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Post by mymindseyedpea on Oct 28, 2017 15:52:10 GMT
I was just listening to a radio show yesterday and they were talking about the opiod crisis and having people call in to share their stories about pain pill addiction.
And this one guy called saying that pain pills don't relieve the pain you are in, but they make you just not care about it anymore.
I know I'm taking information from just one person (well the guys doing the show agreed with him as well as a couple of other callers except for a medical nurse who called in and brought up the threats of law suits by patients) but if this is true, hasn't science come far enough to create something that will ease pain physically rather than mentally that can be put in a pill? And if the answer is that pain pills ease both, I don't see why the mental side has to be brought into it.
I personally don't condone pills and look for other ways to heal, but I respect that there are others that do and hoping that there are pills out there that have this benefit if the pain pills that are always prescribed do not.
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RosieKat
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Post by RosieKat on Oct 28, 2017 15:56:34 GMT
Tylenol or ibuprofen do actually relieve my pain from headaches, etc. But I can say that I've been prescribed Vicodin a couple of times after surgery, and it didn't really do much for me pain-wise, although it took the edge off. It did make me sleepy, though. So my limited experience with the prescription stuff is mostly consistent with what that caller said.
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Rhondito
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Post by Rhondito on Oct 28, 2017 15:56:58 GMT
In my experience that is not true.
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garcia5050
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Post by garcia5050 on Oct 28, 2017 15:58:32 GMT
I think the statement is true in certain scenarios. If I have a headache, and take some Tylenol, I do feel that the pain goes away. But when I had gum surgery, the pain was too much. I took Vicodin and I do remember that I still had pain, but just didn't care and/or focus on the pain. maybr once the pain gets to a certain level, this is true.
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Post by ntsf on Oct 28, 2017 16:05:47 GMT
my dh lives with chronic pain. the pain pills take away the pain, so he can be active. he is in a struggle with the docs about getting his pain meds. over the counter doesn't really help his bone pain.
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Post by 50offscrapper on Oct 28, 2017 16:14:38 GMT
Yes and no. Opioids fool the brain into not feeling pain but physically nothing changed. The patient “feels” pain relief. So the underlying cause was not fixed, but it provided pain relief. Anti-inflammatories fix the actual issue like inflammation to provide relief.
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Post by pondrunner on Oct 28, 2017 16:18:49 GMT
Yes and no. Opioids fool the brain into not feeling pain but physically nothing changed. The patient “feels” pain relief. So the underlying cause was not fixed, but it provided pain relief. Anti-inflammatories fix the actual issue like inflammation to provide relief. Only if inflammation is the cause of the pain. In many cases there is a still further cause such as medical or structural problems for which anti inflammatory medicine is not a solution. Additionally the side effects of anti inflammatory medication is not insignificant. It can cause serious complications also. My opinion is we need a better way of doing pain relief for people who experience more significant, more ongoing pain. The addiction problem with opioids and the GI and cardiac problem with anti inflammatory meds leaves a group of people without adequate pain relief. |
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StephDRebel
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Post by StephDRebel on Oct 28, 2017 16:21:02 GMT
Pain killers don't stop pain, they change the way our bodies feel it.
If you have a broken leg and are given pain meds the leg doesn't stop hurting, the pain receptor nerves are just altered at tge sote if pain, in the brain, or somewhere in between depending on which med youre taking so that you don't register or feel the pain.
Probably not a great analogy but it's like if it's cold outside and you put on gloves. Your fingers aren't cold anymore but that doesn't mean it's not cold out anymore just that the way your body feels the cold is different because of the way you're feeling it.
Painkillers bind to opiate receptors blocking the pain signals transmitted by the central nervous system. Narcotics decrease the feeling of pain and increase the feeling of relaxation at the same time. When narcs are used for a long period of time, the body is tricked into thinking that we have plenty of natural pain relieving chemicals and decreases natural production, and tolerance and addiction increase.
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Deleted
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May 1, 2024 22:33:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2017 16:24:45 GMT
To get overly simple.
Opioids block pain receptors. So you still have pain you just can't feel it.
Now is if you severe trauma with massive swelling a normal dose opioid probably will not work. Because the nerves are being pinched.
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katybee
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Post by katybee on Oct 28, 2017 16:28:13 GMT
I think that's an oversimplified explanation. They do not take away the source of the pain--they do not heal broken bones or shrink cancerous tumors. They send signals to the brain that block/reduce the sending of pain messages. And they can bring on a sense of euphoria, so you're "feeling no pain." But isn't that the whole purpose? Sadly, they are EXTREMELY addictive--especially if you are predisposed to addiction. I would never take them for anything a good, strong anti-inflammatory could handle. But my brother--who has stage 4 cancer--depends on them.
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Post by mellyw on Oct 28, 2017 16:33:24 GMT
Here's my frustration factor in all of this, and I truthfully dislike feeling this way, because people are suffering with horrible addictions.
I simply would not be alive without prescription pain medication. And I worry that those like me are getting shoved to the side, wondering why I just can't take a Tylenol or Motrin.
I'm 44, and live with chronic, systemic pain thru my whole body. About the only place I don't have pain daily? Maybe my thighs? There's no way around it, I have a shit body. I collect medical problems like its my job. Starting with a brain tumor at 5, that triggered a case of Orbital Cellulitis that I wasn't supposed to survive. First time I heard I was dying? Yeah, 5 years old.
I've said it here before, my medical history reads like a horror movie. Dermoid Cyst that tried to eat my insides, gall bladder out, kidney stones, chronic cysts on my remaining ovary, pelvic adhesive disease from the surgeries, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogrens Syndrome, Raynauds Disease, Ulcerative Colitis. These are just the highlights, really.
