Let's talk Medication

Touchy subject. Medication is addictive. Broad statement people make. Chronic Pain and Acute Pain FEEL the SAME. Chronic pain is never over Acute pain is. If someone goes to the ER with Acute pain they are usually given nice medications that make them feel better at the time and reduce the pain. This can make you feel "loopy" but good, LOL.  Chronic Pain feels just as bad, after time I think it really makes you feel worse that a lot of acute pain. You do build up a tolerance to a degree with the pain. I think people with chronic pain have a much higher tolerance for pain than someone without chronic pain. Yet it STILL hurts. Feels like people really don't get that IT NEVER GOES AWAY!

  So, medication, yes you can get addicted to things. It is much less likely with chronic pain because you don't get the "high" from the medication unless you are taking wayyyyy too much. We can function at a normal level with medications because all it does is RELIEVE SOME of the pain. Not to say that we can't go too far. I have actually had one doctor that gave me methadone for pain. BAD IDEA, for me!! It didn't help that he prescribed too much (assuming I "expected" him to load me up- I DIDN'T). I then went to my "good" doctor, that listened, and fast tracked getting off that crap! Scary scary scary medication for me.

  Doctor's who do prescribe what you need for the pain get in trouble with nosy pharmacists who think they are doctors and report your doctor for prescribing you this medication and screw you both up! I have considered going postal on a few pharmacists!

  I stopped every single medication when my doctor retired and did NOT go to another to get anything to take at all. I did try to get someone who would do my trigger point injections of lidocaine, rheumotologist are supposed to be able to do this, I haven't been able to find another that will do this though. This is something that helped me EXTREMELY well and it was only a numbing agent.

  This course of action did have an adverse reaction. I FINALLY realized I had gone so far downhill I had no idea how to get out. The pain has taken me over. I haven't done things I would normally do with my kids and grand-kids. I have avoided being around ANYONE. I haven't gone anywhere, done anything. I haven't cared if I got dressed in months! OK...this is bad. I'm like 2 hops away from a coffin.

  So would it be so horrible to take some medication to enable me to move in less pain and join life again? And since it is called CHRONIC pain wouldn't it follow that the use of medication would also be chronic?!? Makes sense to me. Which is worse, medication enabling movement, semi-normal sleeping habits or basically becoming home-bound and avoiding contact with anyone!? I am SICK of living in the dark. I have avoided so much I don't have much anymore. Avoiding friends and family...make that friend... I only have one left that has hung in there on this roller coaster of my friendship. 

  Even the doctor's make you feel like if they can't FIX you they don't want to see you anymore. I think they get frustrated and they don't even truly get the chronic in chronic pain. FRUSTRATING!!