Aa
chronic pain for life?
i hope this is appropriate here. I take opiates (currently a moderate amt---180 mg. a day). I will need pain relief for the rest of my life. Anyone else in my situation want to talk about how to deal with taking these drugs---getting them------ the side effects--the "cloud" of addiction we live under etc.? I feel stuck between the rock and..........om
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excellent femmy! it would be helpful for the cp community if there was a way to share some of the info from this and other cp forums. i am not aware of any reasonable way to do that. we cp folks could use a 215 like clinic with id cards etc. that won't happen in my lifetime! let us grow poppy plants!let us celebrate the relief from pain those beautiful plants give us give us freely! i just ask for liberation from medical and pharmaceutical tyranny and exploitation! wow that felt good..shanti OM
You're welcome OM :)
I am glad that you have a compassionate physician. I have had the opposite response. Male doctors have been more giving and women doctors more stingy. I would prefer a female doctor that I can easily discuss all my womenly issues with.
By the way, addiction amongst pain patients is 1-3%. It is extremely small. Addiction is a psychological disease where the mind craves the drug for the high no matter the cost. Dependence is when the body reacts when a person stops giving it what it has been taking on a regular basis, which causes withdrawal symptoms. Both addicts and chronic pain patients can go through withdrawal upon ceasing opioids, but the chronic pain patient will just notice that he/she doesn't feel well...kinda like the flu. Whereas, the same thing will happen to the addict but there will be a very strong psychological craving that makes it very hard for the addict to get clean as the mind is dominate and requesting a high or a fix at any cost. There are some addicts that will dig in trash cans looking for leftover Fentanyl patches so that they can crack them and lick the insides....GROSS!!! Now that is addiction!!! So very different roads an addict and a chronic pain patient take.
Psuedoaddiction is almost always cured upon receipt of enough opioids that controls the pain. Psuedoaddiction is taking more than prescribed, being over obssessed about additional meds as the pain is so strong that is dominates the person. Once the person has adequate medication that controls the pain, the behaviors stop.
You shouldn't be worry about opioids over the long term. If you are taking a med that has tylenol combined like Percocet or Vicodin, I would recommend switching over to an opioid-only product like oxycodone IR (same opioid ingredient in Percocet but without the tylenol. Tylenol in high doses and over extended periods is toxic to the liver.
Remember opioids have been used for Centuries to relieve pain. Hence their reliability record for pain relief is far superior to all the non-narcotic meds on the market today. It is a shame that the addicts and abusers get all of the attention and the chronic pain patients are dished out the leftovers.
femmy
I am glad that you have a compassionate physician. I have had the opposite response. Male doctors have been more giving and women doctors more stingy. I would prefer a female doctor that I can easily discuss all my womenly issues with.
By the way, addiction amongst pain patients is 1-3%. It is extremely small. Addiction is a psychological disease where the mind craves the drug for the high no matter the cost. Dependence is when the body reacts when a person stops giving it what it has been taking on a regular basis, which causes withdrawal symptoms. Both addicts and chronic pain patients can go through withdrawal upon ceasing opioids, but the chronic pain patient will just notice that he/she doesn't feel well...kinda like the flu. Whereas, the same thing will happen to the addict but there will be a very strong psychological craving that makes it very hard for the addict to get clean as the mind is dominate and requesting a high or a fix at any cost. There are some addicts that will dig in trash cans looking for leftover Fentanyl patches so that they can crack them and lick the insides....GROSS!!! Now that is addiction!!! So very different roads an addict and a chronic pain patient take.
Psuedoaddiction is almost always cured upon receipt of enough opioids that controls the pain. Psuedoaddiction is taking more than prescribed, being over obssessed about additional meds as the pain is so strong that is dominates the person. Once the person has adequate medication that controls the pain, the behaviors stop.
You shouldn't be worry about opioids over the long term. If you are taking a med that has tylenol combined like Percocet or Vicodin, I would recommend switching over to an opioid-only product like oxycodone IR (same opioid ingredient in Percocet but without the tylenol. Tylenol in high doses and over extended periods is toxic to the liver.
