Pain Pill & Addiction

If you have read the threads in the Canyoneering section, I posted a thread back in March about my Rappelling accident in Moab. I fell over 30+ feet like a rock and fortunately, only broke 1 ankle (the talus, actually. Nothing else). I also thank God everyday that I didn't land on my head (even with a helmet on) or back (had a backpack on too which cushioned the blow when my ankles blew out) or anything else.

And on June 2nd, I get my hardcast removed, and will be able to resume "normal activity". And my brothers, sisters and I have made a goal for me to lose weight (I've gained 10lbs due to inactivity due being in a wheelchair and crutches) and run the Ogden Half-Marathon next year!

Anyways, my point, ever since the accident, my doctor prescribed 120 percocets for the pain - and luckily for me I didn't use a whole lot of them.

I have quite a few left...but I'll be honest, they really, really, really, really work. Not just in knocking out the pain (which I have none now), but also in making you feel really, really, really, really...... good. And that feeling of euphoria lasts for hours. And it's very tempting to take them just for that feeling again.

So, with my better judgement, I poured gasoline all over them and lit them on fire just a few hours ago. I wanted to get rid of any temptation...a bit drastic, but druggies get desperate, as we know.

I actually feel 10x better knowing that they are gone, because I have heard so many stories from friends of friends, and one family member, and others who have struggled with narcotic addiction. And now I have experienced that high - first hand. Very scary! Very addictive. And self-destructive.

This is a judge-free zone, but it really has opened my eyes to the powerful nature of these things. Don't get me wrong, I've studied about it, heard the stories, and ignored it, until it got very personal.

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Originally Posted by jman

Anyways, my point, ever since the accident, my doctor prescribed 120 percocets for the pain

...

So, with my better judgement, I poured gasoline all over them and lit them on fire just a few hours ago.

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http://treebeard31.files.wordpress.c...i-was-like.jpg

Actually, I hear ya. I've had both of my knees done, broken ribs from bike crashes, stuff like that. I've been through a minor depression after I ran out of pills. While taking them, it's easy to justify how good they actually are for you because they make you nice. :bandit:

I refused the vicodin and percoscet (sp???) for this very reason.

For pain, I only take Tylenol #3. I only took them for two days and then I went to OTC Tylenol and Advil.

Good for you! :clap::clap::clap:

As I'm a couple of weeks ahead of you in the recovery process, I can tell you that it really hurts to start weight bearing and walk again. But I hurt for three months before the surgery, so at least this pain is recovery pain and no longer injury pain.

Get well!!! :nod:

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Originally Posted by Sombeech

Actually, I hear ya. I've had both of my knees done, broken ribs from bike crashes, stuff like that. I've been through a minor depression after I ran out of pills. While taking them, it's easy to justify how good they actually are for you because they make you nice. :bandit:

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haha to the picture above - that was true for me. They really do "fix" your state of mind, that's why I can "try" to understand why there are alcoholics and pain addicts in the world. I have learned never to pass judgement on them, well, really on anybody, but especially those who have physical addictions, and wish others could do the same. They will truly never know what it's like to experience it.

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Originally Posted by jman

And on June 2nd, I get my hardcast removed, and will be able to resume "normal activity". And my brothers, sisters and I have made a goal for me to lose weight (I've gained 10lbs due to inactivity due being in a wheelchair and crutches) and run the Ogden Half-Marathon next year!

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glad to hear it. may you have a speedy return normal

and here i was going to offer you good money for the lot.:cry1:

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Originally Posted by Felicia

I refused the vicodin and percoscet (sp???) for this very reason.

For pain, I only take Tylenol #3. I only took them for two days and then I went to OTC Tylenol and Advil.

Good for you! :clap::clap::clap:

As I'm a couple of weeks ahead of you in the recovery process, I can tell you that it really hurts to start weight bearing and walk again. But I hurt for three months before the surgery, so at least this pain is recovery pain and no longer injury pain.

Get well!!! :nod:

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Thanks I appreciate that! I'm sorry and wish you the best in your recovery. It really is amazing what we learn about pain and suffering, on all aspects.

