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Prescribed pain killers

Old 10-26-2018, 06:11 AM
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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?
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Old 10-26-2018, 07:18 AM
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So far I have chosen not to take any pain meds above a short round of tylenol3 at the onset of my back injury. It's not something I want to experiment with.
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Old 10-26-2018, 08:34 AM
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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.
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Old 10-26-2018, 08:52 AM
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I told the docs that I had addiction problems.
She seemed to dismiss it because of the amount she was giving out.
A week or so all being well
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Old 10-26-2018, 02:48 PM
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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
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Old 10-26-2018, 09:32 PM
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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.
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Old 10-26-2018, 09:52 PM
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Originally Posted by August252015 View Post
So far I have chosen not to take any pain meds above a short round of tylenol3 at the onset of my back injury. It's not something I want to experiment with.
Sorry August Just looked it up,
Tylenol is 30mg codine.
How did you feel after taking the course?
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Old 10-26-2018, 09:59 PM
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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?
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Old 10-26-2018, 10:00 PM
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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
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Old 10-26-2018, 10:53 PM
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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.
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Old 10-27-2018, 02:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Snowydelrico View Post
Sorry August Just looked it up,
Tylenol is 30mg codine.
How did you feel after taking the course?
I don't remember exactly how much it was per day but it was a one week Rx - I hurt my back in Mar and got the Rx from the Urgent Care place I went after two days that ended up in not being able to stand up straight or walk. I was in enough pain to justify a short round and, like I do with my Ativan for anxiety dx (prescribed for daily use as needed, by my excellent psych- that's a separate meds story and one about taking them all just as directed and being honest with my dr about effects and mental ones are included there) - and my husband knew, including where the bottle was in case either of us wanted to make sure I was following directions.

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.
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Old 10-27-2018, 09:44 AM
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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.
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