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Opiates

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Ed Joseph
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Opiates

Post by Ed Joseph » Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:14 pm

Long story shortened to fit a :60 cart...

I've been on opiates pretty much since 2002 following my bypass surgery (OxyContin and plain old Oxycodone for "breakthrough pain). We have been spending April to October in Allegan county, at Sandy Pines RV park for the past 5 years. We switched from our lousy Flint doctor to my father-in-law's doctor in Allegan county since we were there more than here. We just take a day trip to Allegan to see him every month and stop at Dorr Pharmacy to fill our scripts on the way back. Well, they were out of the OxyContin, so the doc gave me paper scripts so I could fill them in Flint. Well, that's where things went south. I could not find ONE single pharmacy which would fill them. So, I gave up trying and just stopped taking them when I ran out, and took 2 or 3 of the "instant-release" a day instead. Medical care in Genesee county is generally awful to the fifth power.

Amazingly, I'm doing quite well on just the "IR" and I think I'll start weaning down to 5mg once my 10mg are gone, with the eventual goal of "as needed". What is really amazing is that my pain levels have actually DECREASED since I've been off the OC. I also noticed a LOT of side-effects have ceased since I've stopped taking them.

Five years ago, my doctor finally removed me from Statins for cholesterol and told me I cannot take any statins. They simply did not work for me, and my biggest health struggle has been dealing with damage done to me by ten years these drugs. They ate my muscle tissue, joints, hair and teeth for lunch. Since then, my cholesterol and triglycerides are right in spec, my diabetes has been constantly getting better (A1C is 5.1) and I've lost just under 100 pounds and I am feeling way better than I was 5 years ago. I am down to 180, and went from a size 42 jeans to a size 30. Shirts, from a 2X to medium. I have been removed from my blood pressure meds completely, and I'm weaning off water pills as well, since I haven't had edema issues in probably four years. I also used to take Klonopin 1mg to help me sleep. I have worked my way down to 0.25 mg at bedtime in the last year. I don't feel nearly as foggy as I used to during the day.

I frankly thought I'd be going insane by now with withdrawl symptoms. I did have some the first few days, but eating 20mg of one of my wife's cannabis gummies took them away within minutes. I find those work better than any muscle relaxer or pain med I've ever been on. Cannabis is "totally" effective for many health problems. My goal is to get off as many pharmaceuticals as I can. I *will* have to take meds for my diabetes forever though.

I just thought I'd pass this along in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation. I'm *so* relieved to be off the OxyContin, I can't even believe it.
Last edited by Ed Joseph on Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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stopnswop2
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Re: Opiates

Post by stopnswop2 » Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:19 pm

I actually made a similar thread a while back.

I'm on long term, basically permanent, high dose opioids.
I'm currently on Percocet 10-325 (Oxycodone 10 mg / Acetaminophen 325 mg) every 4-6 hours.

When I miss a dose, I have this "generalized pain syndrome" where it feels like my entire body and mind just aches.
It's absolutely awful.

And these barely touch my pain.
I have to load up on ibuprofen in addition to the Percocet to get even mild pain relief


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Ed Joseph
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Re: Opiates

Post by Ed Joseph » Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:39 pm

I can totally relate as I experienced that myself when on the OC. Seriously, it has abated. In your case, I'd seriously question the tylenol, as it's notorious for exactly that in some people, myself included. Tylenol has long been on my list of counterindicated medications I am no longer allowed to take. I can no longer take NSAIDS other than low-dose aspirin, either. If I had a simple headache, and took tylenol for it, it came back tenfold once it wore off. I believe this is called "rebound effect" and is a known issue with tylenol/APAP.

I also have "paradoxical syndrome" which causes many medications to do the exact opposite of what they are supposed to. This has been a doctor's nightmare for years, as so many meds cause me extreme side effects and I have to discontinue them. Lyrica was one of the worse interactions I've ever had. I took it 3 days, had every issue and them some. But the hell started AFTER I quit it. The withdrawl lasted 3 WEEKS and I was solidly planted in bed for a good week of that time. That was after I was on Methotrexate for about 3 months. That shit just whacked my system completely. I had to do FMLA at Jeep to keep from getting fired. I lost, on average, 3 days a week (7 days/12 hour shifts) because I was so sick from the Friday dose that I spent until Tuesday doing nothing but lay on the couch. I couldn't eat, I had zero strength and I hated every minute of it. I took that for about 3 months. I barely remember that time period.


