Thanks Lori for your story. I had side effects to topamax and nuvigil. I dont take them anymore. Doc took me off topamax and I quit the nuvigil I see a shrink for my depression and life issues. I think I've been on all the major name anti-depressants. Cymbalta worked fine for about a year than had to change. Dont know why but I do change my "crazy" meds up every so often. I find that sometimes you just need to pitch a fit and have a good cry tell the world where it can go and start over. For me its a strong faith and knowing that I'm not in this alone that gets me through it all. I'll pray for you and your brother and please know that you are loved.Smile big and smile often.
lori said:
Hi DragonSlayer...
I totally got where you were coming from with your 1st post on this topic...I, personally did not find it in the least offensive in any way, shape or form.
That being said..I thank you form brining it up..I would like to put my 2 cents in ...aside from the possibility of becoming dependent or addicted to pain meds..my question is: are the side effects worth it? My side effects from certain meds tend to be emotional...edgy, depressed, very anxious...not to mention the physcical side effects: constipation, no libido. low blood pressure..which can make me light headed at times.
Over the counter meds for pain do not help me..actually, they upset my belly more than the narcotocs. However, I am wondering if the pain meds are causing or at least adding to my state of mind..anxious, depressed and edgy? I am on Cymbalta for depression.
Does anyone else have side effects from the meds they are on that effect their emotional well-being?
I am grasping at straws as far as the cause to my state of well being...See, life issues are bad here...I have not 'corned the market' on life issue problems...WE all have them..My brother-in-law has Stage 4 colon cancer and has taken a turn for the worse..he is a brother to me after all these yrs..so, I oft times refer to him as my brother. Marital problems to boot ..ect..like I said..things other people have to deal with as well...any thoughts?
Thanks for brining this topic up, DragonSlayer! And Congrats to those of you who are living a clean and sober life ..one day at a time...that is just fantastic. I have another bro-in-law that is in recovery and is doing great...14 yrs clean and sober.....I am familiar with the disease of addiction and my hat goes off to those who are in recovery...no one sets out in this life to have a drink and become and alcoholic and no one sets out to become addicted to drugs, just my 2 cents again!!
You are Great !!! I knew where you were coming from. I was in no way insulted. I just shared my story & thoughts. Last week I talked to a teenager in horrible pain , but she was terrified of becoming addicted to pain meds. That hurts me for her, because I know she needs them. I have also had a friend ask me for pain meds in the past. Before I was diagnosed with CM and just had the Geniculate Neuralgia symptoms Dr's were throwing prescriptions at me. They didn't have a clue....but lets try this pill....yes the system doesn't work. I personally think Medical Marijuana should be legal in the US. It does help with pain mgmt, but I think people that use it medically should be held to stringent regulations to ensure the safety of others. I also am in constant pain that will never stop as long as I am alive. I come from a different perspective on pain and have learned a lot from other Members posts. Thanks for starting an interesting topic.
Tracy Z.
DragonSlayer said:
First if I offended anyone it was not my intent. A friend of mine with polio,bad joints from years of hardship with the polio,and some other chronic pain called me the other night and was wasted on thier meds. Since it was the first of the month I new they had just refieled them. In about a week I'll get a call asking if I have any spare meds. This misuse by a close friend the fact that I think opium is the best thing know to man and the fact that I'll get addict to skittles made me think on life a bit. We all are at different levels and we all tolerate differently. It's just that addiction can happen so fast without knowing it even when trying to avoid it. Sadly some docs dont care they just give something strong to make us go away. I am just expressing concerns because a withdrawal and life yearning for it after just adds to our problems. Please be careful do some research and work with a good management team. Apologies offered nothing but love meant. Thanks for the good posts.
I just posted this on another discussion about Chiari Medications and found some great Research & learned so much about Controlled Substances, Lists of Medications and their Schedules, Medication & Pain Terminology, How Medications are Classified,Legal & Safety Issues with great links . Just a lot of Valuable Information.
