The Pandemic of Prescription Drugs

reply to post by Glassbender777


What about people with chronic pain? That have 0 quality of life without opiates?

People who have severe PTSD, have gotten raped so they need a Benzo so they won't have horrible panic attacks and no quality of life?

Just let them suffer because there are junkies in the world?

There are so many sheltered people on this forum that it is mind numbing. IS EVERYONE FROM LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE ON HERE?

reply to post by getreadyalready


I have neither a diagnosis nor a prognosis so there is nothing to be fixed.
What I have is an inflamed and swollen spinal cord in the cervical area,
They cut the backs off my neck vertebrae to allow for swelling but it has yet to go down.
I've had some of the finest neurologists in the country look at my case but no one has any answers.
I'm a medical mystery.
My nickname of Weird is all too appropriate.

reply to post by RealSpoke


Well that is what is so sad, some how it has to be controlled better. Not just put in your medice cabinet for your children to find, Im not blasting people with addictions, or people that actually need it, im just saying it needs to be Controlled

reply to post by Glassbender777


They are controlled. That's why you have to get them PRESCRIBED by a doctor.

reply to post by RealSpoke


There's a few people here who have been through chronic pain but they are by and large the exception. TV and stereotyping have given folks the impression that those people who use pain meds are escapists, drug addicts and criminals.
Even family members have a hard time understanding the issues involved, for instance my mother will still occasionally ask I need to go a clinic to get off meds. 4 years and she still doesn't understand there is no alternative treatment for me. I've tried diet, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy etc etc to no avail. (none of which were covered under insurance = bye bye savings account)

So very true, that people don't even care to research the real side effects and dangers to their health from prescription drugs.

Just a small story of myself. I had some wisdom teeth coming in and out of the 2nd most painful thing happening to me in my life I went to see the doctor for some pain killers. I had a dentist appoint. to remove them in a month, but I wasnt sure I could handle it that long. For years I would get a week spell of pain, then it would go away. But this time a full week went by, and soon it became worse and worse. I went to the doc. and he prescribed me some pain meds. These were not T3's and didnt have the regular type strength that people would normally take. As I picked up my prescription from the office, even the prescriptionist was concerned what I was using them for! I took them home, read over the side effects of it, and wow was there alot of them. Death was on there, and so was irregular heartbeat nausea, and hallucinations.

Well the dosage was 2 to take every 4 hours. And I started off with 1 to test them. Soon after I could feel that my body was painfree, except for my teeth. I decided ok, I gotta take 2 now. I took 2 pills and soon I could feel like I was floating. This was probably my very first experience of what feeling 'high' was about. Almost as if I could float across the room, and run into the wall and not even feel it. I could feel no pain in my mouth, but I was extremely unaware of my limitations to hurting myself and I thought I should take off a week of work until I test this out before my dentist appoint.

The next day I took the pills of 2, I felt very strange. I noticed my heartbeat skipping beats, and every so often, I would feel faint, and at the same time I wanted to sleep. So I figured time for some needed rest. Scariest thing ever. I fell asleep in about 10 secs! I felt so weak from lack of blood circulation that I passed out! And I awoke 3 hours later with some pain in my mouth, and scared the heck out of me. I soon tested the pills out and felt my heartbeat after I used 2 again. And sure enough, I would skip beats about 1 every 10 secs, and would beat very irregular, sometimes faster for a few secs then really slow, randomly. I soon was scared went to the hospital and told the docs I need something else. They got my T3's and said, these will work but give you the full pain relief, and are safer.

My close experience of dying from only 1 painkiller made me realize nobody should ever take this junk. Our bodies were meant to function without chemical enchanced drugs. If you cant get sleep, then stop working, do something else, avoid those chemicals, its wrong! In fact the word pharmaceutical comes from the greek root word 'pharmakeia' which means Drug Sorcery.

So if we continue using our witchcraft drugs, then its no wonder people kick the bucket from these things. Its playing around with our very lives, and its not worth the risk!

Timeline of celebrities killed by Big Pharma: Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Farrah Fawcett, Elvis and more


Timeline of celebrities killed by Big Pharma: Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, Farrah Fawcett, Elvis and more
Learn more: www.naturalnews.com...

reply to post by getreadyalready
The drugs that was used on me in the emergency room saved my life the other night.(anaphylactic shock)
People find a way to abuse amost anything and in my mind thats what needs to be fixed.I also think doctors are laxed in informing patients of proper usage and drug interactions,for instance I've been on a medication for over 15 years and was never told,until a couple of years back that it was to be taken alone with no other meds.This medication is a life saver for me and all those years I took it wrong and never knew it.

This subject can go either way drugs can save you or kill you,it's what you do with them that makes the difference.

