alligator

I have chronic tmj pain. I talk for a living so it's hard to rest my jaw. I have to work. I have flareups 2 to 3 times a week. Sometimes the only way I get through my presentations is by taking a 10mg perc. I was Prescribed up to 2 10mg percs per day for the past 2 years. My DR said as long as I skipped a few days in between taking them I would not get dependent. The first year that's what I did. Just Took the pills just when I was in bad pain usually a couple days per week and had no withdrawal symptoms when I wasn't taking them. Then I discovered they gave me energy so this past year I started taking them for other reasons in addition to still taking them for the jaw pain. Now I am taking 2 - 3 10s per day every day and when I try to skip a couple days I feel sick so I take them every day now to avoid being sick. I want to get back to just taking them when I have jaw pain a couple days per week.

Tell me if this plan will work. I have been tapering off over the last 3 weeks and am currently down to 1/2 pill a day (5 mgs) showing little withdrawal symptoms. Tomorrow will be my first day with NO pill. I plan to not take ANY for a week, regardless of my jaw pain, and then start taking them again, correctly again which is only when my TMJ flares up. Given my situation does this sound like a realistic plan?

Anna

You really need to talk to your dr.

We can't give any kind of medical advice, but I'm sure your dr will help you with a plan.

nandm

I have TMJ and see a Chiropractor for treatment of it. That combined with over the counter medications has helped me immensely. Please do as Anna said and talk with your doctor. There are many alternative treatments out there that do not require frequent pain medications to alleviate the symptoms but a doctor would be the one qualified to assist you in finding out if that will work for you.

positive2vibe

I am sure you will do just fine with your plan. You set a goal for yourself and just need to follow it. Just stay positive and always remember what you are working toward and what you want to accomplish.

artsoul

Welcome! It sounds like a plan to me - and so far you seem to be following it, so kudos for that.

Obviously, if you find that you can't maintain it, you may need to do something else (tell your doctor what's going on, look into a recovery program, etc.). My issues were with alcohol, but addiction is addiction. Still, if someone needs to be on some kind of pain medication to function, I can see where it would be desirable to find a way of doing it in a controlled manner.

I wish you all the best. This place is great for support, so hang around! There's also a section of the forum devoted to Substance Abuse, and you might find some help there as well.

alligator

Sorry, I must have joined the wrong forum. I don't see my doctor for another 4 weeks. Just wanted to hear expectations based on the experience of others. My mistake....

least

The experience of others cannot be applied to you. So to tell you that we did that and it worked, or that we did that and it didn't work, would not be of any real help to you. Besides, we can't give medical advice here. It just wouldn't be cool and could be bad for you. Please see your doctor if you have questions or problems.

alligator

The experience of others can't apply to me? Good grief! Came here for support and now all I want to do is take a whole pill instead of 1/2. Didn't expect to get pounced on. Just looking for info from people who have been through the process. Again, I am sorry. Won't happen again.

glitter

My drug of choice was vicodin and percocet. About the same amount as you in my last year of use. I can absolutely say no, I could never do what you are attempting to do, alligator. Good Luck!

glitter

alligator - remember, you are asking addicts (many of whom used painkillers as their drug of choice) whether or not your plan of continuing use sounds like a "realistic" plan. This is a place to come to find advice and support on how NOT to use. You're asking how to use?

What you are asking IS for medical advice. The very best person to have this discussion with is your doctor. People here don't say this to pounce on you, but rather to be compliant to the rules of the message board and for the health and safety of all.

Toronto68

Alligator, it looks like an impressive and brave thing you are trying to do, but it is definitely something posters can't advise on here. As frustrating as that seems, it's not intended to create misery for people. It's not the same as websites where you can share your various medical experiences and opinions. This site is more about coming to terms with substance abuse addiction (including alcoholism) and supporting people with their wishes to stay on track. It's not that people don't want to help (or even don't want to help with specific advice on medical topics - people are tempted all the time), but the site doesn't allow it. I don't have the terms of use memorized, but the philosophy of the site is that the best solution for the individual's medical needs comes from the individual's medical care professional. So the topics that go on here are not tied to diagnosis and prescriptions, but supportive words and dialogue about "issues." If that isn't what you need and would rather not use this site, I would hope you'd still get details from somebody who is really in a position to advise on medications and their consequences. Hope it works out.