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Originally Posted by denaliguide

and here i was going to offer you good money for the lot.:cry1:

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will a picture of the burn't remnants suffice for a couple G from ya? :nod:

Well done Jman. :2thumbs: I deal with the consequences to my clients almost daily due to their pain/depression pill addictions. I was in court this morning for a client charged with a dui due to pain pills. Gratefully, pain pills mostly make me sick so the temptation is not there. However, those things have certainly screwed up a bunch of people. I often wish doctors would prescribe by the day or week not month or two months. Yes, pain pill have their place. Heaven knows I was grateful for the two I took the night following my knee scope. I would have never been able to sleep let alone deal with that initial post surgery pain.

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Originally Posted by Scott Card

Well done Jman. :2thumbs: I deal with the consequences to my clients almost daily due to their pain/depression pill addictions. I was in court this morning for a client charged with a dui due to pain pills. Gratefully, pain pills mostly make me sick so the temptation is not there. However, those things have certainly screwed up a bunch of people. I often wish doctors would prescribe by the day or week not month or two months. Yes, pain pill have their place. Heaven knows I was grateful for the two I took the night following my knee scope. I would have never been able to sleep let alone deal with that initial post surgery pain.

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That's what happened to me to - it made my stomach really sick. And on the ride home from Moab, I threw up 6+ times due to the meds. But after a few weeks of taking them daily for the pain - it don't bother it AT ALL...even on a empty stomach. The max dosage was 2 pills within a 4-6 hour frame, and I could take 1 1/2 pills on a empty stomach. 2 full ones would make me puke. But I'm a big dude 190lbs (but now 200 due to the inactivity) and I can imagine the effects on a woman or a really skinny teenager (or adult, I suppose).

Scott, is it true that people taking narcotics can not sign legal papers?

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Originally Posted by jman

Scott, is it true that people taking narcotics can not sign legal papers?

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I am not sure the technical answer to that. I know that I kinda snicker when a judge asks a person being sentenced for drug use whether he/she is on any kind of drug or medication prior to giving an answer. Do judges really think the dude is going to admit to that in court? I guess if they are high enough, they will. I know it is a required question.

Seriously though, it can be an issue if perceived by either witnesses to the signing or afterwords when the signors head clears and the signor freaks out for having signed something stupid. It is a heavy burden of proof, however, either way. The law presumes that if you sign, you understood and agree with what you sign. People contesting wills will often bring this up that dad or mom were doped up on meds and really didn't mean to cut them out of the will.... nasty, ugly cases they are.

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Originally Posted by Scott Card

I know that I kinda snicker when a judge asks a person being sentenced for drug use whether he/she is on any kind of drug or medication prior to giving an answer. Do judges really think the dude is going to admit to that in court? I guess if they are high enough, they will. I know it is a required question.

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:roflol:

I've seen two defendants answer this question with an affirmative. The look on the faces of the various legal participates was priceless each time.

The first defendant was set to be remanded to a jail term of a year and he said that he just needed a little help getting through the morning. The other defendant was in custody and was going up state. He said that just because he was in the cage, it did not mean that he could not have access to the drug of his choice. The first guy has his OR revoked and bail was set for a further date. The second guy was labeled a total sep and trailed to a future date.

Never say never. Just when you think you have seen it all, someone comes along to surprise you. :mrgreen:

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Originally Posted by Felicia

:roflol:

I've seen two defendants answer this question with an affirmative. The look on the faces of the various legal participates was priceless each time.

The first defendant was set to be remanded to a jail term of a year and he said that he just needed a little help getting through the morning. The other defendant was in custody and was going up state. He said that just because he was in the cage, it did not mean that he could not have access to the drug of his choice. The first guy has his OR revoked and bail was set for a further date. The second guy was labeled a total sep and trailed to a future date.

Never say never. Just when you think you have seen it all, someone comes along to surprise you. :mrgreen:

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:lol8:
If this ever happened to me I would probably laugh myself silly then smack my client upside the head, then I would request a tape of the event to show at family functions....

I was on percocets following a shoulder separation about 25 years ago.

