Do you take narcotics long term?

[OllieR]

I have some questions and if you answered "yes" to the above question you can probably help me :). My doctor prescribed enough medications to take one per day, but I have only been taking them as needed. However, when I do take them more often I get drastically better and want to try to take them every day not just when in severe pain. (I am still in moderate pain without them and cannot simply treat that pain with something like Tylenol or Elavil). I will call Monday and confirm I can do this, but in the meantime:

1. I will also need a laxative to take daily. Does somebody have a good suggestion? Like what do you think of Metamucil or Milk of Magnesia? Also, does anybody take acidophilus with this? Laxatives give me intestinal problems and I thought acidophilus will help restore any good bacteria washed away with the laxatives.

2. Of course my doctors have warned me about addiction but I'm pretty sure there are some people on this site that have been taking them for a long time. I thought you guys could chime in and let me know your experience. Have you had to up your dose a lot? I don't want to take too much. Or can you just kind of change what kind of medicine you are on? I do not have to take them around the clock to feel better - if I take one going to bed I get good sleep and being well rested and less stressed takes away my pain during the day. (Plus I think giving my body a break from the pain helps to deal with it when I'm not taking the medicine).

Thanks in advance for any advice - I really hope this can be a good treatment for me and from what my doctor has said thus far it seems like she wouldn't necessarily be opposed to it. Whenever I take it for more than a night at the time my quality of life just shoots up! I've been craving to have this better quality 24/7 haha.

[kadi]

I take one darvocet per night and occasionally one during the day if I have a bad flare up. You can also see below my name that I follow the diet strictly, have other oral medications, do instillations daily, and do a physical therapy home exercise program as well.

I use FiberSure daily. It is an inulin (vegetable soluble fiber) supplement that can be mixed in water or other beverages or into foods like oatmeal or baked goods. I use the maximum dose of 3 heaping teaspoons per day.

I have not had to increase my dose since I began taking the darvocet nightly two years ago.

I hope that information helps.

[OllieR]

Woa, OK I really forgot to reply to this one. I saw yours awhile ago but was going to wait to see if anybody else chimed in and then write back, so sorry it took so long! But this information has helped in the meantime so thank you very much! I also do things like the diet and physical therapy, TENS, etc. Kadi and I find them helpful too. Glad to see you have not had to up your dose. I have also been taking a laxative daily (it's not fiber sure), because my doctor ended up recommending a different brand - but it's the same idea :)

[OllieR]

Just so you know you were extra extra helpful, the one from my dr. wasn't helping enough so I got the kind you recommended and it works great. You rock; thanks ;)

[laconmcarthur]

I take lots of narcotic pain pills, they are the only things that work! and I've talked to two doctors about getting addicted and I'm scared to death, one doctor replied, "well, you'll probably be taking them for a long long time anyway so don't worry about it right now" I'm 20 years old and on my way to being in Michael Jacksons shoes. NOTHING helps...and I hurt a few days a week, mainly since I've started having weekly DMSOs. This week I have my last one...but I swear on anything they are making me worse. I have been taking lots of loritabs over the past 8 weeks, and darvocets and anything that I think may help...usually for every 3-4 hours for a few days. I'm getting sick of it and I'm ready to quit. I'm calling my doctor first thing in the morning and making her work me in tomorrow. :(

[ICNDonna]

Some people need pain medication to be able to function normally. As long as you are working with your doctor, you should be okay --- and when the need for pain control no longer exists, your doctor will help you wean away from them.

