Taking Prescription Painkillers During Outpatient Rehabilitation
A couple weeks ago I had an accident that ended with me sustaining some fairly serious injuries, and since then I’ve been on prescription painkillers. Needless to say, this is not good. Physical pain definitely isn’t fun but it’s the painkillers that are really messing with me.
I’m not happy. When I’m on them and I feel any sedative effects, I feel guilty. When I’m not on them and I’m in pain, obviously, that’s not a happy time, either. Either way, I’m not getting a whole lot done.
Chronic Pain Versus the Risk of Relapse?
It feels like I have to choose, figure out which is the lesser of two evils and commit. Many on this blog have expressed the same problem. Especially when the pain is chronic or related to a chronic disease, it can be torturous to deal with. How do you make a choice like that?
Now I’m not one who believes that if you take a prescribed pain pill for pain after, say, a root canal or surgery that you’ve relapsed. To me, prescribed painkillers can potentially lead to relapse but are not, in themselves, an automatic relapse. Does that make sense? If you continue to take them after the pain subsides or attempt to increase their potency by combining them with other drugs or taking them inappropriately, then that’s a relapse. But if you take them as prescribed for a short period while paying attention to your reactions and the potential for relapse later, then it’s not a problem. And yet, I feel guilty.
How do you handle pain when you’re also dealing with opiate addiction?
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August 17th, 2008 at 1:51 am
In 5 days, I will have 1 year clean. THanks to this site, I DONT feel as bad as I had regarding Suboxone. I’ve come from the bottom depths of dispair to become a new me. Functioning again in society while taking suboxone is great. Combined with a 12 step not religious group, I’m not trying to brag inany sence of the word here. I seen that I was heading towards a death so fast, that I decieded enough was enough. I can go on forever with my story but I dont think it is necissary. As for a clean date while on suboxone, I have this to say….After I was kicked out of rehab for helping people while a peer hung himself to death and left out on the streets of Philly alone I came across this drup that took my severe back pain away. No more surgeries, no more stimulators embedded in my spinal cavity, no more opiates. In September of last year, I met Bob”. He was celebrating 34 years clean. I asked him how he did it. I didnt get the typical response….90 meetings, get a sponsor, etc. He said “do whatever makes you happy”. I am more than proud to that I am clean. It is merely perception that hazes this subject. Oh, and for those that disagree and say that I’m only substituting one for another, I say this…..I come first. You have your opinion and I respect that. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY RECOVERY….NOT YOU. Whatever it takes to keep 450 mg/day of oxy’s up my nose is what I will do. The pain relief is a bonus. I may not do steps often than most, likewise for having a sponsor 75 miles away that I rarely call. I found a woman in recovery at 5 months, her with over 20 years clean with relapse 3 yrs ago. This works as long as I am honest and open minded. I understand the creed. I am not stupid. BUT, I will remain clean as long as the meds are taken as prescribed. Thats it…….PERIOD.
With Regards to all that are tring to make it one ay at a time.
Dave
August 25th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Dave your story is so encouraging, Iv’e just begun to see light at the end of my tunnel of Addiction. Like you I have been in Recovery for almost a year now. I have been clean and sober from Heroin, for the 1st time in 20+ years. I am on Methadone doses daily. I haven’t been so happy in years. I have relapsed 1 time when I was 3-4 months in. I did’nt have any relapse skills at the time. But, now I do! I have not been to alot of outside meetings. But, I am certainly going to start, I know it’s essential for the Recovery process. I have attended at least 2-3 group meetings a week, since I started last year. I have learned alot, such as how to live, without drugs or alcohol. I know some people say if your still on Methadone, your not considered clean. But, what program have they sucessfully been through? I know only we know how far that we have come, not anyone else! We can be proud of our sucess, and our goals for the future. I hope to find a sponsor soon, so maybe I can remain drugfree for the rest of my life. That’s the goal we all want and need to achieve. Good Luck to you, and all you’ve been through. Don’t ever let anyone bring you down. I know I won’t. We are all responsible for our own Recovery, and only you! I also suffer with Chronic Pain in my knees, and I occasionally take 1-2 Hydrocodone pills to get through my appointments. I only get 30 a month, so I won’t get addicted to them? I am screened weekly, just to make sure. I applaud your sucess, stay strong, keep on what youv’e been doing. Later, another Recovery supportive member, Debrinconcita, from Portland, OR.
September 6th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I just tested positive in a drug test for benzos but I know for a fact that I have not taken any. Please tell me what drugs are classified as benzos. Also I do take zoloft and ambien as prescribed and I have heard that ambien CAN cause a false positive for benzos when tested. Is this true? PLEASE help because I KNOW that I did absolutely not take any drugs that I wasn’t prescribed and I am being punished (so to speak) for what I did NOT do……………………..
