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addicted to pills?

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youngmom

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Hi all. thanks for all the support. i'm on this site daily but don't always respond. 5 and a half weeks since my LTHR and doing great. Back to the grind of cleaning, cooking laundry, etc. I have a problem..and I hope I don't get thrown off the site for posting this. I am afraid I'm becoming addicted to the pain pills. I'm not in much pain but they (the pills) give me energy so I can take care of things around the house and such. I LIKE the feeling they give me. I'm not taking them every day but did call my OS and he gave me some more after I requested. Now I have lots of percocet and loratab. Any suggestions or better yet, has anyone had this problem? Please share...I feel like such a junkie. :sigh:
 
Hi young mom, We must of had our surgerys around the same time, I wish my pills gave me energy they drag me down. I only take 1 in am when getting up and 1 at bedtime Im on hydrocap I dont know if these are strong or not. but I take less them prescribed. I do know I would discuss with my dr what you said here and see if he thinks your developing an addiction.I talked to my dr. because I didnt want to be addicted either. Your question caught my eye as the timing of your hip replacement.

I am impressed doing laundry ect. your not bending are you ? did your dr clear you to do these things, I go july 13 and hopfully a bunch of my restrictions will be lifted, but I have a very strict dr. Which I am told that is why he gets such good results, but in mean time I feel trapped other then doing my exercises. Oh yes I had a LTHR also. Good luck and after reading all the answers given here I know you will be given good advice.
 
Hi Youngmom your not a junkie. I dont know if you are addicted or not but I dont think that makes you a junkie. You might need a lil help thats all. Jo or Jamie would probably me best at this, Im sure they will ck in soon. But if you are , sometimes that happens but it can be fixed. Hang in there you will be ok....Please post if you need to talk, anytime.....
 
Hi Youngmom,

I made the opposite mistake, I tried to quit taking my pain meds too early. You may think you're not in much pain, but just quit taking the Percocets and trying plain Tylenol for a couple days! 5 1/2 weeks out isn't that early, and you may well "need" the meds.

I'm not a medical professional, but my favorite TV show is House, so I'm well qualified to give medical advice. House says, "You know why addicts crave meds? Because they WORK."

Not to make too lightly of a serious topic, but we've all become conditioned by the news media and other influences to think that drug abuse is epidemic, and we're all out of control. Josephine and others talked some sense into me, I took my meds for 6 weeks, transitioned off them (hated it for a couple days, because although I was healing all the time, the "perceived" pain level DID go up when I quit the Percs) and all was well. I still take Tylenol almost every day, and I'm 11 weeks out. Am I "addicted" to Tylenol? No, but I like the pain relief. As soon as the surgical tightness and swelling is totally gone, so are the Tylenols. No biggie. Hang in there and good luck!!!
 
Interesting question. Are you able to DO more (eg more energy) because of the pain relief or can you do more because you no longer have pain. and are just naturally healing and becoming healthy...? What i mean is, if you still have some pain that is being relieved as a result of the drugs, and thus you feel more energetic because it doesn't hurt to be functional and flexible then I don't think its an issue....on the other hand if the drugs are just keeping you chirpy and the pain is the same then I suspect you need to be careful....One of the patients at rehab, decided not to take any medication over night....had a terrible nights sleep....not because of pain, just because she couldn't sleep without it....that caused her angst as she was feeling dependent.

If you have pain.....take the pain relief......if you don't have pain then SLOWLY wean yourself off it and see how you go....the problem with pain relief is that it masks pain, so you don't really know how much pain you are in...but if you go off it entirely you could be in for a bit of a painful shock as you try and get the pain back into control (you know Jo's pain graph...) I remember in the hospital they kept on giving me stuff, and I thought I better take it in case I get pain, eventually I worked out that I didn't need very much at all, and I'm virtually drug free now (except for the occasional paracetemol)

Bottom line is, if you are worried go and see your doctor and talk it out, .....at least then what you are taking and the amounts etc can be sorted, and please be kind to yourself, a junkie is someone who takes drugs purely for their own emotional trauma (or high) ....you are a joint replacement patient who has major surgery and it takes time, you haven't had much time yet.....
Rachel
 
Generally research has shown that if people have pain and take pain killers that relieve the pain, they are not reaching a dependence level. What usually happens is that as the pain diminishes, so does the need for painkillers.

So, you now ask, if the painkiller works, how do I know when the pain is diminishing? Good question! Point to remember is that though in the early days you carefully follow a medication regime, this won't be so forever. You will naturally get to points when the gap between break-throughs should lengthen until you find you are only needing a couple of doses a day. This can take a few weeks could be a few months.

Now with some of the meds like Percocet, once you get to that you do need to think ahead and start tapering off, specially if you've been on them more than a couple of months. But don't get paranoid about it. Just know it's a problem and plan for it. That way you won't get withdrawal symptoms.