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Ed Joseph
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Re: Opiates

Post by Ed Joseph » Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:54 pm

You have to keep quite aware with NSAIDS and Tylenol both. They're hell on your organs, especially liver and kidney function.

You would think that, by 2019, Big pharma would have found a new and better way to target pain other than oipiates. Frankly, medical cannabis is far better for pain management than anything else I've ever tried. My body has been through hell. Heck, I DIED twice, with the whole tunnel of light and family members telling me "it wasn't time yet", all of that. I'm not on disability for the free ride, trust me. My wife is in the same boat, poor girl. It breaks both our hearts, really. We are both actively-minded people who love to work, and just had medical problems literally carpet-bomb us. My goal now is to try to see if I can rebuild my muscles to get enough strength to work again, but docs say the damage from the Statins is permanent. You'd be surprised how hard I have to work to get my heart rate to 122. It's about 45 resting and my once always-high blood pressure is now around 105/60 or so.

I'm afraid I've got a really painful project ahead of me.


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Re: Opiates

Post by stopnswop2 » Mon Feb 25, 2019 3:05 pm

Today at my appointment I had a lumbar steroid epidural injection.
I was also due for a refill on my Percocet.
I said I want to switch to Norco for a month to see if it will work better due to my severe tolerance to the Oxycodone. I've been taking that 4 times a day for a year. It's time to switch


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craig11152
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Re: Opiates

Post by craig11152 » Mon Feb 25, 2019 3:46 pm

Ed Joseph wrote:
Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:14 pm
I've been on opiates pretty much since 2002 following my bypass surgery (OxyContin and plain old Oxycodone for "breakthrough pain). one else finds themselves in a similar situation. I'm *so* relieved to be off the OxyContin, I can't even believe it.
Its none of my business and feel free to tell me so but do you feel you got addicted?

I ask because I know 3 people who had bypass surgery, including my now deceased father and none of them were on pain medication for very long....maybe days.


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Re: Opiates

Post by Deleted User 9015 » Wed Feb 27, 2019 3:10 am

Opiates are a motherfucker.

Back in 2016 I had a wisdom tooth that fractured in my mouth. That shit hurt like no tomorrow. It happened during dinner and at first, no pain. I was waiting for pain, but none. Then about an hour later, it like ramped up real quick on me. I tried taking Motrin. Went about 1200mg in on that and was trying to sleep. The problem was that the wisdom tooth was in sideways and the root was sitting on another tooth so there was disruption of 2 tooth nerves. I went in to urgent care at about 4AM and the old doc took a look at everything and set me up with some Vicodin. I never took the shit before, and pretty much didn't know about how they made you feel when you take them. I got home and popped one. I didn't feel much relief so i took another and about 2 mins later the first pill kicked in. I gotta say, the mix of sleep depravation and the Vicodin was pretty fucking great. I got my tooth stuff taken care of, but the Dr. had dispensed 40 of these fuckers to me. Eventually, I ran out.

The withdrawal was freaking horrifying. First was the depression. Crying about my dog having glaucoma in a Jersey Mike's parking lot was not my best moment. Then came the headaches. Feeling like theres a dead space in my forehead. Then the high blood pressure.

Recreational use of these pills is no joke, and neither is allowing someone to remain on them for years on end. Unless you had a severe catastrophe, I don't see why you would need to be on them.



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craig11152
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Re: Opiates

Post by craig11152 » Wed Feb 27, 2019 6:26 am

I've never taken them but I remember my brother talking about guys in Vietnam dying with smiles on their faces from the morphine the medic gave them. Nobody was measuring the dose out there after a firefight.


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stopnswop2
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Re: Opiates

Post by stopnswop2 » Wed Feb 27, 2019 2:08 pm

Morphine is a motherfucker.
After I had my gallbladder removed I had to scream and beg them to take out the morphine drip.

It made me so sick.

I have no issues with the synthetic opioids though.


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Re: Opiates

Post by stopnswop2 » Thu Feb 28, 2019 12:10 pm

So I filled 90 pills of Norco on Monday,
Then today I decided I wanted back on the Percocet.
I took my bottle to the doctor in exchange for the new script.

The pharmacy did not question it, nor did my insurance refuse to pay for it. It took 5 minutes for it to be ready.
That seems a bit fishy.

