Harm Reduction The Pain Management Mega Thread Version 4

[Fire&Water]

I told my doctor I ran out early because of increased pain.

What have I done to deserve this?

You did the first sentence...I'm not saying it was right for him to do it, but I bet 90% of Dr.'s would do similar or just drop you.
I am prescribed 90 mg's oxycodone IR a day for chronic pain along w/ 2 mg's of Buprenorphine, (it actually works well together) but I know on some days will need 120 -150 mg's to make it through the day...on better days I try to take 60 mg's or less and just deal with it because I know it will almost be a damn fight to get a higher amount prescribed.

 

[BigG]

Oxy 8_8 you have to realise mate that being in chronic pain and being addicted to drugs are NOT mutually exclusive. I have no doubt you are genuinely in a lot of pain but come on! Reading some of the things you've posted on other threads regarding your polydrug abuse paints a startlingly different picture to the one above. I genuinely feel for you with regard to your health problems but to try and say that you've only every used drugs for pain is highly inconsistent with some other things you've admitted to. Like I say no-one doubts your in pain but I also think you are in deep denial regarding your relationship with psychoactive substances in general. A quick glance at some of your posts in other threads shows that.

 

[Doomed2pain]

^ totally agree with that

 

[BigG]

Oxy8_8.....just one of many previous quotes by yourself.....

"Fentanyl is amazing for my pain and - I'm pretty sure everyone on here knows by now I'm addicted to opiates and abuse my medication lol - is probably one of the most warming, calming and euphoric opiates I have tried. So I REALLY want to avoid discontinuation if possible."

I'm not having a go at you but if you can't be honest on here then where can you be?

 

[Slum Survivor]

I just kinda want to update you guys on my pain management progress after my surgery...

People, especially my parents, were giving me so much grief about taking opiates. My parents would ask to see the bottle and count them, that type of shit. So I decided to stop taking them all at once. Luckily, I don't get withdrawals, maybe a little RLS and some insomnia, but nothing I can't handle. This is true even after stopping fent, methadone, dope, and oxy. I'm just the luckiest opiate addict on the planet.

So I started smoking more weed, which I usually do every few days or so and now do once during the day and once at night. It's been a GODSEND. I started getting really picky with my strains, not necessarily CBD strains, but getting real good at knowing what strains work at which don't. Weed has been good for everyday chronic pain, but never great. Well, that all changed with a change in my habits regarding smoking, I have no, yes you heard me, NO pain, at all. Zip, nada, zilch, zero. It's truly amazing. I've never felt more blessed. All it took was getting very consistent on the strains, the time I smoked, and the dosages. I'm shocked, its been 4 weeks since my surgery and it doesn't hurt at all. I still don't have a lot of movement, and I started physical therapy, but still no pain.

certain strains of weed have much more analgesia than others. one strain ive been lucky with for pain is called Venus Fly Trap. then again it could just be the exact phenotype of the strain thats so good.

but you are totally right about that. what would help even more is having a nice vaporizer, i have a volcano and its been a life saver. ive had it for about 7 years. best investment i ever made.

certain strains of weed outta the volcano really boost the effects of my suboxone too. it almost makes the buprenorphine feel like a full agonist when u get the right stuff.

im glad someone else is noticing this.

 

[phenethylo J]

Been doing better lately mentally and physically. I have been biking regularly which has helped allot. I'm not getting those shooting pains though my leg as much. Went back to school after a 2 year break. I was doing my undergrad work for pharmacology and toxicology back then but switched it to computer programming but at least I have all my other classes done so I only have computer classes to take now. I had almost all my science pre-reqs for the grad program but my condition was acting up bad then plus my current doc was under-medicating me which messed my grades. After a while of trying and not giving up I couldn't take it anybody. Hopefully things will work out now. In the past I made the mistake of overworking my self and taking too many classes for the condition I was in. I'm only taking 1 now since the others I needed are full but it is a 2 3/4 hour class. The plus side is it is only for 8 weeks. I may take more the 2nd 8 weeks.

I had my doc appoint 2 weeks ago and it went good. Lately Iv'e been aloud to come every 2 months which is great since I don't drive. I was drug tested this time but thankfully was warned about it my previous appointment. She still has me on the morphine 30mger 2x a day and hydrocodone 10mg 3x a day and she also has me on prednisone, gabbapentin, tizanidine, and sulffasalazine. I used to get the morphine 3x a day and the hydrocodone 4x but she lowered my doses. Thankfully she warned me a few months before hand and didn't lower them at the same time. With the hydrocodone I get 100 so I have enough to take extra on some days. Tapering wasn't too bad thanks to weed and ketamine. Ketamine has worked wonders for my pain. Allot of times before my bike rides I'll take a tiny dose.

