Heroin Heroin for pain relief, bad idea?

[RiseAgain]

I've been using opiates for over 2 years for pain relief and recreational use. I've never had a prescription for them and it's not an option for me atm.

I've been using codeine, oxy and poppy tea at different times. I've never become hooked and I've always been pretty much in control. My number 1 rule is if I need to increase my dose beyond a certain point it's time to stop. I take breaks frequently but I always need to take them again for my pain. There has been a few times when I've used for a few too many days (or weeks) in a row when the pain is really bad and have gone into WDs, the absolute worst is the poppy tea.

The thing is though, I never become addicted. I have an extreme aversion to downers and even though I like the effects of opiates I cannot stand to be on them all the time. When I overdo it and start to become sick it sucks but it doesn't make me want to take more, it makes me want to take a break. I seriously don't even get cravings when withdrawing, it just makes me feel a bit like, oh shit, not again and I'd rather wait for it to end than continue using and make it worse.

Problem is, codeine is weak and has too many side effects, poppy tea is a bit too much and just not worth it especially if I have to withdraw from it (I've done that twice, never again) and oxy is too expensive. Over the last few weeks I used up to 300mg of codeine a day for two and a half weeks, poppy tea for two days and then I got some H for the first time. I used about 30mg of H two days in a row and then I thought I was probably pushing it a bit too far and stopped. I've been in mildish withdrawals for the last 5 days with 400mg of H sitting there with no real temptation to use and I'm feeling a lot better today. I know I'm playing with fire but I'm in a lot of pain and I have no desire to use anymore.

Is it reasonably safe for me to use heroin to manage my pain or is it just a plain bad idea?

 

[Mad Dash]

If you think tea WD is bad wait till you get H WDs. No bad idea. Oxy, is your best bet. For me, it has for whatever reason the least severe WD of all CII-CI opiates I have been addicted to. Not only that but H is never going to be consistent enough for PM use, you will get different batches daily sometimes. You just can not rely on the quality of it. Which is also what makes its tolerance go up so sky high, you start using X amount, then you use a stronger batch it is a little stronger but not by much, so you get use to that and that happens for a couple weeks, then all of a sudden your tolerance is higher than you realize and then you get a bad batch, now you are fucked and buying more bags of the weaker stuff to get the same relief, then you get strong stuff again but you bought the same amount of bags as you used to of the week stuff. Terrible idea. Sorry, but you need to go to a doctor, why do you claim that is not an issue?

 

[Kid Amine]

You are playing with fire. You havent become addicted, yet. you might not, if you can have almost half a g sitting there 5 days while w/ding, but I always had H laying around at first too.

What kind of pain do you have?

 

[Erikmen]

I don't think it's a good idea as heroin is a very addictive drug and your life will be quite limited to the habit it causes.
Besides, you'll probably have to deal with health and mental issues, it could be worse than your pain.

 

[RiseAgain]

Thanks for the replies.

Mad Dash, I'm no stranger to withdrawal, it's not really a concern unless H really is that much worse than other opiates. I hate the tea WDs because they last forever, like more than 2-4 weeks. I've never had any difficulty dealing with opiate withdrawals. I've been through much worse. The quality issue is something I hadn't really thought about, that is probably the biggest problem and definitely a deal breaker. Thanks.

Kid amine, is H really any more addictive than other opiates? I have severe back and neck pain, muscle pain in the entire right side of my body (including my face) and pain in almost all of my joints due to being heavily medicated with a lot of shit by my psychopathic parents and a negligent child psychiatrist from ages 12-23. lithium, benzos, risperdal, amitryptaline and effexor were the main ones.

 

[blueskies565]

I know nothing about pain relief so I really can't advise you too much there sadly. However I have seen multiple people around these parts who have descended into full blown heroin addiction with the start of the habit being pain relief. No one starts using with the mindset of "I'm going to become an addict". They lie to themselves as much as to others and I feel like pain relief is a very good way for you to excuse your usage to yourself as it steadily escalates. Your right when you say that heroin is cheaper than the alternatives but though it may technically be a painkiller it is a recreational street drug. If you were getting straight diamorphine at carefully managed doses from a doctor that would be one thing but heroin is designed to get you high and though it may seem cheap in comparison to your current crutches that changes fast when you get a tolerance as so many people on this forum

How bad is this pain you are suffering? What is the cause (if this is something deeply personal you don't have to share). I feel like the only world in which you should be considering starting heroin for pain relief is where your suffering so great that you are truly struggling to function. Why is a doctor not a possibility? I'm in the UK with universal health care so if you are living in the US without health insurance or something I admit I do not understand the nuances of the situation. But if your pain is so great that you need a painkiller as strong as heroin I feel you would be under medical care in some form. You admit you use recreational as well and the way your post reads it seems this is really your primary intrest in opiates, is it possible you're looking for easy answers? Maybe you want us to reinforce a perspective that would allow you to pick up a habit guilt free. Personally I think it is a very bad idea. Really consider why you want it and if it is worth the repercussions. And the whole saying you have had it there but being able to keep your self away kind of sounds like the beginning of addiction thought process. I have a substantial drinking problem and used to tell myself the same sort of thing "Well I have a fridge full of beer but I can wait until 6 to start drinking so how can I have a problem". It's not a direct comparison by any means but hopefully you get I mean.