September 8th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I found a website:
This is one of the best descriptions I have heard, or read. I have been taking them for 4+ years now, and benefit greatly from them. However I have a severe opiate addiction, and have been through inpatient chemical dependency treatment. I now live what i consider a clean and sober life, go to outpatient treatment, have a sponsor who i call and meet with, as well as attending and sharing at meetings. The majority of people who are around this program seem to think or at least express the opinion that if you take any pain medications for a severe injury or pain, or any benzos for a number of health problems, that you have relapsed and are not clean. In my opinion, as long as you are up front with your doctor about your addiction, and take the medicine as prescribed then you have done nothing wrong or detrimental to your sobriety. Doctors are trained to work with illnesses, the general public casting their view that it is a relapse are not trained proffessionals. Doctors generally do not prescribe medication, especially narcotics, or any mind/mood altering substance without a strong need for them, and that they are beneficial to your health.
This part of the webpage i found interesting:
Benzodiazepines
The benzodiazepine family of depressants is used therapeutically to produce sedation, induce sleep, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and to prevent seizures. In general, benzodiazepines act as hypnotics in high doses, anxiolytics in moderate doses, and sedatives in low doses. Of the drugs marketed in the United States that affect central nervous system function, benzodiazepines are among the most widely prescribed medications. Fifteen members of this group are presently marketed in the United States, and about 20 additional benzodiazepines are marketed in other countries. Benzodiazepines are controlled in Schedule IV of the CSA.
Short-acting benzodiazepines are generally used for patients with sleep-onset insomnia (difficulty falling asleep) without daytime anxiety. Shorter-acting benzodiazepines used to manage insomnia include estazolam (ProSom®), flurazepam (Dalmane®), temazepam (Restoril®), and triazolam (Halcion®). Midazolam (Versed®), a short-acting benzodiazepine, is utilized for sedation, anxiety, and amnesia in critical care settings and prior to anesthesia. It is available in the United States as an injectable preparation and as a syrup (primarily for pediatric patients).
Benzodiazepines with a longer duration of action are utilized to treat insomnia in patients with daytime anxiety. These benzodiazepines include alprazolam (Xanax®), chlordiazepoxide (librium®), clorazepate (Tranxene®), diazepam (Valium®, halazepam (Paxipam®), lorzepam (Ativan®), oxazepam (Serax®), prazepam (Centrax®), and quazepam (Doral®). Clonazepam (Klonopin®), diazepam, and clorazepate are also used as anticonvulsants.
Benzodiazepines are classified in the CSA as depressants. Repeated use of large doses or; in some cases, daily use of therapeutic doses of benzodiazepines is associated with amnesia, hostility, irritability, and vivid or disturbing dreams, as well as tolerance and physical dependence. The withdrawal syndrome is similar to that of alcohol and may require hospitalization. Abrupt cessation of benzodiazepines is not recommended and tapering-down the dose eliminates many of the unpleasant symptoms.
Given the millions of prescriptions written for benzodiazepines (about 100 million in 1999), relatively few individuals increase their dose on their own initiative or engage in drug-seeking behavior. Those individuals who do abuse benzodiazepines often maintain their drug supply by getting prescriptions from several doctors, forging prescriptions, or buying diverted pharmaceutical products on the illicit market. Abuse is frequently associated with adolescents and young adults who take benzodiazepines to obtain a “high.” This intoxicated state results in reduced inhibition and impaired judgment. Concurrent use of alcohol or other depressant; with benzodiazepines can be life threatening. Abuse of benzodiazepines is particularly high among heroin and cocaine abusers. A large percentage of people entering treatment for narcotic or cocaine addiction also report abusing benzodiazepines. Alprazolam and diazepam are the two most frequently encountered benzodiazepines on the illicit market.
September 12th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I have a question How long do opiates atay in your system
September 12th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I am truly glad to hear of these stories. I am also on the methadone daily dose program and it feels Great to have my life back.
I used to spend all of the freetime i had chasing down pain pills. I have severe lower back pain a lot of the time if not all of the time. I started out taking pain meds just for the pain, but the more(longer) i used them, i became dependent on them. I would get a prescription for 30-60 pills but they wouldn’t last all month so i started buying other peoples prescriptions to make sure i did have enough.I make $350-400 a week and ended up spending more than that a week in pills so i pretty much had to start buying a huge stockpile of pills and had to sell what i didn’t need at a higher price than i paid, so i could pay for my own habit.(But don’t you know that a monkey can’t sell bannannas!?) that’s exactly what i mean to, i would have these huge stockpiles of pain pills around, sell half, still have a lot of pills and a pocket full of cash so I would eat more and more pills!(making my HUGE stockpiles of pills and fat cash pockets dwindle down to nothing!) So when i ran out of pills, i would have to buy more,then i was broke so i had to sell again. AND THIS became a vicous cycle because it took up my whole day(WEEK<MONTH<YEAR).and of course i quit working because i made more cash in selling pills, and my back did not hurt as bad when i wasn’t doing MANUAL LABOR.
