Chronic pain is, well, a pain! Especially when you REFUSE to take opiates! I have been dealing with a lot of pain and trying my best to manage it without going back to that evil stuff. My doc says I have a sciatic nerve problem. I have no clue what's going on. All I know is, two things happen when my pain gets bad. One, I'll get electrical twinges down one leg or the other, or even both. OR! I get this itch, this deep annoying itch on either leg or both.
So I tell my doc about this. She takes me off my gabapentin, which has been a lifesaver especially during my early WD days. She thought it was an allergic reaction to the drug. I've been taking it for years (ex let me have them) and never had any adverse reaction. So, she puts me on Xanax (0.25 mg tid) for anxiety due to the messy divorce. She thinks the itch was due to that. No dice there.
Fast forward to yesterday. I'm in bed because of the damn pain. She wants me to try tramadol and increase the Xanax to 0.50 mg tid. Uh-uh. Nope.
I tried one tramadol (ended up admitting defeat to pain. It was making me ill) and all it did was give me a massive headache and a hangover this morning. So, I went in for a physical and brought this up.
I flat out told her that I liked my gaba and it WORKED! She wouldn't put me back on it. Finally, she came up with an alternative. Lyrica. 50 mg tid. I hope it works and isn't addictive.
I find it rather funny, though, that in this society where people SEEK narcotics, someone like me who REFUSES them seems like a whack job. I felt almost like she thought I was a med-seeker. How is that possible? I refused lortab and asked for a drug that (yes, I know it can be fun recreationally!) is not a controlled substance?
I smoked a little weed before the last visit and she tested me since I'm on adderall. I was positive and I swear it ruined her complete trust in me. I hate the idea of switching doctors because I'm afraid it's going to make me look like a med-seeker.
And being one who has known about meds of various types from my Mom, ex and now in the field I work in, probably makes me look like either a hypochondriac or seeker.
But, dammit! The PAIN IS REAL!!! And I want to be productive and stay off the narcs. Why oh why can't doctors listen???
So I tell my doc about this. She takes me off my gabapentin, which has been a lifesaver especially during my early WD days. She thought it was an allergic reaction to the drug. I've been taking it for years (ex let me have them) and never had any adverse reaction. So, she puts me on Xanax (0.25 mg tid) for anxiety due to the messy divorce. She thinks the itch was due to that. No dice there.
Fast forward to yesterday. I'm in bed because of the damn pain. She wants me to try tramadol and increase the Xanax to 0.50 mg tid. Uh-uh. Nope.
I tried one tramadol (ended up admitting defeat to pain. It was making me ill) and all it did was give me a massive headache and a hangover this morning. So, I went in for a physical and brought this up.
I flat out told her that I liked my gaba and it WORKED! She wouldn't put me back on it. Finally, she came up with an alternative. Lyrica. 50 mg tid. I hope it works and isn't addictive.
I find it rather funny, though, that in this society where people SEEK narcotics, someone like me who REFUSES them seems like a whack job. I felt almost like she thought I was a med-seeker. How is that possible? I refused lortab and asked for a drug that (yes, I know it can be fun recreationally!) is not a controlled substance?
I smoked a little weed before the last visit and she tested me since I'm on adderall. I was positive and I swear it ruined her complete trust in me. I hate the idea of switching doctors because I'm afraid it's going to make me look like a med-seeker.
And being one who has known about meds of various types from my Mom, ex and now in the field I work in, probably makes me look like either a hypochondriac or seeker.
But, dammit! The PAIN IS REAL!!! And I want to be productive and stay off the narcs. Why oh why can't doctors listen???