Ultimately though no judgement here I am about to smoke a sheet of foil to reinforce the high from the shot I did an hour or so ago before crashing for the night. Good luck man I hope you make the right choice (whatever that may be for your circumstances I'm not saying my opinion is gospel)

Sorry if this does not make much sense I am tired and high.

 

[Mad Dash]

And let me guess, because you are on benzos they will not RX you opiates? This is happening a lot now, all over the country. They make you choose one or the other. Only in very few cases will they let a person take opiates while on a benzo. And I imagine that your current GP knows that you have abused in the past? Or you are still under your parents care so they wont send you to pain management? I am just trying to figure out your situation so as to help you a little better. As I happpen to be in that small % of people that is RXd pain medication and benzos, but I had to make a sacrifice by using subutex instead of something that REALLY helps the pain, but anything else I would definitely abuse, so in reality this is the best of a bad situation.

 

[streetpharmacist84]

Yea man dont mess with H......I did for about a year in a half. It started with me just me smoking when I was around it.(I never injected it) Then I was buying a couple p's here and there for about 3 months and over the next 6 it quickiy was buying a g every so often and my wife was messing with it all bad man. The worst part was my tolerance was all fucked on my pain management medications. And to be honest I am super responsible and really, really experience with opiates. A lot of people can resist injecting and before you know it they are hooked on H because they cant afford to buy the much pricier oxys or whatever else, and the H it pretty available everywhere. But the absolute worst part about it IMHO, is the fucking dealers are by far the shiftiest shadiest people I have ever dealt with in my life, and I used to be really into hustling really hard anything and everything but H and MEth. Okay, enough preaching.
Aside from the preachy reasons..........H IMHO is like the Cocaine of Opiates. At first you do some and it lasts a while, but your tolerance goes up super fast and you need more and more and more, not to mention the half life isnt that great thats why you need more and more. The only plus side of H i could say for pain relief is when you smoke it and Im sure even more so when you inject it, it takes the pain away instantly. But thats it, I never got the pain relief I do out of oxys, dialaudid, norcos etc......Plus every time your really, really breaking the law. Like I said above, i have a really extensive experience with opiates and it still got me.....Im so glad I got that shit out of my life, and my wife got clean. That the only good that came of it is when my wife did it for a bit she had a wake up call and now my prescriptions arent under full assault at my house.

 

[streetpharmacist84]

Also, @ maddash is that really true about the benzos? crazy my doc lets me switch between diazepam and soma at leisure to fight the tolerance and they stay more effective that way.

 

[streetpharmacist84]

sorry one more note............I hate to break it to you but if you really havent had that much trouble with opiate withdrawls then just stay where your at. You must not really be doing that much or that hard because Opiate Addiction and withdrawls is completely indisciminate, I dont care if your jesus christ himself that shit will fuck you up, man.

 

[tricomb]

Absolutely terrible idea in every non-hospital setting. Never ever heard of a single remotely successful attempt to control chronic pain with heroin long term.

 

[RiseAgain]

Thanks everyone, I'm seriously considering just dumping the rest of it now and I'm definitely never going to buy anymore.

Mad Dash, I don't take benzos, or anything else anymore. I can't get them from a doctor cause I have a history of drug abuse and I need to find a new doctor which is very hard for me to do due to personal issues.

Streetpharmacist, I never said opiate withdrawals weren't that bad, I've had them pretty bad, but they've never even come close to overwhelming me or reached a point where I couldn't take it, even when I've spent days screaming and writhing in pain with no sleep, freezing cold relentless emptiness with my heart pounding nonstop, the all encompassing fear that becomes a physical reality pushing down on me, the feeling of my blood pounding through my cold empty body, the feeling of being physically trapped in my own personal hell, the feelings flooding through my body and my mind torturing me creating fear that flows in waves of increasing intensity, barricading myself in my room and just waiting for it to end. It's bad but compared to all the various poly-drug withdrawals that are 10 times worse and never end that I've been through it doesn't even scratch the surface and I honestly find it to be an inconvenience more than anything. Anyway, thanks your post really got through to me.

 

[Kid Amine]

Kid amine, is H really any more addictive than other opiates? I have severe back and neck pain, muscle pain in the entire right side of my body (including my face) and pain in almost all of my joints due to being heavily medicated with a lot of shit by my psychopathic parents and a negligent child psychiatrist from ages 12-23. lithium, benzos, risperdal, amitryptaline and effexor were the main ones.

