and decision to make...as to what is best for them and there loved ones.  I do think, however, that knowing those things are important...I truly think that knowing my own family's history of abuse, esp my father's helped me save myself...sooner vs. later.  

[Mandapanda17]

I think a majority of MY addiction is mental. I took painkillers for long periods of time before and when I was DONE, I was DONE.. I didn't get sick at all. My head told me that I wasn't going to get sick....now I'm done and I know I'm going to get very sick.. the mind plays some crazy tricks on us...and our bodies. thanks medic for that info above.

as the genetics go...I never knew of anyone in my family who was addicted to anything, until my mom told me the other day that my great aunt took vicodin for the last 20 years of her life and was definitely addicted...wowow.. I never knew.

[marcatj]

depends on on the DOC.

some research is very new.  and narcotic pain relievers are VERY addictive.

all you have to do is turn on the news...

[marcatj]

.. not to discount the genetic link, as well.

however, take a number of siblings, all using the same DOC, and some will become addicted, some will not. trust me - i've seen it, coming from a very big family.

there is an element that is still unknown.

[marcatj]

as well - many factors coming into play at once.

ok - i guess i coulda put all that in one post - lol.

:-)

[lady67]

I have a question, so tell me what you think (Remember, I am just an English teacher and I have no background in medicine at all).  Broknbck made me start to think about something with his post:
         {Well if you take pain killers long enough- they simply stop working and therefore you have to take more for them to work. Everyone will build up a tolerance who takes them for an extended time every day. There is no doubt about this. I think is when we start uping our doses (because they don't work) that we start really getting physically addicted.}

Why are we so apt to build up a tolerance to pain meds, anxiety meds, and other drugs to a point where we have to take more than recommended and at closer intervals of time, but things like blood pressure meds we don't?  I don't understand the pharmacology of these drugs and I just find it strange that we build up a tolerance to one but we can take another for years and years and never need to change the amount or how often we take it.

What is your opinion on this or your expert answer because this lady doesn't know.
:)

[rmaso321]

The simple answer to your question (without getting into all the Pharmacological Rigamarow) is that Opioid Pain Relievers, besides sending messages to your pain receptors also have a euphoric effect and intensify our pleasure receptors. So, in the beginning, not only are the Pain Pills helping to ease our pain, they are providing us with an intense and very pleasurable side effect that we clearly do not get from our Blood Pressure Meds.

Sadly, it is NOT the pain relief effect we continue to chase, it is that wonderful euphoric feeling. So, as you are exactly correct in the fact that as we take them, our tolerance begins to build and our need for that Euphoric Feeling gets stronger and stronger, we take more and more of the dreaded little pills.

Given that our bodies tend to be resilient and tend to fight off any foreign materials we may introduce to it, even the Euphoric feeling is not 100% completely normal, so our bodies tend to fight the introduction of the medication, thus requiring more and more to chase the effects we are seeking. As our bodies fight the medication, it begins to accept it's introduction and become used to it. As such, without it, our bodies begin to "freak out" with the absence of the drug. Our pleasure receptors begin to crave that feeling and without it, our chemical makeup becomes extremely unbalanced and cries out for it.

It's actually kind of like the "Love to Hate" effect. We love the euphoria, but we hate the impurities we introduce into our bodies. Does that kind of make sense? I'm no doctor or pharmacist although the experience I have using these poisonous little killers, I should be a little of both!

Frankly, to an addict the claim being made that by simply taking Pain Meds does not cause addiction, or that one may take pain medication without the fear of becoming addicted is horribly skewed! I don't care who you are, what your DNA make up consists of, what your metabolism is constructed of, or if you have never been dependent upon narcotics is ridiculous! IF YOU TAKE ENOUGH FOR LONG ENOUGH EVERY BREATHING INDIVIDUAL WILL SUFFER SOME KIND OF ADVERSE DEPENDENTCY OR ADDICTIVE TRAITS INDUCED BY THAT OF INGESTING NARCOTIC/OPIOID PAIN RELIEVERS! PERIOD!

It is very possible for you to take them for 2 - 3 weeks and then only suffer the slightest discomfort as the result of stopping their use, whereas I could take them for 8-10 days and suffer the most intense form of physical withdrawals as a result of stopping their use... However, if we both take them for long enough, it is inevitable that both of us will begin to suffer horrible physical withdrawal effects and the ONLY way to get any relief is to quite simply begin to take more! Then, we would undoubtedly run the risk of experiencing the most horrific and intense physical, mental, emotional and psychological withdrawals lasting anywhere from 2 weeks to 2-3 months in the worse case scenario. I have been there, done that, back and forth, up and down, horizontally and vertically both above and below sea level and every other possible way known to man!

Believe me when I tell you... Each and every single time I have put myself through it, it got more difficult, and less appealing! My suggestion to anyone facing the prospect of having to take Narcotic Pain Relievers, is a very simple and direct - DON'T!   Take Motrin, Allieve, Tylenol, Aspirin or any other NON-NARCOTIC PAIN RELIEVER! Chances are, you'll get much more relief with them than you would with the Narcotics, plus you may save yourself the dreaded knowledge that you are one of the chosen that like Opioids just a bit too much!