Pecocet Use

[fsmjf1]

I was dx with Crohns disease back in feb 07. While in the hospital after takingme off the morphine pump I was put on the fentanyl patches which took about 3 months to taper off of. I was still taking percocet 2 pills every 4 hours. Now a year on and I still take 1 percocet everyday for pain. If it is not a really bad day I take darvocet. Im worried that I'm dependant on it. But at the same time I know the pain is not in my head. Some days I can barely get out of bed. I've read substance abuse forums and it seems like abusers take anywhere from 20 to 40 pills a day just to get that high. But I'm worried about having to take 1 every day. What should I do

[PrincessKatie]

I wouldn't be too worried unless you start to need more. It means you are building a tolerance to it. I take Morphine everytime I'm in the hospital, and at home I take a variety of things. It started with Tylenol 3 but then I needed Tylenol 4 (double the codeine) to get the same effect. This past hospital stay they sent me home with the Percocet and although it works great for the pain, it makes my mood horrible. My family notices a huge difference in my emotions when I take it.

If you have real pain and are on a pain medicine regimen that is working, you are ok. If you start needing it more frequently, or if you start to have sleeping problems or cold sweats, talk to your doctor. These could be signs of a problem with the med or further flaring of your disease.

I hope you are seeking treatment for all of this though. Pain medicine isn't a long term solution. You don't want to be on it for years. Treating the Crohn's is the long term plan. If you get your Crohn's under control you can ween off of the pain meds. If you still need them once the pain is gone, then you definitely need to talk with your doctor.

[VCASILLAS]

I WISH MY DOCTOR WOULD GIVE ME PAIN PILLS! THE ONLY TIME I GET PAIN MEDS IS AFTER LEAVING THE ER... A WHOLE 10 PILLS! THANKS A LOT DOC! I WOULD JUST BECAREFUL BECAUSE THE PAIN PILLS CAN REALLY TEAR YOUR TUMMY UP. OTHER THAN THAT USING THEM FOR THE PAIN IS TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE. THERES A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ABUSING THEM AND USING THEM.