Some people are in search of an instant miracle cure for whatever ails them in life,be it food,alcohol or drugs unfortunately most don't realize they won't find them in these substances until it's too late.

there is a lot that needs to be fixed when it come to doctor/patient care and the drugs they prescribe them,we need more preventive measures,and a health care system that focuses on your health and not just prescribing pills.

I would also recomend that if you are prescribed a medication to look it up to find out exactly what your taking and how you should take it.

there is no easy answer to this dilemma the very pill that can save you... also can kill you

reply to post by getreadyalready


My sister has permanent nerve damage to her foot and leg due to a back surgery that went wrong. Her foot feels like its on FIRE constantly. There is no permanent fix as you can't really heal nerves and any sort of surgery would be too risky or cause worse damage. And she had the surgery when she was 16..shes 23 now and will have the pain until she dies. She has been to a million different neurologists, back specialists, pain management...they all say the same thing.

She has to take opiates or she has NO quality of life. Imagine someone holding a hot iron to your foot 24/7, sounds totally awesome right? She would kill herself if she didn't have pain pills to help.

Not everything is fixable. There is no eventually.

Plus not even to mention how many people are born with permanent deformities, genetic disorders, birth defects, that are born in pain and just stay that way because there is no cure.

reply to post by RealSpoke


I have burning in my legs and feet too. One thing that really helped me with that was a drug called Neurontin (Gabapentin). Non-narcotic and does wonders for certain types of nerve pain.
Maybe that can help your sister. I hope so anyway - it does pretty good for me.
Tell your sis she's not alone.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


I feel for you. Peoples lack of empathy just drives me crazy.

Yeah she takes Neurotin and Lyrica as well. She says Lyrica works better than Neurotin so you might want to try that too, its in the same family of drugs or whatever. Only thing is that there is no generic to it because its relatively new.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

reply to post by RealSpoke


The magnesium therapy I discussed early is successfully used for many different kinds of chronic pain.

You say opiates are the only thing that allow a normal life, has your sister explored outside the pharma route or just stuck with what her doctor prescribed? She'll never find a cure in a prescription, curing problems isn't their business, but that doesn't mean an effective cure isn't within reach, you're just going to have to do a bit of trial and error to see what works and what doesn't.

reply to post by RealSpoke

If a person goes to 20 different doctors to get 20 different pills then that person has an ADDICTION problem.

As to my naivety, I deal with this for 40 hours each and every week, LOL!

As to the quote above, you are wrong. SOME people doctor shop because they have an addiction, but some people do it because their insurance company and general practitioner think they have to. They go in for something simple, a backache, or migraines. If the doctor told them to eat better foods and get some exercise, that is what they would do, but instead the doctor tells them to take a Lortab, and go see a Neurologist. The Neurologist subsequently tells them to take a Topamax and go see a Rheumatologist, and that Dr tells them to take a Muscle Relaxer and get some sleep, but they can't sleep, so they go back to their GP and he gives them some Ambien....... get it? They are just doing exactly what the doctors tell them to do, and the doctors are doing what the insurance company tells them to do.

I guarantee my mother-in-law would never seek out an illegal drug, or do anything against doctors orders, but under the supervision of a doctor she is very susceptible to drug interactions.

And, have you read the pamphlets that come with drugs? Tiny, tiny print, very technical, and very cumbersome, it is ridiculous to think a layman is getting anything useful out of those pamphlets.

Shameless Bumper Cars!

Good thread OP, starred flagged and bookmarked.

I try not to take ANYTHING together. I know a few people right off hand who have died like this.

I really wish we could ban Politicians and most Doctors and definitely all Lawyers.

Personal Story:

3 years ago, i suffered a breakdown. Whilst in hospital, i was given the sleeping pill "Zopiclone" at it's highest dosage.

When i left hospital, i was still prescribed it. This drug was once peddled on the market as a non addictive version of Benzodiazepines (Valium, Ativan and the like). They are a different make up to Benzodiazepines, but work on the exact same gaba receptors.

Little did they know (or did they?) they are just as bad as Benzodiazepines in their addictive qualities (which they are discovering more and more now).
I found myself becoming very tolerant to them and needing more, i would run out of my script early and suffer horrendous withdrawals before my next script was filled. I discovered a way of getting hold of more and started taking 4-5 tablets daily, along with the occasional Benzo (Ativan, Clonazepam and Xanax) which are cross tolerant with the Z-Drugs.

Last year, i got so ill i thought i had something like MS because of the symptoms i was suffering. Deep down i knew it was the tablets, but went along to the doctors anyway to get myself tested for allsorts, all coming back clear. I walked away and researched these tablets fully (i wish i would have done it sooner). I realised i was suffering interdose and tolerance withdrawals from the drugs, once i started spacing them out evenly throughout the day, i found myself becoming better. I then picked up the phone and rang my local substance misuse team and told them i needed help.

