Are you an addict if you take pain medication?

[RNNPAIN]

Just a question, this may or may not get heated but I need your response. If a doctor gives you pain medication for a good reason. Maybe you suffer from chronic pain. And you take it as prescribed......You take it everyday and if you were to stop you feel WDS. Does it make you an addict???

[justlikeyou]

you an addict if you abuse it or take it when there is no pain.

[Rayy]

but dont forget that some aches and pains are caused by withdrawals so the only real way to tell if you in pain or not is stop taking the for a week the few times thaat i quit the worst part of wds was aches and pain they were extruaciation but after day 4 and5 they disapated

[Rayy]

I cant type or spell to good for that matter but i think you get my drift

[RNNPAIN]

Thankyou, I really believe that to be true, and I also got off of them, and my chronic pain got much better after that. I just was wondering how many people here believed that. I did suffer very very very bad WDS and still do once in awhile. and that sucks. But its been almost a year in sept.

[Ga Guy]

I think that addiction means abuse. Taking as prescribed is not abuse. I will say this though..I believe more pain management doctors should have exit plans in place for people. They should have a plan and discuss this with their patients. They will get you on the pills,but never discuss how to stop them. Anyway...many people have a dependence on drugs, but not an addiction. It's a fine line though. And,I crossed that line (jumped over it and did a jig along the way actually).

[FLaddict]

The definition of addiction is taking something despite harm or knowing of the harm it can cause. There are alot of people out there that are dependent on pills to live a better quality of life.. they do not abuse, doctor shop, ect..

[bettie1976]

my gyno had an "exit plan" and I agree, more docs should. After having had 5 surgeries in almost that many years on my girlie area, my tolerance was thru the roof. I also like the high they gave me. So I was an addict who had to take narcotics (at THAT time) but there were other times when I never needed em and took em just to get high. After my last surgery, the BIG H, the surgery to end all surgeries (hopefully) I made myself give up excuses to visit ER's and doctors to get what I needed to not get sick. At my 6 week checkup, my doc told me we could taper at home, or go the medical detox route. I didnt even try to taper the 46 pills she gave me. They were gone in 2 or 3 days I believe. I finally put myself in detox a few weeks ago cuz I couldnt stand it anymore. But my doctor used to work with people in a medical detox setting so she was more understanding.

[RNNPAIN]

Congrads on your 2 weeks. I know it most be hard. Well looks like we have a room of very smart people who understand what it really is. The hard part is that alot of people dont agree. But they are ignorant and usually have never suffered an addiction or dependence to a drug. Or never suffered CP. I agree with having an exit plan anytime you are given a controlled substance or anything that is habbit forming or causing drug dependence and addiction. Sometimes the mind is very powerful and anybody can cross that line.....or jump it as Ga Guy so clearly states....

[wait2long]

i was told if your an addict : you dont take as prescribed, you run out before your time, you rationalize why you take more, it interferes with your daily routine and life...if you are taking it as prescribed for chronic pain, yes you get addicted but they call it physically dependent...because you really need the medicine to improve quality of life...yes that same person may have WD's, but its different ...and there is another term for it also, but i forgot what it is....i will post if i remember...

[swany]

Hi,
I usually post on the other forum, but I thought I'd come over here and check it out.  I am awaiting a phone call from my pain management doc.  I take Norco and Oxy for chronic back pain and recently took way too much and scared myself.  I did call the doctor and talked to the nurse (I'm an RN myself so you would think that I would know better), who said keep taking the amount you are taking and you will be ok since you called us.  

He's going to talk to me today about maybe changing meds,etc.  I do take too much here and there and have finished my prescription early, but I'm always trying to get rid of the relentless pain.  Is that being an addict in your opinion?  I'm not trying to get high, just get relief.  The longer you're on it the more you need to get the same relief you used to get with less medication.  It's SO FRUSTRATING!!!

Any thoughts?

[Savas]

I've been thinking a lot about this issue myself. If a person is in chronic pain and takes medication for it, and seeks more medication to treat the pain, is that person an addict in the classic sense?

The big problem is the change in attitude towards pain management.It used to be that pain was considered a healthy part of the healing process, but for a variety of reasons, that view has changed.
I'm of the opinion that the changes in pain management are for the bad, and are very dangerous for people in general.
The new attitude is conveniently lining the pockets of pharmecutical companies, doctors and the like. Pain pill prescriptions have increased 900% since last year. I find that mind boggling.

The question can't totally be answered unless you define "neccessary pain". By todays definition, no pain is neccessary. So I guess by that definition you're not an addict in the true sense.

But how does one know when they're medicating for physical pain, or they've started medicating for other circumstances? Once the physical addiction sets in, how can you tell what level of pain you're in anymore?
It looks to me like once you've been taking pain medication for an extended period of time, you're settling into an "addictive mode of thought". I don't see how you can't not begin to think of the medication as an answer to all pain, mental included.

I don't know if this is an answer to your question, or it just raises more questions. But I hope it helps.

