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Has anyone had problems with addiction to prescription painkillers? Family members? Did you see warning signs?
Common among cancer patients who get addicted to different painkillers even once they’re in remission. Usually docs/nurses are aware of these risks and are trained to see the warning signs. Otherwise, I don’t know of such a situation.
my 21 y.o. daughter’s having that problem right now! the complication with that tho’ is that she’s still in real pain! 🙁
she started seeing a therapist who specializes in that area. in fact, she went to an NA meeting last night (1st time) cuz he suggested it.
since age 17, she’s had back disc problems… which even resulted in a microdisectomy back then. she’s unfortunately had recurring problems & now has another herniated disc w/ a floating disc fragment.
but she feels that her problem is that she still takes her pills even when the pain isn’t so bad. she, herself, felt she has an addiction problem & went to seek help.
(btw~ she has an Orthodox [Chassidishe] therapist.)
“Always There”–
Good for your daughter. NA is a great program. I had a terrible problem with pain killers and i recently celebrated one year at NA.
Mazel Tov, recovering_addict! my sincere wishes for continued
strength!
I’m proud of her,too, but do you understand her problem? she’s in pain daily 🙁 …only a little better sometimes after a cortisone/steroid shot.
possibly, the bigger problem is that she comes from a family (5 outta 6) with addictive personalities. but this is not the place for more details, sorry.
i fully understand her problem. I would love to be able to give you more advice, but this is not the forum.
nope!
& B’H, iy’H, it’s all good =]
always here I have two suggestions that might help your daughter. Has your daughter been examined by a Chiropractor/Osteopath that specialize in back and spinal problems. They might be able to help her. The other idea is to take Vitamin D3, Calcium/Magnesium, and Omega3 Fish Oils. All these products must be kosher certified, and can be purchased at a Health Food Shop.
yankdownunder~ thank you for your suggestions. 🙂 yes & yes.
Sometimes it helps to ease off the medication by extending the time between dosages, bit by bit until you are actually eliminating some dosages. That way you can do it according to how much pain can be tolerated.
This is a serious problem. Get professional advice. As in, call a doctor!
good Luck ity is a very common and serious problem. However, many doctors aren’t equiped to deal with it and therefore brush the issue off. Severe and constant pain is debilitating on the body so just not taking pain killers isn’t the answer. Delaying taking the painkillers until the pain is severe isn’t advisable either since they don’t work well once the pain is severe.
You should try to see pain management dr or osteopath who doesn’t just give pain killers. A good physical therapist who does manual therapy and deep tissue massage can help as well. I know Hospital for Special Surgery refers patients with spinal issues to Tracey Vincel.
I know Columbia was doing research on pain killer addictions and had a free program. I don’t know if it is still available.
Bowwow~ firstly, apologies for your thread being hijacked.
” Did you see warning signs?”: in my dauughter’s case, I personally don’t, because I know from our doctor & MRI reports that she has real physical issues; but she says that she’s addicted cuz she still takes them even when she’s not in so much pain; that they help her concentrate better.
unrelated to my daughter: unfortunately, an addict, who has physical & psychological dependency, will say that they still have pain, even tho’ they don’t, to continue getting pills & in increasing dosages.
IMO, a real addict would go to several doctors concurrently so as to obtain multiple ‘scripts. that’s an absolute warning sign– if you see vials of pills with different doctors’ names. worse yet– pill bottles with different patients’ names… that would mean that the addict is either obtaining ‘scripts under aliases, or stealing medications from friends/family members’ medicine cabinets or drawers. there are other signs of addiction, but may I suggest you google them.
[disclaimer: my daughter gets hydrocodone– codeine w/ acetaminophen or ibuprofen),10 mg., 4x day; she takes her prescribed amount (sometimes 1/2 pill more), @ the times directed. there are times her prescription runs out before it’s refill time, & sometimes she borrows a couple or a few from me. I myself take them rarely cuz I don’t really get relief from them.]
Shrek~ you bet it’s a serious problem! but addicts can be secretive & devious, so a family member might not know that there is a problem.. until physical or criminal indications kick in.
there’s also the other problem out there: those who take pills, or other drugs, just to ‘get high’. in that case there are more physical warning signs… (google them.)
Pain is one thing that needs to be addressed. However how she feels about herself in the situation and the fact that it has impacted on her ability to have some control over herself and her life is just as serious. Taking measures to control the pain, and then not trusting herself to be able to determine what she is really feeling brings about confusion and self doubt in not being able to know the difference between a good day and a bad one. Thus the poor image, labeling , hopelessness etc. Get a good addictions professional to work out those feelings and provide support for her. Relaxation techniques and guided imagery are good tools in stretching her abilities to see opportunities that she can tap into even on a subconscious level. Good Luck
cum laude~ Thank you.
I’m very proud of her! She doesn’t live @ home, she’s married, & is addressing her problem with the support of her husband. She is seeing a therapist, weekly, whose area of expertise is addiction. Plus, he’s frum to boot.