 

[BigG]

I was prescribed.sulphasalazine once for my arthritis but had to stop it as it was.causing liver problems. Do u get regular blood tests to check liver enzyme levels? I think your meant to with that drug. Hardly supprising that ketamine is helping you pain as its a disasociative anaesthetic lol! We issue it to the paramedics at work to treat badly wounded people in RTAs. I would be a bit careful with that tho as it can cause many, many problems if used long term. ...permanant incontinence being one anecdotal side effect. Not something you'd really fancy.

 

[Doomed2pain]

I'm going into hospital so no access to bl. People who have my phone number stay in contact I need support. Thanks in advance

 

[macd610]

I'm going into hospital so no access to bl. People who have my phone number stay in contact I need support. Thanks in advance

Doomed, I'm sort of panicked after reading your post, & I did not read very many prior to this. As soon as you are able please get on and let us know what's happening. Also I'd love a PM from you, as always. You are in my thoughts.
Cat

 

[VDub]

ANYONE know HOW TO IV Fentanyl NON-GEL patches?
I've iv'ed the gel ones a long time ago.. im pretty sure they just drew them up and they were ready to go.. but these non-gel ones.....
I put a few units of vinegar on it, then like 90 units of water... put a quarter of a patch (whole patch is 50mcg) in there.. heated for maybe a min or two.. didnt bubble cause i didn't want to melt the plastic.. only got 30 units back... shot it.. burned.. swoll a lil bit... dont even know if i felt it. help please

 

[macd610]

ANYONE know HOW TO IV Fentanyl NON-GEL patches?
I've iv'ed the gel ones a long time ago.. im pretty sure they just drew them up and they were ready to go.. but these non-gel ones.....
I put a few units of vinegar on it, then like 90 units of water... put a quarter of a patch (whole patch is 50mcg) in there.. heated for maybe a min or two.. didnt bubble cause i didn't want to melt the plastic.. only got 30 units back... shot it.. burned.. swoll a lil bit... dont even know if i felt it. help please

This is not the place to get the answer to that question. This is harm reduction, with emphasis on actual pain management. Not being nasty here, but look at the rules

 

[tricomb]

This is not the place to get the answer to that question. This is harm reduction, with emphasis on actual pain management. Not being nasty here, but look at the rules

This.

There is no safe way to inject fentanyl via tampering with transdermal delivery systems / patches. Gel or not, this is a harm reduction focus forum that is about safe, or safer drug abuse for those who are determined to abuse drugs against the recommendations of everyone, from your doctor, to BL staff like myself, to fellow chronic patients (also like me) who's lives have been made exceedingly difficult and who suffer every single day due to posts like yours which take away from the legitimacy of our pain conditions.

THERE IS NO SAFE WAY TO ABUSE FENTANYL PATCHES. The consensus is that they have little to no recreational value, the risk : reward ratio is like 100% risk : 0% reward. There is no euphoria, just overwhelming sedation, respiratory depression, and extreme risk of fatal overdose. Fentanyl has a binding affinity so high, that the opioid antagonist, naloxone, is not guaranteed to reverse a fentanyl overdose.

Please respect this thread, this is a holy place for us chronic pain patients who are trying to survive day by day and manage our pain in ways other than abusing our narcotics. Thank you, and macd610 hit the nail on the head, I mean no offense, but this is extremely disrespectful for those of us who's lives have been destroyed or impacted due to the abuse of these narcotics. Please do not post again until you have read the BLUA and OD guidelines, the links are in my signature.

Thanks.

 

[tricomb]

What have I done to deserve this?

You admitted to not taking your medication as directed. If your doctor can't trust you to do this, and you have said this on record, you've created a liability issue and he can lose his license to prescribe medication, which trust me, he values higher than anyone's chronic pain condition.