All drugs are classified under 5 different groups or 'schedules'. Schedule 1 being the strongest drug on the market and schedule 5 being the weakest. Most narcotics that doctors prescribe fall into the schedule 2 category. Morphine is one of the strongest and that is true, it's usually prescribed as fentanyl. But most doctors like to stick in the schedule 2 zone and reserve the schedule 1 drugs for patients who are dying, ie...cancer.
Codeine is a schedule 3 classification and not very strong. The top three strong pain medications that Dr.'s prescribe are, Percocet, Demerol, and Diluadid. Some Dr.'s will prescribe a fentanyl patch for patients who have a chronic problem. The biggest issue with pain killers, is the amount of acetametaphine that is in them. Which will make someone with liver disease worse. I think demerol however, doesn't contain acetametaphine.
Great Links on Drug Terminology, Medical Information & Legal safety Issues :
The link below is the DEA web site that lists all the drugs that are out there today and what there classifications are. You can see where different drugs line up against others as far as which ones are the strongest.
Thankfully I'm allergic to Lortab as well as Norco. Seems strange to be thankful about being allergic to pain meds when you have chronic pain but there you go. Before my surgery I just lived in pain. Now that I have had the surgery some of the pain has gone away. Gabapentin, flexeril, verapamil and ibuprofen seem to work in combination for me, but I only take them when I am in extreme pain. It is easy to see why Chiari sufferers would become addicted. You want the pain to stop, but you develop a resistance to the drug after prolonged use and need to increase the dose to stay ahead of the pain. Depression seems to go hand in hand with Chiari as well which ups the chances of you becoming addicted. I hope for the best for all of us. If you are struggling with addiction I hope that you get the help you need and that your Drs can find the right combination of meds to help ease the chronic pain.
I am very much in agreement with the verdict of meds being dangerously addictive. I am one of those caught between the lines on this topic. I go through severe roller coaster( Up and Down) periods and the timelines of these periods can last anywhere from days to months. Like a light switch is turned on and off, so is my pain. Also after two decompression surgeries I now have horrible, constant neck pain which usually causes tension headaches. I have not had any prescription medication for over two months now. That could change any day and at any time. There certainly have been days I have wanted to take something but I just pulled my normal routine which was doing nothing about it and letting the pain run its course. Most of the time when I take meds the meds themselves don't seem to do much for the pain. They do however knock the edge off of the pain and provide a little relief sometimes. Though I haven't been taking meds and I don't really like to because of the side affects, I would be nervous to to know I didn't have them on hand for those "light switch" situations. So in a way, if I didn't have them around psychologically it would have an affect also. I have tried all types of pain management meds, therapy and techniques. I found for me, nothing truly works. Chiari acts like it has a mind of its own and I have little to no control over what it chooses to do or when it chooses to do it. So, where do we go from here? What do you do other be a sitting duck until the next storm comes and passes just for it to happen again and again? You don't want to have to feel dependent on meds in any way. Being proactive and prepared for something you know is likely to happen is not a bad thing. Allowing yourself to become affected on emotional or psychological is easy though. The physical addiction from the meds can be just as overwhelming when not prepared. We each have our own ways of dealing with and managing our pain. Psychological addiction to a med can happen as easily as a physical addiction. It is tough..... Keep up the fight!
Just read your posts and wanted to mention one thing. I took steroid shots in my neck for years because of my neck pain, and before I ever had an MRI that finally showed I had Chiari....I had indications of it since birth. You mentioned broken ribs. Before you start on a bike, I would make sure to have a bone density test. I was diagnosed with chiari in my 30's, and by the time I was 40 I had experienced two broken bones in 5 years. Although my doctors said I didn't need a bone density test, I insisted, and was found to have severe osteoporosis at 40 years old. The cortisone shots might have contributed to it, or there might be genetic link to chiari and low calcuim levels and absorption issues. Anyway, just in case, I'd make sure you could ride a bike and not have an additional risk factors for a fall and possible break. Maybe a stationary bike would be better. Good luck.