Yes, it is, because it is MUCH more euphoric than almost everything else, even stronger opiates like fentanyl. Euphoria + pain relief = GOOD, except it's too good, and even if it werent, your main stumbling block with heroin is its illegality. A close second is its widely varying purity, which can range from garbage to blow your head off, even from the same dealer. Ive seen it too many times to count. yeah I know its cheaper than buying oxy and more powerful than codeine, which makes it look attractive on the surface. The only prescription opiate I consider equal to heroin is oxymorphone, but even that is more 'noddy' and less pleasureable than H. and the w/d is harsher than heroin.

Sorry to hear about your pain, my question was geared to see if any of it was nerve related, which is one pain that opiates suck at dulling (even heroin).

Is surgery not an option? Lyrica might help you some too. From what I gather its mostly for diabetic neuropathic pain, but works on other neuropathy as well.

There is a LOT of ground between codeine and heroin. The first is like driving bumper cars at the state fair, the second like driving an Indy car at 220mph. Try a Taurus (hydrocodone) or even a Corvette (oxycodone) before going full tilt.

 

[tricomb]

^Good analogy.

 

[dez79]

If u r generally wanting for pain codiene with an anti inflamatory should suffice or at most hydrocodone n nsaid, not heroin

 

[pbuilder]

Judging from your posts, you seem to be rationalizing your use. Going for a two and a half week run with codeine, poppy tea, and a bit of h is not just a little dabble with opiates. You may be able to withdraw now and abstain from usage, but you won't be able to do that forever, especially with h. It rewires your brain. Opiates become necessary.

You say you have had a history of drug abuse and addiction.

All signs point to no, don't use H ever again unless you are cool with ending up a junkie, because that is the reality.

 

[Mad Dash]

Also, @ maddash is that really true about the benzos? crazy my doc lets me switch between diazepam and soma at leisure to fight the tolerance and they stay more effective that way.

@streetpharmacist84: At least in Florida it is, I am on diazepam and subutex. But that is very rare these days. I am sure you know it use to be a pill mill here. Now nearly every one is on bupe in one form or another. And docs are terrified to write scheduled meds. Most docs piss test you every visit and if you are on what I am on (which is just bupe and diazepam) they wouldn't give me anything for a tooth extraction, like normally you would just stop your diazepam for a week or so and then they would give you Halcion, but they told me to just take my normal dose of 10 mg diazepam. I am TERRIFIED of dental shit in the first place, and I needed three teeth pulled, and I couldn't just take what I would have needed like 60 mg diazepam, because it is RX and they count pills here. That shit hurts too and since I was on bupe already that was it. No gas, no halcion, no extra pain meds... The most painful and terrifying experience in a medical setting in my life.

 

[lalapanda]

Horrible idea.
I agree with all the insightful posters above, the only thing that I have to add, is that heroin took my exes life. He was only 23. It's not worth it. I'm so sorry you're in pain, but heroin never helped anyone.

 

[manboychef]

Mad Dash: I had some dental work done, but I am sober. I've tried the subutex maintenence but I got off of that as well. It went a little like this. Here is your novacaine....pulls tooth which wasn't too bad. Here is your prescription for 600mg ibuprofen(because I have hep c its the only pain reliever I can take). I get home sit down at the computer. I start reading forums and I steadily start getting this intense drilling pain in my mouth. This lasts three days and it was a nightmare. I ended up having to go to the dentist and get teeth filled...this was also painful. I am glad I told the dentists that did these procedures not to give me any pain meds because I would end up abusing them.

Rise: If you continue to use opiates, especially heroin, in an uncontrolled setting you will end up in my shoes. I am definitely the rule and not the exception when it comes to opiates. If you use you will eventually become dependent on them. Due to the kindling effect your withdrawals will get worse and worse each time you stop until you get to the point that it just seems like too much to go through. I was once like you. I could use for a week, go through some withdrawals and go back to life without skipping a beat. Eventually it got harder and harder to stop until some emotional trauma pushed me over the edge...after that it was off to the races. I have gotten sober, but I need to be incredibly vigilant as to what doctors prescribe me or give me at the hospital. I had a liver biopsy. They generally give you a small dose of fentanyl and I had to do it without. Yes it was painful, but I would rather feel momentary pain than spend another day in jail, or detox in a cold sterile ward again.

The salient point is that using unprescribed opiates will eventually lead to bad places. They are illegal and usually send you to jail if you get found out which is bound to happen. Cops know what a person on opiates looks like, so if you are caught driving you get a driving impaired charge. If you are found with them, they are a controlled substance so that is likely some jail time and a felony. If you use regularly pain meds in a clinical sense when you get a procedure done will no longer work on you correctly. Opiates change the way your reward center in your brain functions and it is hard to feel any true pleasure for a long time after cessation of use. It has been nine months for me and this still rings true.

I can't tell you what is right for you, I can only tell you a bit about myself and my experiences. You seem like an intelligent person so just use your best judgement, be safe, and good luck.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

It's a horrible idea. You will get addicted to it, and you will regret doing this.

Even if you ever decide to mess with oxy and hydro be careful as those are highly addictive too. Stay safe.