Pain Management Community

Hi BB,

Please talk to the MD who is prescribing the Hydrocodone as soon as possible.

These things happen and there is help available.

The first step in helping addiction is admitting that there is a problem.

You are light years ahead of most addicts and I commend you for this. It takes a lot of courage.

I, as many of us I am sure, have felt as if we don't care-

being in pain,
feeling out of control of our lives,
depression.

You may, as I did and occasionally still do, have responsibilities that can feel overwhelming when pain, and all of the emotional baggage that accompanies pain, are more than we can handle.

None of us wants to give up; we just want the pain to go away.

First things first, my friend. Get help with your hydro. problem. You do not have to do this alone. It also doesn't mean that you will not be able to get pain management.

Please do not give up- there is so much out there that can help you.

Promise.

The first step in overcoming a problem is recognizing it, and I think it is a positive sign that you recognize that a problem has developed. An important part of successful pain management is gaining control of our lives. When the pain that we have or the treatments that we use start to exert control over us as opposed to the other way around, then this is a cause for concern.

I have worked with many patients over the years who have struggled to overcome their dependencies and addictions to things like hydrocodone. Fortunately, I have also seen many of their triumphs and successes from folks like you that are brave and willing to overcome some of their fears, and they have gone on to lead very fulfilling lives. Getting the right help and having the support that you need is really important.

The next step is to find out what resources are available in your community to help you treat your addiction and pick the program that seems to be the best option for you. Once you are able to get off of the hydrocodone, then the third step will be to embark on a process of exploring other ways that you can learn to better manage your pain so that you can develop a program for yourself that leaves you feeling in control of you.

Remember, your journey begins with a single step.

God luv ya! Takes guts to admit this. Just pretend you take 3 now,feel good,and forgot and took 3 more in an hour? Now 2 hours go by,you take another 3. The pain relief is there but you may simply stop breathing. I've always been leery of my meds and made a note to take at the same time every day. This is an emergency call to your dr now. Don't wait because there are a lot of ways you can live with this pain. Please do this now,for yourself. My prayers only help if you do your part too. You'll be ok but right now,you need and deserve professional help. Thanks for posting and please call your dr. God bless

Wait now... Just because your body requires a higher dose of medication to achieve relief from chronic pain does not make you an addict. Everyone here that's been taking pain medication for more than 6 months is not on their original dose, but again, that does not mean they are addicted!

Like anything else, your body becomes tolerant of the dose over time, and a higher dose is prescribed to control the pain. Ask around these boards, and see how many people are taking 300 plus milligrams of opiates per day, compared to whatever it is you are taking. Again, a huge portion of people taking massive amount of opiates do so because they've been taking them for many years, and have grown tolerant of them. To them/us, a 5mg Vicodin may as well be a tablet of Tylenol, they would have to ingest a handful to get any pain relief. Does this make them an addict, absolutely not, it means their bodies are opiated tolerant, which is why they can take enough medication to kill a horse and still drive to work. I sound like a broken record on these boards, but addiction and dependence are COMPLETELY different.

You are an addict when you take drugs specifically to "get high", because you have to. After you've run out of medication, you HAVE to have it, and will do anything to get it. If you find yourself trying to obtain it illegally, or driving around at 2am in the ghetto, risking your life to buy some, or spend your rent or food money on it, then you are probably addicted.

Once you've been taking any kind of pain medication for more than a few months, you will have a chemical dependency to it, you're brain is going to tell you that it wants more when there is none in your system. It's what you do when that happens is what separates dependency and addiction.

Now the other posters responding to your thread are correct in that it takes guts to admit when you have a problem, and only you know if you do have one. If you do, follow their advice, and get help as I can promise that you're not alone. You'd be amazed at how many people are in the same boat as you. And know that they aren't the people you see on TV, living in the streets, homeless, jobless, etc. there are Doctors, Lawyers, CEO's, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, moms, dads, you name it, and they all just need a little push in the right direction.

Cleaning this stuff out of your system isn't easy, but it won't kill you from a physical aspect. Addiction is a mental issue for the most part, so get help, stay positive, and know that you are a good person, and you deserve a happy and healthy life.

Take a look in the mirror, as only you should label yourself as someone who needs a little help. And Just because you rely on medication to gain quality of life doesn't hake you an addict. If it did, this site wouldn't be named "pain management", I'd would be the "opiate addicts corner".

Make sense?

Good luck, and stick around, let us lend a hand to you. I can guarantee that nearly everyone on this site has asked ourselves the same question, "am I addicted"?

R

I forgot to ask.... You do take it to manage chronic pain right?

If you're not in SERIOUS pain, you shouldn't be taking powerful prescription medication, Tylenol will suffice, without having to worry about dependence.

The "I like the way it makes me feel" part is normal, pain killers do not magically take away your pain, they trick your brain into feeling something else instead, thus the feeling of euphoria.

Again, good luck, stay in touch, and God bless you for your pain!

Yes this is chronic pain going on for years. I think the problem is the hydrocodone isn't working anymore and so I am taking more and more. I took 6 yesterday. Just trying to get some relief. I am going to have to talk to my Dr. to which I see in March. I've tried taking 800mg of motrin but that isn't doing anything either.

I've already had 2 back surgeries on my back and 3 surgeries on my left knee. I was told all they can do for my left knee is put in a knee replacement. My right knee pain is new as it is popping like going out of place almost bringing me to the ground.

Then I have my neck pain to which I had surgery on 3 years ago to repair and fuse 3 disks.

I also have pain in my left forearm with a lot of weakness going from my hand to my elbow. Dr. doesn't know about that yet.

I feel like a walking time bomb.
BB