Had a tumor removed from a salivary gland over the summer, and sure as shit, it triggered my Trigeminal Neuralgia. That disease is a hell on earth one, imagine electrical currents bouncing around your brain, running thru your jaw, making you feel like all your teeth need root canals.
Now, I know the fight is coming to keep my monthly opiod prescription. I already feel like a criminal when I get it filled, the hoops I have to jump thru to get. Don't get me wrong, I gladly jump those hoops, if I didn't wonder every month lately if this is when I get the call back from my Doctor that it can't be filled anymore. That's a crappy place to live in too, wondering if your pain, that only you can quantify, will be "enough".
So, OP, I'll assure you from a chronic pain patient, opioids not only help with my pain, they keep me alive.
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Post by mellyw on Oct 28, 2017 16:51:06 GMT
Just to add, I get a certain number of pills a month, from one source. It's on me to manage that number. When things like surgery to remove a big tumor on my neck happen, I squirrel away what I think I will need to get thru surgery aftermath.
I will not accept an opiod prescription from anyone but one Doctor, takes away the Doctor shopping.
The way the prescription is written, it's a 7 day supply, that I stretch to cover a month. One good bout of Trigeminal Neuralgia on the heels of a fairly invasive surgery, pretty good chance those pills will cover 2 weeks, at best.
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Post by pattyraindrops on Oct 28, 2017 16:56:44 GMT
Here's my frustration factor in all of this, and I truthfully dislike feeling this way, because people are suffering with horrible addictions. I simply would not be alive without prescription pain medication. And I worry that those like me are getting shoved to the side, wondering why I just can't take a Tylenol or Motrin. I'm 44, and live with chronic, systemic pain thru my whole body. About the only place I don't have pain daily? Maybe my thighs? There's no way around it, I have a shit body. I collect medical problems like its my job. Starting with a brain tumor at 5, that triggered a case of Orbital Cellulitis that I wasn't supposed to survive. First time I heard I was dying? Yeah, 5 years old. I've said it here before, my medical history reads like a horror movie. Dermoid Cyst that tried to eat my insides, gall bladder out, kidney stones, chronic cysts on my remaining ovary, pelvic adhesive disease from the surgeries, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogrens Syndrome, Raynauds Disease, Ulcerative Colitis. These are just the highlights, really. Had a tumor removed from a salivary gland over the summer, and sure as shit, it triggered my Trigeminal Neuralgia. That disease is a hell on earth one, imagine electrical currents bouncing around your brain, running thru your jaw, making you feel like all your teeth need root canals. Now, I know the fight is coming to keep my monthly opiod prescription. I already feel like a criminal when I get it filled, the hoops I have to jump thru to get. Don't get me wrong, I gladly jump those hoops, if I didn't wonder every month lately if this is when I get the call back from my Doctor that it can't be filled anymore. That's a crappy place to live in too, wondering if your pain, that only you can quantify, will be "enough". So, OP, I'll assure you from a chronic pain patient, opioids not only help with my pain, they keep me alive. I know this is drastic, but have you considered moving to Europe? My husband has been in France the last 3 weeks and had kidney stones over the course of one of those weeks. I don't know which medicine it was, but he was easily given one pain med from a doctor's appointment and later discovered it was very difficult to get here. I know there is a ton more to consider and may not work at all, but if things get too bad it might be worth looking into. |
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LeaP
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Post by LeaP on Oct 28, 2017 17:01:55 GMT
When I was in labor with my second, they gave me fentanyl. I was high as a kite and I remember telling my OB that I still felt the pain but did not care. It was an illuminating moment for me. I could totally see why you would seek out that sensation, but, at the same time, I hated the loss of control.
I keep hoping that pain management moves away from opioids. It seems like many people have a predisposition to addiction that is exacerbated by these drugs. But I am not a doctor and do not play one on TV, so what do I know?
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snyder
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Post by snyder on Oct 28, 2017 17:12:47 GMT
Pain killers don't stop pain, they change the way our bodies feel it. If you have a broken leg and are given pain meds the leg doesn't stop hurting, the pain receptor nerves are just altered at tge sote if pain, in the brain, or somewhere in between depending on which med youre taking so that you don't register or feel the pain. Probably not a great analogy but it's like if it's cold outside and you put on gloves. Your fingers aren't cold anymore but that doesn't mean it's not cold out anymore just that the way your body feels the cold is different because of the way you're feeling it. Painkillers bind to opiate receptors blocking the pain signals transmitted by the central nervous system. Narcotics decrease the feeling of pain and increase the feeling of relaxation at the same time. When narcs are used for a long period of time, the body is tricked into thinking that we have plenty of natural pain relieving chemicals and decreases natural production, and tolerance and addiction increase. Your scenario supports what my niece has experienced. She has had 3 strokes. She has severe pain in her leg. They have done all kinds of tests, med, etc to figure out a solution for her to ease the pain. Finally, after some MRIs and other testing on the brain, it has been determined that she does not have pain in her leg, but the part of her brain that was injured says she does have leg pain. Mind boggling. lol |