[RNNPAIN]

yea I remember it being frustrating too. But I honestly dont think my pain doctor had my best interest in mind. I never was told, about this very important fact...1. Once your taking pain medication longterm, then your natural endorphins that would treat your pain without medication are depleted.2. Then you have to take medication for your pain. Thank god my pain was drastically decreased enough to get off of them. Now I can see just how bad it is without them. And I honestly think my body is naturally working on treating it now. I still have this painful disease. But I almost lost my whole family to judgement. They could not understand and basically treated me like an addict for many years. I didnt ever run out early or take more then prescribed. But I did need to have my dose increased to achieve the pain relief over time. That was frustrating. I think my pain doctors have my best interest in mind. But they need to be truthful  about chronic pain. It was so hard to go through WDS. I honestly feel for everyone here.

[RNNPAIN]

oops I mean I do think they had my best interest in mind

[Dave W.]

I'm in the same boat as you,as far as taking more meds than prescribed and
finshing them early. If you are in legitamte pain and your Dr. isn't listening to
you that the current strength or amount isn't enough,because you have built up
a tolerance too them,then I beleive that we are not addicted,just dependant.
My PM Dr. has been prescribing me the same pretty high dose of 15mg Oxy
for 5 years now. I have asked him to give me less of a stronger med,but every
time he just says that's it,so for him to not expect me to up my prescribed dose,
is stupid on his part,not mine. Whatever helps your pain,is what you will do to
try and get out of it.People who have legit chronic pain,will do crazy things to
stop hurting. I know,that I have "Gone Out of My Mind" on numberous occassions
to get help,it's just human nature. You can only take but so much pain,until you
just lose it,right? If your Dr. isn't properly treating your pain,what do you do,since
it takes months where I live to be seen by a new PM Dr. and the hospitals are of
no help either?

[RNNPAIN]

A PM doctor that wont adjust or change your medication???Sounds like I would find a new PM doc.

[Dave W.]

I just went to my first new PM Dr. in 5 years. He's a moron. He took my 15mg
of Oxy that was prescribed to take up to 12/day. That's 180mg a day without
taking more. I was up to easily 3 times that a day,with no pain releif. I know
it's the Methadone the original Dr. was giving me,that was blocking the Oxy
from working.So,this new Dr. Moron,takes my Oxy and gives me 120-10mg
Percs. They are generic,mind you,so your looking at 20-30% less potent
right off the bat. Does that sound like "Common Sense" to anyone? He also
said to drop my Methadone from 40mg a day,to 20/day in only a weeks time!!!
Who the heck can do that,that's been on Methadone for 5 years?LOL. This guy
is nuts,if he thinks I can do this without professional help. I did,a few months ago,
stop the Methadone cold turkey for 5 weeks,but had to get back on it,since when
I took the Oxy for pain,would send me into full blown withdrawls in only 4-5 hours
after the dose. I was at 80mg before I went the C/T route,but now am at 40mg,just
so I can function. This Dr. is crazy,right?

[katie_s]

Did you ask your doctor what his reasoning was, or what his plan was to help you avoid massive withdrawals?

I find that for people like us who have issues with medications, we tend to play hide and seek with the truth when talking to our providers.  We'll tell them part of what's going on but hide the parts that we're afraid may make them turn us over to rehab or cut us off completely.  The problem is, doctors are really not mind readers.  They can only work with the information they're given.  And by the time most of us are hooked, we don't really even know what the truth is anymore, much less can we express it clearly.

If you can't get the point across to your doctor, then find another one.  IMO, though, it sounds to me like you need to find someone who can help you determine a way to get off all these different meds and manage your pain differently.  PM through medication is *always* a downward spiral.  You will always need more and more.

To the OP - I think there's a difference between addiction and physical dependence, but it's really hard to see where that blurry line is.  How can someone who has every reason in the world to lie to themselves, truly tell when things have crossed that line?   The unfortunate fact is that most of us who have had problems with prescription addiction or dependence, all started off getting our scripts for perfectly valid reasons.  Things go downhill from there.  You cannot use narcotics in any form over a long period of time without developing at least dependence, which will still result in a painful detox, and more likely ending up in addiction.

[Dave W.]

The Dr. spent so much time on "His High Horse",that as he was running out
the door,I was trying to explain to him,just how bad my Oxy habit was,but he
just said"Then take 3 Percocets then". I see him on Monday,and maybe,before he
runs out of the room,I can get my questions answered.This Dr. never even opened
my records once.If he did,he would be able to see where I was coming from. Now,
on this program he's started me on,I can't function below the level of Methadone
that I was previouisly on,never mind the dose he wants me to drop to.I'm in much
worse shape,than before I came to him,so I just don't think he is going to work out.
I know,that at less than 40mg of Methadone a day,I will go through withdrawls from
not only the M,the lower dose of Oxy as well. I can't sleep,so why don't I just go
through hell again,and get completely off the Methadone? It's practically the same
symptoms I'm having on the taper.I couldn't be more upset than this. Waited a whole
2 months to see this mnoron dr. and to get tortured again,was not part of my plan.
I need meds for chronic pain,not for pleasure.If it were up to me,I don't want to take
any meds,but the steroid shots he's planning,will make the Avascular Necrosis,that
destroyed my hips,wipe out any other joint in my body,that's not already messed up.
I can't win.