Advice on what to tell your dr. about your addiction
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 69
Advice on what to tell your dr. about your addiction
I been sober for 9 months. I quite seeing my "family doctor". I want to find a doctor to treat my back pain, but I would like to be up front about my addiction to painkillers and how there is no way I can control myself with them. How much should I tell a new doctor about my addiction? I am just not sure how to bring this up to a stranger.. Ugghh.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,677
Tell your new doctor that you have an ADVERSE REACTION to opiates -- and that adverse reaction is tolerance and then addiction.
If your new doc knows your addictive nature, they will know how to deal with treating your pain. Some use steroid injections, nerve blocks, as well as other medication that are not taken in pill form. There are non narcotics that can be used. Just depends on your diagnosis.
But don't hesitate to be up front with your new doc, or you will be in addiction hell again.
FT
If your new doc knows your addictive nature, they will know how to deal with treating your pain. Some use steroid injections, nerve blocks, as well as other medication that are not taken in pill form. There are non narcotics that can be used. Just depends on your diagnosis.
But don't hesitate to be up front with your new doc, or you will be in addiction hell again.
FT
Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Baton Rouge, La.
Posts: 15,238
Honesty will become very important as members will
find out the longer they stay sober. I know I have. Why
you ask? Because my sobriety means alot to me. Having
been sober for 20 yrs now, I am honest in all my affairs.
Including when I talk to all doctors. Which, thankfully is
very rare.
My doctors know right off the bat that I am in recovery for
alcoholism and if anything is prescribed then I dont want anything
that is narcotic nor habit forming.
When taken ur prescription for the right reason and you
are honest with urself and serious with your recovery then
you have nothing to feel guilty or ashamed of.
In recovery we have our programs to help us with our
addictions. For spiritual we have our own choice of either
church, ur own Higher Power, religion and so on. For
physical, we have trainers, councilors and so on and so
on.
When I place recovery first, then making the right choices
of doctors, medicine, religion etc. becomes easy. Why?
Because recovery is that important to me and those around
me.
find out the longer they stay sober. I know I have. Why
you ask? Because my sobriety means alot to me. Having
been sober for 20 yrs now, I am honest in all my affairs.
Including when I talk to all doctors. Which, thankfully is
very rare.
My doctors know right off the bat that I am in recovery for
alcoholism and if anything is prescribed then I dont want anything
that is narcotic nor habit forming.
When taken ur prescription for the right reason and you
are honest with urself and serious with your recovery then
you have nothing to feel guilty or ashamed of.
In recovery we have our programs to help us with our
addictions. For spiritual we have our own choice of either
church, ur own Higher Power, religion and so on. For
physical, we have trainers, councilors and so on and so
on.
When I place recovery first, then making the right choices
of doctors, medicine, religion etc. becomes easy. Why?
Because recovery is that important to me and those around
me.
Eternally Grateful 4/25/08
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 212
Awesome job on 9 months!!
When I first got clean I was scheduled for an out-patient surgery four months later. My family doctor was aware that I was an addict and I had completed treatment, but this specialist who scheduled the surgery was not. I was so anxious about talking about narcotics with a new doctor but I never once considered NOT talking to them. I knew if I was prescribed narcotics it was over and I would be right back where I started. In hell and eventually dead. Your life and the life of your family is worth a little bit of embarrassment I bet. Mine was. That's been 3 years ago and I have had two root canals, a dental implant done and fairly significant migraines and my pain has been controlled without narcotics. I now have evolved into stating very confidently "I do not do narcotics AT ALL. I don't want them, so please help me control my pain without them." No one has ever questioned me further. I hope this all works out for you and that your 9 months turns into 9 years, heck hopefully 90 years!!
When I first got clean I was scheduled for an out-patient surgery four months later. My family doctor was aware that I was an addict and I had completed treatment, but this specialist who scheduled the surgery was not. I was so anxious about talking about narcotics with a new doctor but I never once considered NOT talking to them. I knew if I was prescribed narcotics it was over and I would be right back where I started. In hell and eventually dead. Your life and the life of your family is worth a little bit of embarrassment I bet. Mine was. That's been 3 years ago and I have had two root canals, a dental implant done and fairly significant migraines and my pain has been controlled without narcotics. I now have evolved into stating very confidently "I do not do narcotics AT ALL. I don't want them, so please help me control my pain without them." No one has ever questioned me further. I hope this all works out for you and that your 9 months turns into 9 years, heck hopefully 90 years!!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NC
Posts: 1,737
Ans,
Tell your Doctor - straight up. If your doctor doesn't understand or makes you uncomfortable talking about addiction, you need a new doctor. Mine is fantastic - he even shared that his daughter is in recovery. This person works for you, and given your problem with pain you've got to be honest or you put yourself at risk.
