Addiction

[babyde]

I am new to this forum and I have some concerns after reading many posts. I suffer with Lupus, Sjogrens, RA, Sciatica, Fibromyalgia, and Mixxed Connective tissue disease. With all of these, I suffer with alot of joint/muscle pain. I see a pain mangement doctor once a month and currently I am on 100mcg Fentenyl every 72 hours and hydrocodone 10/325 every 8 hours for breakthrough pain. I don't take the hydrocodone unless my pain levels get up to 7/8 on a scale of 0-10 but I do wear the patch and change it at 72 hours. I have been on this regime for a year. Within a year they have increased my paych to the dose it's at now which has been for 3 months. I have not worried about addiction because I am only using this for pain not to get high. I only take the hydrocodone maybe 1-2 every 3-5 days when I do have breakthrough pain that I can't stand. If I don't have breakthough pain I don't take the hydrocodone and sometimes I go back to the clinc and will have 60-65 pills left, then they'll give me 90 more for the next month. Needless to say I have alot of hydrocodones always left over. Now my concern is about addiction and reading everything about fentenyl really scares me. I don't want to have to live on pain medication or be on this patch forever and would like to get off of it. I know the doctor will taper me off and at my next visit I am going to talk to him about it. I am finally doing better pain wise at this dose so maybe I could come down some. My question is will I have these awful withdrawls from this patch as I have read and with all my conditions will I always have to be on pain meds as long as I have pain. I can function when I'm not in pain but I can't when I hurt. I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Can't live without them, don't want to live with them?
Help??

[babyde]

No wonder I'm confused, so is breakthough pain the same. I have had to increase this fentenly patch from 25 now to 100 within 11 months,thats tolerance but at 60 hours. close to the 72 hour when I'm soppose to change it then I begin to have breakthrough pain. Is that tolerance or rebound pain. I was thinking it was breakthrough pain because of the decrease of the narcotic in my system but then again that sounds like tolerence.
Yes all my conditions cause the same kind of pain, I just don't want to be in pain and I don't want to live on pain mdication.

[pharma9]

Rebound pain is the pain you get between doses of narcotics.These narcotics suppress the body's natural endorphins and when there is little or no drug in the system,we feel pain even worse than the original pain because we are not producing our own endorphins.It is a vicious circle in pain relief and difficult to control.

[pharma9]

You have so many pain issues that I would not know where to start.I read an article by a pain specialist that feels for narcotics to effective for pain relief,the patient has to take a drug holiday for a few days each couple of months.Also he felt that narcotics should be prescribed in small amounts and not increased readily because of the tolerance factor.This sounds quite rational and if narcotics are restricted even more perhaps patients would reinforce the pain relief with other things non narcotic as well and not only rely on the narcotics.I certainly is difficult to treat chronic pain.I feel for you.The long acting pain relievers,patch included are deemed not to cause rebound pain,but certainly can cause tolerance.

[babyde]

Rebound pain?? whats that?? I can't imagine more pain caused by pain meds. Everyone here is so supportive and I really appreiciate your comments. I'll keep evrything in mind.

[pharma9]

I was taking T3 for RA pain for 15 years.Almost 3 months ago I realized that I was looking forward to the high that they gave me more than for the pain relief.I always spaced them out every 4 hours and never took more tha 10/day but when I went ct I had withdrawal pain that was worse than the original pain.I persisted with otc meds at recommended doses and lo and behold...my rebound pain went awy and I am controlled on otc pain meds and even less than recommended doses.Narcotics cause more rebound pain ,the more you take the more you get.All pain meds can causerebound,but non narcotics cause it to a much much lesser extent.It is good not to be constipated anymore or to wake up each morning in pain.Most people on these forums notice that when the rebound pain subsides,they are in far less pain if any.

[Lovemyhorse]

Hi,
I have fibromyalgia and other health issues.  I was prescribed hydrocodone for this along with klonipin.  I never took it to get high either but as the years went on the pain got worse and I needed more.  Then I started feeling like I don't care about anything the past 2 or 3 years.  Just recently I found this site and realized it has in fact turned into at least dependancy if not outright addiction.  I started to take it when I didn't really need it.  This started recently and got me scared.  So I would just be very honest with yourself.  It's so easy to lie to yourself and rationalize.
That's just my 2 cents worth.
Hope you make out fine.  It is not easy, is it?
LMH