I read stories about people having trouble just filling their one opioid prescriptions, people that don't even take them long term
But the pharmacy just hands me out 180 narcotic pills out in 3 days?...

Im not complaining obviously, but I feel like this could be used to some drug addict's advantage


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Re: Opiates

Post by stopnswop2 » Thu Feb 28, 2019 6:16 pm

Also, what's up with pain docs lying about the DEA laws just because they are scared?

I was lowered from 120 pills a month to 90.
He says it's the new law.

That is a bunch of bullocks


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Ed Joseph
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Re: Opiates

Post by Ed Joseph » Sun Mar 17, 2019 12:21 am

craig11152 wrote:
Mon Feb 25, 2019 3:46 pm
Ed Joseph wrote:
Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:14 pm
I've been on opiates pretty much since 2002 following my bypass surgery (OxyContin and plain old Oxycodone for "breakthrough pain). one else finds themselves in a similar situation. I'm *so* relieved to be off the OxyContin, I can't even believe it.
Its none of my business and feel free to tell me so but do you feel you got addicted?

I ask because I know 3 people who had bypass surgery, including my now deceased father and none of them were on pain medication for very long....maybe days.
I do. It was hell for a few weeks, but I'm off the Oxycontin now and down to 20mg of Oxycodone a day. I've already weaned that down from like 40mg a day. I have Rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, several joint issues from when I was struck bu a car at six years old, and then the herniated sternum from the bypass.

The past month, I've had cataracts removed and lenses implanted in my eyes. Surprisingly, I didn't need to ramp up the dose for healing.


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Ed Joseph
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Re: Opiates

Post by Ed Joseph » Sun Mar 17, 2019 12:37 am

I believe the issue is a combo of the fact that our doc is from 2 counties away, and the fact that people around the Flint area in general, just hate people. I can't wait to sell and get out of this area.

Bad news... we just were cut off of our medicaid and SNAP... Completely, with zero warning or explanation. No spend-down, just all of a sudden, DENIED. My doc visits will probably be very few and far between from here on out since you have to evidently be living in a ditch to qualify for any help in Genesee county. My meds alone are more than I make a month, thankfully we still get Medicare. But I'm guessing the moron in the Oval office will put a stop to that, and probably my SS disability as well, sometime this year. Glad I paid in for 35+ years, just to beg for a lousy $1200 a month. I made that much in a week before I became unable to work. The reality is, if I can't get help to pay for my diabetes meds, I will likely die within 2 years due to complications which are now well controlled by the horribly expensive meds. I really don't know that there is a lot I can do to guard against that eventuality. What's sad is I have to deal with assholes and idiots who think I'm on disability because I *want* to be. They're fucking crazy. I'd go back to work in a second if I knew I wouldn't keel over from a stroke or heart attack in the first month. Hell, it takes me and the wife both two to three days just to get our typical subdivision yard cleaned up in the spring. So many things I used to love doing, I simply cannot do anymore. At 56, I feel more like I'm 85, for real.


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Re: Opiates

Post by craig11152 » Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:04 am

I have called my self middle of the road politically but one of my liberal beliefs is universal healthcare. You should get the help you need without wondering how you can or whether you can pay for it.


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Ed Joseph
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Re: Opiates

Post by Ed Joseph » Sun Mar 17, 2019 6:34 pm

craig11152 wrote:
Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:04 am
I have called my self middle of the road politically but one of my liberal beliefs is universal healthcare. You should get the help you need without wondering how you can or whether you can pay for it.
I really can't label what I am politically. The right has some valid points, as do the left. I do believe that, if you're going to allow corporations to screw us in a myriad of ways, then you have to give those adversely affected a means to survive. Also, people have paid into SS and Medicare for decades, that should have been off-limits to Congress. Corporations have screwed the domestic job market, made our food chain pretty much toxic and thousands of other things that adversely affect the average American. Who made corporations God in the respect that they are all that evidently matter? In the meantime, our country's infrastructure is crumbling badly and it seems like nobody cares. A lot more people are struggling to survive than media will let on. There are so many things about America that have seemed to go drastically wrong, yet the crooks who allowed this to happen never get punished, and often get rewarded.

The message America is sending the rest of the world seems to be, "we're a bunch of crooks, we don't like you, or the planet, so suck on this!"


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