chairmanma084

Hello again

I'm going to see the general physician today for a few things. I was wondering, since i'm so addicted to painkillers, if I should talk to her about possibly inserting something about it in my file so that I couldn't scam any doctors for pills ever again.

any thoughts...?

Freedom1990

I am honest with all of my medical providers on my past addictions. I think being less than honest leaves that opening for the addict mind in the future. Just my two cents.

Vintersemestre

Personally I feel that is more like self-control issue, I wouldn't want that in there just because some doctors may end up treating you unfairly because of lack of knowledge and such. Then again I don't believe this is a disease at all, but a very bad habit that you can fully control just like any other impulsive urge. "Rational Recovery" was by far the most human method of control I'd read.

change4penny

Vin....Are you serious? ''Just a very bad habit''? Do you feel the same way about heroin abuse?
:wtf2

Vintersemestre

Uh yeah... if you're referring to the physical dependence and neurological issues long-term opioid abuse can lead to, that's a syndrome with a generally positive medical outlook. The psychological obsession to use drugs is what I'm referring to, and I don't think that's a disease in any logical, philosophical or medical sense. I think the branding of addictive behaviour as a "disease" is outdated pseudomedicine with no basis in reality. I could go on and on. That's what I think, if you think otherwise, have a good time with it.

Nallabelle

Its up to you with what you tell your doc. I can see both sides, but the way I look at it is, if you dont think you can control yourself, then tell him. I think if the time came where you were truly suffering, they will give you what you need. They just wont be as quick to hand them out if not absolutely necessary.
Vin- I see your point. To me a disease is something we have no control over. However, I do feel that certain genetic factors make us more likely to have substance issues (not saying thats an excuse to get hooked) but it is still our choice to use drugs. We dont choose to get breast cancer.

chairmanma084

Vin, you're right mostly. Of course, any of us could just choose to quit. It's a behavioral issue. THe problem is that it DOES translate into real physiological problems once set in place as a dependency issue. It affects sleep, mood, etc. I want to quit more than i want to use so that's what's working for me now.

but what about 3 months from now?

so...no one knows any benefits/drawbacks from trying to get my med records flagged as an opiate addict? i mean, what is the statistic for relapse, like 97%? i can go get pain pills from a doc whenever i want for a # of things. right now i'm just strong enough to fight that urge.

i want advice, not someone saying to do what I feel is right...i wouldn't be asking if i felt i could rely on that.

Vintersemestre

I don't think it would really be a big obstacle for anyone if they were determined to get some. In the worst case scenario it may make you turn to the streets and the majority of what's on the street opiatewise is heroin. I don't think it's the best idea.

When you're really feeling positive about not taking anything, try to write down what exactly is motivating you to do so. Try, say, wording it as a letter to yourself and word it strongly. Maybe that way when you're feeling bad and are tempted to take something you can read it and it'll change your mind.

Cherybaby66

Chairman - I can speak to you as a nurse who has worked in a number of doctors offices. I can tell you that your medical file doesn't get tossed around from doctor to doctor the way it should. Mostly, medical records aren't sent to a doctor unless a patient requests for them to. When you walk in anywhere as a new patient...you are only revealing to the new doctor what you want them to know. For example, if you are a diabetic or cancer patient...you would want your new doctor to know what past treatments you have had, therefore, you would request that medical records be sent to the new physician. However, if there was a need for a "clean slate" between you and a new doctor...then no, confessing that you are an opiate addict doesn't necessarily mean that your new doctor would ever know. They cannot request medical records from your previous doctor without you signing a consent form.

This is where your self-control is going to have to kick in. This is also why so many people get away with doctor shopping, if you will. What will flag your new doctor, however, is if you try to get multiple scripts for opiates from several different docs. Pharmacies are now linked into data bases where excessive opiate use gets flagged. These prescriptions are then verified with the doctors who wrote them. They also have the right to let the doctor know that you have outstanding prescriptions with another doctor. This is the future of those who abuse the system. They are really cracking down on that.

There are also criminal implications for those who doctor shop now. It could land you in jail if you aren't careful. Not just a a state level, but at a federal level as well if they think you are getting these drugs with the intent to sell or distribute.

My suggestion to you is to be honest with your primary care doctor...and any other doctor that you see in the future. If you really want to quit using, you aren't going to do so knowing that you have alternative sources in which to get your medication.

As you said, the desire to quit has to be greater than your desire to use...which is why it is in your best interest to fully disclose your addiction to any doctors you go to.

Good luck to you. I hope you stay strong on your journey to get clean.

Faerie

I chose to tell my doctor and it is on my record with that surgery. They won't prescribe me codeine anymore and I think it's better that way. My local chemist will also only sell me 1 box of codeine a week. I do admit to pharmacy shopping to get my pills. I am weaning myself off of them with my doctor's help though.

But I feel it is a personal choice and you need to make up your own mind.

Stagebear

I did inform my doctors. It didn't preclude my getting the medication necessary to get through the healing period after surgery.


Hoping this helps to answer your initial question, I remain your ever vigilant friend,

ian_g

Lol I used to do these dumbass things like write the positives and negatives...it really was laughable.

