• Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Opioids Future fears - Opiate addicts + recovering (recovered?) past users

timetohunt

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
334
For recovering addicts/users:

Does the potential future need for serious pain relief as a result of surgery or other legit condition bother you.
It does for me, at least for the next 25 years (as I might not care if I reach 75). Small doses well into a state of partial recovery have known to send me into withdrawal. Is there a way to mitigate this? Can I wear a medical tag "don't administer opiates"? Perhaps new forms of pain relief are on the horizon or could they provide relief locally to pained areas of your body. I can't do another withdrawal, mind and body can't take it.

For current addicts:
1. Ever worry about the DEA and it's efforts of trying to reverse the pain killer/heroin epidemic? Make one mistake on your opiate contract and your gone. I suppose heroin will always be around but some of us are more of the pharmacuitcal culture and dont hit the streets. Plus some of us are 'spoiled' on pharmacy grade gear.

I can imagine a big push to ween folks down to lesser numbers. A big metric for the DEA and government will be pill and script numbers. Maybe they will grandfather most of the old pillheads in, but it's not always easy to provide perfect pee when your a pill junkie and you run out. Also if pill counts start to become more serious, I'd say 75% or more folks are in trouble.

Bottom line, especially for pharm users, the writings on the wall. The pill lifestyle is already hard enough, I foresee it becoming unbearable.

Any thoughts?
 
There are many ways to control pain post op, some better than others.... it becomes a really hard decision of what to do.... do you ask for no opiates and then find yourself suffering or do you just take everything they give... I guess there is a happy medium somewhere in there, try all non opiate things and if it fails then get opiates. ..idk

Problem is when your sitting there on the recovery table begging for relief and you feel like someone poured lighter fluid on you and lithe you on fire, you will want anything to make it go away or not as bad, and if you came up with a no opiates plan then you may just be SOL...

That was always my fear and pain is horrible, so I never came up with that plan... good or bad idea idk, but even the high opiates don't even touch that kind of pain.... would be interested in hearing what did or didn't work for people

I should worked it out and not have not gotten opiates to take home, that was a plan I should have thought through much better, and looking back on it now it was a mistake..

But either way it should be my choice not anyone else's whether I want relief or not, I think it's horrible how people have suffered because of this "Crack down".... legitimate pain patients have gotten screwed here... it's not right and plain horrible
 
I broke my hip, pelvis, fibia,femur,and tibia from getting hit by a car. The pain was excruciating. I was on methadone maintenance so due to my tolerance I got no pain relief. At this time narcotics are necessary. Two years later, the pain I experience is minor enough for Motrin to handle, and occasionally a narcotic may be needed. Over all pain is overhyped, for me atleast, and I got metal rods and screws all up and down my leg. alot of people take advantage of the fact of past surgeries to benefit scoring narcotics. Not saying everyone, but for me, narcotics are more for recent operations or injury
 
It probably depends where you live. Before they where very generous.. like 50 oxycodone if you had a toothache now you just get a suggestion to take some ibuprofen. The direction is heading the other way. Only people who are terminal will get opiates anymore as the data suggests opiates are not good for chronic pain.

On the other hand doctors will insists if you are sober that you must take the few opiates they do prescribe for your pain after a surgery even if you beg them not to. "doctor knows best" I think that is the problem with the medical field they are too stringent about things. On the other hand I understand having spent so much money and time and energy for your degree you are now a professional... you wouldn't stand over your plumber and give him shit about how they are doing their job.

I think all drugs should be made cheap, legal and accessible and that will solve the problem. If you want to commit suicide because of your pain go right ahead. There are worse ways to live your life than being on opiates most of the problems come from the lifestyle of not being able to afford them anyways.
 
Sure, this is a tough area. I know someone on suboxone who needs pretty serious surgery. They have to slowly taper down, and off, in order to have the surgery, or painkillers won't even work.

The first thing everyone with addiction issues has to figure out for themselves is whether they want to even take painkillers after a surgery or other painful ecperience, or refuse them, for life.

If it's a scheduled surgery, and it's a yes for opiate painkillers, then weening off now would make sense. Still, there will be a tolerance issue. The best thing to do would be to be honest with your doctor. That's a tough area because doctors will act differently. But your doctor probably won't be your surgeon, and sometimes there's even a 3rd pain specialist called in by the surgeon. I would think that honesty, being straight forward with them, is best.

I've thought about this for the future. If i say "Doc, after my surgery, just for a certain number of days, give me something proper, i tend to have a rather high tolerance. Just enough days to get me through initial recovery". Well, that's what i plan on doing, but of course, they could counter with "wait, what do you mean by that?".
 
I have mixed views on opiate pain meds... I have experienced pain and surgeries that make you wish for death just to stop the unbelievable agony, so I have either a good background to understand what real pain is OR I am totally biased

I know that pain meds of some kind are 100% needed to help post op... but those opiate pain meds don't really touch that kind of pain, I'm sure they help, don't get me wrong and I would never ever want to experience that without some sort of pain control. The problem I had during some of my surgeries was I was a big opiate addict and the pain meds did little for me even at the large doses I required ....I eventually needed a catherder in my spine for epidural drip with button for extra doses...that helped wayyyy more. I will say they doctors have the capability to take 100% of your pain away (I know why they can't go this exteme all the time and it usually is far from needed) it was actually amazing how instantly after a shot tied in to the catherder pain was gone. I was in the recovery room after a surgery in unbelievable agony, after experiencing a week of "take me now I wanna die pain". That sounds like some really bad pain and I'm sure alot of people here know the feeling but until late you actually experience it you will never know. Before this time in my life I thought I knew pain before but all pain I had ever experienced in my entire life before this combined into one moment would not compare. And i know there are people here who have been there too. Anyways the instant relief was something I will never forget

Moral of the story I guess is do not be afraid to get any kind of pain relief post op but the addicts/ recovering addicts need to really think about if pain management after you leave the hospital is conducive to their recovery). Now don't get me wrong lots of people need meds after they leave the hospital but the important decision for us (IMO) is what we will do after we leave the hospital... every case is unique and I can't set a gold standard for this, it's up to you but just be very careful

I think many people in pain management could potentially get by without pain meds, but should they be forced to? In my opinion no they should not, there are things to help people out there and access to them should not be limited. But know what you are doing, and be careful. Many people just eat meds and then put themselves at an equilibrium then they deal with it and move on, many of those people could potentially be able to move on with no meds just fine if they just accepted the equilibrium up front and moved from there. Once your on long term pain management the pain you felt will eventually catch up with you when your tolerance catches up and you will be in the same place. So yes meds can help at the beginning but there are other options than long term opiate management because eventually it catches up...

So my opinion is at the beginning even after you leave the hospital they can very helpful (addicts should think twice though), but long term opiate management is not an effective way to control pain.... I don't think laws and doctors should make the call if it's right for you or not, that should be solely 100% up to you and only you, in my opinion
 
Top