can you take painkillers for years?

Hi.. so sorry about ur constant pain..i think people just meidcate around life and pain. Especially if your a mom. A dad also, but moms,ya know ;)  .. Im sorry i wanst alot of help. It was really just my opinion. Yes, people do actually take painkileers for years too..and they get stronger ones every year...its a lose-lose situation really =(

 In that chronic intractable pain has no cure by definition and doesn't go away but often is progressive and degenerative, it needs to be treated.

Pain kills, and the fact that untreated pain can quickly ruin a marriage, cause loss of job, self-esteem, involve a doubting partner, and kids who deserve a healthy, vibrant, and interested parent, pressure from all directions is directed at the chronic intractable

pain patient.

 Pain medication can be part of a multi-faceted treatment plan and there are many people who have taken pain meds for years with-out complications and have for the last

4000 years. I have taken the same pain med and the same amount for 9 years.

One way to minimize tolerance is to rotate opioids but you will need a MD who is familiar with conversions and willing to work with you as it may take a little while to find the correct dosage of another opioid.

Those who self-medicate, and live by the code that if one is good two is better will not do well on opioids. Most of the people I know who have been on opioids for over 3 years have acclimated to a drug/dose that works for them and are also in PT, exercise,

bio-feedback, counseling, groups or group therapy for support, in other words an active pursuit of all things that help reduce pain. Opioids alone are not the answer

but with a program designed to keep the patients active, involved, and learning about their pain opioids have their place.

Use is taking pain meds by prescription from an MD, following the directions, and getting proactive about your pain.

Addiction is self-medication, no program or use via directions,  just keeping the drug coming and increasing at any cost.

Use can give you your life back

Abuse WILL tear your life apart

Roberoo

I have been on them for over 10 years straight. I have no problems at all taking them and they do the job they are made to do. But large WARNING!!!! yOUR BODY DOES BECOME ADDICTED TO THEM IN TH FIRST 6-8 WEEKS OF TAKING THEM!!!! DO NOT JUST STOP TAKING THEM COLD TURKEY IF YOU FIGURE YOU DONT NEED THE PILL BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HURT MUCH, IF YOU TAKE THEM AROUNF THE CLOCK FOR THE LAST 4 MONTHS, YOU ARE DEPENDENT ON THE OPIOD PILL. SO, YES I HAVE TAKEN ALL SORTS OFF PAIN KILLERS, AND IM ON A COMBO TODAY THAT I HAVE BEEN ON FOR OVER 3 YEARS, I HAVE HAD T MAKE VERY FEW ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MEDICATIONS DURING THAT TIME, AND I LIVE AS GOOD AS I CAN. NO DRUGGEE FEELING, NO HIGH, IT JUST TAKES CARE OF THE PAIN LIKE THEY ARE MADE TO. BUT, LIKE I SAID DONT ABUSE THEM, TELL YUR DR EVERY TIME THEY ARE NOT DOING THE JOB SO THEY KNOW THE DOSES YOU ARE TAKING, AND JUST USE THEM THE WAY YOU ARE TOLD TO AND THINGS ARE GOING TO BE OK. IT IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO KICK THE PILLS, IF YOU DO GET OFF THEM OR DO NOT NEED THEM. AND ANTHER THING, THEY ARE MUCH BETTER HEALTH WISE THEN THE ANSAIDS THEY ALL TRY TO MAKE YOU TAKE AT FIRST. THOSE ARE GOING TO KILL YOU MUCH FAST THEM THE NARC PILL ARE. THAT IS A FACT. LOOK AT ALL THE SPORTS FIGURES THAT HAVE KIDNEY FAILURE BECAUSE OF TAKING THOSE NSAIDS,(MOTRIN,NAPESON) THSE KILL YOUR STOMACH AND SHUT YOUR LIVER AND KIDNEYS OFF QUICK. SO, HOPE I HELPED AND HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER.

Yes, you can take painkillers for years. I speak from experience. (Oh, and by the way, I can also speak to your experience of doctors getting a clue... I suffered agonizing pain from September to February, being treated for everything BUT the cause of the pain, which was found to be a tumor in my spine when he finally ordered a CT scan...) It's been 7 years since then. Thank God the tumor proved to be benign, but it left me with nerve damage which causes chronic pain from my back down to my toes.