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Post by Basket1lady on Oct 28, 2017 17:13:37 GMT
I personally don't condone pills and look for other ways to heal, but I respect that there are others that do and hoping that there are pills out there that have this benefit if the pain pills that are always prescribed do not. I suspect that you have never been in debilitating pain and I hope that you never will be in that kind of pain. For many, it isn't a mind over matter option and eating the right foods, exercise, or a healthy lifestyle isn't going to fix the pain. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2017 17:20:00 GMT
Just to add, I get a certain number of pills a month, from one source. It's on me to manage that number. When things like surgery to remove a big tumor on my neck happen, I squirrel away what I think I will need to get thru surgery aftermath. I will not accept an opiod prescription from anyone but one Doctor, takes away the Doctor shopping. The way the prescription is written, it's a 7 day supply, that I stretch to cover a month. One good bout of Trigeminal Neuralgia on the heels of a fairly invasive surgery, pretty good chance those pills will cover 2 weeks, at best. It fucking sucks! I would love to know how some people can get scripts for 100's of pill? And people who follow the rules can only get 2 at a time?  ? |
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Post by mellyw on Oct 28, 2017 17:27:43 GMT
When I was in labor with my second, they gave me fentanyl. I was high as a kite and I remember telling my OB that I still felt the pain but did not care. It was an illuminating moment for me. I could totally see why you would seek out that sensation, but, at the same time, I hated the loss of control. I keep hoping that pain management moves away from opioids. It seems like many people have a predisposition to addiction that is exacerbated by these drugs. But I am not a doctor and do not play one on TV, so what do I know? I know this is part of my issue, and I own it, a lack of empathy on my part I don't like. I've never been "high" off a pain medication, and I've never done illegal drugs, including marijuana. I seem to lack the ability to feel or get a high. I've been on some pretty strong stuff, and still, no high happy feeling. Even coming out of my last surgery, they were surprised how quickly they could send me home, considering what I'd been pumped full off. I've always assumed the feeling is close to drinking, the not in control of your body feeling. It's why I don't drink like that. So it's so hard for me to understand why anyone takes these pills for a high. And yes, I know that makes me lucky, with my medical history, I could easily be a statistic. When I stated earlier about this time not getting a prescription, it's all about pain for me, that's it. Ugh, it feels like there are no good answers right now. Cause really, only way to find out if you'll get addicted is to go on them, and for so many, it's too late then.  |
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Post by mymindseyedpea on Oct 28, 2017 18:21:35 GMT
Here's my frustration factor in all of this, and I truthfully dislike feeling this way, because people are suffering with horrible addictions. I simply would not be alive without prescription pain medication. And I worry that those like me are getting shoved to the side, wondering why I just can't take a Tylenol or Motrin. I'm 44, and live with chronic, systemic pain thru my whole body. About the only place I don't have pain daily? Maybe my thighs? There's no way around it, I have a shit body. I collect medical problems like its my job. Starting with a brain tumor at 5, that triggered a case of Orbital Cellulitis that I wasn't supposed to survive. First time I heard I was dying? Yeah, 5 years old. I've said it here before, my medical history reads like a horror movie. Dermoid Cyst that tried to eat my insides, gall bladder out, kidney stones, chronic cysts on my remaining ovary, pelvic adhesive disease from the surgeries, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogrens Syndrome, Raynauds Disease, Ulcerative Colitis. These are just the highlights, really. Had a tumor removed from a salivary gland over the summer, and sure as shit, it triggered my Trigeminal Neuralgia. That disease is a hell on earth one, imagine electrical currents bouncing around your brain, running thru your jaw, making you feel like all your teeth need root canals. Now, I know the fight is coming to keep my monthly opiod prescription. I already feel like a criminal when I get it filled, the hoops I have to jump thru to get. Don't get me wrong, I gladly jump those hoops, if I didn't wonder every month lately if this is when I get the call back from my Doctor that it can't be filled anymore. That's a crappy place to live in too, wondering if your pain, that only you can quantify, will be "enough". So, OP, I'll assure you from a chronic pain patient, opioids not only help with my pain, they keep me alive. Thank you for sharing your angle and giving me the perspective of what it's like from how you see pain pills as life-saving. I have to admit I don't pay much attention to the news of what's going on in the outer world. I mean I just first heard about this opioid crisis yesterday and the only information I got from it during the time was from that radio show. I'm sorry you have to go through all those hoops and have to worry every month if you have to go through more. I hope everything works out for you. I'm holding space for you in respecting your decisions.... I just want to suggest (with no expectations from me) in finding another way just in case a month does come where the inevitable happens so you have a back up and not have to live in this monthly dread. |
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Post by gale w on Oct 28, 2017 18:29:14 GMT
I don't know but hydrocodone (norco) gives me a headache. So I'm trading one pain for another. I haven't taken any other narcotic pain reliever in years and don't remember how well they worked.
