To wish I always felt like I did on painkillers...

[StormcloakNord]

Bit of a random one - I have horrific periods so once a month, for three days I take paracetamol and dihydrocodeine. This gets me over the worst of the pain, and whilst the doctor said it would be okay, I don't like taking it for any more than three days.

Also worth noting I suffer with depression and have for years, on medication etc.

Ive noticed that for those three days of each month I'm a happier person. The painkillers make me feel ever so slightly spaced out but not enough to notice in my speech, behaviour etc. I just feel so much happier in myself, more calm etc.

I don't really know what I'm asking here... I just wish I was always that happy/content/calm. Im on an even keel with the anti-depressants but I rarely feel properly happy.

It's interesting, they all seem to impact people differently.

I take cocodamol for adenomyosis period pain, but it makes me feel really weird - almost queasy, but that's not the whole thing. Just feel yuck.

Still miles better than being curled in a ball on the bathroom floor in agony trying not to pass out, so when I need it I take it though

@ChiefAdjusterOfRubensShorts. Oramorph was great, I had that a couple of nights, the hospital wouldn't prescribe it for 'at home' use. It's probably a good thing really, it's too easy to take & feels so lovely, knocks the insomnia on the head -I can we'll see how it's an easy slippy slope!!

I hope you can find something to alleviate the pain that isn't addictive/bad for you 🪴

@Bagelsandbrie

I do think it’s important to remember though that for many people drugs like Codeine and tramadol etc are the only way to have any sort of functioning life.

Exactly. Leaving people in so much pain that they try to kill themselves is hardly a positive outcome.

I think it's more shocking that you can buy alcohol with your groceries than people being prescribed necessary painkillers so they can have some kind of quality of life.

I was given opioid pain medication in hospital when I had a post op infection. It definitely helped, especially when they did painful dressing changes, but honestly it did not do much else.

Since then my doctor has prescribed pregabalin before bed as I have chronic pain at night due to joint manifestations of ulcerative colitis. It has been amazing at helping me sleep without any groggy feelings in the morning. It is not an opioid.

I think lack of sleep is a big reason people like the buzzed feeling from pain meds.

Pregabalin is hideous to come off. Like alcohol, if you stop taking it suddenly you're at risk of seizures.

It's a controlled drug too for a reason.

I agree, I have a stock of dihydrocodeine for occasional use when my back flares up and I just feel so warm and content for those few days!

Eurgh I hate opiates and they make my head go mental but does this indicate that an antidepressant might help you? I'm no Doctor so I have no idea but if it helps then I'd be raising that with a health professional.

I do like codeine. I get a lot of joint pain and can’t take anti inflammatories. I’m happier without the joint pain, but the slight codeine drift isn’t unwelcome.

I have osteoarthritis in my hip and am in constant pain. Codeine works but I can’t poop! I never get a buzz from it either. I prefer naproxen. The doctor gave me a supply for the summer holidays! I am very paranoid about being addicted to pain killers.

@Orf1abc

I know what you mean, the little buzz is great, but it makes you realise how easy it is for people with unmanaged chronic pain to become addicted to prescription medication.

It’s often the case that chronic pain is only managed by prescription medication, and so it’s a choice between be in unmanaged pain or take a drug that is guaranteed to cause physical dependency. Not an easy decision but most people in that level of chronic pain would do whatever it takes to get it to be reduced. Usually by the time you’re on dependency forming painkillers you’ve tried lots and lots of other types that haven’t cut it :(

Exactly. Leaving people in so much pain that they try to kill themselves is hardly a positive outcome.

I think it's more shocking that you can buy alcohol with your groceries than people being prescribed necessary painkillers so they can have some kind of quality of life

Yep: sadly this thread will end up full of people saying serious painkillers shouldn’t be available unless you’re in the hospital, with little thought to where that would leave the thousands of people who rely on them to have any quality of life. You can usually tell who has personal experience of living with chronic pain and who doesn’t on these threads.

Opiates and other dependency forming painkillers should be carefully prescribed and monitored, but they are a lifesaver for so many people. It’s a stigma that means uninformed people automatically think ‘opiates = bad’. They have their place and when used and monitored properly they can be the difference between someone being able to play with their kids, go to work, and get out of bed in the morning, and not.

For some people it really is that simple, and a last chance salon treatment.

Saloon, obviously.

@Monday26July

Exactly. Leaving people in so much pain that they try to kill themselves is hardly a positive outcome.

