Addiction

[Tom G.]

Is there an altenative to narcotics for pain relief? I have tried the neurontin, and topomax but they provided NO relief. I get spinal epidurals every six-eight weeks which only provide about 7-10 days relief. 3yrs ago I had a lumbar laminectomy and got a disc space infection from the operation which went undiagnosed for approx. 3.5 months. As a result the infection destroyed what I had left of a Disc and progressed into osteomylitis. The damage caused by the infection required a second operation which involved fusing my vertabrae and installing rods and screws to stabaize my spine. Following the operation I was in ICU for three days. I was MISERABLE. I still have considerable nerve pain in my hip and leg as well as my entire lower back. I am currently being treated by a pain specialist that performs epidurals and perscribes morphine er and ir. I take a total of about 250mg per day which takes the edge off of the pain.
    I have been reading the posts on this board because I know I am taking an extremely addictive medication and am wondering if they are able to correct my back condition am I going to have a problem going off these meds? I have forgotten to take a dose before and started yawning for no reason which I have read is a symptom of addiction??  Thanks in advance for your professional and experienced advice....Tom G.

[neenie]

close call was from the pharm, where i was illegally trying to seek meds. so i had 2 scripts that were not made out 2 me but someone else and i ripped them up b/c i will never d o that again. i know the trouble i can get into. the pharm who never usually calls the doc called the doc yesterday to verify if it was legit. the doc said no and guess what? i work with that doc. that is why i know all the info that needs 2 go on these scripts. spook, do they regulate these scripts? for the ones i have done in the past, does the dea audit them? they have other people's names on them. not mine but they all come from the same hosp and the pharm. all recognize me now, that's why they started to call now. b4 they would just give me the meds but i guess i did  it too much so now he has been verifying. can years go by and then they still find out?

[spook]

There is "Hope",but who is the mother now? and whose children will mother theirs?
You will find time cures this pain and as I said before DYING IS NATURAL.

[susanlea]

You seem to be a very knowlegable person, I've been reading the forum and have paid attention to the advice you've given others, you also helped me out with a question about methadone. I told you before I had, had a boyfriend for 5 1/2 years. Well about 2 years ago he got some oxy's from a friend and immediately he liked them, he would chew about 40 to 60 mgs at a time, long story short, he was up to about 300mg a day. The worst thing was I have chronic spinal problems, I've taken narcotics on and off for a few years, never more than I should, and he was taking as many pills from me as he could get. He got to a point he was sick all the time, terrible withdrawals, he wanted to die. After being sick for 8 weeks, I finally talked him into going into detox, he was in for 5 days. When he came out he had a great sponser, and went to meetings(required by insurance)for about 6 weeks. During this time, he became very mean, abusive,withdrawn and tired all the time. He moved into another room. I found he had stolen my pills from me, I thought I had hid them well. I called his sponser,friends, family to do an intervention to get him back into rehab. His mother called him and told him that I was out to hurt him and she knew it was all my fault, his addiction. He didn't show. He would threaten to move, wouldn't eat with us, became a shut in,always in his room. Finally I couldn't take anymore, my kids were unhappy.  He moved out the first week of December, and within a week he was coming back,trying as he said to work things out. But he started stealing my pills, and begging me for more, I took 50 pills and flushed them, no more. He became sick again, a month, claimed it was the flu. He went to his dr. and got lots of Methadone. 4 weeks ago he moved out again, he had become,mean, distant,and verbally abusive again. I talked with him the other day, and he says he's still on methadone, no programs, no sponser. He's very angry, it seems at me. He acts like everythings my fault and hates me. This has been a very painful time for my kids and me. I have a sponser in Al-anon and attend meetings weekly. I don't know what to do, we can't seem to even talk. The question I have(sorry it's so long) is, does methadone make an addict act like this, or does he hate himself, I'm trying to get a grasp on anything here, we miss him and love him so much, but I can't help him anymore. When does an addict seek help? Do they have to lose everything? He's lost his kids pretty much, me, and close to losing his job. Guess who's taking care of a 38 year old, his mom, and she will do ANYTHING for him. Thanks for letting me spill this out, I'm just at my wits end and in tears over this, 5 1/2 years gone.....Love Susanlea

[Hope]

Just wanted to thank you all for your postings.  The help and hope I receive from hearing how you are all surviving and continuing to try, gives me hope.  Cindi, I swear, you are such an inspiration to me after all you have been through and then managed to stay clean and sober and sane!  I have had some very similar experiences and can really relate and I soooo needed that tonight. Fortunatley however, so far, I have been able to elude any legal consequences....how? I don't know!  I have lucked out of some crazy ****.  I appreciate every single one of you and am too sleepy and sick (102 temp.) to expound right now on how each of you have uniquely(sp?) spoken to and helped me. The encouragment I received tonight from just reading ALL of your posts has made life seem worth living one more day. God bless you all tonight.

[spook]

If you have the,time,money and freedom,you are more than welome.
I will ring my Internet service Povider and ask what is going on,they can check their log files.I have recieved email even today from usa and Aus,so I am not sure,I will fix it.I am not playing around with Computer security systems(hotmail) again,well for a while,it stareted this whole problem,they know a lot more about computers than me by far!.
I am just going back to my original ISP with email address of ***@****

[cindi]

Thanks for your comments, yes, my life was such a mess for a very long time and thank God Ididn't go over the edge, I have the 2 most precious children and wonderful husband, my problems led into my addiction, which in turn led me to NA which in turn led me to my husband and now my children,, God works in mysterious ways..now if I could get beyond my mom's death maybe I'll see light again...thank you for your post,  love cindi