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RosieKat
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Post by RosieKat on Oct 28, 2017 18:42:49 GMT
It fucking sucks! I would love to know how some people can get scripts for 100's of pill? And people who follow the rules can only get 2 at a time? ? It really is crazy how it works (or doesn't). I had wisdom tooth surgery that was pretty straightforward, and was given a prescription for 10 Vicodin. A friend had even more straightforward wisdom tooth surgery, and was given a script for 30, with an option to refill. I had major surgery later, and explained that Vicodin didn't do much for me. What did I get? A script for 10 Vicodin. Shortly thereafter, another friend had some minor surgery that he said recovery didn't really hurt. Yep, a script for 30 Vicodin and an option to refill. I remember a friend whose mom was imminently dying and who was in a ton of pain. She was restricted on how much pain meds they would give her, because they didn't want her to get addicted! (Actual words from a nurse - and the pain meds were IV, so it wasn't like someone might be swiping extra pills or anything.) And I'm sure I've heard this particular story before, too. It's such a Catch-22 - the very pills that allow some people to live are the very meds that kill other people. |
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Post by mymindseyedpea on Oct 28, 2017 18:47:08 GMT
I personally don't condone pills and look for other ways to heal, but I respect that there are others that do and hoping that there are pills out there that have this benefit if the pain pills that are always prescribed do not. I suspect that you have never been in debilitating pain and I hope that you never will be in that kind of pain. For many, it isn't a mind over matter option and eating the right foods, exercise, or a healthy lifestyle isn't going to fix the pain. I can't remember what it was for but I was prescribed some type of pain liquid with a popular name... codeine I think it was? I didn't take it for long though and I think it was after going through some type of procedure. It was a while ago. It's true I do live in a world where I look for natural healing methods. My leg was hurting at work bad enough to where I found it hard to walk right. When I took my break and put my leg up, it was still hurting even when I didn't walk on it. So I looked into some inner healing guidance, like which leg it was (right (masculine side, or left (feminine)... it was the right, and what legs do for us in life... they help us move forward. And the sensation was happening at work so I put it all together and came back from my break with a different approach to my masculine side of moving forward with confidence to the obstacles that work has dealt me (as well as express why I didn't feel confident about it a little there and a lot when I came back home, how it was unfair and getting all that out) and I came back home pain free. And it's not that I avoid looking for instant ways to relieve pain. Yes I can have sinus pain and shoo away the sudafed and go for something I feel my body will be more comfortable with. It was horrible yesterday. I was at a dinner with boy-friend and his coworkers and was miserable with the sinus pressure, upset stomach and drowsiness. I even went to a nearby holistic healing products place to put some peppermint oil on my temples. It usually does the trick but not this time. When I put this earth-pad on my forehead I think it weirded boy-friend out so he suggested that I go next door and pick up some of the jalepeno chips he always gets. (I tried them just the other day and they were very throat burning spicy) I ate about 3 chips and the pain was gone. But that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore the emotional part of it. Which I'm still exploring. |
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Post by birukitty on Oct 28, 2017 18:49:15 GMT
Here's my frustration factor in all of this, and I truthfully dislike feeling this way, because people are suffering with horrible addictions. I simply would not be alive without prescription pain medication. And I worry that those like me are getting shoved to the side, wondering why I just can't take a Tylenol or Motrin. I'm 44, and live with chronic, systemic pain thru my whole body. About the only place I don't have pain daily? Maybe my thighs? There's no way around it, I have a shit body. I collect medical problems like its my job. Starting with a brain tumor at 5, that triggered a case of Orbital Cellulitis that I wasn't supposed to survive. First time I heard I was dying? Yeah, 5 years old. I've said it here before, my medical history reads like a horror movie. Dermoid Cyst that tried to eat my insides, gall bladder out, kidney stones, chronic cysts on my remaining ovary, pelvic adhesive disease from the surgeries, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogrens Syndrome, Raynauds Disease, Ulcerative Colitis. These are just the highlights, really. Had a tumor removed from a salivary gland over the summer, and sure as shit, it triggered my Trigeminal Neuralgia. That disease is a hell on earth one, imagine electrical currents bouncing around your brain, running thru your jaw, making you feel like all your teeth need root canals. Now, I know the fight is coming to keep my monthly opiod prescription. I already feel like a criminal when I get it filled, the hoops I have to jump thru to get. Don't get me wrong, I gladly jump those hoops, if I didn't wonder every month lately if this is when I get the call back from my Doctor that it can't be filled anymore. That's a crappy place to live in too, wondering if your pain, that only you can quantify, will be "enough". So, OP, I'll assure you from a chronic pain patient, opioids not only help with my pain, they keep me alive. I'm so sorry you are in this position MellyW, and I am all too familiar with it because my sister is in this too. She has chronic pain, is on disability, has numerous health issues and like you has a monthly opiod prescription. It's not enough to take care of her pain by far, and she has to be very careful because like you she has to jump through hoops also to get what she does get every month. It's like she is treated like a criminal just trying to get her monthly prescription filled because there are others out there who have become addicted to opiods. Because of that the laws in our country (the USA) have decided that instead of treating chronic patients pain like my sister, and you I suspect, to a point where they are comfortable (and in this I mean living without constant pain like they do in most of Europe), here my sister suffers and has to go through these hoops. I do realize opiods are highly addictive. But I don't think penalizing those patients who are in constant, horrible pain by reducing their pain meds and forcing them to go through various hoops every time they need to get their meds filled, and making them feel like criminals is the answer. As far as the original question-Do pain meds relieve the pain you're in or do they just not make you care anymore? For me they absolutely reduce the pain I'm in. I have frequent migraines. About once a year or less I get one bad enough that I have to go to the ER for IV pain meds. I only do this after 2 or 3 days of my regular prescription meds not working. By then my migraine would be on a pain scale of 10 out of 1 to 10. If you've never had one it feels like someone is jabbing an ice pick through your brain. Light makes it feel much worse, as does sound. They used to give me Duladid (sp?) through an IV, but the last time I went they gave me Morphine. It is such a sweet, blessed relief when this medication hits my system and the pain starts going away. It is a night and day difference in pain level. So yeah, it defiantly relieves the pain I'm in. Has absolutely nothing to do with not making me care anymore-because when you are in that much pain-there is nothing that can make you care anymore. The pain takes all of your focus. |