Sending gentle hugs,
Donna

[OllieR]

Thanks guys! I'm sorry you're having so much trouble Lacon. Fortunately I never need to take mine during the day - it gets so much worst at night for me so even if I have pain I can usually just tough it out until it's time for bed. I have another question though. I had been taking the pain pills for less than a month (only one week nightly and about a month of taking them every two to three nights) and then suddenly stopped working completely. Do I have super liver or something lol? I don't see my doctor until the end of the week but I'm soooo ready to go! I stopped taking them because I figured it was pointless to and am not having any withdrawals. Not only did they stop working but out of the blue my IC has been coming back as a major flare starting about 2 weeks ago so last night was torture. The lack of sleep is starting to remind me of my post hydrodistension days :(

[severtt]

I live in Little Rock, Arkansas, and I have been to hell and back with this condition, but they will not prescribe any control substances due to the Arkansas Board of Medicine's guidelines which condemn a person in unbearable pain to suicide or a break with reality. I have thought about going out of state, but I don't know where I would go. I have been hanging on, following my course of therapy, and have some fairly good days. But these days can't go on.
I have written about this before, and I couldn't get any specific information.

[Julie B]

When I had to stop Elavil the doctor put me on Atarax and one vicodin at night. I have done this for 6 or 7 years now. If I am doing well, I cut the vicodin in half or eliminate it for a day or two. My girlfriend who is an oncologist says that Atarax plus a narcotic like vicodin works better than increasing the dose of either and she uses it with cancer patients.

BTW, I have been meticulous about my use of Vicodin and (so far) do not experience and "withdrawal" when I cut back. If I began to feel like I was in withdrawal when I don't use it, I would check back with the doctor.

I also like the Metamucil capsules and take those a couple of times a day. It keeps the stools soft and has the added benefit of helping my cholesterol. I am trying to stay off Lipitor.:rolleyes:

[JenAZ07]

First.....there is a HUGE difference between being "addicted" and being "dependent" on pain meds. For anyone who takes narcotics long term...there is a chance your body will become dependent on the narcotics and when you stop taking them your will experience withdrawals. This is not the same as being addicted. When a person is addicted to pain meds, they are not taking them to merely get out of pain, they take the meds to get high. If you take your meds as prescribed and take them so you can find some pain relief (and are not looking to get "high") it is unlikely you are likely going to become addicted. I was very scared of this as well and did lots of research back then and found several articles (sorry don't have them to cite to you right now) which indicated that chronic pain patients who take narcotics to get out of pain had lower incidences of becoming addicted to the meds they take. Any good PM dr knows the difference between "addiction" and "dependence" and will be able to explain it much better than I can. :smile tee

I take pain meds daily....and more than one. In fact, I take several a day and have been for over 1.5 years. Have I had to go up....yes. My tolerance for the meds has definitely gone up -- three years ago I would have passed out had I taken 1 Percocet....now I can 1 -1.5 no problem. But there are other things you can do besides just go up on the same meds....you can switch to a different kind of narcotic (hydrocodone versus oxycodone) and these new drugs could potentially work better for you. Just please don't deny yourself a good quality of life because you are afraid. Speak with your dr, voice your concerns and I am sure they will discuss this issue with you and hopefully put your mind at ease.

Good luck!!

[kiffy313]

I agree with Jen and Donna...I at times have to take pain meds for any quality of life, too...and I am very pill phobic, not just about pain meds...but all meds...slowly but surely I am starting to see that when I take the meds, it allows me to live...function...have somewhat of a life...my Dr.s have all told me that a person who needs the meds for pain control will take them to get out of bed and live life, and that a person who takes meds but does not need them is trying to avoid life...Now, I have to be honest and say that I do still worry some about the "tolerance" issues...but, when I actually feel the difference in my pain levels...and I mean both physically and emotionally, it is worth it to me...Good luck to all,
Kif

[Lindalu1111]

I take Hydrocodone when I get a flare, which is several times a week. And if that happens during the day, I end up sleeping all day and then I'll have to take another one that night so I can go back to sleep so I can work the next day! Not a good cycle I suppose. But I try not to take them every day. Especially since it was like pulling teeth to get my urologist to prescribe something for the pain. I am switching to a urogynacologist who I'm hoping is more drug-friendly. I know people with Chronic deseases who don't want to take pains meds because they are so afraid to become dependent. But I'd rather have some help with the pain! By the way, can anyone recommend a pain med that helps the flares that DOESN'T knock you out? I'd love to have something to be able to take at work.