I am not getting the same level of relief that I once did from MS-Contin and hydrocodone, despite steadily larger doses, so I am considering a switch to methadone, which I'm told will give me a better quality of life. It will certainly improve my wallet's quality of life! Methadone is MUCH cheaper.

So the bottom line is yes, you can stay on painkillers for years. It may take some juggling to get adequate relief, but it can be done, and new pain drugs are being tested every day.

Good luck!

Hello, I have been on hydrocodone/apap for going on four years now.  I take 750 mgs up to four times a day for fibromyalgia, arthritis, and the remnants of a knee injury from being hit by a car.  I recently asked my doc, who I love for finally giving me seious pain meds after years of me living on huge doses of ibuprophen, about upping my dosage.  She reminded me that, while she would if I needed it, that I was going to be on the stuff for a long time, ie. life, and that each time I up the dosage I will be coming closer to the range of too much.  I guess what I mean is that you can be on this stuff for years, but that you must really think about your usage.  I will never want to be without some type of opiate, not because of addiction, but because the quality of my life is so much better now.  I can face the day knowing that there will be times without the debilitating aches and I will be able to function as a mom and wife, and member of the human race.  I went for years, in pain, real pain, unable to function almost at all.  If I forced myself, I paid the price.  I now have a life, not as active as I'd like maybe, but a whole lot better than before the meds.  I hope this helps you with your question.  Peace, Susan

I have no answers

My answer is YES since I have been taking them now for 3 + years.

Major back surgery was what they call "failed," leaving me with constant pain.  Nerves involved in the surgery have left me with chronic back pain. I have tried all other means of treating this pain through a pain clinic. 

My pain involves nerves other than those in my back. I had a colostomy 5 years ago and still have my rectum.  It is extrememly painful due to nerve damage. Together, all the nerves involved contribute to my daily pain, (it doesn't effect my sleep and is eventually relieved by lying down). Narcotics have been the only thing that help this pain

So - that is my story about taking pain killers for over 3 years. I started on them even before my back surgey in 2005

I have taken Vicodin for the last 15 years - due to chronic cluster headaches and other pain caused by Multiple Sclerosis - and aside from a period of a year or so back when I first started taking them and foolishly took more than prescribed, double at least - have never had any problem with "addiction" issues with the drug that so many have demonized.

There is a difference between addiction and dependence with painkillers however - find a good pain management specialist or doctor with an above average understanding of the workings of these meds, and they will agree that while your body may become "dependent" on the painkillers you do not become addicted to them unless you continue to take them when there is no real pain there for them to combat - in short, if the pain ceases to be a problem don't continue to take the pain meds simply because they make you "feel better".  Dependency on any narcotic is a normal result of extended use - but one that is resolved by simply slowly reducing your intake of whatever narcotic your physician has chosen to prescribe to you.

Best of luck to you - and may you one day find permanent relief without the meds - I know I keep hoping.

Ron

you absolutely can!

i started with 3 then 4 then 6 now almost my whole spine (certainly my whole cervical and thoracic spine) is moderately to severely herniated. this started when i was 33 (i'm 42 now). unfortunately, if you have more than 1-2 bad discs in a row, you're not a candidate for fusion surgery, which is the common procedure to fix this. i did manage to have a cool new procedure called percutaneous disc nucleoplasty, which fixed both the bulging of the worst 2 of my discs and repaired the tears in the disc covering as well - almost instant relief, right on the operating table! but i digress...

before finding that miraculous procedure, i was taking first vicodin, then percocet, then oxycontin 10 then 20 then 40 then 80mg plus extra percocets for breakthrough. every day. from 2001 until september of 2005. i had no problems at all, except for extreme sensitivity to heat/cold. no constipation. no liver complications. if you have problems with your liver, you might want to make sure you are given oxycontin sooner rather than later (it doesn't contain tylenol). if you take vicodin or percocet you can ask for the percodan (with motrin instead of tylenol) or the vicodin version with motrin instead of tylenol, i forget what that one is called. there's also roxycodone, which is the active ingredient of percocet and oxycontin, with no additional painkiller (tylenol or motrin) added. i also took flexeril 10mg 2-3 times a day for all of that time, a muscle relaxant, again with no ill effects (although a bit of effect when stopping it cold-turkey - no one told me it might have similar effects to stopping a SSRI type drug!).

but anyway, no ill effects! and i was able to sleep through the night, and live with far less pain than i had had.

i also know several other people for whom there are no surgical cures to their chronic pain who have taken painkillers for 10-15+ years (mostly migraine sufferers), and they have no other bad side effects from these drugs.

don't be afraid of the opioids. they're much safer than street drugs, and people take street drugs in highly unsafe manners, without controlled dosages, for years and years and years. these medecines are very safe if taken as prescribed! don't be afraid to use them.