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StephDRebel
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,663
Location: Ohio
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Post by StephDRebel on Oct 28, 2017 19:09:44 GMT
Here's my frustration factor in all of this, and I truthfully dislike feeling this way, because people are suffering with horrible addictions. I simply would not be alive without prescription pain medication. And I worry that those like me are getting shoved to the side, wondering why I just can't take a Tylenol or Motrin. I'm 44, and live with chronic, systemic pain thru my whole body. About the only place I don't have pain daily? Maybe my thighs? There's no way around it, I have a shit body. I collect medical problems like its my job. Starting with a brain tumor at 5, that triggered a case of Orbital Cellulitis that I wasn't supposed to survive. First time I heard I was dying? Yeah, 5 years old. I've said it here before, my medical history reads like a horror movie. Dermoid Cyst that tried to eat my insides, gall bladder out, kidney stones, chronic cysts on my remaining ovary, pelvic adhesive disease from the surgeries, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogrens Syndrome, Raynauds Disease, Ulcerative Colitis. These are just the highlights, really. Had a tumor removed from a salivary gland over the summer, and sure as shit, it triggered my Trigeminal Neuralgia. That disease is a hell on earth one, imagine electrical currents bouncing around your brain, running thru your jaw, making you feel like all your teeth need root canals. Now, I know the fight is coming to keep my monthly opiod prescription. I already feel like a criminal when I get it filled, the hoops I have to jump thru to get. Don't get me wrong, I gladly jump those hoops, if I didn't wonder every month lately if this is when I get the call back from my Doctor that it can't be filled anymore. That's a crappy place to live in too, wondering if your pain, that only you can quantify, will be "enough". So, OP, I'll assure you from a chronic pain patient, opioids not only help with my pain, they keep me alive. I'm so sorry you are in this position MellyW, and I am all too familiar with it because my sister is in this too. She has chronic pain, is on disability, has numerous health issues and like you has a monthly opiod prescription. It's not enough to take care of her pain by far, and she has to be very careful because like you she has to jump through hoops also to get what she does get every month. It's like she is treated like a criminal just trying to get her monthly prescription filled because there are others out there who have become addicted to opiods. Because of that the laws in our country (the USA) have decided that instead of treating chronic patients pain like my sister, and you I suspect, to a point where they are comfortable (and in this I mean living without constant pain like they do in most of Europe), here my sister suffers and has to go through these hoops. I do realize opiods are highly addictive. But I don't think penalizing those patients who are in constant, horrible pain by reducing their pain meds and forcing them to go through various hoops every time they need to get their meds filled, and making them feel like criminals is the answer. As far as the original question-Do pain meds relieve the pain you're in or do they just not make you care anymore? For me they absolutely reduce the pain I'm in. I have frequent migraines. About once a year or less I get one bad enough that I have to go to the ER for IV pain meds. I only do this after 2 or 3 days of my regular prescription meds not working. By then my migraine would be on a pain scale of 10 out of 1 to 10. If you've never had one it feels like someone is jabbing an ice pick through your brain. Light makes it feel much worse, as does sound. They used to give me Duladid (sp?) through an IV, but the last time I went they gave me Morphine. It is such a sweet, blessed relief when this medication hits my system and the pain starts going away. It is a night and day difference in pain level. So yeah, it defiantly relieves the pain I'm in. Has absolutely nothing to do with not making me care anymore-because when you are in that much pain-there is nothing that can make you care anymore. The pain takes all of your focus. Kind of, but not really. In your case you have a root issue that is causing pain. The pain increases and you get drugs that change the way the pain receptors receive the pain (or make you not feel/care about the pain) until the migraine passes. It happens again, you go through the cycle again. If it were actually treating the pain it wouldn't happen again. The medicine isn't healing the migraine, it's altering your brain and blocking the transmission of pain until the it passes amd the body 'heals' itself temporarily. When you simplify it, the medications job is to make you not care about the pain. |
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Post by scrapmaven on Oct 28, 2017 19:20:08 GMT
Does anyone have experience w/the intraethical pain pump? Sadly, some people need the medication regularly. When your quality of life is taken away from you and you don't have other options you have to do whatever it takes to get your life back, even if it's just to have a bit more quality of life. mellyw, you are doing what you need to do in order to exist. How do the meds affect your gut? Narcotics slow down motility and you have UC. What are they doing to compensate? |
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Post by mymindseyedpea on Oct 28, 2017 19:37:36 GMT
When I was in labor with my second, they gave me fentanyl. I was high as a kite and I remember telling my OB that I still felt the pain but did not care. It was an illuminating moment for me. I could totally see why you would seek out that sensation, but, at the same time, I hated the loss of control. I keep hoping that pain management moves away from opioids. It seems like many people have a predisposition to addiction that is exacerbated by these drugs. But I am not a doctor and do not play one on TV, so what do I know? I know this is part of my issue, and I own it, a lack of empathy on my part I don't like. I've never been "high" off a pain medication, and I've never done illegal drugs, including marijuana. I seem to lack the ability to feel or get a high. I've been on some pretty strong stuff, and still, no high happy feeling. Even coming out of my last surgery, they were surprised how quickly they could send me home, considering what I'd been pumped full off. I've always assumed the feeling is close to drinking, the not in control of your body feeling. It's why I don't drink like that. So it's so hard for me to understand why anyone takes these pills for a high. And yes, I know that makes me lucky, with my medical history, I could easily be a statistic. When I stated earlier about this time not getting a prescription, it's all about pain for me, that's it. Ugh, it feels like there are no good answers right now. Cause really, only way to find out if you'll get addicted is to go on them, and for so many, it's too late then. I just got out of the shower and while in it the song by Carole King got stuck in my head and I started singing it. I was like oh I don't like that, great tune but the lyrics were taking hope away. I started singing it like "it's never too late". It didn't really fit with the beat but it made me smile. I just wanted to share that synchronicity  |
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Post by scrapmaven on Oct 28, 2017 19:40:28 GMT