Remember opioids have been used for Centuries to relieve pain. Hence their reliability record for pain relief is far superior to all the non-narcotic meds on the market today. It is a shame that the addicts and abusers get all of the attention and the chronic pain patients are dished out the leftovers.
femmy
yeah i figured that. thanks femmy. the compassionate ones i have found have all been female! time for the goddess to run the show don'tcha think? OM
To OM:
I have to be brief because I am on my phone but you asked of there were any rights to pain patients for ensured access to opioid pain medications and short answer is no, unfortunately. Doctors are in no way obligated to treat pain patients with opioids. Negligence is completely not treating you. In that instance you have a lawsuit potentially but there are many other ways that they can treat you through referral. Injections, NSAIDS, and other means that don't involve opioids.
Sorry to break the news but I don't believe in sugar coating the situation. It is really tough out there so if you have a good doctor hang on to him. If not, keep searching. There are compassionate physicians out there but they are harder to find nowadays.
femmy
I have to be brief because I am on my phone but you asked of there were any rights to pain patients for ensured access to opioid pain medications and short answer is no, unfortunately. Doctors are in no way obligated to treat pain patients with opioids. Negligence is completely not treating you. In that instance you have a lawsuit potentially but there are many other ways that they can treat you through referral. Injections, NSAIDS, and other means that don't involve opioids.
Sorry to break the news but I don't believe in sugar coating the situation. It is really tough out there so if you have a good doctor hang on to him. If not, keep searching. There are compassionate physicians out there but they are harder to find nowadays.
femmy
hello kalvin: you know i could have been a little (or a lot) clearer in my post!
perhaps this is the wrong place for such a discussion. Is anyone aware of a group or ?? that really wants to do something about our situation CP? OM
perhaps this is the wrong place for such a discussion. Is anyone aware of a group or ?? that really wants to do something about our situation CP? OM
It's pretty clear that the person that responded to your original post, didn't really understand the point you were trying to make.
Take Care
Take Care
ok is nobody interested in doing something proactive and maybe dramatic to bring attention to and a response to cp and undertreatment especially for older or poorer population? If not i will stop activating this thread and wasting space! OM
is 4 still active or gone from this beginning thread?and is anyone interested in a patient's right to their choice of pain meds? Or or we just to remain "children" and "addicts" in drs mind? rights to treatment are denied chronic pain folks everyday!! what to do?
do you know what i mean about "clean" if you are using meds for the pain (not the high)? How do you get "dirty". It is a good thing to get relief from the pain and honors the body--not some dirty bad thing to hide! Please help me to change all the negative labeling we who have pain are stuck with. OM
thanks for the reply....and for all who are in this together......anyway 4 it sounds like you had or have a choice about your pain. "got clean" and did well and wish i didn't start again and where does it hurt and when almost sounds like u don't really understand CHRONIC pain. "got clean" means you buy the addict projection from the docs. what to do to be treated as adults who can ask docs for info and advice and then choose our own solutions and have those choices respected? OM
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First of all, I want to say how sorry I am that you are having to cope with chronic pain. It's no small thing. Only people that have actually dealt with it can really relate. For years I was on 180mg. of Oycotin a day ... other meds as well, but that was the 'big' one. My pain was in my lower pain and what seemed like deep inside my left hip. After years of meds I got the idea that I no longer knew what my pain level might be because I was so 'zonked' on meds all the time. I decided to go into rehab to get off the oxycotin. Long story short, I finally got clean and did well for quite a while until I was lifting my vacumn and started the pain again. Now I'm on something called nuncyta. To be honest, I wish I had never started on the meds again. I just don't know if I have what it takes to get 'clean' again. You didn't mention where your pain is or how and when it started. My heart goes out to you ... pain is something everyone is familiar with at some point but chronic pain is another thing altogether! You are fortunate that you have found a doctor that will prescribe and treat you. They are getting so paranoid these days. Granted, they have good reason, since so many people out there are trying to get pain meds. It just makes it so much harder for people that truly need help!
I have been coming to medhelp for countless years now. You will find people that actually care here ... not to mention indiviuals that really know their stuff when it comes to pain, meds and dependence. Feel free to post anytime ... someone will always answer. Never worry about your questions, we have heard every 'story' at least once! :-) We understand both the 'cloud' and that rock you feel stuck against. Also, feel free to message me if you just want to chat. I DO wish you the very best! Take care now ...