I have chronic pain...have been through all types of treatment. Finally went to a pain management doctor.
They have me on Lortab...indefinitely. I am worried that there will come a point when I need it due to addiction, not just for pain. IS THIS ALWAYS the case?
Or can people use the meds to get through the day and not have to worry about it? I must say I get nervous if my supply gets low but I believe it because I am afraid my pain will get out of control and I will have no relief. I have been on this for about 6 months 5/500 3X a day. I also have Xanax for anxiety twice a day .025. I have heard this is also potenially addictive but have never "craved" a pill...just know when I get anxious to take one. Anyone in my "boat"?
Thanks! Shelley

[This message has been edited by Shelleyekg (edited 08-21-2002).]

Yea, I'm in the same boat with ya....

I also suffer from severe chronic pain caused by a large tumor in my chest. I'm taking Oxycontin-three 20mg pills every eight hours(12pm-8pm-4am). It's been about a year since my doctor gave me the first Rx, missed a few doses once but never again. Don't know about you but Oxy is very addicting even if taken as prescribed, and I cannot go even 8 hours past a dose without feeling shakes, sweating profusely and feeling horrible. Went through withdrawl and will never again try to do it cold turkey.
Oxycontin is both a blessing and a curse and I look forward to the day that I live without popping a pill.

Take care

Chasbo

Hi Chasbo thanks for writing! Well I feel I am pretty deep in pills rigth now...something I do not wnat to admit to myself or anyone. I DO have very legitimate reasaon for all the meds I take. So what if I go along an keep taking them the way I am? I have Xananx for anxiety...VERY low does. I have Ambien for sleep.
I have Lortab for chronic pain. I take anti-d Celexa
and horomone replacment. I do not smoke or drink ( I used to). The pills are doign their job are right now this is a very good thing for me!!!! I do not want to pick my head up a couple of years down the road and be in the middle of an addicted mess. Do you get what I am saying? Do you know anyone who just takes their pains meds and continues on without a "problem" MY tolerance for these meds as already risen. (not my fault the docs says it just happens.
Ok ambiend kicking in my eyes aer closing....Night , thanks and hope to hear from you again1
shelley

Well, I stumbled across this posting, but I had to respond. It really tore me up inside. I forget just how many people are suffering from pill addiction.

Since the age of 14 (now 33), I have been an addict. Specifically, I am a sex addict, drug addict (favorites: speed, pain killers, tranquilizers), compulisive spender, caffiene, and sugar addict. I also suffer from ADD--big time. Thankfully, it is known that people with ADD self-medicate, so I don't feel like a total loser about it all the time. Sadly, I just found out about it all in the last couple years.

I, too, started with legitimate pain--in the beginning. Then, they were legitmate off and on. But, when they weren't, I found a way to get pills. I would take something to get up, to stay up, to get through the rough spots, and to get to sleep at night. I had bottles of pills. I took a pain pill (or two), like a vitamin in the morning--just to start the day off ok. I didn't necessarily need it, or even have pain. It was comforting. It was easy. It was right.

I also went through drug treatment when I was 21. Once an addict, always an addict. It isn't always physical either. Mental/emotional addiction is the toughest addiction. Chronic pain sufferers go through tremendous emotional high and lows 24/7. Chronic pain sucks. The doctor prescribes the pills for physical pain, but the patient gets hooked on them for the emotional well-being too. Thank god, I used to work in a doctors office for years. I stole meds all the time, and if I couldn't do that, I called in my own prescriptions. It is so sad, now that I look back on my life that I am hating so much right now.

Luckly, after losing everything in my life over the last few months, I finally took myself from a place of justification & denial to one of recover. I knew that I, once again, had a major problem. It just took everything falling apart to do something about it. I am finally off all of my pills. I don't take pain killers, tranquilers, muscle relaxers, or any other crap anymore. I went cold turkey. It was really, really hard. It still is. I crave Vicodin ALL THE TIME. My mouth waters for it. I love pain-killers, and I always will. It is a bad, bad place to go. All of it has all destroyed my life. Most people live in shame, denial, and isolation about their use for years, if not forever. If you can, don't go there. Find another solution. If you truly, in your heart of hearts, can't do ANYTHING else, then just go in knowing that you will come out an addict. Many will tell you that isn't true. DON'T BELIVE IT! I KNOW! I am 33 years KNOWING and it is NO JOKE. There are so many people living in denial & addictions today, so when someone discounts your thoughts and feelings around it, don't get sucked into their sickness. Good luck my friend...

------------------

PS: Sorry, I didn't complete the proofing of my response. It has some spelling and grammatical errors--sorry.

Harlybro thanks for writing...so glad you are clean and happy~~ I am 47 and have lived with chronic pain since my early 20's but only have actually had access to pain meds such as Lortab recently. SO...I am FINALLY getting relief. And YES YOU ARE RIGHT, people who suffer from chronic pain...well we are different from most. It gets to a point where you will do anything not to hurt all the time. The meds DO make you feel better physically and mentally. So...let me also say, I have been through operations, physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractor, cousneling, healing touch, the list goes on. Do I have to chose the pain over the pills....or inveitably become addicted? Then what?
My life will spin out of control? ON top of all my heath issues? Hmmmmmmmmm. Okay...here is the REAL answer I want for now...from anyone out there. If I take 3 pain pills a day and then just STOP...what will happen to me? Will I get "sick". WHAT are the syptoms so I can "test" and see if my body is needing these pills?
THANKS
Shelley....scared but really hurting

