100% of ppl who don't become addicts opinion

Question

I read online that 100% of ppl that take prescription meds as prescribed do not become addicts. 
Agree or disagree?
I thought about this and to me I guess I could agree maybe just because ok 100% of ppl who take their meds as prescribed dont  become addicts because 100% of addicts don't take their meds as prescribed

dede2121 · Accepted Answer

yeah it blows my mind the people that are addicted to opiates. and i have found out many times it's people you would never think. hey where i live a few years back there was a big trial where 4 people had raped, tortured and murdered 2 young college students a girl and a guy. well they went to trial and were found guilty of course, but come to find out about a year later the judge that presided over the trial was addicted to pain pills. they found out because someone that had to appear in his court, a drug dealer was selling the judge pain pills. so now the defendants requested a new trial because of the judges addiction and they were granted new trials even though they murdered those kids. so that goes to show people of all walks of life are addicted. 
sorry to ramble on about that. lol

nursegirl6572 · Answer

There's a difference between addiction and physical dependency.  What you describe is dependency.  Addiction involves mental cravings, abuse of the Rx, and a lot of times, behavior that is out of character for a person....to obtain more.

quitinoxys · Answer

I disagree, taking your pain prescription as prescribed CAN lead to addiction. I am living proof of that. For years I took my oxys as indicated but as the tolerance increased so did the doses of meds. If you are taking pain meds for a short duration yes the chances of addiction is low but with many people with severe injury or chronic pain wind up addicted. Just my 2 cents as I have lived it.

Silkie55 · Answer

How many dr perscribed pain pills only? My old dr prescribed me them for 18 years. My new doc told me pain wont kill you, cancer can. I haven't had any female test for 18 years. No insurance all my money went to the pain dr and the pharmacy! Pretty stupid of me!

nursegirl6572 · Answer

but I def do not think a general doctor should be prescribing monthly prescriptions of pain meds because if someone needs that much pain meds they should see a pain specialist 

I agree and disagree.  If it's going to be a chronic problem with more severe pain (that requires higher than typical doses, etc), yes...but other pain issues should be able to be addressed with a PCP.

abritt121222 · Answer

It posted twice cause I must have clicked it as the best answer. I didn't even know I picked a best answer tho haha to that your post wasn't good just telling you why it's there twice

dede2121 · Answer

dang pat you have a very sympathetic doctor...NOT. i told a doctor once when i thought he wasnt listening that look, i pay your salary you need to listen to what i say. lol. so he said help yourself and you did the only way you thought how at the time. took  pain pills. i would do the same thing. but he went to school for years to be able to help you and that was his advice. and to get rid of your cat. good grief. 
i just dont understand why doctors prescribe them like they do. heck i have walked in many times and faked pain to get pills. if they get us on these pain pills whether we take them as prescribed or not they should be willing to do whatever to help us get off them.

dede2121 · Answer

why did my answer post twice?

abritt121222 · Answer

The general doctor I agree sounds like he treats ppl basing all ppl on addicts I see no problem with a general doctor prescribing opiates BUT I also think the general doctor while prescribing these meds should tell the patient I AM NOT A PAIN MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST so if this problem persist I am not going to keep giving you pain meds that should be how a general family doctor approaches situations like that. Giving someone enough pain meds for a week is not going to get any doctor in trouble but I def do not think a general doctor should be prescribing monthly prescriptions of pain meds because if someone needs that much pain meds they should see a pain specialist and get the problem figured out not expect a general doctor to keep prescribing pain meds because that's why general doctors don't like prescribing pain meds because they cannot tell if you are blowing smoke or really hurt but the doctor shouldn't let it go that far and should recommend someone to a pain management specialist long before they are hooked on pain pills. On the flip side of that I have had two back surgeries and finding a REAL pain management doctor and not just someone who wants to shove pills down your throat is a task on its own and I learned as soon as you see "opiate therapy" as a treatment you might as well keep looking because that's not real pain management by any means

Pat1956100 · Answer

Yes, perfect description.  
When I went to him when I was in so much pain from the grief of losing my husband and sister, he told me that sometimes you just have to help yourself.  A friend had opiates so I helped myself to them.  It really took the consuming heartache away for awhile.  I started very slowly but built myself up to taking about 20 percs  day and was just zombied all of the time.
Also another time I went and asked to see a psychiatrist and he told me "All you're going to do it talk".  Seriously he said that.  He did try and get me into one reluctantly but nobody was taking any new  locally.
He didn't help me one bit with my grief.  I went to him for allergies and he told me to get rid of my cat.  I said lighty, "I have just lost my husband and my sister, and now you want me to get rid of my cat.  He said,  Well you are on a roll.  He thinks he's funny but half the time I was in tears and so desperate when I went to see him that it wasn't funny at all.
I asked him if he thought he was Dr. House and he had never heard of him.
I wish I had the guts to tell him all of this and how his negligence helped put me in the situation I am in but I know that I was the one that did this to myself.
Oh well, getting off Britt's topic here.  Sorry Britt.

nursegirl6572 · Answer

Ahhh, gotcha Pat!  Sounds like a case of him kind of treating everyone the same, rather than recognizing that not everyone is a risk.  Very close minded.  That's a shame. Amazing he even has patients!  LOL

Pat1956100 · Answer

I totally agree with you.  I think my doctor is an idiot.  I should tell you that I live in Canada and so many people don't have doctors that you take what you can get.  I shouldn't have said he won't ever prescribe opiates because he did give me t3's and that is an opiate but that is as high as he will go in most cases.  He only deals with office patients and does not have hospital privileges because the insurance is too high so he doesn't have patients to deal with from surgeries etc.  He will refer you to specialists etc. if you ask.
He is very head strong and he came from the big city so I think he has seen a ton of drug seekers.  In my case he was right but I don't know about in every case.

nursegirl6572 · Answer

My doctor won't prescribe opiates because he knows that anyone can become addicted to them very easily.  People who have never shown any addictive behaviour can still easily become addicted to opiates.  He pissed me off that he wouldn't but I know that he was right. .