I suspect that you have never been in debilitating pain and I hope that you never will be in that kind of pain. For many, it isn't a mind over matter option and eating the right foods, exercise, or a healthy lifestyle isn't going to fix the pain. I can't remember what it was for but I was prescribed some type of pain liquid with a popular name... codeine I think it was? I didn't take it for long though and I think it was after going through some type of procedure. It was a while ago. It's true I do live in a world where I look for natural healing methods. My leg was hurting at work bad enough to where I found it hard to walk right. When I took my break and put my leg up, it was still hurting even when I didn't walk on it. So I looked into some inner healing guidance, like which leg it was (right (masculine side, or left (feminine)... it was the right, and what legs do for us in life... they help us move forward. And the sensation was happening at work so I put it all together and came back from my break with a different approach to my masculine side of moving forward with confidence to the obstacles that work has dealt me (as well as express why I didn't feel confident about it a little there and a lot when I came back home, how it was unfair and getting all that out) and I came back home pain free. And it's not that I avoid looking for instant ways to relieve pain. Yes I can have sinus pain and shoo away the sudafed and go for something I feel my body will be more comfortable with. It was horrible yesterday. I was at a dinner with boy-friend and his coworkers and was miserable with the sinus pressure, upset stomach and drowsiness. I even went to a nearby holistic healing products place to put some peppermint oil on my temples. It usually does the trick but not this time. When I put this earth-pad on my forehead I think it weirded boy-friend out so he suggested that I go next door and pick up some of the jalepeno chips he always gets. (I tried them just the other day and they were very throat burning spicy) I ate about 3 chips and the pain was gone. But that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore the emotional part of it. Which I'm still exploring. I understand that you're trying to get into the mindset of someone who lives w/agony every day of their life, but leg pain at work or sinus pressure doesn't begin to cover it. When you are seriously ill or have a chronic pain condition then it devastates your life. You can't live normally or do the things that everyone else does. Meditation and visualization can help you to relax a bit more and I highly recommend them as an adjunct, but honestly, that stuff doesn't touch chronic excruciating pain or severe illness. When your limbs are on fire there isn't enough water to put out that fire. When you are mostly bedridden and/or in a wheelchair you need to do whatever it takes to get out of bed. I have always been adamant that I won't take narcotics, except for surgery recovery. However, that thought is changing as my condition worsens and my doctors tell me that there is nothing more that can be done. In my case, the pain and other symptoms prevent me from getting nutrition. I'm not sure what to do, but I know that I cannot do this much longer. When you're in this position you feel much differently then when you have a leg cramp or virus. That mellyw takes opioids and doesn't feel high might also speak to her level of pain. She's not high, because it is just touching the pain. That's not always the case, but in some instances it is. I've tried oils and holistic treatments for my illness and pain and honestly I just get irritated by the lack of relief. I do acupuncture weekly and if I have a cold or virus it knocks it right out and it does give me some energy and I feel so relaxed. However, it hasn't changed the level of my illness and my western doctors are trying to give me back my life, to no avail. No oil or thought or feeling will cure my very incurable disease. If it were that easy I'd have done it years ago. Hope this helps you to understand why people who need meds must take them. It's not for fun or for kicks. It's so that the day won't be torture. |
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Post by Lexica on Oct 28, 2017 19:43:17 GMT
When I was in labor with my second, they gave me fentanyl. I was high as a kite and I remember telling my OB that I still felt the pain but did not care. It was an illuminating moment for me. I could totally see why you would seek out that sensation, but, at the same time, I hated the loss of control. I keep hoping that pain management moves away from opioids. It seems like many people have a predisposition to addiction that is exacerbated by these drugs. But I am not a doctor and do not play one on TV, so what do I know? I know this is part of my issue, and I own it, a lack of empathy on my part I don't like. I've never been "high" off a pain medication, and I've never done illegal drugs, including marijuana. I seem to lack the ability to feel or get a high. I've been on some pretty strong stuff, and still, no high happy feeling. Even coming out of my last surgery, they were surprised how quickly they could send me home, considering what I'd been pumped full off. I've always assumed the feeling is close to drinking, the not in control of your body feeling. It's why I don't drink like that. So it's so hard for me to understand why anyone takes these pills for a high. And yes, I know that makes me lucky, with my medical history, I could easily be a statistic. When I stated earlier about this time not getting a prescription, it's all about pain for me, that's it. Ugh, it feels like there are no good answers right now. Cause really, only way to find out if you'll get addicted is to go on them, and for so many, it's too late then. I ama also a chronic pain patient that will be on pain meds the rest of my life. For me, I am ashamed to say that I had absolutely been contemplating suicide because the pain was so unbearable. It was 24/7, unrelenting, can-barely-take-a-breath pain. I had been put on Vicodin to start with. While the full dose was well in me, I felt better. Not pain free, but tolerable pain. But it was a 4-hour roller coaster multiple times a day. I am extremely responsible with my pain medications and took them by the clock. When the time was right, I took the two allowed pills. At that point, I was in agony. Then it slowly starts to become tolerable as the medication kicks in. Then as it wears off again, the pain came back. The temptation to take the pills early was great, but I was afraid of addiction. So I sat in ever increasing pain until the clock allowed me to take the pills again. It wasn't a much of a life, having only periods of relief. Then I changed jobs and my new doctors sent me to a pain management specialist. I begged him for some type of procedure that would fix my damaged nerves. I explained my roller coaster pain relief and told him that I didn't know how long I could continue like that. He put me on time-released morphine. Honestly, it gave me my life back. It gives you 12 hours of relief without the roller coaster effect. Then he gave me Vicodin as "break through" pain relief for the times that the morphine wasn't cutting it. I learned about Norco, which is basically the same as Vicodin but has less acetaminophen in it. I am always concerned about my organs being damaged, so I requested this since the only thing in Vicodin that can damage an organ is the acetaminophen. And since they are for break through pain, I am pretty much okay unless I am overdoing it with physical exertion, which is pretty much daily now as I attempt to sort and pack my home to move. I still try to limit them. The last appointment I had with my doctor, he said the regulations on