Painkiller addiction, help!

[patcrawford1]

Hello everyone,

I am dealing with a big problem now - tramadol addiction. It feels pretty much the same as any opiate addiction. I started taking it for abdominal and joint pain about half a year ago and I have been on it or some other replacement opiate (hydrocodone, oxycodone) when I did not have tramadol.

I made the mistake of taking more than what the bottle said because I got such good pain relief from it. Also, it made me feel great and super productive. The problem is when I run out too fast before my refill, I feel terrible. My lower back aches about 12 after the last dose, massive depression, cannot even get off the couch. It is such an unpleasant experience that after one day or two I give up and call in for a refill.

Any advice on what to do? I am terrified, nobody knows of this including family, wife, friends, etc. I did a really good job of hiding my problem. I feel shame and I don't know if I should try to taper myself off or seek treatment. Please help and thanks for reading!

 

[plantluvr]

hiya.im sorry you are going through this. i too have been battling this on and off for yrs. clean now for over a yr and a half. all i can say is i had to take charge of my mind and body. will power. it takes alot of it to make a hard choice. i always seem to get addicted while flaring and have to go to the hospital. i had to learn different ways to cope with pain. and change my outlook that pain can only be managed with pills.. i have seen friends so addicted that they turned to herion. that always scared me and i never want to end up like that. so i keep that in the back of my mind. i tried methadone and suboxne which was also addictive it was to get off pills. i quit all the pills i was taking cold turkey. was horrible but i was determined. i would recommend talking to your doc about weaning. the pills help yes but they create a huge problem with some people.i dont think pills are the answer to everything. maybe attend some form of classes. coping with pain isnt so hard its thinking about it that the hard part. also pain pills can trick your mind into thinking the pain is worse and causes pain itself. also can mask symptomsof crohns. ive had docs tell me it is not good for the digestive tract. it is only a choice you can make. theres no light at the end of the addiction rd. i have several medical issues that warrant pills but i found other ways to heal and get relief . i wish you well and im here for support.

 

[patcrawford1]

Thanks for the advice, Plant lover! I hope I don't have to resort to methadone or suboxone, my own shrink says its a big undertaking and will get you hooked just like the pills. I hope and pray for the strength and discipline to taper down with my next refill of 90 pills. maybe I can do it over a couple months then get down to just a half a pill a day. I have tried cold turkey and I cannot stand the agony after about 24 hrs so I wimp out and head straight back to the medicine cabinet or call the doctor for a refill ASAP!

 

[UnXmas]

Hey, I just started a thread on the same thing (well, codeine addiction) : http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=55261

Do your doctors know? As I said in my thread, I just spoke to my doctor about it, and she actually didn't seem that bothered. All my family know, they don't really seem to think it's a big deal, so I'm left wondering whether I'm trying to make a problem out of something that, since the meds do really make me feel better, isn't actually harmful. It's not doing me any harm physically (according to my doctor), it's just disconcerting that I can only feel physically ok when I take the pain meds.

 

[plantluvr]

it is a horrible thing to have withdrawls. the pills do rewire our brain and can have negative effects on the liver so they are not completely safe. especially if it has acetametaphine aka tylenol. the problem is as you build tolerance your body is going to require more and when you need it like in a emergency or needing a colonoscopy it wont work. i have to be under general anastesia my last colonoscopy.

 

[UnXmas]

it is a horrible thing to have withdrawls. the pills do rewire our brain and can have negative effects on the liver so they are not completely safe. especially if it has acetametaphine aka tylenol. the problem is as you build tolerance your body is going to require more and when you need it like in a emergency or needing a colonoscopy it wont work. i have to be under general anastesia my last colonoscopy.

Mine are pure codeine, no paracetamol (acetaminophen). When I've been given morphine it still seems to work.

 

[Jim (POPS)]

patcrawford1,
I know where you are coming from. been there done that for over 6 years. If you are taking more than the Doc. gives you or you run out before your next refill than you may have a had time doing a tapper. After 6 years of taking Norco 10/325, 5-6 a day I went to the hospital detox for 5 days and got off them. It wasn't that bad at all. They gave me other drugs to help but for only about a week. What ever you do DON'T take methadone or suboxone to get off the pills, you will find yourself still taking the 1 or 2 years after starting them. The Detox is not really that bad at all if you go into a detox that understands how to do it. I was fine the whole time I was in there.

The thing is, take them OLNY as much as the DR says to. if you can do that for a month than you might have a good chance tappering off them. Remember, it wouln't kill you to come off them, sure you don't feel to good some of the time, but it will pass and you will know better how to take them the next time, AND having crohns there WILL be a next time. I went off Norco in Oct 2012 and then I hurt so bad about 6 months later I had to go back on them, but taking less. but to make things worse, 2 weeks ago I had a heart attack and had bypass surgery, and now I'm on them but NOT more than the Dr. says. I and 63 years old and will most likly be taking them the rest of my life so I have to keep it in check. I can say I'm doing a good job at it

No matter what, you wil be just fine if you just that them, or start taking them like the Dr says. Just don't freak out, you'll be fine

Jim (POPS)

 

[patcrawford1]

Thank you all for you help and advice!

Some good news... I am going into detox tomorrow at the hospital inpatient with CATS (Center for addiction treatment services). I could not manage the withdrawals and when I got a prescription I could NEVER take them as the Dr Prescribed. They were just too tempting and my addiction kept making me pop them like M&MS.

The woman that I called tonight was very supportive and asked me a list of questions and got me in immediately. They took my insurance too which takes some stress of of me, and my family is very supportive.

The treatment will take 5-7 days, using suboxone. I know this is just swapping a drug for a drug, and some of you are against this, but I felt like I had no choice and I was losing everything so something had to be done.

I wish all of you happiness and healthy with your Crohn's. I pray for you all to be in remission. None of us deserve to go though such meaningless suffering. But that's life, there are always going to be negatives in any situation or time in your life.

If you all have any advice or comments please post here! Or if you dont feel comfortable posting publicly on the forum you can email me at [email protected]

Thanks again all !!!

 

[plantluvr]

patrick that is awesome!! im proud of you! even if you have suboxne it only has to be until you get it under control. its so liberating to be that strong to get help! you are very strong. my dad taught me to be a hard ass so thats just my personality. it is not for most to quit cold turkey and wouldnt recommend it. i wish you a speedy recovery! if you need to talk im here for you. its awesome you have family support too! well good luck and keep us posted!hugs!

 

[patcrawford1]

Thanks for the nice message, plantluvr! I'll contact you soon as I get out of the detox facility! at last, Sobriety!!!

 

[plantluvr]

yay! the best advice i have i forgot to tell you. is change the way you do things. find hobbies and things to keep you busy. for me i had to give up most of my friends. they are all addicted. so hard because i love them but i had to do what i had to do to stay clean. i worry im sick now and have bad aches but im dealing. i wish you all the best!

 

[UnXmas]

Good luck! I don't think you're just swapping a drug for a drug - you'll be taking it in a very different setting and for a specific reason (to manage withdrawals). I hope it goes well and that you'll come back and post about some successful results!