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.

Yeah I recognise the issues with medication. I was very very lucky, I got strong pain relief, MRI scans and spinal surgery
Meanwhile my (he will always be baby to me) baby cousin had a back injury as well, was refused an MRI, and in desperation at the pain he took someone else's prescribed medication alongside medication he was already on
He died, age 33 in his sleep

I then fibbed that my back was sore again and got another 100

God, I was coming on to say how shocked I was to be prescribed 100 cocodamol for back pain - didn't realise this was normal. I was horrified and took one that night to sleep, that was enough for me.

@toystoyseverywhere

Also pregablin and gabapentin are actually addictive.

So for the posters who have stated that they're on this medication yes it is addictive. It is still addictive even though it is not an opiod.

Doctors were encouraged to prescribe this for patients instead of opiate pain relief.

There is a large number of people who are addicted to this and use these alongside other drugs. As this type of medication is happily bought by numerous heroin users etc.

This thread prompted me to research pregabalin, which I take at a very low dose and is very helpful and has significantly improved my quality of life. I feel absolutely no need to take more than prescribed nor to I experience any "high" from my prescribed dose, at all.

They are "addictive" in the sense that you need to taper them down to stop. A lot depends on the dose.

Yes, opioids users do seek out gabapentin or pregabalin in conjunction with their opioid of choice because apparently they potentiate the effect of the opioid. As far as I understand it, they are not drugs of abuse on their own unless one takes huge doses which make a person non functional.

I do not think it is fair to label people who are legitimately prescribed these drugs as being addicts. The fact that they can potentially be abused is not enough. There are hundreds of drugs in that category.

Please don't use DHC for your mood. After a while you'll need more DHC to achieve it. It will also affect your pain control.

It really is a slippery slope ppl can end up needing methadone to get off DHC.

@LoveFall

I used to work in drugs services, and have been on prescribed pregabalin and gabapentin previously for chronic pain. They are drugs that are misused on their own due to the psychoactive effect when taken. They can make you feel very spaced out and woolly, quite a high feeling, even in absence of any other drugs to potentiate.

They’re very effective and valuable drugs when prescribed and used and monitored correctly, as are opioids. They’re dependency promoting which means you need to taper them down to come off rather than just stop taking cold turkey, but this can be done with the help of the GP.

There’s a lot of talk about people ‘becoming dependent’ on this thread as though that is therefore a bad thing and indicates a problem. For many people with chronic pain it’s an inevitable and expected part of treating the pain with drugs that cause physical dependency. It’s the trade off, you take a drug that you are physically dependent on if it helps you to manage the pain and function. It’s not an issue as long as you taper off at the end (if there is an end, many people are on them lifelong) and signs of addiction are watched out for.

Seems like some people see dependency on a drug as a personal or moral failing. Unfortunately pain is that severe for some that it’s the better choice to be dependent on a painkiller than to live with unmanaged pain.

@mnmumak

There’s a lot of talk about people ‘becoming dependent’ on this thread as though that is therefore a bad thing and indicates a problem. For many people with chronic pain it’s an inevitable and expected part of treating the pain with drugs that cause physical dependency. It’s the trade off, you take a drug that you are physically dependent on if it helps you to manage the pain and function. It’s not an issue as long as you taper off at the end (if there is an end, many people are on them lifelong) and signs of addiction are watched out for.

Seems like some people see dependency on a drug as a personal or moral failing. Unfortunately pain is that severe for some that it’s the better choice to be dependent on a painkiller than to live with unmanaged pain.

The thing is if you start off for pain relief though and go to GP for help you’re treated like dirt . I was told that as I was obviously dependant on codeine I’d be best accessing community alcohol substance misuse service - who on enquiring told me they had clean injecting equipment and services for sex workers, and self help groups for heroin misuse, so clearly not appropriate.

I have cptsd, OCD, and after surgery was discovered to have endometriosis with bowel involvement and a fibrotic/stenosis bladder (held less than 50ml) . I was in agony most days mentally and physically .

Now that a lot of that’s been treated or supported I can cope most days without codeine - I was able to wean off it - but I was treated hellishly for admitting I was dependent on it .

The hellish thing is I still crave it, every single day - in the same way people would use a gin or a brandy to settle nerves ... it is a horrible, horrible, horrible drug .

I take codeine for sciatica - unfortunately I can't take anti-inflammatories. I hate that 'buzz' feeling - it makes me feel nauseated. I have to make sure I have something stodgy before I take them.

However I was given dihydrocodeine as an injection. when giving birth and I felt just wonderful after that

@changedaugust2021

And that's terrible that you were treated so poorly for seeking help to taper off it, that shouldn't happen. Sadly there is still an awful lot of stigma around addiction/drug dependency, as well as stigma around the proper and safe use of dependency-promoting drugs for medical reasons. There is just no excuse for treating patients badly, they need support, empathy, and practical guidance to come down from them if it's safe and appropriate to do so. I've had a couple of crap GPs in my time but the majority have been wonderfully compassionate, supportive doctors who I feel I could say anything to. I'm sorry you have had such a bad experience, and hope you were able to switch doctors/surgeries for the future.