opioids has changed and he needed to reduce my accumulated dosage. I was scared, but certainly don't want to die from an overdose. I always thought that those people who died on prescribed medication were abusing it. So I agreed to reduce my dosages, and I think he will be further reducing them as my next appointment. He also is required to do a blood test yearly to make sure I have them in my system. He said some people are selling their medication like its their job. I immediately asked what they do about their own pain then, and he smiled. I guess they don't actually have pain and it is something they cannot do a physical test for. So in answer to the main question here, I have never ever felt a high feeling from taking any of my pain medications. I wondered if it was because they were doing an actual job in my body, therefore I felt no high. Maybe those that don't have pain and take them feel differently than I do? I don't know. All I know is if they were to remove my time-released prescription at some point, I'm not going to last long unless they have come up with a procedure that will help me. I've inquired each time I see the pain management doctor about the various things I've read about and he assures me, it won't work for me. My current fear is that I am having the same symptoms as before my surgery again. I was told this would happen after my spinal fusion, but the thought that it is here and I am feeling numbness again terrifies me. I had hoped for many more years. I also want a surgery done here where I have friends to help me, which puts my upcoming move plains on hold until I know what will happen. mellyw, I'm so sorry for your pain and can absolutely commiserate with you. I too store away my pain pills when I have to be hospitalized for something. I have had a few occasions when my doctor was on vacation and his replacement refused to fill my prescription, which really pissed me off because I have used Kaiser for the last 15 years so that all of my medical records are available to anyone in that system. A doctor can look and see that I have been on it for 15 years now. Why refuse to prescribe it? My doctor helped me work out a plan should this happen again. He actually trusted me enough to give me a few extra to use as a buffer in case this was to be repeated. I was very grateful. But then, I'm a perfect patient in total compliance. I get my blood work every 3 months and go to see them right afterwards to be checked out. I have never lost a prescription or any of the other reasons that can be a ruse to get a refill. I hope that this will weigh in my favor as they continue changing the opioid regulations. And by the way, I have also had so many people ask me if they can "have a few" of my pain pills over the years. Sure, I'll be in pain while you go party a bit. I have only given a couple of pills to very close people when they have a pain emergency like a toothache on a weekend. I am not willing to jeopardize my prescriptions for someone's enjoyment. I've even had a supervisor at a prior company approach me and ask to buy some from me! WTF?? . |
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MsKnit
Pearl Clutcher
RefuPea #1406
Posts: 2,648
Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on Oct 28, 2017 20:38:50 GMT
I can't remember what it was for but I was prescribed some type of pain liquid with a popular name... codeine I think it was? I didn't take it for long though and I think it was after going through some type of procedure. It was a while ago. It's true I do live in a world where I look for natural healing methods. My leg was hurting at work bad enough to where I found it hard to walk right. When I took my break and put my leg up, it was still hurting even when I didn't walk on it. So I looked into some inner healing guidance, like which leg it was (right (masculine side, or left (feminine)... it was the right, and what legs do for us in life... they help us move forward. And the sensation was happening at work so I put it all together and came back from my break with a different approach to my masculine side of moving forward with confidence to the obstacles that work has dealt me (as well as express why I didn't feel confident about it a little there and a lot when I came back home, how it was unfair and getting all that out) and I came back home pain free. And it's not that I avoid looking for instant ways to relieve pain. Yes I can have sinus pain and shoo away the sudafed and go for something I feel my body will be more comfortable with. It was horrible yesterday. I was at a dinner with boy-friend and his coworkers and was miserable with the sinus pressure, upset stomach and drowsiness. I even went to a nearby holistic healing products place to put some peppermint oil on my temples. It usually does the trick but not this time. When I put this earth-pad on my forehead I think it weirded boy-friend out so he suggested that I go next door and pick up some of the jalepeno chips he always gets. (I tried them just the other day and they were very throat burning spicy) I ate about 3 chips and the pain was gone. But that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore the emotional part of it. Which I'm still exploring. I understand that you're trying to get into the mindset of someone who lives w/agony every day of their life, but leg pain at work or sinus pressure doesn't begin to cover it. When you are seriously ill or have a chronic pain condition then it devastates your life. You can't live normally or do the things that everyone else does. Meditation and visualization can help you to relax a bit more and I highly recommend them as an adjunct, but honestly, that stuff doesn't touch chronic excruciating pain or severe illness. When your limbs are on fire there isn't enough water to put out that fire. When you are mostly bedridden and/or in a wheelchair you need to do whatever it takes to get out of bed. I have always been adamant that I won't take narcotics, except for surgery recovery. However, that thought is changing as my condition worsens and my doctors tell me that there is nothing more that can be done. In my case, the pain and other symptoms prevent me from getting nutrition. I'm not sure what to do, but I know that I cannot do this much longer. When you're in this position you feel much differently then when you have a leg cramp or virus. That mellyw takes opioids and doesn't feel high might also speak to her level of pain. She's not high, because it is just touching the pain. That's not always the case, but in some instances it is. I've tried oils and holistic treatments for my illness and pain and honestly I just get irritated by the lack of relief. I do acupuncture weekly and if I have a cold or virus it knocks it right out and it does give me some energy and I feel so relaxed. However, it hasn't changed the level of my illness and my western doctors are trying to give me back my life, to no avail. No oil or thought or feeling will cure my very incurable disease. If it were that easy I'd have done it years ago. Hope this helps you to understand why people who need meds must take them. It's not for fun or for kicks. It's so that the day won't be torture. To you, scrapmaven, and melly, thank you for your explanations. They are right on. I live with chronic pain too. My meds take the edge off. The flares are killers, though. I've been in a flare since before the semester began. I sit in class trying to concentrate and take notes while my body is screaming in pain. My grades are suffering and it is going to kill my GPA. The pain is so bad at times that I wish I could have extremities amputated. I also understand why people chose suicide, now. Not there yet. However, it is an option if this becomes too bad. I seriously am having difficulty keeping my focus to the next day or week. It's one of my survival mechanisms. Instead, I keep thinking that this could be my life for the next 40 years. The only pain meds my doctor will prescribe is Tramadol. It gives me horrible vertigo. Wake me out of sleep vertigo. I'll take the pain. Otherwise, I have to "learn to deal with it." I am physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted from dealing with it. Thankfully, I have an amazing Psychologist now. However, it is to the point that I am ready to withdraw from school. How on earth can I be useful in my condition? All I would like is 5 pills, which would likely cover me for 6 to 9 months. Just for those days that are so bad I want to cut off body parts or die. I'm willing to take the meds to the Dr, who I have to see every 3 months, and account for what I have needed to take. I am actually afraid of becoming addicted to anything, which is why I only want something for those days that I am desperate. Nope! |