My sister was talking to the pain clinic doctor about this as she is taking so much morphine and has for about ten months now! He told her it was counter producive for her to think of herself as addicted. Addicts (junkies) tend to be motivated to engaged in anti-social behaviour to get their meds, even buying them off the streets. IOW, their situations are largely out of control. Whilst those who are dependant know the hazards and once the need for the drug is finished will take steps to come off them in a controlled way. I think he made a great point - calling yourself negative names like addict or junkie only makes you fearful and the situation mor difficult for you to cope with.

You can get dependent but that's not the same as being addicted. Well, not in my book, anyway!
 
I had a similar concern, especially when reading reports from a few others (here and elsewhere) that they had quit taking their perscription pain meds before I was in our respective timelines of recovery.

I think I actually tried to get off of the meds a bit too early as a result of thinking, "if they can do it, I can do it" which resulted in me going back to using them because, well, I was still in a lot of pain and i wanted to maintain an aggressive PT schedule.

I spoke by phone with the nurse in my doctor's office, she told me that "everyone is a little different in what they need and for how long." She also reminded me that this is a perscription drug and that the doctor knows what the outside envelop for recovery should be, and if I am still asking for a script by the time they think I shouldn't need it, we'll have a conference in his office to discuss it before giving me any more...

Fortuantely it never got to that stage and I have a whole bottle full of pills I probably need to flush, but are still sitting in a drawer, just in case.

If you're not obtaining pain meds from multiple doctors who aren't aware of what the other has perscribed; if you've consulted with your doctor about what your pain level is and the other factors you mentioned. Well I suspect you're going to be fine. However, if you are "needing" the meds for other reasons, and you are obtaining the pills by means not totally above board; well maybe it is time to seek some professional help.
 
Hi Youngmom--this is a question that many of us face I think. Am I taking too much, not enough, etc.? Will I become dependent? My first comment is that if you are questioning it and not taking pills every day, at 5-1/2 weeks, you are probably just fine. I never took my Lortab and never had Percocet as I just didn't like the way they made me feel, but I did take Tramadol for a full 6-7 weeks because I still had pain and it helped the pain and allowed me to work, workout and rehab. I transitioned from Tramadol 3-4x per day to 1x per day, using Tylenol instead. If I had a bad day, I would take a bit more. I am now just past 13 weeks and take a couple of Tylonel 1-2x per day, if I need it. I plan to get off it entirely when I am able. I suspect that if you continue to think about it and remain conscious of it, you will be fine. And if you feel that it is starting to get out of control, see a professional.
Best of luck
 
Hey Youngmom, just checking to see how you were doing today...I sure hope you are having a great one........
 
Hi Youngmom
I have had multiple surgeries and have a rheumatic condition so bottom line have been on painkillers for over a year now. I know my tolerance for pain meds has increased. Not sure if I worded that correctly, but I need more to do the same amount of pain control.
I am on morphine around the clock, then have percocet as well. I have also experienced the energy you speak of from taking percocet. It is not all the time though. some times it make me very sleepy, some times the energy. Who knows why. Each time I take it I debate if I really should or if I really need it.
Then I think , it is being prescribed by a pain management doc. He knows what is going on, I speak with him each month and we have never increased the amount I get.
The whole purpose of taking them is to feel better and be able to function in exercise and or daily living.
I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I hope this helps, it helped me to read your responses!!!:hehe:
Post anytime to talk about anything. You are very early in recovery too so do remember that.
judy
 
Thanks thank thanks for all your responses. So glad i'm not alone. i'm doing ok today. I went to costco today, got very weak and nauseus. I wanted to sit down and put my head between my legs but I can't do that yet due to my surgery. I'm having a huge 4th of july celebration tomorrow and I have no energy to get anything together. I haven't for a couple of days I called my doctor because I think my blood count is low or something. No luck, the doctos is closed today. I had 3 pints of blood put into me after surgery and my blood count was very low. It barely got up to normal before they took me off cummiton (sp?). Anyway, I've been resting and think I'm ready to get up again. And yes, I'll probably take a couple percocets to get me going again. Thanks again everyone!
 
youngmom
You are so not alone. Probably trying to do too much. I think you need more rest. You are very early in recovery. After my hip surgery I did take percocet for the hip for a good 4 months with my surgeon's blessing!!! I surely was not out shopping at cosco at under 6 weeks though .
Take care of yourself and getting your blood levels checked on monday.
judy
 
Oh no, Young! I really empathize! I was supposed to have my kids out for a pool party/grill part and I had to cancel! Jut the thought of even getting the food let alone preparing it sent waves of nausea thru me earlier this morning! I've had this business going on since Tuesday! You my dear, are really early on in your recup??? Tomorrow, I hope you have LOTS of help! Sit back and let your family take care of YOU!!! :). Happy 4th of July!!!
 
Hey there. You are so not along Dont think that. We are all here for you anytime. even just to vent. Seems like someone is always on here....I think there is a tummy thing going around me and hubby had it about 1 1/2 weeks ago. Not fun at all. But please be careful just in case. as you said about the medicine.
 
