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Pain medications????
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 156284" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Linda, I'm fine. I had already in the previous post said most of what I needed to say, that's all. A PM is on the way.</p><p></p><p>A point to make - I'm not sure if I made it clearly enough. I've done the rounds of various pain management options, and here is where I am. </p><p></p><p>* NSAIDS are aspirin-type medications, which make me really ill. They are very good for pain but increase clotting time and can cause stomach problems.</p><p></p><p>* paracetamol is really good, but not as effective as aspirin. However, if you take too much at once you can die from liver failure. </p><p></p><p>* opiates such as codeine, morphine, pethidine, methadone, heroin - they get potentiated (ie effect increased) by a number of other drugs, including the two above. Also, alcohol. They are fabulous at knocking the pain, but if you allow yourself to experience a 'high', you risk taking it for the high and not for the relief of pain. THAT is when you risk addiction. Also, the dosage will increase fairly soon after you begin to take it - your body adjusts to it quickly, you find you need more to get the same effect. BUT - this increase should slow dramatically, you should be able to maintain on the same dose for a very long time, only increasing over time very slowly unless the pain dramatically increases. Your body adjusts in other ways - opiates are constipating, but after a few weeks your body adjusts back to where it was. However, if you suddenly stop it, your body which had adapted to the opiate suddenly has an increased gut motility and you get diarrhoea. Opiates otherwise are the gentlest on your body. No stomach problems, no liver problems. Some people can't tolerate them, though - they can get hallucinations, or nausea/vomiting. If you can tolerate it, that's great.</p><p></p><p>* antidepressants are supposed to help with long-term pain management. They take a while to kick in, and have other effects too. I can't take them, but for those who can, they are an option.</p><p></p><p>* anticonvulsants are also good for reducing pain. You need to be on them for a few days at least before you get improvement beginning, but they can be a good help. However, you need to keep a close eye on liver function.</p><p></p><p>For me, morphine is the safest option I have available, as well as darned effective. But because there is so much misunderstanding about it, a lot of stigma and a lot of hysteria, I don't tell people. Very few people actually know. My immediate family knows although I don't make a noise about it (so possibly difficult child 3 doesn't know, or understand). mother in law knows, but only recently. My siblings - maybe a couple of them know, but I'm not sure. A couple of friends know, but most of them do not.</p><p></p><p>I did confide in a friend once. I was taking codeine, not morphine back then. He was going through his own pain management issues (which he medicated with alcohol - not a good idea) but when he turned out to be a backstabber, he used the information against me and broadcast his opinion that I was mentally disturbed because I was an addict; that the recent diagnoses of the boys as being on the autism spectrum was me shopping for a diagnosis because of Munchhausen's by proxy; and other very nasty stuff. I kept my dignity and did NOT in turn tell people that he drank spirits to dull his pain. It taught me to not lay my burdens of confidence on my friends. If I don't tell them secrets, they don't have to keep secrets. A secret is best kept if not shared with anybody.</p><p></p><p>Linda, treat your pain. Learn to listen to your body, get the pain managed, and remember that this is very old, very safe medication. ANd if your pain ever improves SUDDENLY to the point where you can stop the opiates, THEN worry about getting off them. It will be easier than coming off prednisone.</p><p></p><p>And of course if the pain improves gradually, you will come off the opiates gradually and naturally anyway, there should be no problem.</p><p></p><p>Remember how long I've been on it. Most people around me just don't know, and the ones that do find it hard to believe, when they see how much I do. I see my specialist at a hospice, so I'm around people who are terminally ill, and I'm not; but it's OK. I fit in, I belong. And most important - I function now. Instead of waiting to recover, I can now get on with living in the meantime.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 156284, member: 1991"] Linda, I'm fine. I had already in the previous post said most of what I needed to say, that's all. A PM is on the way. A point to make - I'm not sure if I made it clearly enough. I've done the rounds of various pain management options, and here is where I am. * NSAIDS are aspirin-type medications, which make me really ill. They are very good for pain but increase clotting time and can cause stomach problems. * paracetamol is really good, but not as effective as aspirin. However, if you take too much at once you can die from liver failure. * opiates such as codeine, morphine, pethidine, methadone, heroin - they get potentiated (ie effect increased) by a number of other drugs, including the two above. Also, alcohol. They are fabulous at knocking the pain, but if you allow yourself to experience a 'high', you risk taking it for the high and not for the relief of pain. THAT is when you risk addiction. Also, the dosage will increase fairly soon after you begin to take it - your body adjusts to it quickly, you find you need more to get the same effect. BUT - this increase should slow dramatically, you should be able to maintain on the same dose for a very long time, only increasing over time very slowly unless the pain dramatically increases. Your body adjusts in other ways - opiates are constipating, but after a few weeks your body adjusts back to where it was. However, if you suddenly stop it, your body which had adapted to the opiate suddenly has an increased gut motility and you get diarrhoea. Opiates otherwise are the gentlest on your body. No stomach problems, no liver problems. Some people can't tolerate them, though - they can get hallucinations, or nausea/vomiting. If you can tolerate it, that's great. * antidepressants are supposed to help with long-term pain management. They take a while to kick in, and have other effects too. I can't take them, but for those who can, they are an option. * anticonvulsants are also good for reducing pain. You need to be on them for a few days at least before you get improvement beginning, but they can be a good help. However, you need to keep a close eye on liver function. For me, morphine is the safest option I have available, as well as darned effective. But because there is so much misunderstanding about it, a lot of stigma and a lot of hysteria, I don't tell people. Very few people actually know. My immediate family knows although I don't make a noise about it (so possibly difficult child 3 doesn't know, or understand). mother in law knows, but only recently. My siblings - maybe a couple of them know, but I'm not sure. A couple of friends know, but most of them do not. I did confide in a friend once. I was taking codeine, not morphine back then. He was going through his own pain management issues (which he medicated with alcohol - not a good idea) but when he turned out to be a backstabber, he used the information against me and broadcast his opinion that I was mentally disturbed because I was an addict; that the recent diagnoses of the boys as being on the autism spectrum was me shopping for a diagnosis because of Munchhausen's by proxy; and other very nasty stuff. I kept my dignity and did NOT in turn tell people that he drank spirits to dull his pain. It taught me to not lay my burdens of confidence on my friends. If I don't tell them secrets, they don't have to keep secrets. A secret is best kept if not shared with anybody. Linda, treat your pain. Learn to listen to your body, get the pain managed, and remember that this is very old, very safe medication. ANd if your pain ever improves SUDDENLY to the point where you can stop the opiates, THEN worry about getting off them. It will be easier than coming off prednisone. And of course if the pain improves gradually, you will come off the opiates gradually and naturally anyway, there should be no problem. Remember how long I've been on it. Most people around me just don't know, and the ones that do find it hard to believe, when they see how much I do. I see my specialist at a hospice, so I'm around people who are terminally ill, and I'm not; but it's OK. I fit in, I belong. And most important - I function now. Instead of waiting to recover, I can now get on with living in the meantime. Marg [/QUOTE]
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