Prescribed pain killers
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Stockport/Greater Manchester/Cheshire
Posts: 911
Prescribed pain killers
I’m on 60mg of codine&1000mg paracetamol per 4-6hours for my pluracy.
It puts my mind in to some uncomfortable places.
I’ve been stinking thinking but battling it to keep it real.
I won’t drink but I don’t want to wake a side of me that I don’t like.
The plus side is I get to sleep and I keep on top of the pain.
Hopefully I’ll be off them in a few days or so.
Anybody else had this experience?
It puts my mind in to some uncomfortable places.
I’ve been stinking thinking but battling it to keep it real.
I won’t drink but I don’t want to wake a side of me that I don’t like.
The plus side is I get to sleep and I keep on top of the pain.
Hopefully I’ll be off them in a few days or so.
Anybody else had this experience?
Does the doctor who prescribed the codeine know that you are an addict? And, is this for long-term or just a week or so? If it's a short course for a specific injury/illness that 's different than something that is ongoing.
I think there's a difference between waking something in you, and fearing it might wake something in you - I'm not exactly sure by your post which one it is here Snowy?
If it makes you uneasy why not get a second opinion?
Never had pleurisy but I hope you feel better soon
D
If it makes you uneasy why not get a second opinion?
Never had pleurisy but I hope you feel better soon
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Stockport/Greater Manchester/Cheshire
Posts: 911
I fear it Dee. It’s a bit like handing a piece of my sobriety over to the doc to look after for a short while.
But from the Anna’s reply and the docs ease of prescribing a short course I am a bit more at ease.
Probably a defence mechanism I have developed that was making my mind do backflips.
Call it a healthy paranoia.
It’s helped to talk about it.
But from the Anna’s reply and the docs ease of prescribing a short course I am a bit more at ease.
Probably a defence mechanism I have developed that was making my mind do backflips.
Call it a healthy paranoia.
It’s helped to talk about it.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Stockport/Greater Manchester/Cheshire
Posts: 911
I was prescribed pain meds after a major surgery about 9months into sobriety. I absolutely needed them and I knew it. doctor was very clear with me how long I should take and it was just for 4 days with the heavy stuff. I felt slightly uneasy just like you. But I also knew it was necessary for pain control. If I wasn’t able to control the pain or sleep, who knows what I would have done. Self medicate maybe?
If it helps I'm prescribed 10mg/500 mg codeine paracetamol for pain that none of my other strategies work for.
I take it sporadically and never more than 2 tablets at once.
It's never woken the Beast in me - just deals with the pain
D
I take it sporadically and never more than 2 tablets at once.
It's never woken the Beast in me - just deals with the pain
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Stockport/Greater Manchester/Cheshire
Posts: 911
Comforting to know, thanks.
I’ve never had an issue with prescribed medication before, as in it didn’t develop into a problem.
It’s just I’ve noticed before that the mention of my mum offering me hers excited me in a way normal people don’t.
Bit like the naughty, mischievous shouldn’t do this but I will side of me that has got me in a lot of trouble with booze.
This reaction since my sobriety started makes me take the right decision and do things by the rules.
I’ve never had an issue with prescribed medication before, as in it didn’t develop into a problem.
It’s just I’ve noticed before that the mention of my mum offering me hers excited me in a way normal people don’t.
Bit like the naughty, mischievous shouldn’t do this but I will side of me that has got me in a lot of trouble with booze.
This reaction since my sobriety started makes me take the right decision and do things by the rules.
Guest
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 8,674
I never had a problem with pain killers BUT I do have a high tolerance for them to take effect, and typically need more of anything to get the effect most people seem to with less/regular doses. So my GP then specialist, along with me and my psych too, all agreed that only a non-addictive muscle relaxant and Advil were right for me. That's been since April, and last month after another one week course of steroid pills, we are taking the next step with an epidural. Some of those include fetanyl, so I made sure to discuss what will be in mine (just anethesia and steroid) - I definitely don't want to mess with that drug or any oxy-something lest opioids become a thing!!
I also think intent is key - for example, here at 2 yr 8 mo sober I only recently had a dish that had alcohol in it. Starting with a surprise about that at a dinner when I was about 7 mo sober- that freaked me out- I have gone to great lengths not to consume alcohol in any food. This time, I stopped eating the delicious food but didn't get upset, and the main reason is that I wasn't intending to "get drunk" plus I did have an ingrained strategy from the 2 years of effort on this issue- and it would take a LOT of risotto like that to get drunk anyway
I'm giving you a long answer ... I do think this is a real concern and for me, a doctor that seems to be the least bit dismissive of my top priority of sobriety would probably not be one I would keep seeing.
As I write this, I am in what has become typical daily pain, not crippling but definitely not fun.
I may have to make different decisions when something like surgery comes up (I'm 42 so assuming I live another 20,30,40 years, I am pretty sure it will somehow!!), but I'll cross that bridge then, with these same priorities.
It's a very personal decision to take meds or not, when we are in sobriety. You are asking good questions....for me, accepting that since I am in recovery, there might be stuff including physical pain that I have to accept or find other ways to try to minimize is what I need to do.
I hope you feel better and find some kind of maintenance routine that gives you reassurance in your sobriety.
I've had 2 open heart surgeries and skipping the pain killers was not an option. The first one I had in 2004 and was sober at the time, but I was not in a good place mentally and was doing little to nothing for my recovery. I had a complication with my sternum which required me to stay on opiates for a few months. I got addicted to them, and after the sternum complication was resolved and my surgeon stopped the opiates I continued to find and take them from alternative sources for over a year. I also started drinking again as the opiates became harder to attain and it led to an 8 year relapse that almost killed me.
I was actively drinking during my 2nd surgery in 2011 and had no problems with the painkillers. I was completely off of them within a week of being discharged from the hospital. I'm not sure what the lesson is from my experiences except that the first time it led me back to drinking, and the 2nd time I was already drinking plus I had the advantage of knowing what happened after my first surgery.
I was actively drinking during my 2nd surgery in 2011 and had no problems with the painkillers. I was completely off of them within a week of being discharged from the hospital. I'm not sure what the lesson is from my experiences except that the first time it led me back to drinking, and the 2nd time I was already drinking plus I had the advantage of knowing what happened after my first surgery.
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)