It is harder than you think, finding a doctor to prescribe these pills. Because of all the bad news we hear, and how strict they are regulated, combined with the addiction and tolerance that comes with it, it is increasingly harder to get a prescription.
The use and abuse of oxy by people looking for a high or to profit, ruins it for those who genuinely need it.
It was only when I had hit bottom self medicating with Alcohol and vast quantities of Tylenol 1's, did a doctor finally start me on a prescription. It was apparent that I was causing more damage to myself, mentally and physically, trying to cope with the pain on my own. And had I continued on this route, I would have either destroyed my liver and kidneys, declared bankruptcy, or lost my mind, or all of the above.
It is important to understand that medications such as Tylenol and Advil (without prejudice), effective as they are, are not meant for long term high dosage. They are designed to get rid of a headache, or ease a sprained ankle. Using them for more than a couple of weeks, and in my case, handfuls for over a year, can begin to impact your body in negative ways.
But doctors face closer scrutiny when it comes to opiates. They must keep details records, sign contracts with their patients on how the opiates are used and the lifestyle the patient leads. The patient must pass drug screens to make sure they are not taking other drugs. And a good doctor will require that a patient consults with him/her if for any increase, even if it is just one pill on one occasion.
Under close monitoring and regulation by a good qualified physician, opiates can have little to no side effects aside from dependence and tolerance. When all other options have been explored, opiates can help those who suffer from chronic pain lead a normal and healthy lifestyle, where they would otherwise be confined to isolation and poverty due to the lack if mobility.
But look at the left and see the news articles. They are all about the bad stuff that happens when opiates are abused and left to inexperienced individuals.
There are pros that can outweigh the cons of opiate use. And we must weight then accordingly and make sound judgments based on education and experience.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Scarry Doctors
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2 comments:
i honestly have never fund one to have a story that mirrors went i went through. i too, lived in excruciating pain before i broke down and finally took the rx my dr. had offered a few times.I HATED THE THOUGHT OF NOT ONLY TAKING PILLS BUT THE WEAKNESS I FELT NOT BEING ABLE TO DEAL WITH THE PAIN ON MY OWN. i have been taking opiates antinflammatories anti seisure meds for the nerve pain muscle relaxers tylenol herbal remedies for ove 4 years nows and am over it . the dr. started me on 7.5mg percocets but with the dose required was to high in tylenol content so dr. switched me to oxycodone IR 30-60mg every 4 hours for the past 2years. the medicine is to strong sometimes for my body to handle and yet i still am in pain. any relief found is gone in a very short time so i feel like im always taking some pill.well i am. i take a number of pills combined to relieve pain so i can just function on some level .at one point this combo worked and i found myself not pain free but able to tolerate the little pain that was left. between tolerance new illness and injury and increase in pain i am worse of than ever with no amount of my prescriptions and therapy to ease the pain. my life is in shambles all because the medicines avilable are not being used at my dr.s office due to the stigma that has become associated with oxycontin morphiene and other narcotics. yet these little blue pillss they give me are worse than all the others. with the quick release of opiates-within 15min.- into your body and the very short half life the oxycodone instant release 30mg tablets have stronger physical dependedncy and quicker withdrawl symptoms because of the short half life.
please give me some advice the pain i feel is excruciating and has taken my ability to live as intended away and i am at the end of my rope................
of course it goes without saying that i have no friends to talk to . the few i do have try but still dont understand. the friends that are no longer around either didnt understand thought it be impossible for anyone to hurt tha bad or just take the strain in the friendship. i was not me anymore. i never went out or wanted to do anything. and since most didnt know about or didnt understand my pain they slowly stopped calling , came up with excuses not to talk and totall disappeared of my radar map all together. some parting ways in peace others couldnt help to make speculations as to why i stayed in and changed so drastically as the pain became un bearable(when i got the shingles i stayed in and remained antisocial for 16months). i heard rumors from i was a secret alcoholic even though i never drank. or i must be crazy under some mans controlling thumb or the most hurtful was that i was smoking crack and turning tricks for the drugs. well i was broke lost weight didnt eat and never left the house unless i had to. these were my friends and even though i closed myself off to them i expected someone to ask what was wrong or at least not make such out of the way comments
I feel for you. You offer great insight and thanks for making your comment.
If the meds work, and you can stay within your prescription, then keep taking them!
They do work, and you are entitled to a level of comfort in life. If the meds enable you to have a quality of life, then they are doing there job.
But I have found that part of my time does go into educating my family and friends (the ones worth keeping) so that they understand why I am taking these pills. They only hear the bad stories from abusers of the drug and think that I will automatically be in that same situation.
I am now on oxy and the fentanyl patch. I take valium for sleep and muscle spasms and adivan for all the anxiety. Dialvoproex is taken or depression, and now laxitives to keeps things regular along with something to reduce the stomach acid.
The patch seems to work well as a base. It keeps my level of comfort for three days at a time (actually two then a steady drop on day three). Then I take my oxy three times a day to a max of 80mg each time, but I can take less and try to depending on how active I am.
I have asked my doctor I can go for more of an IR (instant release) approach, but he has found that that approach is not as effective as the time release. He calls it a yo-yo effect and that it is better for my quality of life if I have a steady comfort base, rather then taking it as needed.
This cocktail I am now one seems to work pretty good though. But now I am dealing with the realization that I am going to be taking these meds, like this for the rest of my life. I think I am too young for this, but then again I am also too young to have such bad body pain.
My age was a factor with my other doctors. But a herniated disc does not ask how old you are before it swells.
However, at the same time, if I were just taking Advil or Tylenol, I would be at such toxic dosages that I would have already destroyed my liver. And that is part of educating my family and friends. They need to know, if they are going to have an opinion, what the consequences are of other medications.
The logic for taking oxy is that there are no side effects aside from tolerance and dependency. It is designed for long term high dose use, whereas Tylenol and Advil are designed to get rid of a headache or a sprained ankle. I used to take 1200 mg of advil before I opened my eyes, would take another 600 after breakfast, then by lunch another 600mg. By the end of the work day I would have another 600, then optional 600 with supper and another 600 to 1200mg before bed. That is in my active days and that would be only one day. With six days left in the week, and 29 more in the month, I would repeat that until I became pail and dizzy, then I would have to take a day or two off work. I can only imagine how much damage it did to my insides.
With oxycontin, I can take equivalent dosages for years and the worst thing is that I may get tired or sweat in my sleep.
But people see Advil and Tylenol as being less harmful than oxy. Oxy when it is prescribed and monitored by a doctor is an effective treatment for pain, and one that can go on for a lifetime with no harm to the body. In fact, since I started my treatment, I have lost 40 pounds and am feeling better than I have in a long time.
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