Hi everyone, new to this group. I suffered an industrial accident on the 30th March 98 where I fell 20-24ft from a tanker and smashed both heel's through the ankle's. 5 days later I went through the 1st of 8 surgeries the last of which fused both my subtaler joints.
Over the year's I have been on many combination's of pain meds, over the last 6 years I have been on 175mgph fentanyl trans dermal patches changed every 48hrs rather than the normal 72hrs. I am also on pregabalin 200mg plus naproxen 500mg. I have been on this concoction now for over 6 years.
I asked for a referral back to the pain clinic back iin June last year and I was seen there on Tuesday earlier this week were I was basically called a junkie, and she couldn't do anything with me till I was cut down to under 50 mgph fentanyl. She didn't have enough available appointments do reduce my fentanyl addiction!!!!!.
Scunnered to find myself in this position by no fault of my own, I have followed my GP's instructions only to find myself with a huge opiate addiction
Written by
cruicky68
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My Pain specialist advised me that there was a difference between being addicted, and being Physiologically Dependent. No-one would call a diabetic addicted to Insulin, but they need to take it daily!
An addict is a person who takes a drug for a feeling of "highness" and has no physical state that the medication could treat. An addict is also frequently seeking higher and higher doses, to get the same "kick".
A Person who is Physiologically dependent is taking a drug to alleviate a symptom of some sort, under medical advice. They may find that, in time, the dose becomes inadequate, either because the symptom worsens, or the drug's effects lessen after a while.
Calling a person an addict, and stigmatising them, does not help their illness, nor help them to consider reducing the level of their medication. Any medical professional doing this is UNprofessional, and should reconsider their choice of Medicine as a career. There are a small number of centres in the UK which will assist people to detox, if you want to, but reducing your medication without medical supervision is not to be advised - you have no idea whether you could suffer severe ill effects.
It's funny, I think doctor's are re writing the rules on Pain. A visit to my Pain Doctor said that even though I've had several operations on my back and am left with chronic back pain, they will, from now on, refuse to prescribe opiates for Chronic Pain and want me to start to,reduce my Morphine, (Bugger that!)
The Gabapentin I tried had me hallucinating after only 100mg and the Duloxatine made me sleep all the time and I mean all the time ... 20 out of 24 hours!
To make you feel as if you were an addict when they had prescribed the stuff in the first place is disgusting!
I'm sure you know, not to come off that high a dose Cold Turkey. Do you have an understanding GP?
My GP told me that because of the huge issue of the amount of opiates prescribed, the surgery is trying to deal with Chronic Pain as a Pain Clinic would ...
Your Pain Doctor certainly can't reduce that high an amount of medications without proper supervision.
What the pain clinic said is both right and wrong. They are right in the fact that you may have become very addicted and you are too doped up to think straight. They are wrong to imply that it is all your fault when you have been reliant on the services of the GP who has failed you.
You cannot stop cold turkey that would be devastating. How you taper off some of the medications I have no idea. You need to speak to the local qualified BSc pharmacist and get there advice as to what specialists you need to see or what to say to your GP. Pharmacists are qualified in the behaviour of drugs GPs are not. GPs are the gateway to specialist health services.
Worth contacting the local football team and finding out who they recommend in regard to sports massage therapist. You have probably loads of over tight muscles which need to be untightened. This can only be done by hand massage techniques. over tight muscles are very painful.
I was in a very similar position just different drugs I became addicted to.
My cruch was morphine both tablet and liquid form. I was put o these by doctors and given a pretty much unlimited supply.
Then after 7 years I was told they weren't really the answer and they weren't working.
I had a brief moment of clarity and without any help from anyone I took it upon myself to get off these meds.
The gabapentine 900mg a day was first
I didn't think they were addictive so just stopped these. I wouldn't suggest this in hindsight. I was freaked out for around 4 days . Then I tackled the morphine. Liquid first. I thought easy because im taking tablets as well, so again just stopped. I think it went ok but people around me said I was a nightmare for a week .
So finally the mst. For some reason I became cautious and reduced 10mg per week from 100mg to 90 mg.
Unfortunately I found this one very tough. My pain didn't really flair up or get worse it was more the withdrawal.
So this ended up taking the best part of a year . With the 10mg to zero being extremely harsh .
I stuck with it . Im now free for around 6 years I now don't even like headache tablets flu stuff anything really .
Do I feel worse or better.
My pain is pretty much the same. But
I find life so much easier to cope with.
The triggers that caused flair ups can now be rationalized as flair ups. Because my mind is clear and focused and drug free. Instead of the end of life feelings during flair ups when full of meds.
So I would say my life is way better.
I have been able to learn new coping strategies and am currently training to become a tutor for a local expert pain group. This is a massive distraction for me and helping others seems to help.
Apologies for the novel lol. Nope there is something in it that assists you.
Anything your decide regards meds try to do it as safely as possible and the very best of luck .
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Being ignored - Stuck in the NHS trap
Forced withdrawel of pain medication
Pain meds
Any help would be great ??
weaning off Fentanyl patches
