Why Do Docs Always Prescribe Narcotics?

[lurker86]

Hello,

I am on day 63 from 7 years of taking Hydrocodone, Tramadol, and Halcion. I actually recorded on my phone's calendar when and how much I took. It was shocking seeing how much Norco I was taking at the end. That explains why I ended up in the ER. I thought I was a light user, but maybe not so much.

The hardest part was those first horrible 5 days, and then the insomnia and pain rebound. I never want to go through that again!

Lyrica really, really, really, helped me from relapsing. It helped my pain more than the narcotics and the sleep side effect that Lyrica users complain about was just awesome to me. I was able to sleep again! Lyrica is the way to beat narcotics if you can tolerate and afford it.

There are so many non narcotic, non addictive pain medications, why is it that doctors always prescribe narcotics? I think it is for the ease of it. Prescribing the non narcotics takes more work matching up the right drug and dosage. What do you guys think the reason is that the non narcotic pain medicines are overlooked by most doctors?

[ang_811]

doctors prescribe narcotics bc they know they can get people hooked and keep having good business and make money off of those who have to suffer we can't get hooked to reg pain meds. There r shady doctors out there.

[lurker86]

Hi Lesa,

It sounds like you have an excellent doctor. Do you remember the non narcotics that he prescribed for you before the narcotics? I am very curious. If others read this with a similar story, I would love to know the non narcotics that you were prescribed. I imagine many doctors start with Ibuprofen 600/800.

[10356]

I have been thinking about this thread for a couple of days and thought I might comment.. as a addict before prescription abuse I recall going to my Dr. and speaking of my pain.. He offered me the traditional non narcotic pain meds.. I would take them home give them a go Not. and go back and tell him I needed something stronger.. although I was in pain I was in seeking mode.. I kept bumping the dosage up with him by telling him how much it still hurt to do things.. so I was the one responsible for my addiction.. I was aware that opiate pain meds are addictive. my Dr. was trying to help me.. so the responsibly lies with me.. He would still give me pain meds although monitored like a hawk because I live with acute pain but I choose to be free of my addiction at least not using.. I cut my Dr. slack as I manipulated him for my addiction.. lesa

[petroglyph54]

Other than the addiction, and some other side effects,[kidney, liveer damage] opiates are well known, I mean for long term use, the damage done to the human body, they know what to look for, to be aware to look for, probably except a real clever addict. At this time, I really need something else to work, I just don't like the narcotics? My body now wants more to combat pain. Lyrica did zilch for me except the side effects, I liked excedrin still do, but max dose for a year and I'll probably be taking prevacid or nexium for life? Prospero, I liked the way you said it! I've tried tons of herbs, I can't stand that much alcohol anymore, and it don't mix with tylenol. Just lookin for some help, and although addiction can be terrible, so can pain be. My doc said, chances of me getting addicted were reduced cuz of the reason to take them was mass pain?  Dry weather definately helps, you can feel it right away[3 days for me] and you just can't go wrong with the most, best exercise you can get, good diet, good luck!

[lurker86]

I have been wanting to get back here to apologize and correct something I wrote. I realized my mistake right after I wrote it. I certainly used the wrong word when I said many people here take narcotics to get high. I believe that they are being taken because of dependence and addiction. I took narcotics on days I wasn't hurting. I need to stop these late night posts! Can I edit that post? Is this a bit better Vicki?

broknbck: I think you nailed something very important when dealing with pain. I was simply covering up the pain, instead of addressing it. I am trying to address it now, but I am having a hard time convincing my new doctor that I am really in pain. It would be great if he prescribes Phoenix!

There are many, many non narcotic prescription medications. Some are even made from a snake's venom. Many come with side effects, which is one reason why it requires work to find the right one. For example, Lyrica causes constipation and puts you to sleep. Since I have irritable bowel syndrome and insomnia, those side effects work for me.

[broknbck]

doctors perscribe them because our medical profession is all jacked up.
i had several back injuries and really bad pain everyday. all they could come up with was pain pills. so i addressed the injury instead.
insisted on a mri and from that had an exellent physical therapy program. but you have to ask all the questions and the right help. i made them help me to find a pain less way to sleep, drive, sit, exersize. the right kind of shoes to wear. and i also found out that humid weather or cold weather causes alot of pain too. i moved to the desert- Phoenix and hardly have any pain anymore. when i do- ice packs work really good. they instantly take the swelling down.
2 1/2 years drug free. including tylenol or aspirin or any otc.

[AJRC323]

I like how you summarized that, Prospero. I think the only reason narcotics are more dangerous is because we tend to build up a tolerance to them fairly quickly, so we take more, and then we're afraid to stop because of withdrawals, or just like how we feel so we continue to increase.

[Prospero73]

There are OTC non-narcotic pain relievers, such as aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen and Aleve.  None of these is free from unhealthy side-effects, especially if the dose is high enough to relieve severe pain effectively.

There are also analgesics that require a prescription, e.g. Celebrex, which is very expensive.  The jury is still out on the risk factor, which eliminated a similar product, Vioxx, several years ago.

The granddaddy of all analgesics, alcohol, has many disadvantages: it carries a risk of addiction and other social problems, can be bad for the liver, and is not available to children.

Some of the prescription narcotics (e.g. codeine) give better pain relief than these, cost less, and entail fewer health problems, which probably accounts for their being prescribed so often.  The central problem is addiction, which is always possible: whether or not it is inevitable depends a great deal on individual circumstances.  It seems that in pain relief, there is no free lunch.

[vicki595]

Dear Lurker~
I feel I need to defend my fellow forum members. We do not overlook non narcotic pain relievers. Actually,we promote them. So many have discovered that otc's work much better after getting away from narcotics. Most of us became addicted from pain related issues and things got out of control for us.  Pain relief IS a high concern and MH has a pain management forum specific to this.
And,yes,there are members who became addicted from recreational use and turn to the forum for help. They know they're addicted and want desperately to change their lives.
I've always maintained that if we,as consumers of medical care,are completely honest with our physicians and good historians,we would be properly cared for. We need to be extremely proactive in our healthcare and always make sure we are well versed on any drug we take.  An example of this is your cocktail of Hydro,Tram and Halcion.
Very dangerous.
Congratulations on your clean time...glad the Lyrica is working so well!
All the best~
Vicki

[lurker86]

You are clearly doing the right thing. Good for you salsinator.

Every doctor/specialist I saw gave me Hydrocodone. None of them even discussed a non narcotic option. I didn't even know there were non narcotics out there for me. I thought there might be a couple for the elderly.

I think many doctors, and most people on this website completely overlook non narcotic pain relief. I have concluded that many here are not in pain and took/take narcotics solely to get high. Otherwise pain relief would be of a much higher concern.

A narcotic is effective for many pain types, thus it is the easiest to prescribe. It seems like many of the non narcotics are more specific to the type of pain, so it take more work figuring out the right med/dosage.

[salsinator]

That's a good question.  Narcotics are a very effective pain medication, but I don't think that many docs think of addiction, nor do they recognize the signs that some of their patients may exhibit if they are addicted.  I have been to docs who don't like to prescribe narcotics and will prescribe other options and use narcotics as a last resort - when I was in my active addiction, I actually switched doctors to find one that was known for giving out lots of narcotics - bad choice.  Now, I take it on as my responsibility to tell my doctor of my addiction - although I don't need to worry about that because my doctor knows of my addiction and will not prescribe narcotics unless absolutely necessary.  So far, I have not been a position to be challenged or require narcotics - and I hope that I don't find myself in that position anytime soon.