Ans

I need to know! I'm schedule to have oral surgey and I know it is going to be painful. Last March I had a the same surgey on the left side of my mouth, and i refused the perocets, but the next morning had no choice but to call the dr. for them. I have been putting the surgey off, because of the pain. What is everyone's thoughts on taking pain medication as prescribed? Is this a relapse? The plan I used last time was giving the meds the my dad to give me as needed.

Dee74

Hi Ans

I don't remember your history but I'd hope you've been honest with the dentist about your past problems.

If percs have been a problem for you, maybe there are other alternatives?

D

Ans

I have been honest with him, and he left it up to me. At the time of the last surgey I had, a lot of pain prior to the surgey and the dentist wrote tramadol, but they didn't touch my pain. of course I had high torlance for any pain meds. I can't take vicodin so I lived through the pain until after the surgey and then the pain was unmanagable so that is when I ask for something else. My drugs of choice was/is percs and oc's.. I can deal with a good deal of pain, I deal with back pain everyday. I been clean for almost a year and a half so I am hoping my torlance is lower now and tramadol will do the job.. I just dont want to risk my sobrity..

Dee74

I stuck to over the counter pain relief after my oral surgery...so I hope you'll get some more responses from people with more experience than me Ans

I wish you the best of luck for a speedy recovery tho

D

24HMission

Congratulations on your 1+ year of clean time Ans!!!!!!!!! I can imagine how worried you must be having to face such difficult and painful times ahead. I wish you the best and a speedy recovery. Perhaps you can start looking at alternatives ways to deal with pain. Of course, make sure you discuss them with your doctor. Take care!

PreciousThings

Hey Ans- If you have a high pain threshold, how about asking your doc for a script for ibuprophen 800's? I hear they are quite effective for pain. Can't hurt to try them first. I admire how far you've come! Can't wait until i have that much clean time under my belt.

I'd try everything BUT the narcs. Us addicts will always be vulnerable to their powers.

Good luck!

Kelly

Ans

I still haven't had the surgery, I rescheduled it again. But I did talk with the Dentist and I am going to try tramodol again and if the pain gets too bad he said he will write me just a two day supply of a narco med and go from there.
Thank you everyone!!!

TheReader

I was almost a year opiate free when I broke my ankle. The doctor insisted I take percocet 5 mg after the anethesia wore off post surgery, so I took only as directed and only took for about 2 days and threw away the rest immediately and turned to regular tylenol. I was taking blood thinners to avoid possible blood clots for two weeks post-surgery and they would not let me take any aspirin type products, which ibuprofen type drugs are.
Interestingly, I was so concerned and since I was in real pain, I did not really feel the "old high" from taking the percocets. However, I only took two the first day one time, and just one pill the other two or three times I took them.
(When I was using, I would have taken 3 at a time to get that special high.)
I certainly understand that you are frightened to be tempted again.
The truth is that we all have to face the fact that the future may hold a time when we really need to take narcotics, but only as prescribed and only for a short as time as necessary. I agree with PThings that we addicts will always be vulnerable to their powers we will always have to fight that power.
I hope all goes well for you

bval

I had to go through the same thing in the past as what you're talking about, and had a similar experience to TheReader. If you take the bare minimum amount to take the really bad pain away, it shouldn't re-hook you in the short term, i.e. you are unlikely to have any w/d's from it. Doing this because you *have to* doesn't mean you have to say you've lost your clean time, says so even in AA and NA books.

Obviously, IMHO it would be BEST to avoid the opioid route, but if you legitimately can't avoid it (and boy do I know how bad dental pain can get ... sometimes, you really DO 'have to' take them), do you at least have someone who can hold the meds for you, who loves you and knows your situation?

'Holding them' yourself, esp. if you have any appreciable amount, and ESPECIALLY if you don't even tell any of your loved ones about the situation ... is a very dangerous road. There's no shame in asking for help managing your meds when you're an addict in recovery. In fact, it's pretty damn critical!

Getting that help can be a real bacon-saver, esp. when it comes to that time where you need to toss the rest because you don't really need them anymore. The addict brain/thinking can be re-awakened with very little impetus ... w/o someone tossing them for you, it will tell you 'oh, you better hold onto these in case the pain comes back' ... and THAT ... will be bad news, I promise you.

Bottom-line what I'm telling you is ... GET HELP if you must do this. Or you may end up in a world of hurt ... maybe even dead.

lostgirl25

Glad you are being honest with the oral surgeon. This in itself is half the battle. If possible try the ibuprofen at high doses. My doctor told me tramadol was addictive but I do not know if it reacts the same as opioid. Having a loved one hold the pills and give as needed for 1 or 2 days might be a possibility. I'll be praying for you and I hope the pain is not as bad as you suspect. Good Luck.

Pandie

Good luck and good choice of being proactive and thinking ahead! I think that is half the battle if not more!