I have done a slow crossover to Diazepam (valium), which has taken about 8 weeks. Now i will slowly taper off these evil things, which could take up to 6 months with a host of withdrawal symptoms. You can't cold turkey from these drugs, especially if you've been on them long term and taken many a day. You could end up having seizures and awful protracted withdrawals which can last upto a year to two years. For some it can take your central nervous system a long time to heal from these drugs.

It surprised me that i was allowed scripts for such a long time. I call my addiction accidental, because if i was never prescribed these things, i would never have become addicted to them.
They are only intended for short term use and even if you use them short term it can be hard to stop them. Some Doctors are very ignorant when it comes to the addictive qualities to these types of drugs. They are often given out for Anxiety and Insomnia like sweets, but are a double edged sword and can end up making things worse. Then when the Patient walks into their Doctors office and says my problems are worse (usually because they are suffering from interdose or tolerance withdrawals) the Doctor often ups the dosage.

It's lucky i don't drink at all anymore and haven't for some years, because if i was adding alcohol to the mix i would have been in serious danger of overdosing.

I also take an Anti-Depressant and an Anti-Psychotic. I believe these are way over prescribed too. For me they have helped me tremendously (but for a lot of people they are not often needed). When i have finished my taper from the "Evil" pills as i call them, and have healed i will be looking into getting off the other drugs too.

I would like to say, if you are ever offered Benzo's for Anxiety, or Z-drugs for Insomnia, do not accept them. You can become incredibly addicted to them. There are other ways of coping with Anxiety and Insomnia if you do a little research.

If you have a severe mental health problem, drugs such as anti-depressants and anti-psychotics can be helpful if needed. But if you are just mildly depressed, anxious, or stressed, there are other ways of dealing with these problems rather than taking pills.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


But you are actively seeking a permanent cure.

I realize there are cases, such as yours, but what I see in my office makes those cases a small minority. A lot of these addictions and deaths come originally from simple things that could have been handled different in the beginning, but they snowball out of control once multiple doctors get involved.

For those cases that are getting top notch care, and no clear solution exists, and pain meds are the only option, of course I support the use of the pain meds. And, it is difficult in those situations, because there is often no good news that can be relayed to a patient. It is difficult to tell someone they are going to be in pain the rest of their life, and pain meds will help to a certain extent, but overtime they will become less and less effective.

I'm sorry for those people that do suffer in this way, and I hope we get better at finding the cause for their pains.

Still, your case is a rare one, the majority of cases I see have other solutions that are either lazily ignored, or only explored long after addiction has already become a problem.

reply to post by RealSpoke

She has to take opiates or she has NO quality of life. Imagine someone holding a hot iron to your foot 24/7, sounds totally awesome right? She would kill herself if she didn't have pain pills to help.

Not everything is fixable. There is no eventually.

I don't want to sound like an old broken record, but personally, I would not, and could not live addicted to pain meds.

I blew myself up once, about 15 years ago. Full-thickness burns over 25% of my body, exposed bone in a couple of places, multiple surgeries and skin-grafts, etc. After the initial emergency treatment and first 2 nights in the hospital, I became more coherent. They wanted me on a Morphine Pump, but I didn't trust doctors, and didn't want to be loopy, so I refused. I took a single Percocet each morning of my debridement and before each physical therapy session. I was told to take off work for 2 years, and I was told I would always walk with a limp, and I was told I would never regain sensation in many areas of my body, etc., etc.

Instead, I started my own physical therapy while I was still combined to bed rest. I stretched my muscles, tendons, and skin. My physical therapist and I made devices I could use from my bed. I was back at work, on full-duty within 6 weeks, although I did injure my fragile skin a couple of times as a result, it was probably not a good idea in hindsight.

Anyhow, long story short, yes, there are some areas of continuing pain. Pain is a warning signal. Pain alerts your brain that a potential problem exists. In cases such as your sisters, Faulty nerves and nerve damage mess up those signals and you get false impressions of pain. I have some of those. It took a few years, but eventually I learned to ignore them. Massage and Acupuncture helped. Will Power helps. Sometimes the pain returns, and I notice there is a real problem. Some of my skin has no sensation at all, and I occasionally injure myself with cuts, or burns in those areas, and I have to deal with those injuries. Other times, I feel intense pain, I check out the area, there is no injury, so I have to ignore the pain.

I'm not some superman, I'm not saying people can, or should be able to ignore all pain, but in a case where there is known nerve damage, and the faux pain will be there for a lifetime, then she is going to have to figure out something besides pills to make it go away. If she is 23, she cannot live on Narcotics for a full lifetime. It will destroy her mind, and her liver. A foot injury should not be a death sentence, she is just going to have to find another way. I was also about 22 when I blew myself up. If I had stuck with the Morphine, Vicodin, and not done the therapies instead, I would probably still be disabled and hooked on the drugs.