Shelley-

Sorry I didn't answer that part of the question, since I know the answer from my own experience. I would average between 3 and 6 pills a day. This has been for over 15 years. I took everything from Vicodin to using Oxycontin (SP?) and the Fentynal (SP?) patch. But, my favorite is Lortab/Vicodin for sure. I tried stopping a number of times over the years, without too much trouble. What mostly happens is a slight increase in your overall body awarewess (sensitivity to pain), a feeling of being 'exhausted', and a bit depressed. Some of it is mental and some is physical. If you are worried about going through some major detox, DON'T. You won't twitch, or be in excruciating pain, or any other dramatic thing. Your chronic pain will still be there, of course. Pain pills are much more discreet in the withdrawl unless you are using EXTREMELY HIGH doses, which you are not. Now, if you are interested in knowing what it is really like to detox from pills, get hooked on benzo's (Ativan, Valium, Xanax, etc.). That is the worst thing in the world to withdraw from. I imagine it to be like Heroin. Thankfully, I was in a hospital when I did. I went crazy. Twitching, crying, screaming, incredible pain's--I was soooooo sick. I just wanted to die.

My advice. Don't screw around with that whole thing and your meds. If you need them, take them. If you are addicted, it won't matter. Controlling the pain is most important. Quality of life is most important. It sounds like you will be on them forever, so it really doesn't matter. As long as you are comfortable. If, one day, you don't have to take them any longer, then deal with it then. Live in the moment--today. Take them as prescribed--no more, no less. If you start to build a tolerance, let you doctor know immediately. Do whatever you can to ease all the pains--all the different therapies, etc. that are available to you. Approach it from every angle. Live a well-rounded & full life. Do the things you want to do. Have an excellent support group and surround yourself with love. DON'T sit and meander in the pity pot, obsessing on the negative. You know the drill. Get out there and be pro-active. It will all be ok.

I was in the medical field for years. I have seen soooo many people be miserable, and so many people die who didn't want to. I even helped someone I loved kill himself who loved life, but finally had to give in. I have seen it all. It takes things like this chat board to make me remember, and realize, that I can get through all this crap today. You and me, well, we got it ok compared to so many living in hell.

------------------


[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 08-27-2002).]

Harleybro
You certainly have your act together, I am impressed!
I KNOW the drill about keeping on...not having the pity party. I think I mentioned I take 2 Xanax a day also...the smallest dose 0.25. I even said to my doctor aren't these addictive? He said, do you beleive everything you hear? I think part of me is answering my own question but I dont want to face it because I hurt so much. It is a catch 22 as far as I can see. I am going to the gym, doing cardio and weight training and hoping to gain some ground that way. Although I have to be more careful than most.
Its like...take a pill, go to the gym.

I thank you sincerely for your imput and caring and understanding. Shelley

[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 09-11-2002).]

Sorry, HarleyBro, but I don't agree with your statement about withdrawing from pain meds. You said "If you are worried about going through some major detox, DON'T. You won't twitch, or be in excruciating pain, or any other dramatic thing." Ahhh, I beg to differ, as I have been in this terrible situation several times and I DO have major muscle twitching and spasms, and the pain was absolutely excruciating. All I could do was constantly cry and lie in a ball on the couch from the pain. Withdrawals from OxyC start quickly and rapidly get worse. I certainly WOULD have gone out and bought heroin if I would have been able to, but I couldn't even walk. Forget going to an NA meeting - what are people thinking when they suggest this, as I'd be lucky to be able to crawl out to the car but I certainly couldn't sit up and drive. There are many different types of h*ll, and this is one of them!
My hat's also off to you for all you have been through and you're still here to give support to others. I applaud you!! But I felt that I needed to tell you (and anyone else that might be interested) that withdrawal from opiates is no dance in the park. Far from it. :-(

'ding'

Hi Shelley,

It's good that you are questioning things at the beginning of your taking pain relievers. But there are a couple of things that I'd like to point out that I didn't see mentioned anywhere in your thread.

Don't confuse addiction with dependance. If you are taking a narcotic every day after as little as 10 days your body will become somewhat 'dependant' on it. The longer you take it and the higher your dose obviously the more dependant your body gets on it.

Addiction is a whole other kettle of fish. Addiction is a psychological thing and happens when you start taking your medication for the 'feeling' that you get from it. You start running out of your Rx early and have to ask the Dr. to refill your Rx before you are supposed to. You start taking more of your Rx than is prescribed. You go to more than one Dr. to get pain killers. You (not YOU, but someone who is an addict) 'invent' stories about why you ran out of meds. early. You withdraw from society. You 'obsess' about your medication. You can't control your medication.

A chronic pain patient gets dependant on his/her meds. but takes them according to the Rx amounts. Taking meds. allows a chronic pain patient, even though he is dependant on his meds., to lead a more normal life, to work and to socialize.

When it comes time to stop taking meds. say because the pain has gone away or you had a surgery that made the pain go away, a chronic pain patient will be able to 'taper off' his medications without a great deal of pain. He will gradually take less and less and space the time out between doses more and more until he doesn't need them anymore.

An addict, when the time comes to quit taking the meds., will have a really hard time tapering. If the drug is available to him he will take it. Usually he/she will need to get into a program either inpatient or not and get help stopping the meds.. An addict will have that hunger for the pain relievers long after they have stopped taking them.

So it is good that you are questioning whether or not you should be taking these meds. or not. Only you know the answer to that and know if you are taking them as Rx for pain.

Good luck!!//woodstock