Thanks everyone for letting me vent. Yes, I probably am doing too much and I think that may be part of my problem. But everyone said "oh, you're young, you'll recover fast". I'm not that young-38. So I said to myself, I'm young, I'll be up running (not really) in no time. So I guess, I made myself go too much. Is that why I'm so weak? You guys have made me cry with every reply you have given me. Anyone want to come over and make deviled eggs, pasta salad, and brownies for me? I also desperately need my house cleaned??? :doh:
 
Im am 42 and thouht this will be easy as well. ..NOT...Even palnned a vacation for 1 mth later (didnt make it) It really does get better and in the long run you will be happy you did this. Vent anytime....We all did it...
 
You know I have done a ton of research and found that younger people, like yourself and me, actually can take longer because we are more active all around... I dont know if thats the case for you or me for that matter, but ... just food for thought. I have also done a lot of research on the pain medicine stuff too. What Jo responded to you here is truly the accepted medical line at this time. Give yourself a break.
 
Hi Youngmom, because of tripping out in the hospital on Tramadol, I only took Darvocet at night for the first week. I was so totally frightened by that experience in the hospital. I then started taking Advil 3 tabs 2xday and now take 3 tabs 1xday in the late afternoon. Fortunately it works for me. I'm 10 wks out.
We all react differently to meds. Each one of is unique. What works for one may not work for another. You know yourself, trust that person.
This is such a good site with great feedback from "been there's".
 
Thanks everyone for letting me vent. Yes, I probably am doing too much and I think that may be part of my problem. But everyone said "oh, you're young, you'll recover fast". I'm not that young-38. So I said to myself, I'm young, I'll be up running (not really) in no time. So I guess, I made myself go too much. Is that why I'm so weak? You guys have made me cry with every reply you have given me. Anyone want to come over and make deviled eggs, pasta salad, and brownies for me? I also desperately need my house cleaned??? :doh:

From one mom to another...take it easy! Been there, done that. We think our relative youth, (I'm 43 with 8 children and 3 grandchildren all living with me and my husband) is a blessing. Not always so! We feel good, so we do more then wonder why we are hurting and exhausted. Take it from one who often learns this the hard way, the house will still be there tomorrow. Don't know how old your children are, but they can pick up the slack. So what if you don't have all the regular food they're used to for the 4th! You are more important than food or a clean house. Besides they need to know how to do all of this too, so let them learn. Even little ones can help in the kitchen and usually enjoy doing so.

Make taking care of yourself a priority. I know it's hard, because we are so used to taking care of everyone else first. If we don't take care of us, how can we take care of them? I'm learning to take care of me too and allow my family and others to minister to me. Helps them have a servants heart and learn compassion too!

In years to come, they won't remember what they had to eat or what the house looked like, but they will remember what an awesome mom they have and how much they enjoyed taking care of her!

Just my thoughts on the subject. Hope you have a wonderful stress free holiday.

Blessings,
 
Hi, Youngmom.....don't worry about getting thrown off the forum for asking questions like this. It's a concern that has been raised many times. I think the responses above are right on and maybe you need to try cutting back a little to see if you really do still have pain. Just don't do it "cold turkey" or you risk the dreaded side effects from your system that may be dependent (different from addicted) to the drug. That's why it's best to taper off slowly. Here are some guidelines that may help you:

TAPERING OFF PRESCRIPTION PAIN MEDICATION

When tapering off pain medication, a lot depends on what strength of the drug you are taking and what schedule you are currently on.

You can do one of two things to begin reducing the amount of drug you are taking:

1. Begin spreading out the times when you take the drug. If you are currently taking it every 4 hours, for a couple of days make it every 5 hours, then 6 for a few days and so forth until you reduce to one pill a day (usually at bedtime, cuz that's when we seem to need the pain relief most). Then at that point, you can start taking half a pill for a while and then no pill. At that point (no pill), you would take them only periodically when you have pain that over-the-counter medication won't take care of.

2. You can stay on the same schedule (like every 4 hours) and cut back on the amount of the narcotic with each dose. That can be done by asking your doctor for a lower-strength medicine or by cutting pills in half. Only reduce the amount by 1/2 pill at a time if you are staying on the same schedule - not a whole pill. Then when you get to the point that you're taking a half pill at each dose time (that's about as small a dose as you can get), start spreading out the time between doses. This approach works if you need the pain medicine during the day for PT appointments or other activity where over-the-counter meds won't work.

As you're cutting back, expect that you may have to use NSAIDS to fill in the gaps for pain....Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, Motrin.

Just be sure you don't try to cut back too fast. You'll feel it if you do and will need to make adjustments accordingly to slow the taper. The whole process can take several weeks, so be patient and make sure you are stable for a day or so at each level before you make another reduction.

Or....you can contact your doctor and ask what schedule THEY prefer you do. But I believe a person will do just as well taking care of this yourself. Only YOU know how you feel at any given time. You want to cut back just enough so the over-the-counter meds work and not so much that you get those flu-like symptoms or have pain.
 
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