You don't think this is a disease? Try explaining that to the countless numbers who do a 3 day detox get out shoot up a few bags and OD. Try telling my friend who's been in over 60 detoxes that he just didn't have enough self-control or willpower. Tell him that he wasn't suffering from a disease and that he had a choice in the matter. Tell him that he didn't love his newborn enough and that if he only implemented some sort of self-conrtol that he wouldn't have gone back out and left his kid. Tell the addict who keeps going in and out of institutions and on the way home uses; tell them that this isn't a disease. Tell that to the person knowing very well the consequences of their actions and where they'll end up yet they go and get twisted anyways. Tell the person who just walked out on his wife and children because of an obsession to go drink/use that far outweighed the cries from his family. Stand with these people and listen to them tell you that they honestly don't know why they started back up again in the first place. You're whole perception changes.

Vin you seem very intelligent but you also claim to not be an addict. If I need legal advice I go to an attorney not my local butcher. I can't possibly share an opinion on an experience I never had. Unless one has walked in those shoes...opinions on whatever it is from an outsider hold no weight. I can't tell you how many times I sincerely with all my hard wanted to stop cause pain and suffering to those around me. I wanted it more than everything but i was absolutely baffled at how I had zero control over when I started when I would stop and the most important thing...when I stopped when I would start back up again. It wasn't a matter of if but a matter of when and how soon. I was straight up in the gutter and if it honestly took self-control we wouldn't need help from others. Any roadblocks I put up were alway always torn down without even a thought like "Hey maybe you put this up because what you were doing was killing you". These thoughts never deterred me.

I'm sure you don't mean harm by staying suck things but come on...you are telling this guy basically "Well you might not want to tell your doctor cause if you do you'd have to start using dope because you can't get pills". Think about it. I mean I agree if I want to go on a run I'll do it but I also know that early on if I had such easy means of getting things it would have made the situation harder. Of course I would go back out with roadblocks put in place but it nonetheless may be a step in the right direction for some and it is definitely not something I'd ever tell a person to not do.

Impurrfect

My dr. and my dentist both know I am a recovering addict. Even when I was in a "forced recovery" ....locked up, and was admitted to the hospital, I told the dr's I was a recovering addict and I still received adequate treatment for pain.

Because I have a history of ruptured discs in my back, and occasionally need pain meds/muscle relaxers (maybe 1-2 times a year for 3 days?) I discussed this with my dr. and we agreed on treatment ahead of time.

Like Chery, I was also a nurse. I worked in ER's for years, before becoming an addict and know all the tricks addicts used to manipulate doctors and pharmacists. Then I became an addict and learned a few more tricks.

Today, my recovery is my priority. I hold my head up high, say "I'm a recovering addict" and I have been treated with nothing but respect, and I have never had pain medication withheld from me when it is truly needed. They do, however, work with me in getting me back onto something non-narcotic ASAP.

Hugs and prayers!

Amy

Vintersemestre

chairmanma084

i don't really see it as a disease either. it's your choices; some people just get caught in an avalanche of them and can't stop them. maybe addiction is a behavioral disorder, but it's something you can kick on your own if you choose to.

you can't kick cancer by choice. you can fight it with medicine and procedure and everything else. being addicted is a symptom of behavioral choices and actions. make better choices, be honest, and liberate.

Vintersemestre

I would even say that the doom & gloom of the standard line (diseased for life) pushes people back into using since they feel hopeless. Or into depression AND causes undue anxiety. Suddenly you're surrounded by a bunch of people telling you you have a potentially terminal illness when all you've got is a psychological issue; interesting how that in itself causes further psychological issues, lol.

ian_g

Not the case in the slightest. It is those people who say "Oh well I got a disease and I'm screwed anyways so I might as well use for life" that are simply justifying their behavior. Yeah I have an illness but it does not excuse the actions I take. There is a solution and if I fail to utilize that solution well then I'm to blame not the fact that I have an illness.

Just cause someone has an illness does not mean they can't recover or get better. You seem to totally twist the whole idea that while programs say it is an illness they then say that there is a way out.

If we are gonna talk about the issue lets not be so one sided and totally neglect the issue at hand. Like I said earlier I have no basis for even attempting to state an opinion on an experience I've never had.

ian_g

Just gonna say good luck and if you somehow have a choice in the matter God bless you. There are COUNTLESS numbers on here who will attest without a spec of doubt that they had zero choice in the manner until they took certain actions.

Those who have a choice in the manner aren't alcoholics, drug addicts, gambling addicts, sex addicts, or any other kind of addict. As they are able to put it down and then walk away. If it were a choice I'm just wondering why anyone in their right mind would even both being on a Recovery Board as to their own acknowledgement found that they have a choice and the problem is solved. If one has a choice and life is fine once they choose not to pick it up, why would there be a Recovery Board like this?

Why because we hopeless addicts do no have a choice in the manner maybe early on I had "some choice" and I'll state that very very loosely because I really don't know if that is true. But very quickly it got to the point where I had no choice. If it were a choice, wouldn't there be tons and tons more sober? And would they not have simply gotten it on the first try? And wouldn't that consequences deter them from picking up? The answer to all of these questions is yes IF THE INDIVIDUAL HAD A CHOICE. If the addict is of the hopeless variety he has lost the power of choice in using/drink/whatever. I equated it to breathing for me, I don't consciously say to myself "Ok breathe!"...I just breathe. Well that is the same thing that happened to me when I was active, I didn't even think about it I just did it and before long I would be fully indulged with the cycle already in motion wondering how I even got started.

Vintersemestre

ian_g

You may think it far-fetched but like I said there are countless number who will attest to this "no choice in the matter". Unless you've been in such a position, you really can't fully come to grips with it.