This pain pill\back relief got RIDICULOUS!So I went to the local Methadone clinic and signed myself up!it cost me $75 for my intake and from then on it cost me $105 a week\$420 a month.
now i go and take my daily dose of methadone everyday, early in the morning. I only have to take it 1 time a day.By doing this I GOT MY LIFE BACK and I LOVE IT!! I started working again and thats how i pay for it.the methadone helps me from craving a pain pill and at the same time it helps with the pain.Even with a full time job, I have so much free time because i no longer use all of my free time chasing down pills. i just use 10-20 minutes a day.
Also when i was selling pills to pay for pills, would’nt you know the COPS started watching me and really wanted to bust me for selling pills(distrubution of class1 narcotics\controlled substance)
I do not have to worry about that anymore because i don’t sell pills anymore!
If it wasn’t for methadone i know i wouldn’t have any kind of life. Keep on doing what you are doing and don’t let anyone tell you that you are not clean if you are on methadone or subutex or suboxone because they obviously do not understand just how BIG of a DIFFERANCE you have had in your life since you are taking it!
September 18th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Hello! This is the first time I’ve actually left some sort of communication talking about my addiction.
I have been on Vicodin for the past ten years. It started with a doctor friend of mine who asked me if I knew about “Vicodin” - I used to be so particular with what I put in my body…I said “no” - and he said that life isn’t complete without a vicodin addiction - and he prescribed me my first prescription! Not only that, but he would give me five refills and I would give him a bottle of the first script so he would have his “stash”
There’s no excuse, I was 26 years old and a not so savvy about “cause and effect” - I didn’t really know about drug addiction and abuse.
Over the years, I have managed to find “street Vicodin” at $7 - $8 a pill, costing me thousands of dollars A MONTH along side getting 600 pills A MONTH leagally through the doctor. I make six figures a year so money was never an issue. But my abuse effected relationships, I didn’t want to get close to people because they would find out, etc. I’m a clean-cut gent with a horrible secret. And I am tired of it.
I was on SE Asia last year in the Maldives (little islands in Indian Ocean)…it was beautiful, the trip cost me $15,000 for five days, but two days into it, I ran out of pills and flew home early to get my meds. It was from the islands I flew to Singapore to San Francisco - almost 48 hours to get back! I had paid another $10,000 to enjoy first class and was miserable because I was going into withdrawl. I ended up just about standing in the back of the plane in coach because I thought my body was going to explode.
I’m trying to read about how to get off these pills - and from what I understand, taking a dose of Methadone will NOT give me withdrawl symptoms?
My biggest fear is to go somewhere and then I have to go cold turkey….
Thank you for reading this…
September 18th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Hey Shane Sanders, I want to tell you how right you are about Methadone giving your life back. It did the same thing for me also. I was addicted to Alcohol, drugs, and especially Heroin, for the last 20 years of my life. Until Methadone helped me see the light of day! I can’t tell you it’s help me, there are’nt even enough words. I have a life now, whereas before I was just existing. I was a shell of a person, not a good person at that? I have been clean and sober for 7 - 8 months now. All because of Methadone. Iv’e tried everything else. Don’t you think if there was any other way I would have taken it. There are no easy ways out of Addiction. The right way for you personally is the way. I want to thank you for your response about addiction, you can probably help someone out there who needs it? If you just try and see if it works for you, that’s all that you can do? Later, Deb Rinconcita in Oregon.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Buckley I guess you really got hit by the Addict bug man! I guess so! I feel so bad for you, but there’s help out there. If you go in for Methadone treatment they won’t make you get off pain pills cold turkey. I guess or you could try Suboxene it’s helped alot of people like us. I am on Methadone treatment daily for Opiate addiction. All pain pills are Opiates too. So it’s up to you to decide which way you want to go. Methadone or Suboxene. Methadone has helped so much I can’t even put out the words fast enough. I was an addict for 20 some years. Now I’m clean because of Methadone treatment, and a good counselor that held me accountable, and believed in me when nobody else would. I can’t tell you how good it feels to be off Opiates for the last 8 months now. Check back on some of my other Blogs and replies online and you can see how much it’s helped me. I hope you get off the pills soon. It could kill you, sooner or later. Get some help ASAP, Later, Debrinconcita in Portland, OR.