Addiction/Pain

Where is the line between addiction and really needing the medicine for pain?  I am 32 years old and I have had knee surgery a couple of months ago, and doctor said I have a knee of an 80 year old.  I am a future canidate for knee replacement surgery but am still to young for any doctor to be willing to do it.  I was FINALLY able to convince them to give me a cortozone shot (which helped for a couple months), but they will not give me another one for the pain.  It hurts to walk, bend, sit for a long time and I have 2 children I have to care for.  My question is what do I do if the medicine is the only thing that makes it feel better?  I have gotten to the point when I run out my body goes through the torturous withdrawals, and I have been having to take more than usual just keep the pain away due to the fact that my tolerence level for the medicine (Darvocet) has changed and it is starting to not work as well.  I know I do have an addicting personality as it is, and I am scared to ask for something stronger.  What should I do?  I know I am becoming addicted if I am not already, and I am having a hard time with this realization.

[1234betterlife]

hello. well you are asking a loaded question. i would try very hard to stick to your prescribed amount. do not go above what the doctor is giving you so you will not run out. if you cannot do this then you are definately over the line into addiction and need to discuss with your physician so other means can be tried. you have a lot ahead of you with pain, surgery, recovery etc. so you will have to learn to deal with the issue of pain and the use of pain medication. if you have addiction problems in your past i suggest you discuss with physician.

[marcatj]

hi... that's the million dollar question.  and unfortunately, got alot of us in this mess.

i don't mean to be blunt, but you are likely addicted already.  and if you have an addictive personality to begin with, it will likely only increase.

it is SO TOUGH when you have chronic pain... the only thing i can tell you is this: try everything else under the sun for pain relief before you chalk up your only answer being pain killers.  i'm not saying you don't need them - alot of us could really use them for the pain we're in.  unfortunately, the risks (and where it takes you) far outsweighs the pain relief, if you can get relief another way...

again, most of us ended up here for the same reason.  and - no one can tell you what YOUR pain is, so i would never tell anyone to flat out not take them.  however, just know that it sounds like you are already on a slippery slope, and trust me, this slope never ends up good once you are at this point.

so please - if you haven't - try everything else to manage your pain if you can....

i'm sorry you are in this spot.  please continue to post if you find it helps you... it does for alot of us.

warmly,
mj

[hope08]

i know how you feel....i have been off and on pain meds this past year for my endometriosis. i started at celebrex, then tylenol 3, darvocet, and vicodin. i was always afraid that i would be in that severe, horrible pain again and made sure i always had my meds to avoid that feeling. once i was taking them for so long my body starting building up a tolerence, so i needed to eat more. that led to me eating up to 6 a day if i needed to. if i was at work and forgot them i would freak out. so by this time i knew my body was definetly dependent on it. then around october this year, even if i didn't have severe pain i would still take them in hopes of avoiding the w'ds i knew i would eventually go through. so i have come to the conclusion that before i try to get my rx refilled, i am going to really try every other means of pain relief i can. acupuncture, holistic med doctors, supplements, exercise, serious diet changes....whatever i can. there has got to be another way!

good luck!

[Angel929]

Thanks for the advice.  I am definately going to keep posting as I figure this stuff out.  Its nice to talk to people that understand the position I am in.  I think I am becoming addicted myself and I think that I am definately be more careful.  Its just difficult when you are an active person meaning working, raising kids etc... and everyone is depending on you.  
Thanks again!
Angel.

[Angel929]

I know that hot baths seem to help a lot!!! But unfornately I am only able to take a bath when I am not working.  I told my doctor I was worried I was developing a tolerance for the meds and she offered me Moriphine BUT I turned it down because of the fact that I know I have an addictive personality and taking the Moriphine scared me a little.  I also asked myself the question, " what will i do when I develope a tolerance for that also?" I just wish they would give me the knee replacement now.
Angel

[marcatj]

anytime sweety... i get it.  it's how i got here...

seriously, post ANYTIME.  that's what this forum is all about....

:)
mj

[broknbck]

i completely understand your delimma. chronic pain really limits your life. the pain killers are just a temporary fix. eventually they are not going to work at all no matter how many you take.
i have chronic pain and changing the weather, climate where i live was the only permenant thing i could come up with. doctors told me the desert is the best place and i have noticed a difference since moving here. it meant alot of work to get here and i needed the pain killers to pull it off. but once getting here, i weaned myself off and haven't had any in a month. it was hard to wean but i have no problems now. and i've made my life alot easier so as to not need pain killers for everything i have to do.
if you don't have some kind of changes made in your lifestyle to make it different (better, easier) it's really hard to quit the pain killers because you're back to square one, except now you can't even do anything because your in pain all the time.hope this helps.
i think it's

[IMAlive]

Wow, that is so werid I was just pondering this exact same thing this morning. I have been taking Tramadol for pain management for about 2 years.  Over this time I have built up a resistance to it and had to take more and more to manage the pain. I knew that it was a problem when one month I ran out of tramadol before I could get my next perscription refill.  I went threw the worst 5 day withdraw in my life.  Finally on the 5th day I was able to get my refill but ever since then I have swore I was going to get off of these pills.  Since then I have been seeking alternitive ways for pain management and have been tapering off the tram's.  I read an artical about pain management at the Doctors office about if you are under a doctors orders and have cronic (chronic) pain you are not considered an addict.  This confused me, but what I think make us addicts is what we know about ourselves if was are honest about it.  If you are asking the question if you are an addict the chances are that you are.

[Angel929]

Thanks for the information.  Its hard to not feel guilty about taking so medicine so frequently.  I really started to wonder the first time I ran out and my body went through the withdrawals.  Its scary also to admit that I actually do like the high and that because of the way it makes me feel, I am actually more productive.  I can do more and be more active when I am on pain meds.

[IMAlive]

I wish is wasn't true I wish pain pills were like Vitiams and Chocolate was like vegies, haha. Pain pills are to relieve the pain only.  I want so much to quit.  There are those days however when I am in so much pain I would take anything to make it stop and I don't care about trying to quit all I can think about is stopping the pain.  I don't know what is the right thing to do is.  I just keep reading /posting and keep trying to taper.

[Angel929]

I know, I know,me too, me too.  I guess I can be a big baby when it comes to pain.  I guess I would rather be more comfortable than going through life in misery.  I am going to keep posting/discussing also.  At least we are on the right track!  This forum will help make me aware of my problem and to try to manage it.  Hopefully I can stop feeling so guilty just because I want to be pain free.  Wish I didnt like it.

[sleeplesss]

You are all talking about that million dollar question.  I also have chronic back pain, and may be facing surgery soon.  In the mean time, I get my refill on the vicodin, take 2 every 4 hours instead of the prescibed 1 every 4 hours...why?  Same reason as all of you.  One pill would be like eating a piece of candy and would not help the pain.  I am, for the 3rd time, tapering down to zero pills, but have severe back pain again.  Lauribell..no need to feel guilty wanting to be pain free.  I'm going back to the pain dr. on Friday to ask him to try ANYTHING else but narcotics.  I've already done the cortisone shots, physical therapy...but there must be something else!
MENTALLY, tho, I will tell you that even tho I HURT, I know I am getting off these pills and that alone makes me happier.

[IMAlive]

Thanks for the encouragement! My perscription is for 8 tabs of 50 mgs a day 2 every 4-6 hours.  But I am taking only 3 50 mgs a day 1 every 6 hours.  So I am taking much less than is prescribed for me but I still would like to get to Zero mgs a day!