Tell your Doctor - straight up. If your doctor doesn't understand or makes you uncomfortable talking about addiction, you need a new doctor. Mine is fantastic - he even shared that his daughter is in recovery. This person works for you, and given your problem with pain you've got to be honest or you put yourself at risk.
College Graduate
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Japan
Posts: 127
Honestly... that is the only way to talk to the Dr. They don't need a life history or a blow by blow, but if you don't want to even be given the temptation of Narcs, you have to be honest.
Eddie's post is really spot on with this!
Best of luck, and if your Dr. seems to only think Narcs can help you, find another Dr, I know I had too. You would be surprised by the support you recieve within the medical community when you are up front and honest.
Like us, Drs. have different opinions, so always remeber you can get a second or third!
Eddie's post is really spot on with this!
Best of luck, and if your Dr. seems to only think Narcs can help you, find another Dr, I know I had too. You would be surprised by the support you recieve within the medical community when you are up front and honest.
Like us, Drs. have different opinions, so always remeber you can get a second or third!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LA - Lower Alabama
Posts: 5,068
The truth, tell the truth.
I see people all the time in the rooms of AA or NA pilled out of their mind and they think its OK because they have a prescription. Well Rush Limbaugh had a prescription too. So did Mike Starr (RIP).
The sad truth that a Dr. can write you a script for narcotics at the drop of a hat, and too many of them do. I have pretty severe arthritis from time to time and am managing without pain meds, except OTC pain relievers (aleve). I am on prescription anti-inflammatory drugs (but no steroids, which is commonly prescribed). I was never on narcotics but I know my addictive tendencies and told my dr. nothing habit forming. I am against steroids because I saw what it did to my mom. He works real well with me in this regard and I am very comfortable telling him anything. If this is notthe relationship you have with your Dr. you need a new Dr. JMO.
Good luck.
I see people all the time in the rooms of AA or NA pilled out of their mind and they think its OK because they have a prescription. Well Rush Limbaugh had a prescription too. So did Mike Starr (RIP).
The sad truth that a Dr. can write you a script for narcotics at the drop of a hat, and too many of them do. I have pretty severe arthritis from time to time and am managing without pain meds, except OTC pain relievers (aleve). I am on prescription anti-inflammatory drugs (but no steroids, which is commonly prescribed). I was never on narcotics but I know my addictive tendencies and told my dr. nothing habit forming. I am against steroids because I saw what it did to my mom. He works real well with me in this regard and I am very comfortable telling him anything. If this is notthe relationship you have with your Dr. you need a new Dr. JMO.
Good luck.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 69
Thanks everyone! I am going to be up front with my new doctor! I know I can not go back to that hell. I think I'm leary of trusting a doctor.. The doctor's I went to when I was using were pill pushers and handed a script for whatever I wanted. So I will be finding a doctor who will treat really help me
Servant of God
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 214
I would keep it as simple as possible. Just say "Doc, I have an addiction problems with xyz pills and I need some help with making sure I stay out of trouble" or something like that.
Most Dr.'s see around 30 patients a day. You are not going to shock them with anything you say. They have seen it all before. If they don't understand it don't want to help you then get another one until you get the treatment you want.
Most Dr.'s see around 30 patients a day. You are not going to shock them with anything you say. They have seen it all before. If they don't understand it don't want to help you then get another one until you get the treatment you want.
Do or do not. There is no try.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 635
I just changed doctors and went for my first visit last week. It is my policy to be as honest and up front about my disease on the very first visit, especially given my history of abusing doctors to get fixes. He didn't seem phased one bit, asked a couple follow up questions, what drugs I was addicted to, to which I replied all of them, but mainly had issues with pharmy narcotics and heroin...And that was that. I was there for muscle spasms in my back, and was prescribed non addictive, non narcotic agents to help try and treat it. Not only was I not tempted by him giving me a script of something 'good' but I had also burned that bridge if ever in the future I was less than spiritually fit and the obsession had returned.
Grats on 9 months, just tell the truth!
Grats on 9 months, just tell the truth!
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