No offense to your doctor, but that's crazy.  There ARE many times, medically, when an opiate would be indicated, and needed.  Doctors have a responsibility to be cautious when it comes to opiates, sure, but they also have an obligation to properly treat someone's pain.  

Hey, it's his perogative, but it sounds like he would easily lose patients when their needs weren't met.  The drugs themselves are not evil and aren't a problem.  In that sense, he's sending the wrong message.  Plenty of doc's carefully Rx opiates, and keep a close eye on their scripts.  I would almost be curious if perhaps is isn't ALLOWED by law to Rx them (as in, something happened to his DEA #??)  Anyway, I wouldn't say he is right at all...that's an extreme position.

There IS a great difference between addiction and physical dependency.  Someone who has an addiction will present with maladaptive behaviors, they mentally crave the meds, they will do things VERY out of character to get the meds, while a person who is dependent, never takes more than Rx'd (typically), doesn't mentally crave them, and wouldn't do things to obtain them that was out of character for that person, they also wouldn't place themselves at risk by abusing the script, or putting themselves in danger to get it.  There are similarities, and some gray areas, but I don't think it's as wasy as making the statements in the OP.

Pat1956100 · Answer

I think that opiates serve a purpose for people who need them for severe pain.  I hate being in pain.  I don't think they should be prescribed for long term use unless they are really needed.  I have a friend who had a back injury years ago and she is prescribed a ton of oxy and percocets every month.  It makes me so mad because I feel that I am in so much more pain than she is.  She doesn't even realize that she is an addict.  She does take them as prescribed but she is prescribed 2 oxy 40's per day and 2 percs as prescribed for break through pain. She takes about 4 per day.  That is 100 mgs per day.  How can she not be addicted?

rach813 · Answer

I am not sure how I feel about that. I took my medication as prescibed always. Yet I got to a point where I felt like I couldnt live without them. Maybe I became dependent on them and not addicted and thats why this last week I have felt kinda sick physically but do not want them at all mentally:/Either way I am at day 7 and still have no cravings for them, just very tired and sore.

Pat1956100 · Answer

EXACTLY.  That is why I think it's a crazy statement.  Also, so many of us cover up our addiction for years.  They have no idea how many people actually take their meds as prescribed because the people abusing would never admit to it. My doctor won't prescribe opiates because he knows that anyone can become addicted to them very easily.  People who have never shown any addictive behaviour can still easily become addicted to opiates.  He pissed me off that he wouldn't but I know that he was right.

abritt121222 · Answer

And pat opiates are VERY VERY ADDICTIVE to which is why doctors don't like prescribing them which is why u can find opiate addicts in every aspect of life even in the groups  people u think would never be addicted to a drug I guarantee there are opiate addicts. I even read the other day that I think it said either one out of five or one out of seven people in the U.S. are addicted to opiates.

buddycrunch · Answer

What is the prescribed dosage Phillip Morris recommends for their cigarettes? Jack Danials? Budweiser?

All manufacturers are in business to make money, even the drug companies.  They know their products are addictive by design.  You ever try to stop an anti-depressant cold turkey?  100% of ppl that use birth control don't get pregnant?  Medical marjiana??????????

abritt121222 · Answer

Dede yea there is no doubt no matter if taken as prescribed or not if opiates are taken every day for a month or two or longer the person will become dependent because the body gets used to it and will go into withdrawal when the person stops taking it. However being dependent and being an addict is different. 
And pat yea that was talking about opiates and for your other question I am exactly like u asked I have always and still do drink not everyday by any means now maybe once a weekend but after I graduated highschool I drank A LOT but never had a problem putting it down and never needed alcohol to stop shaking or anything but when I started opiates i became addicted pretty fast so yea I ca drink and not become an alcoholic but became an addict very fast once I started taking pain meds

Pat1956100 · Answer

It is a crazy statement.  I always take my blood pressure meds as prescribed.  I take my effexor as prescribed.  Are they talking about PRESCRIPTION MEDS or just opiates?
How many of us could drink normally and show no addictive behaviour all of our lives but when we encountered opiates became addicts?
Why is my doctor so afraid to prescribe opiates to anyone and I mean anyone if they are not highly addictive?
His nurse told me that he has a big problem prescribing them even to people who really need them in her opinion.
Well that's my input.

dede2121 · Answer

my doctor told me at my last visit a couple months ago to take one percocet in the morning and one at night and then said less chance of him worrying about me becoming addicted. so i am assuming that he meant if they are taken like prescribed you wont become addicted. although i do believe that people who take them as prescribed for a long time, that when they do quit taking them they are bound to go thru withdrawls somewhat.