OhBrother

I have a friend who has had a sudden and severe bout of sciatica since just before Christmas.
She's 35 and is almost completely housebound with severe pain caused by a herniated disc pressing against her sciatic nerve. Right now its so bad they may skip months of physio and go straight to surgery.
Because of the pain she's been having to take 4 or 5 percocets a day, on TOP of a daily tamoral (?). And that just barely deals with the pain.

Now I know there are probably millions of people that take narcotics and don't end up as hopeless addicts, but I keep having to resist the urge to give her a lecture on addiction. She knows all about my sister.
It just gives me the creeps to have anyone I know on drugs like that, even when its so obviously needed.

BayAreaPhoenix

I had a woman who lives with chronic pain and knew my story ask me if I thought she was an addict? I told her she probably was, but not in the way she meant. I knew there was a difference between being physically dependent, because the body does got dependent, and being an "addict". She sticks with her Drs., discussing her meds and never takes more, just enough to live a normal life. It's a fine line, but there is a difference, IMO anyway.

Ann

Anyone in severe pain, taking medication prescribed by their doctor and sticking to the dosage prescribed are not addicts, they are sick people following doctor's orders.

I would suggest real caution in ever advising anyone what to take or not take. This could cause serious difficulty or even death and it is why we discourage any kind of medical opinions on this site.

Hugs

NeedingHelp7

I do the same thing, due to seeing what they have done to AH. When I hear of someone on them, I think "danger" and tell them to be careful, they are easy to get addicted to for some.

NH7

marle

My husband suffered a back injury this past spring and was put on Vics for it. It just freaked me out and I actually kept track of how many refills he got and when he got them. He still has back pain but has not used any pain pills for a few months now. When I broke my kneecap two years ago I was offered Vics and Percs but refused both due to my daughter's addiction. I managed on regular Tylenol. Hugs, Marle

Serenity Bound

I find myself thinking" danger" also, two years ago I broke 2 bones in my wrist, I had never felt such pain, because of my AD I tried hard not to take the prescribed pills.

MyJoey

Big difference when your taking med's to improve the quality of your life and your taking them because they ARE your life.

kj0975

I have abused pain meds in the past and tried only to take advil until my digestive track decided against that meaning that I poo'd nothing but blood. Sorry TMI since then I was taken off all antianflimitories and take pain pills. The only difference this time is that I dont have control of them but I do need them in order to walk. So yes I do think narcartics are needed and not everyone is an addict. JMHO

Impurrfect

My stepmom now has a herniated disc. Problem is, she IS an addict. When I ruptured the disc in my back, I found out that pain pills didn't touch the pain, especially nerve pain. I have discussed this with her, however it is out of my hands. She is 62 years old and I can not, and will not, take on this issue for her.

It is a fine line, especially with me. I have abused pain meds in the past. However, I have had to take them, on occasion, for back pain or when I've had teeth pulled. I will try the advil first, but my stomach also rebels. I have always been honest with my dr. and dentist. If I need pain pills, I get a prescription with very few pills, and NO refills. This has worked fine for me.

I understand the fear of pain meds. However, after working as a nurse for 12 years, I also saw many, many people do further damage by refusing pain meds because of that fear. It is an individual thing. If you get relief from OTC meds, great. If you are gritting your teeth, suffering in pain, making your blood pressure and heart rate go up, just because you are afraid you "might" become an addict....you are doing more damage than good.

As it has been said here, before...discuss this with your doctor, and be totally honest with your concerns.

Hugs and prayers!

Amy

winnie12

I went through about six months a few years ago with chronic pain from a pinched nerve in my foot. It started out hitting every day or so and then progressively got to the point that it would hit every five to ten minutes. The only thing i can equate the pain to is being in labor both because of the intensity and becuase of how it came and went but unlike labor it never ended. My doc was able to solve the problem with surgery but it took months to heal completely and after surgery the pain was like nothing i can describe. I was home bound for at least 3 months and couldnt wear shoes for six. my doc was adament that he was not going to let me become addicted to pain meds. He would prescribe no more than 5-10 at a time and said i could only take one a day when it became absolutely unbearable - if i took more he would stop all prescriptions. I would wait all day in pain stuck at home so that i night i could finally take the pill have some relief and sleep.