I have a morphine pump inserted in my spine so I can't answer that question.

Beverly

You can safely take painkillers for years under the care of a doctor who understands how they work and will blood work to make sure your liver is not suffering.

Annie

I have been on pain killers off and on for six years due to a chronic pain condition.I don't think it is the best solution but until they can come up with something else i will continue to be on them.

I have had chronic pain in back now for seveal years. I have been on vicodin for 4 yrs and fentanyl for about a 1 1/2 years now. So far I seem to be okay.

I myself 52 years old, have been taking heavy duty pain med.'s since the age of 23.  I worry alot about the long term affects, but I have no life without pain med.'s.  I am reduced to a couch potatoe, that would rather sleep than endure pain.  With the pain med.'s I am able to play frisbee with my dog and have a normal life.

DEAR DOMESTIC GODDESS.I AM NOT SHOUTING BUT I HAVE HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH MY EYES AND ALSO I HAVE BEEN  WRITING LIKE I HAVE DYSLEXIIAL.I CAN ONLY TELL YO MY EXPERIENCE.I HAVE BEEH ON PAIKILLERS FOR 10 YEARS.CHECK OUT ALL THE SIDE EFFECTS, FIRST,DOCTORS WILL WANT YOU TO TRY NSAIDS WHICH HAVE PUT ME IN THE HOPITAL E R 6 TIMES.FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND IF YOU GET TO A PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE PROBLEMS YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL A PHARMACIST .ALSO PLEASE GET REGUALR LVFTS TEST TO MAKE SURE YOUR LIVER IS DOING OK.SORRY THIS IS SHORT BUT MY EYES ARE BAD TODAY....GLAD TO ME YOU.I AM JO

Yes you can take painkillers for years!  After a failed back surgery in January  '05, I

have been on oxycontin, neurontin, muscle relaxers, trazadone for sleep, anti~depressants and norco (for breakthru pain... ha!).  And to tell you the truth,

unless a surgery IS required, I strongly suggest you stick with them. Where a nerve is involved, you must first accept the possibility that the surgery may not go as planned.

I DIDN'T!!

Upon awakening after that surgery I had excrutiating pain~~~ nerve root damage at

L4~5.  The burning was indescribable!!  All the way from my lower back, down my left leg to my ankle.

And the nazi rehab nurse didn't understand why I was so hesitant to walk down the hall and back. Me crying uncontrollably, she still demanded I drag my leg anyway, until my husband demanded she stop.  

Just ten months later I had a second surgery to stabilize my spine, this one being a 3~level fusion(with even more instrumentation) from L~3 thru S~1.  Yes, I finally have a stable back, but the damage suffered in the first surgery is permanent.  I have lost most all of my quad muscle and calf muscle and have to walk with an obvious gait where I must lock my knee to keep from colapsing with every other step. And the pain continues... spine, groin, leg and knee.

Surgery isn't always the answer to pain (especially where a nerve is concerned)!!  Just make sure you do your homework and know and accept the consequenses of a surgical procedure that "might" go amiss.

Depends on the painkiller, your tolerance and the side effects.

Kidney and liver problems can result from some pain medications,

while narcotics may be safer in that respect, you will most likely build up a tolerance and have to increase the dosage. You will probably develop a dependency, so if you are taking narcotics, try to use the fast-acting type that will clear your system quicker. Do not try to mask a problem by using pain killers! Exhaust all possible reasons for the pain before going that route. I have been on narcotic pain relievers for several years and find that If I take a "drug holiday" for a week or two every once in a while, my tolerance level has stayed fairly stable. It has been shown that most people who have chronic pain do not become addicted. Find a good pain management specialist and follow their advice as closely as possible!

Good luck!

