Hi all. Glad to meet you. I am new to this board and I'm here to seek some opinions regarding my brother. He has chronic pain conditions for which he sees a pain mgmt doctor and gets narcotic prescriptions. He has been on various narcotics for about 4 years. He used to be on oxycontin and percocet (with increasing doses for about 3 years prescribed by doctor) and then he switched pain doctors about a year ago who switched him to methadone and vicoden instead of oxy and perc. I see signs that I think he may be addicted to pain meds, but I am also confused because he might just be dependant on them and has tolerance issues. Here is what Ive observed:

Reasons I think he may be addicted:

1. When he was on oxy and perc, he would take more than prescribed for much of the month and then would have to cut way down in order to make it to refill day. I see this same pattern currently with the vicoden, but not at all with the methadone, he has no desire to take extra methadone, and in fact has stated it doesnt work for his pain at all, and is going to ask doctor to go back on oxy instead.

2. I know he has chewed oxy at least a couple of times when he was on it but never snorted or injected it that I am aware of, and he would also break them in half so he could get more doses.

3. When he took oxy or perc (and now vicoden) he becomes very energetic, talkative, in a really good mood, and when it wears off, he becomes very moody and quiet and angers easily. when he takes methadone, none of that happens, it only makes him drowsy.


Reasons I think he is dependant/high tolerance:

1. Has legitimate chronic pain and gets his meds from a doctor (not on the street)

2. Never completely runs out of meds, but is extremely low the last week before refills from overdoing it throughout the month (except for methadone, actually has extras of those)

3. requested a med switch off of oxy (willing to try different meds for pain), but now wants to go back on oxy or another long acting pain med, doesnt like methadone and says it doesnt work.


What are your opinions on this? do any of you have chronic pain and at the same time are addicted to your meds? there is a thing called pseudo addiction with pain patients, where it looks like addiction but its not, maybe that is what he has? Just trying to get some answers. Thank you for your time.:)

Chuck,

When you have chronic pain, you will eventually become dependant upon your pain meds for relief. Just because you are dependant for pain meds does not make you an addict.

The fact that your brother has chronic pain and is seeing a pm doctor for his meds leads me to believe that he is dependant on his meds for his pain relief.
People who have chronic pain need these drugs to function as normal humans, or as normal as the drugs allow us to be within limits.

From what you wrote I do not think that your brother is addicted. An addict takes drugs for the high only. Your brother is taking his drugs for the pain relief.

An addict would have consumed all the drugs he has and would have been out on the street looking for the next hit, not managing his drugs unitl his next apt. with his pm.

An adddict would have called either the pharmacy or the doctor asking for an additional amount of pain medication to get them through to the next appt. because they had either lost their pills, the dog ate them, they got stolen...you get the picture.

Your brother may have developed a loerance for the level of meds he is on at this time. That happens. That is a fact of life for pm patients. Pm docs will swap drugs around to help lower tolerances to drugs so that you can manage over the years.

It sounds to me like your brother is dependant on his meds. That's OK. that's a h*l of a lot better than being addicted to them. And yes, I am a chronic pain patient also. So, cut your brother some slack. Until you have walked in his shoes and endured the pain that he lives with day in and day out, try to have some tolerance...it's not alot of fun living with pain.