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I take Tramadol, not sure if it's a opioid or not, can't remember, but I just take it on an as-needed basis, about 3 or 4 times a month, on average. I have fibro and nothing, I mean NOTHING, works for me like Tramadol. I also take Lyrica, but it does not completely squelch the pain when I have to stand a long time or work in the yard, etc.
Actually I take Ultracet, which is a Tramadol/acetaminophen mix....less Tramadol than a pure Tramadol pill. It works about as well as pure Tramadol.
I have never had any problem with addiction, but I don't take it every day, either. I think the people who have been on a low dose for 10 years do not consider themselves addicted because they have not had to up their dosage for it to keep working the same?
Hey, if a person has severe pain that nothing can be done about and an opioid lessens that pain without impairing their functioning, let them have it. Chronic pain is nothing to sneer at.
I tried tramadol and my heart raced when I was on it. It is a lighter dosage of an opiate I think.
I am at the point now that the dosage of Vicodin is no longer helping and I refuse to take a higher dosage so I am hoping for an alternative. I am having a steroid spinal procedure next month that is supposed to work so my fingers are crossed that it actually does. Otherwise I feel like I will be out of options.
I have rapid onset idiopathic peripheral neuropathy and pudenal neuropathy. I have been to a lot of docs and no one knows why I got it.
I have taken Gabapetrin and the side effects for me are too severe.
Also - notryptoline
amiltrytoline (which I am on now)
Vicodin
Acupuncture
Chiropractic care
Meditation
I tried tramadol and my heart raced when I was on it. It is a lighter dosage of an opiate I think.
I am at the point now that the dosage of Vicodin is no longer helping and I refuse to take a higher dosage so I am hoping for an alternative. I am having a steroid spinal procedure next month that is supposed to work so my fingers are crossed that it actually does. Otherwise I feel like I will be out of options.
I have rapid onset idiopathic peripheral neuropathy and pudenal neuropathy. I have been to a lot of docs and no one knows why I got it.
I have taken Gabapetrin and the side effects for me are too severe.
Also - notryptoline
amiltrytoline (which I am on now)
Vicodin
Acupuncture
Chiropractic care
Meditation
I believe you can develop a tolerance for pain medications, stopping it for a bit and then restarting may bring back it's effectiveness.
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Easily. Addiction has nothing to do which how long a person has been on a drug. It has to do with whether the person craves the drug to the point where the craving interferes with normal function, and whether the person can successfully voluntarily stop the drug.
I've been on a statin for over 10 years, but I don't desire that pill every day, and I could walk away from it tomorrow if I wished to. Therefore I am not addicted to it. Likewise, a person who drinks a glass of wine at dinner every night, but who can go without it for days, weeks, or even months if they wish to is not an alcoholic.
Comparing an Opiate to a Statin is night and day and makes no sense. Of course you could be on a statin for 10 years and not get addicted as it's a non-addictive drug; whereas, all Opioid's are addictive! It's fact! If you take a low dose Opiod for 10 years and stop cold turkey you may or may not crave it, but your body will go through withdrawals! And the problem with Opioids such as Vicodin is your body does build a tolerance to it, so over time they become less effective which in turn then requires a higher dosage. That's the problem with Opioids. Anyone who thinks their not addicting are fooling themselves. Now, I understand that pain is real, I've been there! But there must be a better option out there than an Opioid. Pot? I think that's somewhat addicting as well, but definitely not as harmful!
You do go through physical withdrawal if you quit opoids after a longer period of use - but physical withdrawal is not an indication of addition. Addiction is psychological. Tolerance and drug dependence are physiological. A person can be dependent on a drug without being addicted to it.
If you're a heavy coffee drinker and you stop drinking coffee today, you'll have a headache for a few days. That's a physical symptom of withdrawal, but caffeine is not an addictive substance for most people; most folks will just tough the headache out for the few days it lasts and go about their business. Someone who's bee using opoids for a long time will need to taper off of them to avoid more unpleasant withdrawal symptoms (such as diarrhea), but as long as they lack the intense psychological craving that compels them to keep taking the drug, they're not addicted to it.
That is interesting. I guess the meaning of "addiction" is subjective. Being physically dependent on something, in my opinion, is addiction. getting a headache from coffee withdrawal IS an addiction. but i do understand opinions on that can differ. Whether it's psychological or physical which defines addiction is up for debate i guess.
I believe everyone who needs pain medications should get them. Easily and with no hassles. The vast majority of the people are not addicts nor will they ever become addicts. People suffering from intractable pain bothers me much more than the small possibility of addiction.
Comparing an Opiate to a Statin is night and day and makes no sense. Of course you could be on a statin for 10 years and not get addicted as it's a non-addictive drug
Of course it makes sense. That's the whole point: mere length of time on a drug is irrelevant when it comes to addiction. What matters is whether the drug in question has any addictive properties, and whether the individual taking the drug is susceptible to becoming addicted to that particular drug. (Most people aren't, but a substantial minority are. And an individual's susceptibility can differ with regard to different drugs.)
Quote:
It's fact! If you take a low dose Opiod for 10 years and stop cold turkey you may or may not crave it, but your body will go through withdrawals! And the problem with Opioids such as Vicodin is your body does build a tolerance to it, so over time they become less effective which in turn then requires a higher dosage.
Neither tolerance not withdrawal symptoms are indicative of addiction. People who do not have addictive tendencies can easily taper off of opiates (or other addictive drugs) with no difficulties. Addicts can't. They're not taking the drug merely to avoid uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms, they're taking it because psychologically they NEED the "high" the drug gives them. (The drug has actually altered their brain chemistry.)
Quote:
But there must be a better option out there than an Opioid!
Right now, unfortunately there isn't (although there's ongoing research which may result in opoids that control pain without risk of addiction; time will tell whether it amounts to anything).
Whether it's psychological or physical which defines addiction is up for debate i guess.
Not really. Addicts' brains respond differently to consumption of addictive drugs than the brains of "normal" people (you can actually see this with fMRI scans). Addition is a psychological condition caused by inappropriate activation of/creation of a feedback loop within the brain's pleasure circuitry in response to the consumption of a drug. So it's a physical effect, but one that occurs in the brain (as opposed to other body tissues).
Prescription pain medications are usually provided by a pharmacist. A pharmacist is held accountable for narcotics. Thus cannot blindly fill narcotic prescriptions. It is recommended that you develop a relationship so that your medical history is known, and data is available as well as a your person and that you utilize one pharmacist only.
Easily 15 yrs ago there were already lab studies showing that people with actual pain did not get addicted to an appropriate dose but those not in pain did.
Adderall is similar. If you need it, you don't have the cocaine like side effects.
I don't need opioids but I know people in chronic pain who do need them. They need opioids as much as the diabetic needs insulin but there is a ridiculous stigma against opioids. That stigma causes so many problems in obtaining the medication in sufficient dosage and quantity plus the trouble finding a pharmacy that will fill the Rx.
My friend was hit by a car, thrown into the air 20 ft and is lucky to be alive. On discharge from the hospital was given Rx for an opiod. I had to go to 7 different pharmacies before I found one that would fill the Rx. They all claimed they were out of the drug. Only one had a partial quantity but said it is illegal for them to partially fill an Rx for opiods. Crazy. Meanwhile my friend was suffering in pain waiting for me to return with medication. I finally tried a Rite Aid which filled it no questions asked.
Time to drop the stigma and let people in pain have some relief.
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