 

[BustedUpBoarder]

Im 27 years old. grew up skateboarding, snowboarding . basically kicking the shit out of my body for over 15 years. After high school started welding and one day had a load of steel shift on me while I was carrying it. I have been dealing with chronic back pain for over 7 years now. I've tried different mixtures consisting of advil, naproxen, flexiril, baclofen, tylenol 3. ect... Currently on Cymbalta 60mg. I started it for pain , but found out it helped more with my mood, appetite and with my energy. Turnes out being in a ton of pain 24/7 made me depressed/angry as fuck all the time ( who would have guessed ; ). I am also prescribed 120 5mg pecocets a month for pain , as well as 50mg seroquel for sleep.. I have tried chiro, physio, acupuncture, spinal decompression, massage and active release , with all short lived if any relief. Over the last year tho, I have been getting thoracic facet and costrovertebral joint injections , as well as botox injections for the intense spasms the last year while seeing a pain specialist. They seem to be the most effective treatment I've received in almost so far . They usually do 6-8 injections per visit, but they hurt like a mother fucker. No pain no gain I guess. Anyways just another story to add of someone living with severe pain, and how we try to maintain a decent quality of life. Cheers everyone.

Ty

 

[BigG]

Re IVing fentanyl:- your lucky it didnt work! The patch is 50mcg per HOUR!! The total fent content of these patches is is anywhere from 5-8 milligrams (depending on the brand). Even only a quater of a patch is around 2 mg of fentanyl which is the equivalent of 200mg of morphine which as im sure you know is a large shot and enough to kill even someone with a large tolerance. There is an entire thread on extracting plastic matrix patches and the process is quite involved needing several hours and an alcohol solvent. Be careful though as several bluelighters have died trying this. Personally I just used to either wear the patches as directed or use them bucally if I desperately needed BT pain releif. The whole extraction for IV use thing is just too hit and miss and you either end up with either nothing at all or a massive shot enough to kill an elephant and there is no way of knowing which until its too late. And also as the mods say its not really what a cp forum is all about and deminished the legitimacy of other peoples need for these things.

---

Okay, I am desperate for advice here re: being fobbed off by doctors.

I have pancreatitis and rheumatoid arthritis (both extremely painful conditions). I was initially put on MST (slow release morphine sulphate) twice a day and oramorph (oral morphine syrup) for breakthrough pain. As my tolerance and pain levels increased, I was switched to oxycodone. 80mg OC OxyContin every 12 hours and 4 10mg instant release oxycodone for breakthrough pain (200mg oxy a day).
My pain got worse again recently and I noticed I was taking more like 240-250mg oxy a day. I told my doctor I ran out early because of increased pain. He sent me for scans which showed my right knee and lower back were in pretty bad shape from the arthritis and that I had 3 pseudo-cysts on my pancreas, one particularly large one actually growing around the main vein supplying blood to my pancreas they said would be especially painful but too risky to operate on since I already have damage/scarring to the pancreas they didn't wanna risk having to remove my pancreas altogether (or risk my pancreas necrotizing and causing septicemia if the vein cut off it's blood supply).
Despite having hard evidence as to why my need for pain management had increased, my doctor decided I had a problem with opiates (NOTE: I have never taken illicit opiates or taken my oxy for any reason other than pain relief. As soon as I DID start taking more then I was prescribed, I immediately told my doctor AND got evidence to my increased pain) and sent me off to a methadone clinic. So suddenly I find myself being cut off from the (very effective) oxycodone and dumped into a place with heroin addicts.
Now I am stuck on methadone which a) makes everyone assume I'm a heroin addict and b) really isn't that effective.

The specialists at the Pain Management Clinic said they don't write prescriptions themselves, but promised they would write to my GP suggesting I be started on Pregablin (Lyrica) and that I have my methadone increased also.
My GP refused to prescribe the pregablin ("I'm not prescribing sedatives or pain killers to you") and said that the methadone clinic were responsible for increasing my methadone. The methadone clinic said they prescribe enough to keep me out of opiate withdrawal but that it won't be increased for pain as they don't deal with pain or treat it.
So the Pain Clinic don't prescribe...the methadone clinic fob me off...and my GP refuses to prescribe and also fobbed me off.

What should I do? I feel like I went from getting excellent treatment and when my condition worsened, instead of being given additional medication/support, I was suddenly punished for it and now I feel I am facing gross negligence.

What can I do? I spend every day in agony. Every week going back and forth between these places desperately trying to get SOMEONE to prescribe SOMETHING.

What have I done to deserve this?