I have taken  painkillers for over 13 years.  I do watch the amount that I take and work with my doctor.  Sometimes you just don't have a choice.

I would really like to answer that with yes and guess it is somewhat true.  I know after my ordeal of being in an MVA back in 2005 I have not had a day go by without having some kind of pain and taking pain meds since the ordeal.  Although, I have gotten many opinions from so many therapists, family doctors, FNPs, orthopedics, neurologists, pain doctors, spine doctors, etc., all have explained that I shall have to "learn to live with my pain" and either offered pain meds or some type of physical therapy or message therapy.  I have done them all and then some but still end result PAIN!!!  I have three sisters in the medical field, one sister who is a Director of Nursing, other Registered Nurse, and lastly one is a social worker for home health care.  I have also asked this same question to them and also to many of the specialists I have seen and continue to see and as you will learn get different results as to who you are asking.  As with the physical therapist and message therapist they will stand by with hololistic approaches i.e. yoga, lotions, etc., only and no meds and on and on and hey maybe it does work for some but certainly not long-term for myself.  Now back to the question "can you take pain killers for years?  Yes, you can as long as in moderation or by that I mean the least you can take and get by without severe disrupting pain as personally I feel after years of having a foreign substance (pain meds) consistently in your body it would take a toll.  Although the doctors and specialists will also same the same thing that many clients/patients have taken pain meds for years with no problems but each person is different just like one person may get by with smoking for 20 years and the next person may only get by with smoking for 10 years and become debilitated with severe lung illnesses, i.e. COPD, asthma, empysema, and the list goes on.  All in all, not to keep rambling nonstop, I personally have taken pain meds consistently since my MVA for my activities of daily living but have to say I dislike knowing I am dependent on them to get by and yes I do worry about the long-term effects as don't really think medically this question is yet to be honestly known and answered/proven on what pain meds can do long-term or if they do harm other organs on a regular basis of use?  Hope after all this rambling this helped answer your question somewhat.  Good luck in your future health and may you find the help you need.  God Bless. 

You wrote: "After 4 months of intense pain, my doctor finally clues in enough to order a cat scan, which I had to wait for 4 months to get, all the while I am on painkillers.  After being told by the specialist surgeon that he is reluctant to do surgery on me as it involves a specific nerve, which could..."

Is there more to your post? this is all I was able to read. maybe a web glitch?

thank you

jerry

I'm not sure what I am supposed to put in this space.  I had back surgery 4 years ago and am still bothered by a pinched nerve.  Fine when sitting or laying down.  Walking or standing for any great length of time is painful.

OOPS! FOUND THE REST OF IT "very well leave me paralyzed if touched or moved the wrong way = I find myself literally living according to my pain medication.  How do people live with painkillers for a long time?"

I read all the replies. My words below do not address the question you pose directly, but do add something to the topic.

some respondents understand the difference between addiciton and dependency, many, many, many in our society do Not! worth spending time on the topic and some did address it. the very definitions changed in 2002 when a group of specialists from Pain Manaement and Addiciton Medicine got together and hammered out language. I do not have the energy or time to belabor this, except to point in that direction.

for those who must take long term medication it is very helpful to take LONG ACTING/EXTENDED RELEASE more so than SHORT ACTING/IMMEDIATE RELEASE. Much fewer ups and downs will occur as you achieve a steady state amount in your blood stream. I can't elaborate here, but worthy of reading up on and discussing with your doctor.

I hope this is helpful

jerry

I have Fibromyalgia, RSD, and Pagets Disease and have been taking Methadone for over 18 years for the pain, under my MD's care. Yes there are side effects that one must be aware of with any pain killer, and you're MD should keep you apprised of what they are and do blood tests at least every 6 months to check liver functions and in my case I take an EKG also due to the fact that methadone can have side effects that deal with the heart.

