RA Debate - Pain Meds | Arthritis Information

 

Ok people... let's debate something that is more on the RA track.

joonie2008-02-28 20:52:28Definitely take them if the pain is interfering in daily activities... but be cognizant of the fact that pain usually serves a purpose, and don't ignore its message.  Also, if the pain is controlled from the start, it's usually easier to manage.  Once it's taken hold, it's much harder to control.  At least that's my experience.

Why be in pain if you don't have to be. I think when people are in pain for any length of time it can cause them to be depressed which would intensify the pain for some and would in turn bring about more depression. 

What about if you are the product of 2 people of addictive behaviors and everyone in your family seems to have the same trait? "cognizant:

So that's how you spell it!


Joonie: The fact that you are conscious of the addictive nature in your family is GREAT and a huge plus for you. People that are very aware of their own addictive personalities, and the addictive personalities of their family members are MUCH less likely to become addicts themselves.

That being said, you would still technically be at risk. But that doesn't mean you can't be pain free. If this is something that you're really worried about, you should talk to your doctor. They can work with you on noticing addictive behavior, and monitoring your pain med RXs.

Really, they'd help. I can't see any reason why they wouldn't. Their goal is to get you healthy happy and leading as normal a life as possible. If pain killers is what it takes, it's what it takes!
arriscolwell2008-02-28 21:30:41I am all for it. If you take them as prescribed. I keep a post-it note and write down the time so I don't forget. I see no reason to be in pain in this day and age. I think pain meds play a very important role.  Once you have been diagnosed and your pain has told you its message (as Jas put it), chronic pain can cause all sorts of problems in addition to the pain itself, including literally shrinking the size of your brain.  And then there's the loss of function and loss of so many things that make life worthwhile.

 

If other types of pain management are not successful, or do not do enough, pain meds should be used for break-through pain or if necessary, as an on-going preventative for moderate to severe pain (again, as Jas said, it's easier to get ahead of it than to treat it afterwards).  The important thing is to use them as medically directed and to try to keep from building up too much of a tolerance which reduces your "safety margin".  In other words, if you are already taking a high dosage of a strong painkiller because of your tolerance, what happens if you suffer massive injuries...what will they be able to use to treat your pain? It's a tricky thing to manage.  Even my couple of doctors don't agree as to whether it is better to keep rotating different pain meds or to just use one as long as possible before graduating up.

 

Of course it is also important to reduce any risk of addiction (which is different from tolerance).  joonie, I think being aware of tendencies in one's self or one's family is important, yet shouldn't stop someone from being able to use pain meds.  They may need to build themselves a support system...trusted doctor, trusted therapist/counsellor, trusted family member or friend who can keep them on the right track.  But I think keeping things manageable is less of a risk than letting them build up to where a person is desperate from the pain or is oversensitized to it.  And like Katie said, being conscious of it is a huge advantage.

 

The other issue is side effects.  Many pain meds have a depressive effect so measures should be taken to counteract them.  Unfortunately I haven't found any anti-depressant prescriptions that work for me, however I take a supplement that helps.

I agree---if used properly narcotics and such are a great aid in pain relief. My doc switches mine every 6 months or so, so I won't build up a tolerance and get use to one. I go back and forth between tylenol with codeine and vicodin. It seems to really help doing that too.Being a pill-phobic I try to use other methods of pain relief and dont just reach for the meds. I use my Tens machine, warm showers and ice packs and wax soaks, if then I still cant get any relief I will take something stronger but I think too many pills can give you other symptoms and then we end up with lots of medical problems. Im not a martyr( heres the person who had epidurals with all 3 kids) but I just think we are given all these meds too freely sometimes and the side effects then give us another condition to take yet another med.I will opt for my tens, an ice pack, hot shower, music, relaxation, etc. first....if that fails, I pop open my vicodin bottle and swallow one.  That's the last resort since I take so many damn pills now.I agree- use pain meds but use responsibly. There is no reason to suffer but if the pain isn't preventing you from doing your daily tasks- you don't need it.No debate in my opinion. Pain meds are for pain. If you can't tollerate the pain take pain pills. It's when the pain pills don't work thats when i am a cry baby.I believe it is called quality of life. Why would i want to be in misserable pain everyday? I want to live and work and get things done. I don't want to think about the pain everyday and be misserable.I say use the medications that are prescribed to help you. can someone tell me what a *tens machine* is.

a little sapper machine gives you little currents into your muscles and can work for some problems if on the right setting. If done improperly can make things worse i think. For injury the portable worked well for me. But for fibro i think it makes me go into spasm, like the fibro wants to rebel. They have at some pain clinics and chiropraters and they make portable ones to where at home.

