Drinking?

I have been off my pain meds that the ER gave me for a few days now. No withdrawl (withdrawal) from being off of them. I'm just in alot of pain from the nerves in my face and also in the inside of my mouth. I have gabapentin but I really don't want to take it cause of the swelling it causes me and the pain from the swelling will just add to the pain I am in plus they didn't even work. I was on percocet for a week cause of the morphine withdrawls. I guess they helped me get over the morphine. My dr will not call me back, I called him on Wedensday of last week and still nothing. It really makes me so mad that a dr will tell you to stop ALL your pills and not give you anything else for the pain. So now I am back to square one using motrin 600mg which I don't know why I even brother cause they don't work. My question will alcohol help with the pain? I hate to start drinking but I'm not sleeping at night cause of the pain. I can't even drink until my kids are in bed so I was thinking if it would help with the pain I could drink before bed. Another reason I hate to do this is my son has medcal problems and I have to be able to hear him if he gets up at night but I really don't know what else to do I can't keep going without sleep. I can't drink anything during the day so I guess I will just have to suffer. I really need to find another dr that won't do this to me, he is a nerve dr not a pain dr. I can't find a pain dr to go too and I called the dr also so they can find me one but can't tell me if he don't care enough to call me back.
Thanks
Jamie

[sandee1818]

I see you have found a PM doctor, I am so glad. It is really sad that someone would have to consider starting drinking to have some form of pain control. I know it is easy for me to sit here and tell you that that is not really a good idea.
You are not taking anything as far as prescriptions right now so if you feel like a drink at bedtime may help until you see the PM doctor then you could try it but once you get on pain medicines do not do this. Drinking to kill the pain isn't a great idea as I said but having a drink at bedtime if it helps should not hurt.
I know it is frustrating to even be put into a situation where you feel you have no where to turn. Hang in there, we are here if you need us:)

[Addict63]

Jamie,

I agree with sandee1818. A couple before bedtime, what the heck.

I'm a recovering alcoholic and Vicodin addict. I haven't had a drink in 27 years, but I just quit vicodin 28 days ago. It started taking me, instead of me taking it. Snuck up on me.

It would take a ton of booze for me to kill pain, but I'm sure I could do it if I went back out! I used to knock myself out with alcohol on many a night.  But, at the end of my practicing alcoholism I couldn't get any sleep WITHOUT alcohol. That snuck up on me too.

I know sleeping w/o some sort of pain management isn't easy. That's when my pain is the worse, when it wakes me up. I hope the PM doctor works it out for you.

[Mollyrae]

I think it's a terrible idea to start drinking to kill the pain. That can only lead to alcoholism. There are medications that you can buy OTC like Diphenhydramine that cause drowsiness so that you can sleep and it's safe. Also, instead of waiting for your Doctor to call, just make an appt. to see him. Discuss your problems at your appt.

Sorry, I have lived with an alcoholic and it's no fun. Your Son needs you to be easily woken and sound minded if something happens at night.

My best,
Molly

[Tuckamore]

Hi Jamie,

No, drinking will not ease your pain. It will only add to your issues....and that is something that you don't need, especially now. I am not so concerned that you will become an alcoholic as that is a disease on it's own. It's generally thought that it's gene related. But it is not a good substitute for pain management.

However, unless contraindicated a glass of red wine before bed may relax you enough to sleep. In the past it only kept me up but it has worked for others. Chamomile tea may be a better choice.

Hold on, you have that up-coming appointment with the PMP.  In the mean time you can discuss OTC meds for sleeping and pain with your local pharmacist. He/she may be able to offer you some suggestions to get you through till you appt with the PMP. Just don't mix the wine or other alcohol with medications.

Best of Luck,
~Tuck

[Addict63]

We in AA never go on a witch hunt and look down on people who drink responsibly. If someone CAN drink responsibly our hats are off to them. If Jamie has a problem then maybe drinking to kill pain is a bad, bad idea. But we in AA don't assume "someone is an alcoholic unless they prove otherwise". Only Jamie knows if she has a drinking problem!

We in AA disagree that actual drinking leads to alcoholism unless you have the pre-dispositioned disease of alcoholism. We in AA feel we were alcoholics before we ever took the 1st drink. Some folks in medical science believe the cause of alcoholism seems to be a blend of genetic, physical, psychological, and social factors in individuals. We in AA feel it's simply an Allergy to Alcohol.

My wife of 21 years has a drink or two in the evening, wine or mixed, and then stops.  Two drinks in me would set me to thinking more would make me feel better yet. That's why I stopped drinking in 1982 and have never taken a drink since. I'm allergic to it, I break out in bars!

[Mollyrae]

Drinking to substitute pain management is not a good idea no matter how you look at it. Someone with Chronic Pain is more likely to make it a habit rather than someone who is not and looking for an occasional drink. When someone has Chronic Pain and finds that alcohol lessens the pain can make this habit forming and Dependant on the alcohol for pain relief.

I'm not saying that anyone is an alcoholic here...Jamie was asking if alcohol was alright to ease the pain and wondered if it was alright to start drinking and my answer was NO !!

Your comment about..."  My wife of 21 years has a drink or two in the evening, wine or mixed, and then stops.  Two drinks in me would set me to thinking more would make me feel better yet. That's why I stopped drinking in 1982 and have never taken a drink since. I'm allergic to it, I break out in bars!

You just made my point...the more the merrier and that can lead to NEEDING the alcohol and that's not a solution. My intentions are good here and don't mean this post to be mean. I am giving my opinion.

Thanks for your input though.

My best,
Mollyrae

[sandee1818]

As I said earlier if a drink at bedtime will help you sleep then that may be okay. If your taking any kind of medication though I would talk to your pharmacist first.
Many people do have a glass of wine before bed and this does not mean they are an alcoholic.
With the PM doctor's appointment coming up I would advise asking the doctor about his/her thoughts on this as well.
I am not advocating drinking here. The question was asked if a drink at bedtime would help with the pain and help with sleep.
As I said I think it is fine if no medications are being taken.
I would love to have a glass of wine at dinner as it does help me sleep better but with my medications I can not.
it is totally up to each person whether or not they have a drink but no one here is or will criticize you for it:)

[Mollyrae]

Your right Sandee, having a drink at bedtime does not make you an alcoholic...may ppl do and thats quite alright. When battling pain though, there is a chance of this becoming habit forming because it does deaden the pain. So one drink at bedtime leads to two at bedtime, then three and so on......pretty soon, your needing to have that drink just to be comfortable. So now you have a problem on top of a problem and your loosing the battle.

I guess that I feel that there is a higher chance of this becoming a problem when someone has pain issues verses someone who does not.

Just my opinion.....

[jamlws]

I have not had a beer or anything like that in about a year so I don't think I have a problem. When I would drink it would be with friends until my health went down hill and now I don't drink at all. So I have not started drinking to calm the pain down. I think I would rather have sleepless nights.
Thanks
Jamie

[Mollyrae]

Good for you jamlws.... I feel that you're doing the right thing. I didn't mean to preach or want my comments to sound harsh in any way. I care about members and only want the best for them (you).

Take care,
Molly