[OllieR]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I was able to work things out with my doctor. But all the tips were useful (and used!) and have helped me navigate the problem quite well. Hopefully I can start feeling better again soon :)

Linda - For me (and I've read here some other times), after I take a medicine for awhile the sleepiness side effect wears off. Maybe after you take one at night for awhile, you will notice it not making you as tired and you can try it during the day.

[laconmcarthur]

Reading all of this has definitely helped my nerves and thoughts about dependence or addiction. :) Recently, last week actually, I started running a fever, and was having SEVERE pain in my right side (lower pelvic area) I went to my IC NP and she said i had a very high white blood cell count and some bacteria in my urine...so she put me on keflex for a UTI... well after they did the tests, I didn't have a UTI, but no one cared to see what WAS wrong with me. I took lortabs, darvocets, anything and EVERYTHING I could get my hands on! Nothing seemed to help, it would, however, relax me and let me rest a little better. I went to my general doctor and had a catscan done on my appendix and my right ovary. Both were fine, so I went to my gynecologist yesterday and she said everything was fine with my female organs. So now I'm going to a gastro something something to check my gall bladder, I've lost seven pounds since Thursday, if I look, smell, or see food I lose my appetite. None of my doctors know why I ran fever, it got up to 102, and I'm losing weight drastically. can you have fever with an IC flare, I SWEAR this wasn't an IC flare, it was the worst pain I think I've ever been in. Anyone had anything similar happen?

[JenAZ07]

I almost always run a fever with a bad flare, and I always vomit when I am in a lot of pain. Guess that is just the way my body reacts and deals with flares. I have a friend who has a chronic illness and she also runs fevers (hers are lower) when she is in a lot of pain....so I don't think you are alone in that. Fevers in general scare me so I can understand why you would be nervous. :grouphug: And yes, I always have leucocytes in my urine although I have only ever had 1 UTI.

I hope you can get this figured out quickly and start feeling better!! Keep us updated.

[OllieR]

I'm sorry you are feeling so bad Lacon! It does sound like there might be something going on. I've had leukocytes without infection before. I also have had a fever for days, weeks, even months at a time in a flare but 102 is really high! Mine always stayed around 99 & 100 at the very worst. I have had those exact symptoms with an ovarian cyst, however you said that was already checked out :/.

I thought I had things figured out with my doctor, but now I'm back to square one. My pain meds don't work at all and I have hardly taken them! Just like a week or two. I'm so frustrated. And it's kinda scary to think about the suffering ahead if something so strong doesn't take away my pain (it's not completely unbearable but I would say on a daily basis around a 6, esp. at night, but combine no sleep and hundreds of days like this and you lose your ability to deal with it at all!). Ugh, I really don't understand how they could lose the effectiveness so fast. I only got one night's sleep out of the whole thing. Now it's back to 1 or 2 hours a night before my sleep is completely useless due to the pain... ergh!

[wolfaleena]

i go to a pain management center and currently MUST take narcotics to function because my pain from IC is so severe yes, narcotic medication will make you constipated. it is one of the side effects that does not go away unless you take a laxative on a daily basis. i was taking Miralax... it was working fine. then i started to get diarheaa. mentioned to my doc and he told me to switch to milk of magnesia. that worked okay for a while now it is giving me cramps and my stools are way too loose at this point ... go several times a day.
So i was looking to see if any of you guys have had any luck with taking something different. My doc said that he could give me a prescription laxative if my problems keep up.
I think it is always best to discuss these issues with your treating physician.... i was just checking to see if you guys are in the same boat?
I take methadone and it is no joke the way it constipates you~
I need to take it sooo... i just don't want to get depleted from diarahea!
Thanks you guys... you are all the best!