How do I get myself off of narcotic pain pills? Please read !!!!?!
Question: I was in bad accident in 2001, A car hit my motorcycle and it left me pretty messed up. I broke my arm, fractured my pelvis, messed up my back and left me with constant headaches. My arm and pelvis healed. But my back problems and headaches are chronic. My doctor has had me on serveral different narcotic pain pills since then. I still have the headaches and my back hurts like heck every day. But my friend says that the pain pills are probably not working any more and that I am addicted to them. How can I get off of them? Every time I try not taking them I not only hurt, but I get sick to my stomach, and just generally feel like I would rather die. Right now I am on Lortab, Darvocet & Fioricet. But I have been on several other pain pills over the last 6 years. Can some one help? I have tried to get my doctor to put me in a rehab program but he says I need the Pain pills and that rehab will leave me worse off. Thanks for your help!
Thank You!
Answers: I was in bad accident in 2001, A car hit my motorcycle and it left me pretty messed up. I broke my arm, fractured my pelvis, messed up my back and left me with constant headaches. My arm and pelvis healed. But my back problems and headaches are chronic. My doctor has had me on serveral different narcotic pain pills since then. I still have the headaches and my back hurts like heck every day. But my friend says that the pain pills are probably not working any more and that I am addicted to them. How can I get off of them? Every time I try not taking them I not only hurt, but I get sick to my stomach, and just generally feel like I would rather die. Right now I am on Lortab, Darvocet & Fioricet. But I have been on several other pain pills over the last 6 years. Can some one help? I have tried to get my doctor to put me in a rehab program but he says I need the Pain pills and that rehab will leave me worse off. Thanks for your help!
Thank You!
Your doctor is a moron! He should have sent you to specialist for your back problems and headaches. And not kept giving you narcotic pain relievers for that long. You can check your self in to rehab. It will be really hard on you for the first few days, but they have other medications that will help you through. They will also probably call in a pain management specialist. They help you learn different ways of dealing with the pain with out the narcotics. I would go to another doctor, an mental health center any place that will help you get the help you need. Plus your back and headache problems need to be addressed by specialist in those areas. Sometimes you can have rebound headaches just from taking pain medications on a regular bases. Plus your original problems are not being addressed. Please get help from some one other than your doctor. I would not advise trying to kick the narcotics by yourself after so many years to many other problems can pop up. Plus No one here knows you medical history, you can have other problems that can make getting off the narcotics worse. If you want more specific advice please email or IM me, I will be glad to try and help you if I can.
Take care & good luck
Kali : -)
Nurse Practitioner
Your doctor is the problem. Get a new one.
Well, the only actual advice i can give you, is because of your pain and the accidents you've been in, I don't necessarily believe you're addicted to them...now there is a chance that you are since your body goes into withdraw without them, but in the right circumstances withdraw can eventually kill a person. I f you really believe your doctor is wrong in this situation, you may want to consider taking a bit less lethal pain pills, i know you've probably already considered that, but it seems you've been put in quite a dilemma.
~Sandra~
message me if you need any more advice.
Wow, sounds like you should switch doctors. There are pain medications that can be prescribed to you that are not narcotics. Unfortunately, you will either have to quit cold turkey or ween yourself off. Yes, you will go through withdrawals for 3-5 days, but it does get better. Either way, it will hurt. Talk to your doctor about prescribing you non-narcotic pain relievers or at least reduce it down to one medication.
get a second opinion... you need it... my husband was on pain killers with his cancer treatment.. he than hurt his back... saw additionally 3 other doctors none of who knew about the other each giving him more pain pills.... after 2 months of this ****.. he was addicted... messed up his other meds he needs to take for bi-polar... the pain killers were causing fake pain... he went off cold turkey... 3 days of hell.. but, hasn't taken a prescribed pain killer since... takes Tylenol now and than.. but you have been on years... get a different doctors advise... and get some help...
Good Luck...
I know it sucks , but you have to do it. You will have 3-5 really bad days. you will get sick and hurt like hell, and will not be able to sleep much! There is a pill called suboxin. get from your DR. ONLY take it for 3 day or you will get addicted to that. Feel feel to ask me anything. I have been off it for 2 years
My Brother was inn a motor bike collision witha car and as a result... pain killers galore!
He was addicted to them and weaned himself off them by cutting the pills in half for a couple of weeks then into quarters... so at each dose, he was only allowing a lil each time and when he felt strong enough, he went cold turkey...stopped and then ended having a mental breakdown!
You really need professional help and that doctor of yours sounds like he does not have your best interests at heart! get a new doc, contact a rehab centre, and also try and rehabiltation for your injuries with physiotherapy. At the gym i used to work at, i knew a man who broke his back and was told he'd never walk again, but with physio and gym program to help him (slowly) strengthen and reahabilitate his injury, he now walks and you'd never know that he had any problems at all...untill he tells you! You can do this too, it takes time, patience and will probably frustrate you but its worth it in the long run> BUT 1st step....definately get a NEW DOCTOR!
if you have pain and are taking narcotics your dose will have to be increased over time...people throw around the word 'addiction' way too much when someone is 'dependent' on pain medication.
it's one thing if you have pain and have to take them so you are out of pain, it's another to take them to get high.
you are probably whats called dependent, and no withdrawl will not kill you assuming you are a healthy person..
i suggest seeing another pain management doctor that will try new medication and monitor your dose closely, if you are really in pain and have tried all other forms of treatment, opiates may be what works for you and you may have to take them for an extended period of time
don't listen to people that call you an addict if they don't understand chronic pain
if you want to get off of them, and feel you can deal with the pain without narcotics you can get on something called suboxone-
it is taken from anywhere from a few weeks to years depending on if you want to get off of opiates or if you find it will control your pain and choose to stay on it...you CAN become dependent on it (but not addicted) however it is much easier to taper off and a much milder withdrawl
http://www.naabt.org/
that site has all the info on it (suboxone) including a doctor search since only qualified doctor can prescribe it
be prepaired for alot of bad info to be slung your way on here (yahoo answers) by people who have no clue what chronic pain is and what opiate pain management is like and have no right to spew false information they picked up from 'my friend' that said 'so and so'
you really need to start talking with other doctors and start doing alot of research...getting off pain medication may not be the thing to do...
get a knew doctor
maybe a specialist
Not everyone here will agree with me, but honestly the stuff that you're on is not that hardcore. Unless you're taking OC's all day, everyday,on top of what you mentioned then I wouldn't be too concerned.
Lortab, Darvocet & Fioricet are lightweight to say the least and if you have severe pain then I would suggest taking percocet or even OC's for the pain assuming that you really are in pain.
Lortab and Darvocet make alot of people sick because of all the extra crap in them that isn't actually pain medication. Fioricet is a joke, my mom gets those for migraine and they aren't worth the gas it takes to drive to the pharmacy.
If these pharms are helping you with your pain then I'd say stick with them and don't worry about addiction to those particular drugs.
If, however, you had been taking OC's and percocet for an extended period of time then I'd still suggest that you listen to your Doctor and help the pain. If the pain isn't there anymore then slowly ween yourself off of the meds until you can deal with it on your own.
Good Luck!