I didn't protest too loudly when a couple of buds poached a few for recreational use but ran myself out of the balance of my prescription. It was for 60 IIRC and I probably took between 50 and 55 myself. They made some pretty hard chairs so very comfortable that I had to be careful about falling asleep in the kitchen while Carol did the dishes.

All in all, I had a tough week or so but appreciated running out as well.

I spent four days in criminal court for moral support last fall. Every other case involved drugs or alcohol in some way or another. I highly recommend it to anybody who's never been. Those who have never been around around drugs, drug users, or experienced it themselves and yet still feels qualified to pass judgement needs a reality check.

You burned them? :facepalm:


Attachment 33606

When I tore my knee up skiing and the doc asked me what I wanted for pain I told him tequila:bandit:. He gave me percoset. I didn't take it that night I left the ER. The next morning my Dad came by to check on me. He made me take one percoset for the pain and left. I was alone with one of those straight leg braces and had to pee. I made it to the bathroom, peed and apparently pulled my panties back up before I passed out into the bath tub. I came to and realized where I was and went back out again. Came to and made it far enough into my room and I passed out safely on the bed. Came around again and crawled under the covers and passed out. Mom came by after work gave me another percoset so like 8 hours later. She stuck around and fed the kids. I felt like sheeeeet after dinner in bed and thought maybe a shower would help. The shower is downstairs. So me and my braced leg make it to the bottom of the stairs and I pass out. Wake up make it to the downstairs bathroom, felt like I was going to throw up (which I NEVER EVER EVER do) sat down on the toilet and came to with my mom proping me up and holding the waste basket in my face (no i didn't puke). I decided that taking a shower was a bad idea. I made it out the door of the bathroom into the adjacent door of my daughters room and passed out trying to make it to her bed. That one hurt!

I will never ever ever ever ever ever I don't care how bad I hurt take percoset again!!! I will stick to my tequila. I have yet to pass out drinking tequila.

I didn't throw out the drugs and a lovely friend of mine stole them. Well they are no longer my friend.

Anyway I kinda think my experiece is funny. Glad you recognize the fact that you could end up addicted if you don't dispose of them. Addiction sucks! Seen plenty of good people go through hell because of it.

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

You burned them? :facepalm:

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x2

To each his own jman. If it was your right thing to do then it was the right thing to do. No reason to lose control.

I've been lucky to avoid the addiction issues. :drink::friday::boozer::pitcher::beer::cheers: :slobber1:




:coffee:

When I had a nasty knee problem (twenty freakin' years ago*), I was given Demerol in the hospital. I had a (badly) dislocated knee, and the Demerol really helped for the hour or two until they got me into surgery. It still hurt like a son-of-a-gun, but I didn't really care anymore - it was like it was someone else's pain; totally detached. When I got out of the hospital, I had a cast on for 6 weeks while medial collateral ligament re-attached itself to my tibia. When that came off, my knee was totally seized with scar tissue inside. I had to go to rehab (it was a worker compensation claim) to try to loosen it up, and regain and improve motion and stability in my knee. I never got anything stronger than Tylenol 3s after I was out of the hospital. Sometimes I wished I had more, but the pain was manageable, so I just sucked it up.

I had a manual transmission, and a left leg that I couldn't bend. Unable to use the clutch, I had to take transit to the rehab centre, hobbling along on crutches. It was a long way away - 45 minutes on a bus, 35 minutes on light rail, then 30 more minutes on another bus. Each way. For about a week. The Tylenol 3s made me feel a little sick, and combined with a long bus and train ride - I felt a LOT sick. So I took some Gravol prior to boarding the bus. The combination of T3 and Gravol knocked me right out. A couple of times I missed my stop, and ended up late for rehab. Finally they gave me a room in the residence - that commute while wasted, then arriving semi-incoherent, was not working out for anybody! After a week, my mom bought me a crappy little rust bucket - with an automatic transmission. Man, it was good to drive again.

I spent a couple of weeks at rehab (worker's compensation claim) trying to loosen the knee, but eventually they had to put me under a general anesthetic and reef on my leg until it all ripped free. That was about the worst pain I've ever had, when I came to. They kept me overnight, on a little machine that bent and straightened my leg constantly, all freakin' night. Most miserable night I've ever spent. About 4 more weeks in rehab after that, and I was good to go.