She also has a pain management doctor who oversees her physical therapist. Unfortunately, she IS dealing with CHRONIC pain, so it’s a very difficult problem. Hashem ya’azor!
always here – This is a very controvesial, hot topic in medicine right now. IMO, once the person, like in your family’s case, become addicted, this addiction takes precedence over any real or percieved pain. The only exception is terminally ill people. An addiction is a lifelong problem. There are many ways to deal with back pain without narcotics. A. High dose NSAIDS. B. There is a special machine that some chiropractors have, that decompresses spines. C. Certain hospitals like HSS have programs usually surgically based to correct back problems, even where others have failed.
The addicted patient needs medical help, not just an addiction therapist and/or NA. You need to go to a doctor that treats addictions. The methadone programs don’t work. The only medication programs that work nowadays are Subutex/Subloxone programs!
Health~ I appreciate your comments & suggestions.
NSAIDs don’t provide her relief.
the chiropractor, who also is an MD, consulted w/ an orthopedist over her MRI.. & said he wouldn’t touch her because of the floating disc fragment… until after she has surgery for it.
surgery is being considered, but her doctor isn’t advising it @ this time.
did you see the dosage she takes? 10-15 mg approx. 4x (sometimes 3x) a day. that’s hardly methodone-type-programs necessary. (not that you suggested it was.)
SHE thinks she has a problem… I personally don’t, but absolutely respect & admire her for wanting to get help.
she hasn’t been consistently on codeine since 17, lest I be misunderstood. she goes on it when her back issues reoccur; otherwise she’s @ the gym 4-5x a wk. she’s a Dean’s List college student, a homemaker, & a budding entrepreneur w/ her husband. she’s not laying around the house all day, or out in the street looking to score.
I am not upset… just trying to explain.
always here~ shekit, bevakasha k’var!
Mods~ please close this thread. apologies to Bowwow.
Do NOT go to a chiropractor for medical back treatment without a referral from an M.D. who is familiar with your case. The machine that decompresses spines is designed to decompress wallets and insurance companies until the quack who owns the machine gets caught.
While a legitimate chiropractor would never take a case such as the one described here, there still are chiropractors who believe they can cure serious spinal problems with manipulation.
What they do is cause disabling spinal cord injury and spinal strokes with their quackery.
oy, vey… here I am again.. new subtitle for me: “blabby”
600kilobear returns~ I was very against her going to this chiropractor, but her in-laws have their whole family treated by him. don’t get me started!: he’s cured ADD, helped ease childbirth, cured illnesses, & on & on.
our pain management doctor refers to him as a ‘witch-doctor’! :-O
hey, gang! let’s talk instead about my dependency on sleeping pills, almost every night except Fri. nite!
the chiropractor, who also is an MD, consulted w/ an orthopedist over her MRI.. & said he wouldn’t touch her because of the floating disc fragment… until after she has surgery for it.
—
Such a chiropractor is exactly the kind everyone SHOULD go to when there is a chance he could help.
I was referring to Health’s post regarding a chiropractor who has a decompression machine. I can run my vacuum cleaner over someone’s back while reading from sefer Raziel haMalach and bill insurance for that these days so long as I have some sort of alternative medical training. However, if that machine uses any sort of impact it can cause a real disaster.
“I can run my vacuum cleaner over someone’s back while reading from sefer Raziel haMalach and bill insurance for that”
OMGosh! I am rotf, lol… just loved the visual!!!
my DH has a copy of RhM in just about every room… now visualizing him doin’ that, too! lol
always here – “MRI.. & said he wouldn’t touch her because of the floating disc fragment… until after she has surgery for it.
surgery is being considered, but her doctor isn’t advising it @ this time.
did you see the dosage she takes? 10-15 mg approx. 4x (sometimes 3x) a day. that’s hardly methodone-type-programs necessary. (not that you suggested it was.)
SHE thinks she has a problem… I personally don’t, but absolutely respect & admire her for wanting to get help.”
Even with low doses a person can be addicted. The way to tell is if the person goes into withdrawl upon not taking the meds.
I did a web search for spinal decompression in NY. They have one in the city called – The Spine Care Institute. The doctor uses a special chair to decompress, not his hands.
Definitely also go for an opinion at HSS. They have helped many people with these problems.
Again, I don’t recommend methadone as a narcotic treatment, only Subutex.
thank you, Health.
Bowwow asks: “Has anyone had problems with addiction to prescription painkillers?” Well, for starters, there’s Rush Limbaugh.
there is a difference between addiction and physiological dependence. Addiction has more to do with a psycholgical issue. Physiological dependence means the body now requires certain dosages of the drug to function, almost like a diabetic who requires insulin shots. Of course the 2 often go together, but not always. I am not an expert, but I have done some reading on this topic. It’s important to speak to professionals who have training and experience in these matters.
AH, it sounds like your daughter really has it together, despite her difficulties with chronic pain. I also think it is wonderful that she is open with you, and this is definitely a good sign as far as her addiction/dependence. True addicts tend to be very secretive about their problem. Refuah Shelaima to her!
Amen! thank you
“Painkiller Addiction”
Sounds like a Metal Band
(sorry, couldn’t refuse)
shmooze
Shrek – A psychological addiction would be more like crack/cocaine. Narcotics, smoking, alcohol, etc., usually are both. But it does sound like in this case, it’s probably not a psychological addiction, but it might be a physical addiction.
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