addiction to pain medication?

Geo-TH,In · Apr 3, 2016

Can a person who was in an accident, spinal damage, spinal surgery, ever get over her addition to pain meds? She now has an implant to block back pain. Lost her kid to CPS. Completed a 12 step program to get her kid bac,

So what is the success rate of a person getting over her addiction to pain medication?

T in NE · Apr 3, 2016

Depends on how bad she wants the rest of her life back, and the people around her.

cuby · Apr 3, 2016

If the pain is now gone it will take a lot of will power.

I quit an adiction to Tobacco cold turkey. Yes it was hard ,but that is what I wanted.

I now feel better by far.

SweetFeet · Apr 3, 2016

A neighbor broke his back and was paralyzed in an accident when in his 20's.

Became addicted to pain killers... eventually became addicted to street drugs.

Took him about 25-30 years to decide he wanted his life back. He got clean and went to college and is now a counselor in a drug rehab facility.

So it CAN happen - but it's a long, hard road. I think the main factor being that the drug addicted person has to WANT to change.

Stephen Newell · Apr 3, 2016

To cure her your asking the doctor to loose a customer. It's not in their interest to heal anyone, only to manage the symptoms.

rrlund · Apr 3, 2016

Like everybody says,they'll have to want to. Trouble is,most addicts don't want help getting off drugs,they want help staying on them. Nothing anybody else says or does will change them,it has to come from within.

john in la · Apr 3, 2016

From what I have seen I would say slim to no chance at all; but it can be done if the willpower is there.

I have know 2 people with the back implant.
While it worked at reducing pain it did not work 100% of the time on either.
Top that with your friend has a addiction to Opioids.

I wish her luck cause she is going to need some strong willpower.

Goose · Apr 3, 2016

The VA has been keeping me supplied with hydrocodone for a service connected back injury. Whenever my back is feeling good, I'll go off of it for a few days just to keep from becoming too reliant on it. In fact, when I do take it, I only take a half a pill at a time 'cause I don't like the spaced out feeling I get if I take too much.

Now when I had my annual physical at the VA last week I find there is national concern about opioid medications. So from now on, instead getting a refill for a two month's supply by just calling in, I need to have the doctor renew the prescription on a monthly basis.

In a radio interview, the Chief of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha said that nationwide there are, on average, 40 deaths per day from ODing on opioids. So the concern is probably valid.

D beatty · Apr 3, 2016

I have had several back surgeries and injections for bad disks in back. They put me on pain killer and they killed the pain but they made me feel so goofy I threw them away. I just learned to grit my teeth and keep on going when I get in pain.

Dachshund · Apr 3, 2016

Goose - I have the same thing - service connected back injury and a nice plate installed (along with a shiny new, fake knee...). I have Oxycodone for both from the VA. They still allow me to refill mine over the phone - albeit, I do so rarely. It never seemed to work very well, anyway! I only took it at night, but stopped doing that when they stopped working. I get along without it by just ignoring what hurts! They gave me morphine after surgery (which did nothing), and a Dilaudid shot which lasted about 10 minutes. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that high powered pain killers just don't work on!

1948CaseVAI · Apr 3, 2016

People do it, but it is hard and the success rate for long-term is small. If she lost her kid once it likely means she has resorted to getting it by illegal means and not through her doctor. She needs medical and psychological help over the long term and that is not cheap. She also has to be motivated.

billfromwisconsin · Apr 3, 2016

It is all about if SHE want to quit. Physical addiction is gone after a few days to a week, mental addiction is longer. she may use it as a cruth to forget about her problems. There are so many things, but yes it is possible if a person wants to.

JD Seller · Apr 3, 2016

It can be done but the success rate is under 25% for no relapse. The person has to have a good support system and most addicts ruin theirs while addicted. The mental side is the harder part. Most addicts learn to want/use the drugs most when they are stressed. The trouble is most addicts "LIKE" the way they feel when they are HIGH. The crash and burn after the high has to become bad enough for them to not want it more than they want the high. That is hard to do.

farmerwithmutt · Apr 3, 2016

If she has a good support team i had a friend years ago that refused morphine when she was dying of cancer because she didn't want to become addicted.
My own a doctor told me I had spinal arthritis he sad take two aspirin at each meal. wasn't watching and started taking as needed one day noticed how much aspirin I was taking and went to another doctor he said pain is a body's way of telling you to slow down. Went off aspirin it took over a year to feel right and learned that there is a lot you can do and somethings you shouldn't. It's going to be a rough road but she well know her true friends at the end

Janicholson · Apr 3, 2016

Comments so far are constructive. I will add that having an engaging activity that is both new enough to be mentally stimulating and rewarding is also needed. the time spent on a dulling drug is quite often boring when straight. Finding a task, interest, or hobby is a distraction from the calming dulled senses and feeling of well being while under the influence. What ever it is it needs to have a reward. Knitting, or needle work, painting, cooking, or fixing tractors. Jim

Bruce SEKs · Apr 3, 2016

I have a 83 year old mother with this problem. Would go to several different Dr. and get prescriptions. Now she has had to go to assisted living where the meds are monitored. Wholly Hell. Will say since pain med is being monitored she does better. Then her body says pain and away she goes.

Steve@Advance · Apr 3, 2016

She must have a strong willingness and stay connected to a support group, at least one female accountability partner, and most importantly connected to God!

The 12 Step program is a great start, it gives real world, proven solutions to the addict, but it's not a one time fix.

There IS NO ONE TIME FIX!

Without constant connection to recovery, the addict will revert to their default setting... Get more drugs!

The hard part about prescription drug addiction is she may well have to be on the drug for the rest of her life. Once the drug problem is under control, she will need to be under the care of a pain management therapist. A big plus is having a caregiver to administer the medication if possible.

addiction to pain medication?

Geo-TH,In

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T in NE

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cuby

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SweetFeet

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Stephen Newell

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rrlund

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john in la

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Goose

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D beatty

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Dachshund

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1948CaseVAI

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billfromwisconsin

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JD Seller

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farmerwithmutt

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Janicholson

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Bruce SEKs

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Steve@Advance

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