So as long as you remain under a MD'd care and I recommend a specialist in Chronic Pain who is trained in what to look for.

i have been taking pain pills for too many years only to be tired of it. if it were not for my 6 year old sweet little girl i would have done my self in long ago. I AM SO FREAKEN TIRED OF LIVING IN DAILY PAIN AND POPPING PILLS ONLY FOR LITTLE COMFORT. IS THERE NO END TO THIS MADDNESS

i have permanent nerve damage from a surgeons error in 1984.the only way that i can sleep at all,and function in daily life is to take a long-acting narcotic,methadone each day,and a short-acting breakthrough pain medicine,actiq for the specific times when my activity like sitting,standing,walking,or lifting causes a sharp increase in the debilitating,overwhelming pain that never goes away.i was thirty years old when my pain-free life was stolen by medical malpractice,and most doctors ive seen are quite content to see me suffer,as long as i dont ask them to prescribe painkillers.the simple truth is that im the patient these medicines are made for.it is criminally stupid and supremely insulting not to use medicines that effectively control the terrible pain that im stuck with through no fault of mine.i survived for about eight years without narcotics because i believed the myths about addiction dangers,and not one doctor helped me.it was only when i joined th american pain society and read about their research findings that chronic pain patients are greatly helped by narcotics that my life improved.i had to hand copies of aps reports to a neurologist and ask for prescriptions to get the help that i needed to overcome the damage from one incompetent surgeon and the scores of prejudiced,ignorant,gutless doctors who failed me for all those years.now im happily married and have raised two beautiful children thanks to the american pain society and the growing number of educated doctors who arent afraid to face greedy insurers,hysterical news reporters,and overzealous law enforcers to give patients like me the simple help that we need and deserve.drugs are not the enemy,pain is.pass the word,and good luck with your health care....

Hey, I'm a chronic pain suffer due to 6 back surgeries, and 2 fusions with permant nerve damage done to my left leg.  I've been on chronic pain meds going on 9 years now.  But I'm a part of a Pain specialty clinic, and I have to see my doc every month.

We work together to get the most out of my life.

If you have chronic pain, you should be refered to a pain clinic and work with them.

Some people like me are able to get off meds with internal stimulators or pumps.  or other types of treatments.  I'm just locked under the limits of my Labor and industry rules of my state.  So there are  a lot of things we would have done, that would have probably gotten off most of my meds.

God luck.

Yes, you can.  However, it is not quite that simple.  Your body eventually will develop a need for a larger dose or even a different drug.  I have been on a fentynol patch plus percocet 3 x a day for about six months but befor then, I was on lortab (first 7.5mg then 10 mg for about a year and a half)  However, like most of the people on here, I have also tried non-narcotic remides such as physical therapy and a water aerobics class at the YMCA called "twinges in the hinges" that is geared toward seniors (and at 44 there are MANY days when I feel more like 94!) they both seem to help at least for an hour or two.

