Is relapse normal?

[chefob1]

the reason take meth is for chronic back pain...i take mt doses throughout the day...i do not go to a clinic,,,,,,,i went to a clinic in 1984 for 8 mths. and its was b.s....more drugs available in the clinic parking lot than i could get anywhere off the streets...to me the clinic life is very wrong/terrible ,uncorrect way of recovery especially in a maintance program...my urines were dirty all the time.....thats was 1984...when i quit back then i went on a ten day detox and weaned down from 20 by everyday droppin 2mg....20,18,16,ect...day 10 i was a zombie,had to work,went for 11 days w/o sleep,it was pure hell..........fast forward,2004.....after using buprenex/suboxone/subutex for 4 years,yeah thats right,i was on buprenex for 4 years,i was a statitistic for approval from the fda.....and wasnt getting enough releif from the pain,i cant afford the operation just yet,im savin my pennies....i went back on methadone cause its cheaper,holds the pain and w/d's in check...since i have a injury and today my back is a 4 on a scale of 1-10,it may not be necessary i need pain mgmt. but ill need opiate mgmt. cause ill go into w/d's,now todat im pain level is a 6......its the things ive learned since 1984 that made me change my mind about bupenorphine......w/d's from meth are no different than that of suboxone....dont anyone disagree with me...i was there...i did both drugs....you have to wean very slow from long acting opiates..for me,the meth i can drop 5 mg every two weeks...anyone who says meth w/d's are hell.did not go thru the procedure correclty....trust me........also i do not go to clinic....my doc writes me a script just like any other script...i respect my doc 200%...he is a recovering addict...was on the best stuff since he saw it everyday at work at the hospital..but he had totallt recovered and knows addiction plus hes only two years older than me so we can relate...i go to a/a mtgs with him every sunday...he teaches me alot about addiction...and had told me that all these folks who say methadone is junk,w/d's are terrible...they never followed the program right and probably had lots of dirty urines at the clinic...we dont go the clinic route.......any doctor,any one pick a doc....can write a script for methadone..........chef

[windysan]

Chef,

What about a pump? I've heard that they work well for chronic back pain. You are right about the meth clinics. My deal is that I can't do any drug....I'm like a drunk...once I start I can't stop til I'm blotto. I can't take just a little for pain management. I'm glad there are people out there who can. I have a buddy with some screwed-up discs. He's been taking vics for a couple of years. He stays on the same dose but he doesn't get much relief anymore. Is meth widely used by docs for pain management? He is looking at other options and he doesn't want to go under the knife. He's sick of the vicodin cuz it ain't helping him. The doc told him that oxy was the next step but my friend doesn't want to do oxy. You got any tips?

thanks,
w

[User 205000]

Originally Posted by windysan

Chef,

I have a buddy with some screwed-up discs. He's been taking vics for a couple of years. He stays on the same dose but he doesn't get much relief anymore. Is meth widely used by docs for pain management? He is looking at other options and he doesn't want to go under the knife. He's sick of the vicodin cuz it ain't helping him. The doc told him that oxy was the next step but my friend doesn't want to do oxy. You got any tips?

thanks,
w

Windy, I am going through the same thing myself right now, and there aren't alot of options. In my case, L4 and L5 are about 40% eroded, S1 is about 50% gone, with stenosis and ligament damage. This is the single most difficult aspect of getting off of narcotics: dealing with legitimate pain. I have been seen by two neurologists, an orthopedic surgeon, an anesthesiologist, and my regular doctor, and the general concensus is non-narcotic medication, such as Bextra or Mobic, or steriod spinal injections, which only work about half the time, and can cause more pain than they relieve. I am starting another round of physical therapy next week by a group that specializes in lower spinal disorders. We'll see what happens.

[windysan]

User,

What about the morphine pumps? What's the deal with them? They've gotta be dangerous but are they a legitimate option?

W

[User 205000]

Originally Posted by windysan

User,

What about the morphine pumps? What's the deal with them? They've gotta be dangerous but are they a legitimate option?

W

Not for me. No narcotics, remember?