I think it's more shocking that you can buy alcohol with your groceries than people being prescribed necessary painkillers so they can have some kind of quality of life

Yep: sadly this thread will end up full of people saying serious painkillers shouldn’t be available unless you’re in the hospital, with little thought to where that would leave the thousands of people who rely on them to have any quality of life. You can usually tell who has personal experience of living with chronic pain and who doesn’t on these threads.

Opiates and other dependency forming painkillers should be carefully prescribed and monitored, but they are a lifesaver for so many people. It’s a stigma that means uninformed people automatically think ‘opiates = bad’. They have their place and when used and monitored properly they can be the difference between someone being able to play with their kids, go to work, and get out of bed in the morning, and not.

For some people it really is that simple, and a last chance salon treatment.

Absolutely.

I had a few Nurofen Plus tablets a couple of weeks ago, didn't get a "buzz" as such but certainly slept well and woke up happy if a little dozy.

Co-codamol never seems to help but the ibuprofen/codeine combo does. I only take it a couple of times a year but can see how addictive it could be.

The extra risk with Nurofen Plus over co-codamol of course is that the codeine can easily be separated from the ibuprofen/binding agents, so you have to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. It seems now they'll only sell you one packet per month (online), presumably to deter this.

@dentydown

I have osteoarthritis in my hip and am in constant pain. Codeine works but I can’t poop! I never get a buzz from it either. I prefer naproxen. The doctor gave me a supply for the summer holidays! I am very paranoid about being addicted to pain killers.

Get your GP to prescribe laxido alongside the codeine. You can take 1-3 sachets a day depending on how it affects you. It’s a very gentle way of dealing with the constipation caused by painkillers.

I was prescribed codeine in pregnancy for severe sciatica and SPD but I hated it.

I only took one at night because it just made me feel really dizzy and spaced out (but not in a good way). Only slightly took the edge off the pain and despite only taking one, gave me chronic constipation!

Tbh that was probably a good thing as I do have a bit of an addictive personality and had issues with alcohol in the past.

Tramadol was the best ever!

It was initially invented as an anti depressant. I felt so happy and chilled on it.

CBD, Shakti mat, cold water swimming, intense exercise all ways of getting a piece of that sensation without the unpleasant consequences of opiates!

They do absolutely nothing to me
I was on 60mg dihydrocodiene 4 times a day and yep.. nothing
I take one 30mg at night now

The painkillers work on pain receptors but studies have shown emotional pain to share some of those receptors (probably got the words wrong).

So that's why when I take paracetamol I feel a bit less sad. I used to take paracetamol at work when I was being bullied. It did lift my mood slightly and made it a bit more bearable to survive til home time. I could see then how people could get addicted to painkillers.

Codeine makes me weird- I avoid it like the plague! I’m bad with anything stronger than paracetamol. No risk of an addiction over here

@Peace43

Codeine makes me weird- I avoid it like the plague! I’m bad with anything stronger than paracetamol. No risk of an addiction over here

Me too! I had it prescribed once after a coccyx injury and a black cloud descended on me within 30 mins of the first dose, I literally had to go to bed crying, I suddenly felt so miserable and depressed I think I could have harmed myself. The feeling lifted within 4-6 hours and returned as soon as I tried another dose the following day, I think it's called dysphoria and is a recognised side effect, I will never take codeine again. I must be very sensitive to it.

I was prescribed 6 weeks worth of Tramadol for a cracked rib, my goodness it was amazing, a total high, but soon realised that I could only take them when I was at home and not at work or I’d get nothing done. After a couple of weeks I just couldn’t continue with them as I felt like it would be a slippery slope. I remember those floaty chilled weekends fondly though ☺️

Glad to see I'm not the only one!

Curious about CBD - will give it a go. Don't think I could hack cold water swimming though

I 100% recognise it can be a slippery slope but I've been doing this 3-day a month thing for the last 7 years now and I know myself, it won't turn into an addiction. I've tried various tranexamic acids, naproxen, celecoxib etc and it just doesn't have the same effect as codeine!

Definitely feel the same way a lot of the time! And suffer with bad period pain also, literally asked my GP if I was at risk of an ibuprofen overdose as I take so much of it just to make the pain bearable. I saw an ad on FB today for some CBD infused tampons that have great reviews for helping with period pain relief & ordered some to try! No idea if they work or not but willing to give it a go...yourdaye.com