DEAR DOMESTICGODDESS,

 I AM SORRY FOR ALL YOUR PAIN TAHT YOU HAVE AND IWILL BE PRAYING FOR YOU, BUT A LITTLE INSIGHT TO YOUR QUESTION, I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT ME AND I KNOW THIS WILL HELP YOU, I STARTED ON PAIN KILLERS WHEN I WAS 29 AND I WAS TAKING LORTAB 10MG 4 TIMES A DAY AND WITHIN A YEAR I WAS TAKING 12 DAY AND ON SOME DAYS MORE THAN THAT JUST BE ABLE TO FUNCTION AND COOK FOR MY CHILDREN, AND I STARTED HAVING SURGERIES AND NOW TO DATE I HAVE HAD 13 SURGERIES AND FIXING TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE, BUT BACK TO THE STORY I HAD BEEN TAKING LORTABS FOR 3 YEARS AT HIGH DOESES AS PRESCRIPED BY MY DOCTOR, BUT I HAD MY BLOOD WORK TO COME BACK AND IT WAS SHOWING THAT I WAS HAVING DAMAGE TO MY LIVER SO I HAD SOME TEST RUN AND I HAD LOST 30% OF MY LIVER FUNCTION, SO MY DOCTOR SAID I HAD TO GET AWAY FROM PAIN KILLERS THAT HAD TYLENOL,MOTRIN, OR ASPIRIN IN THEM BECAUSE THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF MY LIVER DAMAGE MAINLY DUE TO THE TYLENOL, SO MY DOCTOR STARTED ME ON METHADONE 10MG, AND BEFORE YOU START THINKING THAT THAT IS A DRUG MAINLY FOR ADDICTS IT IS NOT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH DOCTORS AND OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD IS THAT THEY TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THEY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT UNTIL YOU SIT DOWN AND RESEARCH THE DRUG AS I DID ONLY THEN WILL YOU KNOW THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT THE DRUG, I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE STARTED USING IN THE U.S. FOR CHRONIC PAIN AND FOR POST OP SURGERY NOT FOR DRUG ADDICTS, BUT NOW TODAY I HAVE BEEN TAKING METHADONE FOR 4 YEARS AND I HAVE TAKEN THE SAME DOSAGE WITH NO INCREASES IN THE AMOUNT, AND AS LONG AS YOU ARE TAKING THE MEDS. FOR PAIN I MEAN IF YOU REALLY HURT WITH PAIN THS WILL HELP YOU AND IT WILL GIVE YOUR LIFE BACK TO YOU, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TODAY IS THAT THERE ARE SO MANY DRUG ADDICTS OUT THERE THAT GO TO DOCTORS AND SAY OH I AM HURTING HERE, I CANT LIVE WITH THIS PAIN, I CANT SLEEP, AND THE DOCTOR GIVES THEM A PAIN KILLER AND ALL THAT IS DOING IS SUPPLYING ONE OF TWO THINGS THERE DRUG HABIT, OR THE HABIT TO SELL THE DRUGS ON THE STREET TO OTHER ADDICTS, AND THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT SO HARD FOR PEOPLE LIKE US TO GET GOOD CARE FROM OUR DOCTORS BECAUSE OF ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO DONT NEED THE MEDS. AND ABUSE THEM SO IT MAKES DOCTORS NOT WHAT TO GIVE OUT ANY GOOD MEDS. FOR THE ONES OF US THAT REALLY DO HURT WE HAVE TO GO THRU ALOT OF CRAP BEFORE WE GET WHAT WE NEED OR WHAT WORKS, BUT AS FAR AS LIVING WITH TAKING PAIN KILLERS, ITS MY OPINION THAT AS LONG AS THE MED. THAT YOUR TAKING DOESNT HAVE TYLENOL OR MOTRIN IN IT THEN YOU WILL BE OK, IT WILL NOT HURT, I RECOMMEND THAT YOU TRY METHADONE 10MG TAKING 60 TO 80 MG A DAY AND TAKE IT FOR 2 WEEKS AND I PROMISE YOU ALL YOUR PAIN WILL BE GONE, IT TAKES METHADONE ABOUT 4 DAYS AFTER TAKING IT TO START TAKING CARE OF ALL YOUR PAIN, AS FAR AS ROXYCODONE I WOULD STAY AWAY FROM THAT UNLESS YOU WHAT TO GET ADDICTED TO THAT IN A WAY THAT YOU WILL HAVE A BIG PROBLEM GETTING OFF THEM IF YOU NEED TO, WITH METHADONE YES YOU WILL GET ADDICTED TO THEM AND YOU JUST CANT QUIT TAKING THEM ALL THE SUDDEN BUT YOU CAN COME DOWN OFF IT ALOT EASIER THAN YOU CAN ALL THE OTHER DRUGS OUT THERE, THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH METHADONE IS THAT IT HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1938 AND IT IS A OLD DRUG AND ALOT OF DOCTORS DONT WANT TO GIVE OUT A OLD DRUG THEY GET PAID TO GIVE OUT THE NEWER DRUGS AND THAT IS A SIMPLE FACT.YOU HAVE 2 CHOICES IN YOUR LIFE 1. LIVE WITH YOUR PAIN AND GET ADDICTED TO PAIN AND HURT EVERYDAY OF YOUR LIFE, OR 2. TAKE MEDS. FOR YOUR PAIN AND BE ADDICTTED TO THE PAIN KILLERS AND NOT HURT OR HAVE NO PAIN IN YOUR LIFE AND ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IS TAKING YOUR MEDS. AND GETTING TO YOUR DOCTOR ONCE AMONTH TO GET YOUR MEDS. REFILLED, SO YOU CAN GET ADDICTED TO PAIN WHICH I DONT THINK YOU WISH TO DO THAT  OR TAKE THE PAIN KILLERS AND MAKE SURE THEY DONT HAVE TYLENOL OR MOTRIN IN THEM AND THEY WILL NOT HURT YOU AS FAR HURTING YOUR ORGANS IS CONCERNED, JUST TAKE YOUR MEDS AND YOU WILL BE OK IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT THIS MORE I WOULD BE MORE THAN GLAD TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS ONE THING I DO, IS I AM A INTERVENOLIST AND ALL I DO IS HELP PEOPLE FIND THE RIGHT DRUGS FOR THERE NEEDS AND THE RIGHT ONE THAT WILL NOT HARM YOU IF YOU TAKE IT FOR MANY YEARS, I HOPE THIS HAS HELPED YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU AND MY GOD BE WITH YOU EVERYDAY.