Anyway, the knee still hurts sometimes, but never more than a Vitamin I or Tylenol 1 can handle. Wouldn't mind trying out a Percocet or Oxycontin just to see how big a jump it is from your basic codeine preparations. (Tylenol 1 is available without prescription in Canada - they have 1/4 of the codeine that Tylenol 3s have. Very nice to have a few in the first aid kit just in case.)


* My knee injury: in 1990, I worked in a granite processing plant, cutting, polishing and dimensioning granite slabs. Through a slight mishap involving poor balance, I had a 1500 pound slab of granite fall against the outside of my left knee. It landed on my lower leg, with the medial side against the floor, and my thigh still completely upright. Picture looking at me from the front, and my left leg was making an "L" shape, straight sideways. When the stone was lifted off, the sockets at the top of the tibia/fibula had jumped to the wrong spot on the bottom of my femur. My left leg stuck out at a 45 degree angle from straight. Both cruciate ligaments were ruptured, and the medial collateral ligament tore off the top of the tibia. The orthopedic surgeon performed an open reduction, putting the knee back into place, and stapling the MCL to the tibia. The cruciates were left as they were. The knee is now relatively stable, considering the severity of the injury. Side to side stresses can cause a lot of pain (skiing and tennis suck big time). There is some instability when the knee is bent more than about 60 or 70 degrees, but as long as I keep my legs strong, they keep holding up. The worker's comp claim is never closed, so if there is future trouble with instability, I can always go back for a reconstruction. At this point (20 years in) I don't think I'll need it.

So there ya go - I totally get ligament and joint problems. Sometimes I wish I'd just busted the bone, rather than the ligaments - might make for better stability now.

OK, I've yapped enough. :blahblah:

Hope you heal up quick, jman, and glad you ain't hooked on anything worse than, like, Mountain Dew or something. :haha:

Definitely wouldn't have burned them. Ya put them in a safe keeping spot until the next time you get back from a canyoneering trip and your feet are blistered, your muscles are aching, and you feel the oncoming of a nasty cold. They also make a sweet addition to your possibles bag...

I disagree Reedus. There is a reason that he felt compelled to go through the effort to burn them from his wheel chair or crutches. He did the right thing under the circumstance and I respect his decision.

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Originally Posted by Felicia

I disagree Reedus. There is a reason that he felt compelled to go through the effort to burn them from his wheel chair or crutches. He did the right thing under the circumstance and I respect his decision.

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X2

Jman- Congrats on recognizing a potential problem and removing the temptation. It takes a strong person to do something like that. :2thumbs:

When I had a very minor addiction several years ago, it really sucked coming off of them. I actually started wondering if I could fake an injury so I could get another prescription. Luckily I just manned up and got through it.

Later on I learned to control it. I've still got some leftovers from something, now I can't remember. Maybe broken ribs or a knee problem, but I've got some Percocet and Lortab in a container. It sure does come in handy when you take a spill on the trail or I tweak my knee again and just need about 24 hours of pain relief. The last time I used one was at the Moabfest in October, I had some wicked bad neck spasms and I had to fit a Slickrock bike ride in.

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Originally Posted by Reedus

Definitely wouldn't have burned them. Ya put them in a safe keeping spot until the next time you get back from a canyoneering trip and your feet are blistered, your muscles are aching, and you feel the oncoming of a nasty cold. They also make a sweet addition to your possibles bag...

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Totally agree

But I guess if you were going to start knocking off pharmacies once your script ran out burning them now was a good idea. Otherwise I just would of enjoyed more then a few of them then stashed rest.