I have on last thing I'd like to add to this thread.

If you have prescription pain meds don't tell anyone who doesn't need to know. I realize how hypocritical that may sound coming from me but nobody here knows where I live or can find out.

People who live in coal country seem to be having the worst epidemic of pain med abuse due to so many ex-coal miners with black lung. Family, friends and strangers will steal them for money or to get high. The fewer who know about it the better.

Lock up your medications. Only take out what you need for the day and do the same for any scripts you might have. I have a 1/2 ton gun safe I keep mine in. Nobody is going to run away with that.

If you're traveling take along an extra day or two's worth since your car can break down and you might get stuck far away from your meds and doctor. Nobody is going to help you out of state.

Important information; When out of the house and carrying medications (especially class II narcotics) make sure they are in the bottle the pharmacy gave you otherwise you will be considered to be in Illegal posession of drugs. No joke.

I have been prescribed very close to all of the medications that have been mentioned in this thread... I refuse to take any more of the pain medication I am prescribed and will go without one or two of the 3 doses of morphine, tramadol, and cyclobenzaprine during times when my level of pain isn't as intense... I only have my prescriptions refilled when I am getting low on them and if the VA messes up and I am without meds for a couple of weeks I suffer from withdrawals but since I have been in such intense pain so much of my life I know I can get through it OK..... Doctors at the Dallas VA Hospital told me after taking Xrays of my back that I had been experiencing far more pain than the majority of people would in a life time... He also said I had the kind of injuries that are seen in eighty year old men that had spent their entire life working in coal mines... That was 32 years ago... If I didn't have the medication as a means of knocking the edge off of the pain there is no doubt that when it was at its worse I would have killed myself.... I also take other medications that my doctors don't usually allow patients to take in combination with each other.. It is apparent to them that I am a responsible person that is realistic and accepts that I am going to almost always be experiencing some degree of pain and won't endanger myself by chasing a high.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
reply to post by getreadyalready

 

That's just the short version of the horror stories I could tell. I've been in the ER 3 times for running out of meds and twice it had nothing to do with me but mistakes the doctor made or because of a recall of a certain drug.

The last person being considered is the pain patient, I can tell you that. The state wants to look "tough" on crime, and the doctors and the pharmacy are worried about covering their own butts.

Pain patients have to watch out for themselves because no one else will. We have no lobbyists, no advocates and no representation. It's a damn lonely situation to find yourself in.

edit on 16-2-2012 by Asktheanimals because: (no reason given)

Hell in Florida its so dam bad we are looked at like addicts. I have had my back operated on three times and the last one did not fix the pain I was in thanks to a bad diagnosis.

The pain is extreme, I was told by the last neurosurgeon to never let anyone mess with my back again because its beyond repair by today's procedures. He told me to stay on pain meds and try to live a good life.

I am on fentanyl patches, 100 mgh every three days. Well company who makes the fentanyl patches accidentally shorted me two patches in a box. I get two boxes a month, each normally having five patches.

Now, I keep these patches locked up and keep a calender with them to not lose track of when I took one out. I called my Pain doctor to let him know what happened, now I have been with this doctor for over four years and never had a problem with my meds. I also called the company who made the patches and they admitted that it happens and that they would be happy to pay for the missing patches if the doctor writes a script for them.

My pain doctor outright refused to write a script for TWO patches so that left me with going to the hospital. I went to the hospital with all my records proving what had happened and the doctor there would not write me a script for anything stronger than Percocet, to witch I would have to pay a large amount of cash I did not have to get. WTF!!

So being left with no other options but being in massive pain and withdrawals for six days, witch can kill a person I go see my family doctor who has known me for half of my life at least.

Well wouldn't you know it but thanks to OBAMACARE, Regular doctors can not write scripts for narcotics anymore. Only pain management doctors can and they will accuse you of doctor shopping for trying to go see another one.

After sitting in my family doctors office pleading with him because I had no other options, he called my pain management doctor and advised him that he was breaking the law by leaving me go through withdrawals.

So my pain doctor says that he would write me a script for Suboxone. Suboxone only blocks the withdrawals but it also will block any pain medication you take. Needless to say I was stark raving mad but it was better than nothing so i picked up the script from the pain doctor and made them give me a release from their ignorant contract.

Thanks to all these ignorant laws and the FEDS leaning on REAL doctors so hard I spent six days in bed in massive pain till I could see another pain doctor and get my medication.

The Feds have made it to where all these doctors cant or wont take responsibility for a persons health and that is absolute BS.

I think they are making this drug epidemic worse by doing this. Hell if I had the money at the time I probably would have just found what I needed on the street and told them all to go to hell.

reply to post by hypervigilant


And if you were not dealing with the VA you would have really had a hard time. I am glad you don't have to deal with the crap most of us do.