hi, i have been taking pain meds for over 3 years, some i din't like because i felt like a zombie..or maybe it was the dosage 150mg. fentanyl ppatch and 180mg oxycontin 2x daily, i didn't like my way of life, i have 4 kiddos and all i did was lay in bed, i took myself off the oxycontin< DON"T EVER DO THIS, i thought i was going to die, now they have me taking 50mg.fentanyl and 1 yes 1 vicodin a day, this does absolutely nothing,  keep to your prescription, even tho it may feel you need more, talk to your doc, i know this probably didn't help you at all, but your answers did (thank you) because after taking pian meds for 3 years , i have this feeling i will probably be taking them for the rest of my life, but if it helps with your quality of life..take them! cindi

I find it odd that most people really don't research the things they put in their body, especially man made things such as painkillers.  If one researches, then one can understand easily what to do and what not to do.  I have been on pain meds now for 14 years and will probably take them the rest of my life.  I have 8 herniated discs (four in lower back and 4 in my neck) which at this point, more than one specialist has told me that surgery is not an option.  I also have a broken left clavicle which has been broken since the June of 1996.  I have necrosis of the right talus (ankle bone) as a result of a really bad break from my last car accident in 1995.  This means that the ankle bone is dying because of lack of oxygen to the bone and in the future, the bone could 'just collapse' on me.  There are also various other maladies but those are my major ones.

First off, most everyone that I talk to or hear of, is under the extreme misconception that if they take painkillers, that they are going to be 'high'.  Well this is ONLY true if the painkiller you are taking is too strong for the pain that you have OR if you have NO pain and take painkillers.  As long as your dosage is right for the amount and type of pain that you have, the only result of the painkiller will be the absence or reduction of your pain. 

How does one take pain medication for a long time you ask.  Well, you just do it, get regular tests to be done on your liver to be sure that it remains the way that it should, watch what other medications (whether prescribed or over the counter) that you take, and take them as directed so that the pain does not have a chance to overpower you before you can get relief.  If you wait too long after the arrival or elevation of pain to take your meds, then the more likely it is that they won't do their job or at the very least not as good of a job.

As I stated, I have been taking painkillers regularly now for 14 years and during long periods of other medicals problems/surgeries before the last 14 years.   Painkillers enable me to 'have a life', for without them, I could not do much of anything because of the amount of pain that I experience every day of my life now.  I would not be able to take care of myself, my home or my family without the benefit that I get from painkillers. 

There is no question that I am dependant on them but I am not addicted and there is a very big difference as a lot of people in this post have already described very well.  What the 'dependency' means is that if at some point if one want to try and live without painkillers, then they should follow a withdrawals procedure, which basically with pain meds means cutting your dosage in half progressively until you are hardly taking them at all and then stop taking them.  One of the most dangerous aspects of painkillers is not the active opiod ingredient in the meds but rather the acetaminophen which is the main ingredient of tylenol products.  Too much acetaminophen can shut down your liver and kill you.  Basically when monitoring that type of painkiller that is the biggest thing that you have to watch out for is liver damage.

I think part of what you are asking is how can someone 'function' if they take painkillers for a long time and without going around 'high' all the time.  The answer to this is to be sure that your meds are aimed correctly to the type and amount of pain that you have.  Then you can take them with a comfortable conscience and enjoy your life as you should be able to.  I know that the quality of my life would be practically nonexistant without relief from at least some of my pain, which is what I achieve by the program that I am using.

I hoped this helped and good luck in the future.

SpiritedTruthSeeker aka janet

I was prescribed 5 mg oxycodone twice daily in 1999 and was up to 5 mg four times daily in 2005 through March 2008. I have built up a tolerance to the oxycodone over the years and was weaned off in March 2008 and put on a medication for Fibromyalgia and I use Medical Marijuana which I prefer to chemicals, Instant relief... Cody