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MsKnit
Pearl Clutcher
RefuPea #1406
Posts: 2,648
Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on Oct 28, 2017 20:47:25 GMT
I know this is part of my issue, and I own it, a lack of empathy on my part I don't like. I've never been "high" off a pain medication, and I've never done illegal drugs, including marijuana. I seem to lack the ability to feel or get a high. I've been on some pretty strong stuff, and still, no high happy feeling. Even coming out of my last surgery, they were surprised how quickly they could send me home, considering what I'd been pumped full off. I've always assumed the feeling is close to drinking, the not in control of your body feeling. It's why I don't drink like that. So it's so hard for me to understand why anyone takes these pills for a high. And yes, I know that makes me lucky, with my medical history, I could easily be a statistic. When I stated earlier about this time not getting a prescription, it's all about pain for me, that's it. Ugh, it feels like there are no good answers right now. Cause really, only way to find out if you'll get addicted is to go on them, and for so many, it's too late then. I ama also a chronic pain patient that will be on pain meds the rest of my life. For me, I am ashamed to say that I had absolutely been contemplating suicide because the pain was so unbearable. It was 24/7, unrelenting, can-barely-take-a-breath pain. I had been put on Vicodin to start with. While the full dose was well in me, I felt better. Not pain free, but tolerable pain. But it was a 4-hour roller coaster multiple times a day. I am extremely responsible with my pain medications and took them by the clock. When the time was right, I took the two allowed pills. At that point, I was in agony. Then it slowly starts to become tolerable as the medication kicks in. Then as it wears off again, the pain came back. The temptation to take the pills early was great, but I was afraid of addiction. So I sat in ever increasing pain until the clock allowed me to take the pills again. It wasn't a much of a life, having only periods of relief. Then I changed jobs and my new doctors sent me to a pain management specialist. I begged him for some type of procedure that would fix my damaged nerves. I explained my roller coaster pain relief and told him that I didn't know how long I could continue like that. He put me on time-released morphine. Honestly, it gave me my life back. It gives you 12 hours of relief without the roller coaster effect. Then he gave me Vicodin as "break through" pain relief for the times that the morphine wasn't cutting it. I learned about Norco, which is basically the same as Vicodin but has less acetaminophen in it. I am always concerned about my organs being damaged, so I requested this since the only thing in Vicodin that can damage an organ is the acetaminophen. And since they are for break through pain, I am pretty much okay unless I am overdoing it with physical exertion, which is pretty much daily now as I attempt to sort and pack my home to move. I still try to limit them. The last appointment I had with my doctor, he said the regulations on opioids has changed and he needed to reduce my accumulated dosage. I was scared, but certainly don't want to die from an overdose. I always thought that those people who died on prescribed medication were abusing it. So I agreed to reduce my dosages, and I think he will be further reducing them as my next appointment. He also is required to do a blood test yearly to make sure I have them in my system. He said some people are selling their medication like its their job. I immediately asked what they do about their own pain then, and he smiled. I guess they don't actually have pain and it is something they cannot do a physical test for. So in answer to the main question here, I have never ever felt a high feeling from taking any of my pain medications. I wondered if it was because they were doing an actual job in my body, therefore I felt no high. Maybe those that don't have pain and take them feel differently than I do? I don't know. All I know is if they were to remove my time-released prescription at some point, I'm not going to last long unless they have come up with a procedure that will help me. I've inquired each time I see the pain management doctor about the various things I've read about and he assures me, it won't work for me. My current fear is that I am having the same symptoms as before my surgery again. I was told this would happen after my spinal fusion, but the thought that it is here and I am feeling numbness again terrifies me. I had hoped for many more years. I also want a surgery done here where I have friends to help me, which puts my upcoming move plains on hold until I know what will happen. mellyw , I'm so sorry for your pain and can absolutely commiserate with you. I too store away my pain pills when I have to be hospitalized for something. I have had a few occasions when my doctor was on vacation and his replacement refused to fill my prescription, which really pissed me off because I have used Kaiser for the last 15 years so that all of my medical records are available to anyone in that system. A doctor can look and see that I have been on it for 15 years now. Why refuse to prescribe it? My doctor helped me work out a plan should this happen again. He actually trusted me enough to give me a few extra to use as a buffer in case this was to be repeated. I was very grateful. But then, I'm a perfect patient in total compliance. I get my blood work every 3 months and go to see them right afterwards to be checked out. I have never lost a prescription or any of the other reasons that can be a ruse to get a refill. I hope that this will weigh in my favor as they continue changing the opioid regulations. And by the way, I have also had so many people ask me if they can "have a few" of my pain pills over the years. Sure, I'll be in pain while you go party a bit. I have only given a couple of pills to very close people when they have a pain emergency like a toothache on a weekend. I am not willing to jeopardize my prescriptions for someone's enjoyment. I've even had a supervisor at a prior company approach me and ask to buy some from me! WTF?? . Lexica, Thank you for making me feel so not alone. I've been up front with my husband about suicide being in the plans if it gets too bad. It is such a taboo subject. But, it is my reality. I have had the discussion with him that if anything happens, auto accident, etc... he is to let me go. I am considering DNR tattoos--one for my chest and one for a wrist. Not quite there, yet. I do know I need to research to see if it would do any good. I do have an exit plan, though. Never in a million years would I have thought I would be at this point. |
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