This is coming from a guy who still has painkillers stashed away from my ankle injury almost three years ago. Sure I splurged a bit for the first few weeks or so but once they were half gone... well I still have some. I always keep a few pain killers in my mini first aid kit and they have come in handy on more than a few occasions.
Most recently after backpacking 20+ miles my feet were trashed and bloody having a little sompthing-sompthing once I got back to the car (I was not driving) really saved my day.

to each his own i guess.... but if we are hiking and you break your leg I am going to remind you while we wait for SAR that you should of kept yours while I am sharing mine :haha:

In the end, if you fear addiction, sell them for profit :afro:

I've been through 4 ACL reconstructions and some other choice injuries like shoulders and broken bones but the percocets and lortabs make me hallucinate (imaginary spiders and people) and when I've been shot up with demoral (after requesting no demoral!)I just about lost my lunch all over the hospital room. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

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Originally Posted by blueeyes

the doc asked me what I wanted for pain I told him tequila:bandit:. He gave me percoset.

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Back in the good ol' days.... We were in St. George for spring break. It took us about 2 minutes to figure out that we could dive off our second floor balcony into the hotel swimming pool. Which really made the run back up to the room for anther beer a lot quicker....

Anyhoo.... my buddy Boozer dove off the balcony and cracked his head open on the bottom of the pool. So we loaded Boozer into the car and took him over to the hospital to get patched up. After stitching his head back up the doc handed Boozer some Percosets for the pain.... and the instructions.... "Don't take these with alcohol".... Boozer looked at the bottle of pills and tossed them back to the doc with the reply "In that case.... keep them".... the look on the doc's face was priceless....

:friday:

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

and the instructions.... "Don't take these with alcohol".... Boozer looked at the bottle of pills and tossed them back to the doc with the reply "In that case.... keep them".... the look on the doc's face was priceless....

:friday:

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Classic! :haha:

In small doses it works great for excruciating pain! I'm not against that at all. Recreation use, though, is a horrible idea.

Again and again, news agencies, especially recently here in Utah, they say that there have been more deaths by prescription abuse than car accidents. That's shocking. And mothers who take narcotics while pregnant, pass on respiratory depression to their babies.

On a side-note, I worked for Dixie Ambulance in St. George and was with them for 2years as a EMT-I. Most obituaries down there of young adults were due to ODing of drugs and alcohol poisoning ...I saw those same kids as we loaded them up from their friends house or secret spot in the slickrock hills and administered CPR and narcan to remove the high. They would get a sinus rythm going for a sec, then due to the OD or recreation drugs or prescription pills, then their body would seize (which is very ugly sight) and go back into heart failure, for which CPR and ALS would not work. Time and time again, the story never changes, and it seems like people don't learn from others.

You may take it for blisters or a paper-cut, but I really hope one-day you won't become addicted. I learned I have the potential to be one, that's why I stopped.

I've never understood why people abuse pain pills because they don't make me high. If anything, they make me grumpy. Then again, no drug except pot has ever made me high and thankfully I quit trying to find a drug that would by the time I was 16.

I do take quite a bit of pain medication and muscle relaxants for the spasticity pain that comes with MS. They really work and I'd be a screaming cow without them.

Burning percoset? No way dudette. You should've kept them for bartering. :haha:

yeah dudette!

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Originally Posted by Spooky

Burning percoset? No way dudette. You should've kept them for bartering. :haha:

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it's kinda funny actually, that after I initially wrote the post, I got two PMs from people I have never seen before asking how much I would sell it to them for.

You have MS? Wow. I'm sorry.

Yup, I burned them - it was good sight alright!

Dudette. :haha:

jman's avatar may be a chick, (and totally mesmerizing) but jman's a dude.

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Originally Posted by Cirrus2000

Dudette. :haha:

jman's avatar may be a chick, (and totally mesmerizing) but jman's a dude.

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:shock:



Duuuuuuuude....sorry. :lol8:

Good for you man. I lost a cousin who had back surgery and ended up getting addicted to the pills. He was taking like (?)20 a day. I'm still pissed at him.

Jman's avatar really is mesmerizing. Even without the pain pills. :wink:

I have been back on pain pills again for less than a week and i am not happy with them.. my moods are all jacked up i just cant wait for the pain stem to be placed so i wont hurt any more. I have been given lortab 10's but i break them in half otherwise i get really sick from them. If i was going to have to wait for more than a week i would be researching some other way to resolve the pain again but for a week it is not so bad if you spend anymore time on them than that the body has some real issues coming off of the stuff and it is just not worth it IMHO..

What is a pain stem and how does it work?