Withdrawl from pain meds or illness?

Hello & thank you for this wonderful site!

I am a 41 year old female who prior to having a 2-level cervical fusion 3 weeks ago and a lumbar fusion 7 months ago was taking 20mg OxyIR 4-6x day, 3200 mg Neurontin/day, 100mcg Duragesic, 300mg Wellbutrin XL for pain in addition to Norco until it affected my liver enzymes(100x) and a TENS unit.

While in the hospital, I was on IV Morphine & Dilaudid, 100 mcg Fentynal & Neurontin. Other than an elevated temp. the surgery went well and the pain diminished to a much tolerable level.

Hours upon being released, I began vomiting non-stop for several hours. I went to ER after vomiting old blood & was admitted for 3 more days. Tx showed a severe hiatal hernia & gastritis. When I returned home I continued vomiting in addition to watery diarrhea for a week longer and needless to say completely exhausted and weak.

I also had sweating/chills, restless and horrible pain in my lumbar region and legs, flushing, twitching, sneezing, runny nose & eyes & difficulty swallowing.I couldn't hold any meds down at this time either by mouth or suppository. I am still very nauseated, but able to tolerate soft foods.

After researching your site, I'm guessing I went through withdrawl (withdrawal) & the hiatal hernia was the result of vomiting? I started Oxy IR for pain but now my pain spec.put me on 25mcg duragesic to give my stomach a rest & Wellbutrin. I still need a much lower dosage of pain meds now, but I'm nervous to take anything & hoping the patch will alleviate the need for oral pain meds.

Do you have any speculation so I can understand why I became so violentlly ill?

Thank you,

Maureen

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Maureen, you are asking the right question but of the wrong doctor. I am a psychiatrist, and you need an answer from an internist or a surgeon.  My own guess would be that all of the post op symptoms are resulting from the combination of medications and medication withdrawal.  You had been on a lot, and whenever a person is on so many, it plays havoc with your biological systems...so, in fact, try to keep your medications to a minimun, and add only if absolutely necessary, and then one at a time to see what happens.

[slbeck27]

I recently had a back surgery too, my second one.  I had to wait a few months before I found a surgeon to do my operation so I had to take Lortab for a few months on a daily basis.  I found myself as the months went on liking the way the medicine made me feel.  I was becoming addicted fast and didn't know what to do about it.  I justified my addiction by telling myself that I needed this medicine t least until after my surgery.  Well even after my surgery I continued taking these meds even though I wasnt really hurting.  I finaslly owned up to my addiction and sought help through an Intensive Outpatient Program.  i did this because I got to the point where I thought i needed this drug to get out of bed in the morning.  The physical and mental things you are going through are definitely withdrawal symptoms because I went through them too.  The reason I think you may have an addiction problem is because you say after your surgery your pain is tolerable yet you are still using some pretty strong pain medications.  If you aren't hurting very much than why do you need them?  Why aren't you just taking something like Vioxx or an anti-inflammatory. Something that isn't addictive?  I just feel like you are making excuses for continuing to take addictive meds.  There is life after being addicted and there are many people out there to help you. It isn't easy but is very worth it to not let a chemical rule your life anymore.  I am a nurse and see many people that let this happen to them.  It isn't a bad thing you need to feel guilty about, but rather an illness that can be helped.

[pattilou]

i HAVE BEEN ON LORTABS FOR 5 YEARS, I HAD 2 BACK SURGERIES WITH TITANIUM CAGES AND THAN 6 MONTH LATER DEVELOPED ANKLOSING SPONDOLITIS, FIBROMYALGIA AND SEVERAL OTHER SRTHRITIC PROBLEMS.  I RECENTLY HAD TO HAVE RECONSTRUCTIVE BACK SURGERY BECAUSE I CAUGHT A STAPH MRSA INFECTION FROM MY HUSBAND LAST YEAR AFTER HE WAS INJURED AND HAS 2 SURGERIES, I HAD IT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND DID NOT KNOW IT.  I THOUGHT MY INCREASED BACK PAIN WAS FROM A NEW MEDICTION (medication) ENBREL AND ALL THE STRESS WE WERE GOING THROUGH.  I JUST HAD THIS SURGERY 5 WEEKS AGO AND THEY HAVE UP'D MY DOSAGE OF LORTABS TO 2 10 MG EVERY 4 HOURS.  I DECIDED I WAS TIRED OF TAKING PAIN PILLS AND WAS GOING TO TRY TO CUT BACK.  MY QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THIS IS IN YOUR MIND OR THEPAIN IS REAL.  I STARTED TO CUT BACK AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO 40% BUT SDOMETIMES MY PAIN WHICH I KNOW IS REAL MAKES ME END UP TAKING THE DOUBLE DOSE THAT IS BEING PRESCRIBED TO ME.
I HAVE SEEN A PSYCHIATRIST FOR A YEAR AND HE KNOWS THAT MY GREATEST FEAR IS BECOMING ADDICTED, HE TOLD ME THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE NEED TO TAKE THE MEDICINE, BUT WHEN YOU ABUSE IT IS WHEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM.  HE ASKED ME WHAT I WOULD DO IF I RAN OUT OF MEDS BEFORE I CONTACTED A DOCTOR AND I TOLD HIM I GUESS I WOULD HAVE TO SUFFER.   HE SAID A TRUE ADDICT WOULD BUY OFF THE STREETS, TEAR THERE HOUSE APART LOOKING FOR LOST DRUGS.  HE SAID MY BODY MAY BE ADDICTED, BUT MY MIND WAS NOT.  HE SAID IT WAS COMMON THAT SOME PEOPLE MUST TAKE PAIN MEDS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE, I KNOW I WANT TO CUT DOWN, MY SURGEON'S OFFICE TELLS ME IT IS TO SOON, BECAUSE OF THE SEVERITY OF THE SURGERY, I HAD TO HAVE TITANIUM CAGES REMOVED, BMP TO REBUILD THE DESTROYED DISK AND 3 STEEL RODS IN .   MY QUESTION IS DO YOU BELIEVE IN THIS THAT A BODY CAN NEED PAIN MEDICINE.  I KNOW MY PAIN IS REAL BECAUSE OF THE DISEASE AND THE SEVERITY OF THE SURGERIES AND NOW I AM BEING TOLD I WILL ALWAYS HAVE SOME PAIN, SOMETIMES UNBERABLE DEPENDING ON WHAT I DO.  I DO NOT WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE ON PAIN PILLS, BUT I CAN'T LIVE IN PAIN EITHER.  any help would be appreciated.