Help

[sarvalk]

I am looking for help. I am addicted to oxycodone. I started taking it for medical reasons. I have had back surgery (discectomy) for herniated L5-s1. And it was easy to stop taking them. Then in 2007 I reherniated the disc when I gave birth to my son. I was also diagnosed chronic Lyme disease 3 months after I had my son. At that time my Dr. Prescribed me 10mg percs. After about a year I told my Dr. That they werent helping the pain anymore and I was taking more than prescribed. Sooooo....he put me on 30mg oxycodone. As of may 2011...I have 3 more herniated discs. And one of the discs is crushing my sciatic (sp) causing severe pain shooting down my leg. I have such severe hip pain I cant sleep more than an hour without it waking me up. I can't get out of bed for over an hour in the am because of the hip pain. I can't open my hands or walk without severe joint pain from the lyme.
So I take a 30mg oxy and it doesn't help so I take another then another then another. And then my perscription runs out. My tolerance is so high at this point they do nothing for the pain. I don't want to take them anymore but I don't think I can do the withdraw. I've been reading. I want to take my medicine as prescribed but they don't do anything for my pain anymore. So now its basically like this, I take my meds they don't help my pain so I take more and more thinking maybe this next pill will stop the pain but it never does. And then I find myself taking them because I just want to forget life. I don't want to live like this anymore...I am looking for help anywhere. I'm embarressed. I can't look to my family for help. I want my life back. But how do you get your life back when you tell a dr. Ur taking too many pills so they give you a higher dose. Another Dr. Wants to put in a morphine pump. And another Dr. Tells you there is nothing that can be done about your pain you
have to live with it the rest of your life and the only help is pills.
Please I need support I need to know its not impossible and there is hope.

[Dee74]

Hi sarvalk - welcome to SR

I'm not overly familiar with oxys but I know I had to go through a few Drs to find the right one for me and my needs.

Are you seeing anyone who specialises in pain management?

D

[sarvalk]

Yes I see a pain management Dr. When I started seeing him I was just on 30mg oxycodone, he added neurontin (for chronic nerve pain), Kadian (time released morphine) and mentioned possibly a morphine pump). My first pain management Dr. Had me on 10mg percocets. I told him the 10mg weren't helping the pain so I was taking more than I was perscribed. His response was to give me a higher dose. (the 30mg oxycodone) without tylenol in it so it wouldn't damage my liver. I felt so let down. I got up the nerve to admit I was having a problem. I even wrote down what I was gonna say. And then I go to a new Dr. And he puts me on more drugs. I find it all confusing. From what Ive read of oxycodone you build up a tolerance VERY quickly so you need higher and higher dose to get the same pain relief. And there's no way to just stop taking it without going thru withdraw. And If the dr's can't fix u their answer is just to prescribe more meds. I'm so loat

[slidingdoors]

I not sure if I am in position to advice as dont have such experience with medicines, if I was you since that oxycodone is highly addictive and doesnt help with the pain anyway, go through the withdraw pain and try to find in the market a drug that can help better or is not addictive, the side effects of medicines are also important to take into account in the long term.
Try also alternative medicine, herbs or acupuncture, anything but prescribed drugs.

[missy812]

How many mg's of narcotics are you taking per day now?
Your story sounds very similar to mine. I was taking 200 mg per day, and I got to a point where it really wasn't doing much for my pain and I realized I was abusing the pain meds. I quit cold turkey and it was hard. For me, it was best to pick a quit day, tappering just didn't work for me (if I had the pills I'd take them.) It took me 4 weeks to be able to return to work. The first 3 days of WD sucked, BUT it was far from over. The recovery process is a daily struggle for me still. I am 44 days clean now. It feels good to be free of the pills, and going to the Dr, Pharmacy, always running out early, etc.. was getting very old for me.

It sounds like you are a closet addict... do you have one person that can help you while you're sick?

I do think our pain tollerance goes way down when we abuse these meds. Our brains forget how to deal with the pain. I think you do need to try some other pain management methods because you obviously have real pain.. hot baths work wonders for me. Also, is surgery an option? I agree that you need to find a good Dr. that will work with you on your options of curing the issue, and pain management options that work for you.
Feel free to PM me any time.. Lots of experience w/addiction and WD.