Because of my small experience i will never judge someone else's pain again but I know that I got through it with no problems becuase i had a doctor watching out for addiction. If he would have given me as many pain pills as I wanted at the time I'd probably be an addict now.

cinderellawkids

My husband is an addict. HIs DOC crack.
He now has a herniated disc impinging the sciatic nerve. After a hospitilization and phys therapy, he stopped taking the pain meds and dealt with the pain (not in the best way, but didnt want to take pills)
After 4 months he once again ended up flat on his back with so many spasms he couldnt move, lift his foot, wiggle his toe, or feel needles emergency personel put in either foot. He was given shots at ER and put on Oxycodone. After 5 days he stopped taking as swelling had gone down, Day 9, once again couldnt feel left leg and foot. Went to a dr for f-u and was put back on Oxys and muscle relaxers and told along with treatment he needed the meds or would again be unable to move of function. The doc knows hes an addict, and uas with each visit to be sure taking as directed, but they insist he needs the meds.
He currently takes, as needed for pain which is about half of whats directed, sure this could increase, but I think in severe pain, disc and nerve issues you need to trust your doctor

heartandhome

Like Impurffect, I had ruptured discs that were causing neurological problems and the narcotics that were prescribed did very little to control my pain. I didn't want to take them because they weren't helpful. In my case, they did not evern attempt ph. therapy, went straight to surgery, but I had battled herniated disc and the associated sciatica for over 10 years. I wish you friend luck and can only say that the surgery was the best thing that ever happened to me. A little surgical pain was nothing compared to what I went thru with those ruptured discs.

Since my AD's battle with addiction, I wouldn't even accept an RX, don't want the stuff in my home, or even in my possession. It would have to be something very severe for me to even consider narcotics/opiates now.

I actually manage the pain of Rhumatoid Arthritis with meditation. There are all sorts of ways to treat pain.

It amazes me actually, the ease with which doctors still prescribe narcotics, opiates etc. There are so many other ways to efficently control pain now, I really don't see a good reason to give narcotics/opiates at all, except in cases of severe pain, perhaps with cancer etc.

Another thing that bothers me so much is this "pill for every ill" mentality we seem to find so acceptable now. IMHO our doctors feed the mentality with every RX they write, encouraged by phamacutical companies who don't care as long as their drugs are selling and they are reaping the profits.

My daughter is going thru insomenia after detox...her immediate reaction is to call the doctor and ask them to prescribe something. She has severe anxiety/depression, ask the doctor for drugs. She had a tooth extracted on Friday, and I was proud of her for informing the dentist that she can't take opiates as a recovering addict, he was already writing out the script for vicodin when she spoke up. As a result, he gave her nothing for pain. There should be good alternatives. There is no good reason to have to endure the pain of a tooth extraction (it was abscessed and quite painful) because you can't take opiates, but that is what a recovering addict is faced with.

I know she is suffering greatly, no doubt. But why not try to rely on counseling, a hot bath, a bedtime routine, a good massage, a long walk or some alternative medicines such as reiki or reflexlogy? Give something else a chance before you immediately reach for the prescription bottle.

It angers me how very quickly a doctor will hand over medication for every little ill.

Going thru all of this with her has made me leary of taking even a tylenol.

jerect

Due to my AH's addiction to pain pills I don't think any amount of pain could make me take just one Perc or one Vic... I have a very addictive personality and I know that it would be all to easy to just continue taking them once the pain is gone...

With that being said though, I think it just depends on the person..

Sunflowers

I think like many things pain pills are good... and bad. It's not the medication itself, but the person wielding it. I've had 16 surgeries in 17 years. I'm allergic to things like Morphine, Codeine, and Percocet so when they have to give me pain meds they have to resort to things like Demoral, Dilaudid, or Fentanyl. Pain meds terrify me. I don't like the loss of control, nor the way they make me feel. I suppose you could say that my drug of choice is a clear mind and control!

My Step-Dad and another sister.. they are another story. One sister, when my second Dad Jim was dying of cancer came into our home with a headache and wanted us to give her one of his pain patches! My Step-Dad? When Jim was in the hospital with cancer I got a call from his mother wanting me to talk him into re-hab because he was abusing his pain meds to the point of passing out on the floor.

I think that one of the things that people make the mistake of doing is not differentiating between bearable pain, and FEELING. I will take feeling and bearable pain rather than complete incoherency personally.

I think that narcotics are like guns. Yes they can both be implements of extraordinary devastation in the wrong hands, but that doesn't make them bad in and of themselves.

WLDKATZ

I won't go into my story you have WAY too much good information here.............listen to your heart and be there for your friend, and remember just one thing....a hug will heal things faster than angry words


good luck
Pamm

cinderellawkids

Arent all docs prescribing these doing uas? I know if my dad, and husband didnt ahve the right amount in their system or anything not prescribed in system, the doctor refuses to treat. Actually everyone I know on Oxy, morophine, fentynal and dilaudid has to go through this process