Age and Pain Meds

[racingdaysRover]

I'm feeling a little p*ssed right now. Since I've visited the board, I have read several stories of young people like myself being prescribed heavy pain meds. I was 23 and prescribed 120 hydro 10s a month and 30 Valium 10s for sleep. Where was my doctor going with this? He must realize that at this level of medication on a monthly basis, I will become physically dependant. Where would I be at 40 or 50? Maybe on 500 a month? I know I came to him with a bad injury, but I just think he should maybe have factored in my age and sent me on my way with some 800MG Tylenol. Young healthy people can bounce back pretty well. Yeah, I still have back pains, but usually they can be suppressed to a tolerable level with some tylenol and a hot shower. Just wanted to vent a bit. The past week and a half has been an emotional rollercoaster!

-R

[Autumn Angel]

Hi Racing....My Gp talked to me about the age thing when he first Rx'd me percocet he said I am too young to be on them for a long period of time and I am 42. But my Pm doc tells me there is nothing wrong with being on 4 percs a day the rest of my life. But in the long run it is up to us whether we swallow those pills or not. I was concerned about the tylenol and liver damage mostly so my Pm doc put me on OXY IR 10mg. No tylenol at all. And considering I will be on these the rest of my life the fact there is no tylenol comforts me a bit. I do a detox every weekend to try and keep my tolerance level down and so far so good.
I totally understand your concerns with your age thats forsure though there are chronic pain patients your age and younger that will be on narcotics the rest of thier lives the doc should have given you other options and let you choose. I was on NSAID therapy for 10 years before getting on the narcotics, the NSAIDS can be just as bad or worse as they can cause stomach probs, bleeding ulcers etc.. In my case it was constant burning and it felt like an open sore in my stomach I am now on a med for my stomach the rest of my life as well. Take care of yourself because only you know whats best for you. God Bless.
Autumn.

[timsworld73]

That is the exact question I asked myself. I am 29, now do I want to be 35 or 40 and still be taking pills. What about 50. I said..sooner or later I will have to stop, so do it sooner because I might not make it to later the rate I am going. Great question.

[chazygirl]

Touche. I am all about taking responsibility and being accouontible for actions and all AND those same doctors that do all the heavy scripts that everyone in an area eventually knows about and goes to should be thinking about the consequences. With that said, I still think there are people who really do need them. However, when I needed them was I ever told even once what coming off of them would look like. Don't know if that would have changed anything in the end but I do know that I was a yoga doing vegetarian with a life prior to my surgery.

[FWCadeFoster]

The idea of being on CNS drugs for the rest of my life scares me. I was unable to kick the benzos, it was messing with my mind so bad and by day 7 I felt I was suffocating. Talk about real hallucinations. I was given Klonopin in 1998, 18 years old. I should have not been given it on a long term basis now ive been through Xanax, Valium, Restoril even Zyprexa. And the withdrawal (in the begining) resembles acute anxiety so people keep taking them thinking thats what it was. Right now I just take chips if the pills just to stay normal.

As far as Narcotics, I was given them by a doctor but not prescribed. He was a Corrupt SOB and I knew his daughter. You now know my opinion on Doctors at this time.....