Thanks Milly, learn something new everyday!lol.I run my life on the scale of 1 to 10 (very anal I know Well... it relates to pain meds doesn't it, Linky-Doodle? I say take them if you need, but only if you need.  Abuse with drugs can/will cause addiction.  Pain killers are the easiest to get hooked on.

 

But, i am fully for use when need.  Just don't take regularly, just in case you don't need them.

I missed something somewhere.  Who's Buiscut?

 

I use pain pills only when I need them.  During flares.  I'm glad I have them available to me because they do help take the edge off. 

 

Did you guys hear about the new pills coming out soon that are created so people CAN'T abuse them?  I think it said one of them had a chemical in it and if it was crushed, it would release this chemical and block the narcotic.

I love my TENS unit. My RD prescribed it for me and my PT keeps me hooked up with all the supplies. My only issue is that I can't place the electrodes where I need them for my neck. My rt. shoulder won't go back that far. Of course, Now that I have had those crazy nerve blocks, maybe that will help.

Anyway, a tens machine works on the theory that the brain can only receive so many signals at once. I believe this is called the GATES theory. Anyway, the zaps from the machine travel faster than your pain signals. So, it blocks it out.I used to get E-Stim done on my neck at my chiropractors office.  It's the same thing as TENS only on a larger scale.  It was awesome! [QUOTE=kweenb]I missed something somewhere.  Who's Buiscut?

 

KB~ Biscuit is Joonie.

[QUOTE=Linncn]That's what addicts do?  Grind up their pills and inject them?  But it'd have to be a liquid to inject, so what, do they just mix it up with something? Wow.  I guess I'll never be an addict, I don't even know how. Is that what cold filtering is? [QUOTE=Linncn]Is that what cold filtering is?[/QUOTE]

Cold filtering is done to remove acetaminophen from tylenol/codeine products.  The acetaminophen dissolves better in hot water; if you take a solution of ground-up tylenol/codeine tablets, and then chill it, the acetaminophen will fall out of solution and the codeine will remain in the water.

I've never done it... but I do have experience doing other extractions in the laboratory (back when I really was a scientist) using this technique.
Oh... I saw this guy on the shw Intervention who injected pain pills. I was like WOW! You can inject that crap and live? Then I freaked out because I saw the needle and him shoot up and changed the channel. Joonie could NEVER be a heroin addict.............that just dawned on me.

 

 

But seriously, pain meds are one of those things that, if done RIGHT, are great. Its when you start self medicating (without prior doctor approval) and mixing and pulling stuff out etc etc that you get into trouble.

 

 

 

JSNM Your doctor sounds fantasic :) I'm jealous! Hehe

That just dawned on you, Katie? hahaha! I have known it for years now.

 

I *never* claimed to be a quick one.I dont know about cold filtering, or injecting..but I do know that there are a couple people close to me that have/had serious problems with pain medication. I have a sort of love/hate relationship with them.

 

 

As many of you know, I have been under the care of a pain specialist for about 6 years. I was referred by my PCP who said that I needed someone more informed about pain relief than he was.

My pain has been very difficult to control for a long time. I've had epidural injections of steroids, nerve blocks, facet joint injections, among other things.

When my doctors said I needed narcotic pain meds I tried to tell them that I didn't want or need them. Of course they were right.

I've been on many, many kinds of pain meds. Currently, I take 2 methadone 4 times a day and  Dilaudid up to 4 times a day for breakthru pain. I still don't like to take them. But I cannot live with the pain I have every day without help. I only take what my doctor prescribes and when the pain is not as bad, I take fewer of them.

 

As has been stated here already, the issue is quality of life. At this time, even my strongest meds do not control my pain.  But usually they take the edge off enough to allow some quality to my life.

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