Constantly flipping back and forth between saying you abuse your meds then saying you don't makes you appear disingenuous. People can still read your old posts you know!! You posted about your abuse of your meds dozens of times and even once said that your pain was virtually zero and you were only using to stave off wds. You posted about severe alcholism, anerexia/bulemia, abuse of opiates and benzos and also buying off the street which you then change your mind and deny. And why denigrate the heroin addicts that you "forced" to be in treatment with....what makes you better than them? Honestly reading your past posts and then reading this is comical Mega, maga denial. I don't mean to go on but it really winds me up

 

[macd610]

Oxy8,
Please try not to be offended by some of the recent posts pointing out your inconsistencies. Regarddless of how some of the posts may have been worded, I think it's safe to say that everybody has the very best of intentions.
I also must say that in my humble opinion, I agree with our friends' thoughts on the subject of denial. Denial can be a very very powerful thing. I mean, come on... I have never met a person who willingly and gladly admitted that they were indeed flat out addicted to their pain medicine. It's generally regarded as an embarrassing ( or even humiliating) situation to BE in. Admitting it to yourself and to others is an even harder obstacle to overcome. It's also quite easy to justify our use... and as others have said, I do not doubt your need for pain medication. That's the real killer, that is what makes this whole situation so easy to sneak up on you.
I'm sure if you are honestly trying to think about this, you are confused and not feeling too good about yourself. We are here to help you, and there are many other boards on this site that can help as well. Please don't stop communicating because other members cared enough to take the time to point out a possible problem.
Thanks for reading.
Cat

 

[BigG]

Exactly Cat. Its the constant flip-flopping and inconsistency that stands out so much. Really as an outsider reading your posts its staggering. A lot of us chronic pain patients are addicted to there meds...but not all (I am). I have a personal interest in oxy a he lives not far from me...we've communicated via pm but never met. The road your travelling is so blindingly obvious and its one that has ruined so many lives. Cat is right people here can help you but you have to wake up and smell the coffee. No-one doubts your illness btw but please tell the truth and maybe we can help you. Your only a year into this and some of us have been dealing with chronic pain and addiction for 15 years or more and believe me it isn't fun.....take care.

---

Just an update if anyone is interestes. I have chronic arthritis, degenerative disc disease, severe joint wear and tear from bodybuilding, nerve impingement and a torn rotator cuff to boot (still a drop in the ocean compared to some people's suffering on here). I've been prescribed literally every opiate available since 1996 and currently on 180mg methadone tablets and 600mg lyrica and other bits and pieces. Ive finally come to tge conclusion that opiates are bot helping and due to also battleing addiction to them I would like off. The only way this will be possible is ti pick up my opiates daily as inconvenient as that may be it has to be done. Saw my gp yesterday and she agreed to help me do that and find other ways ti manage my pain. I found a pharmacy clse ti my home thats open 7 till 11 (which for a uk pharmacy is rare). Also got my doc do prescribe some naproxen and piroxicam gel (which I tried last night and workes great). For some of us who are highly prone to addiction the problems associated with taking opiates for pain just outweigh the benefits in the end although for others I realise this isnt an option as they just cant function without them. I just reached a point where I had to ask myself "how much are these helping your pain and how muxh are you just taking them cos your addicted?" the constant cycle of pain then releif then running out early, then wds has just become too much. Luckily I have a good doc who even though I ran out 4 days early started me on daily scripts straight away and agreed that we will do this from her surgery and not via a drug and alcohol clinic which I doubt would have helped anyway. The combination of chronic pain and addiction is a conplicated business as my pain sometimes enables me to mentally justify my use/overuse but after using up to 600-700mg of methadone a day and STILL being in pain.......I decides to try and look for alternatives. Sorry for rambling but I live alone and dont have even a single member of family left so deal with all of this alone.
Thank you for listening.

 

[Doomed2pain]

I think that will really help you, let me know how it goes. I'm currently at the priory being treated for my mental health but most here are in to help their addictions, and weird as it is there is a guy I've met with crps, not quite as advanced as mine but we are having some really good chats. Hope everyone is in as little pain as possible

 

[BigG]

Julie - I haven't been ignoring u hun. Ive just got a few problems myself of fairly serious proportions and have got myself into a monu-fucking-mental mess. I'll be back in touch at some point. Take care hun

 

[dopemegently]

Hi there I'm new to this thread and have a question. I've had many tooth infections in the past, and sometimes the wait to see a dentist was long. Otc painkillers and even my prescribed suboxone did nothing for the intense pain. The only relief I could get was using novacaine, the stuff they use in dentistry to numb your gumbs. I ordered pharma-grade novacaine and injected it into my gums following the same protocols dentists use (I researched it), and I have to say it was a life saver, it would deaden all pain for approx 4 hours.

Now, I've torn a muscle in my leg, and my pain relief is again inadequate....is there a safe way of injecting novacain into my muscle to stop the pain?