Back Pain Support Group

Well i too was on that stuff for about 3 years and I took myself off it slowly it help with my pain i was taken 60mg and 30 mg then went to 30 mg and 15 mg 2 to 3 a day with oxcondone 5 mg 2 to 3 per day now just 15 mg of the ox 3 or 4 a day just did not want to be on all that stuff any more my pain yes I feel more of it because on less med but I just deal with it cause I was sick of all the meds just use ice pack heat try to walk a little here and there,but I thinks the mor was taken my hair out and it was hell for me to stop it took 3 mos to slowly stop my body still not right from that .Hope I help fell free to ask me any more ?

Hi, I am on 300mg a day + other pill's and know just how you feel. The Dr say's that you are not addicted but are deppendant on them but I don't see the diff: if you run out you still get the same symptoms. But it would be good to get of them, I try to go down to as little as I can but the pain gets to much for me.I hope this stem cell stuff comes up with something. Hang in there, I hope it will end one day for us both.

I was on Morphine for about 8 months and then my body stopped "liking it", it didn't work for my pain anymore so I was swithched to Methadone. I am on 40 Mg's of Methadone right now and doing well. One thing that I want to clarify; there is a HUGE difference between addiction and dependency.
An addict takes drugs to get high, they LOVE the high, they SEEK the high, they will do ANYTHING to get the high,
A person that is dependent on drugs to survive or get rid of their pain, control their diabetes, their heart issues, cholesterol Etc., are dependant on those drugs to have a better quality of life.

I do not consider myself an addict. I depend on my medications to be able to function each and every day. I do not get a high from my medications, I get pain relief. I do not borrow, steal or lie to get my medications, I used them as directed and buy them at the pharmacy monthly with the prescription that is provided to me by my pain management specialist. BIG DIFFERENCE!

As a nurse I know that there are people that get addicted to their pain medications, because they keep on seeking them even after their disease or pain or whatever has been cured or they don't need them anymore, and this when they go to "shop" around for Doctor's and they buy them from the streets and take them to get high. A person with chronic or intractable pain uses medications to survive.
Take care all,

I have been on it for about 6 yrs or more, my body has responded very well to it, although I do have to take Lortab for breakthough pain. However the Morphine is long acting and does help.

Best of luck

I don't take this medicine, but I wanted to agree with Tipper on this one! She put it very well! One is addicted if they take a drug when they DO NOT NEED IT, one is dependent when they USE THE DRUG FOR WHAT IT IS INTENDED FOR BECAUSE THEY NEED IT, in this case, pain relief. I hope you understand the difference now and I hope it helps you to feel a bit better about the medicine situation. It's a crappy situation to be in, but you should not get down on yourself or look at yourself as an addict because you're in pain and taking medicines that were invented for pain relief. It's so sad that society makes us feel bad about this situation that we didn't want and would do anything to get rid of. I hope your pain is under control and continues to be that way!

Much love and understanding,
Lisa

Danka! hi im not sure if my morphine sulfate ER 30mgs anythng close to what the mphine you have. i been on on ad off for the last 6 months on top of others.

at first it seems to help but then i statreds getting nausea and then i had phegan from other sickness so i use that to help but now it dont seem to help, so i wonde what the diffent of sul;fate and reg morphine??

when i was at the ER for my broken ribs they gave me a shot of 4 mg of morphine and some z word for nausea and it took my pain away. so there i confused why the 4 mg iv took pain away compare to the pill at 30 mgs.

i took other like percoets and vicondin and none work now when i was at a urgent care there was a dr that seen when i was in much pain gave me daulid i thik it spelled this way that help and when i told my dr if he could try this he said no

and i read on my paper he had no 2 drug and he couldnt belive they gave that to me.the thng is befoer he gave me morphine sulfae he was just give me the vicdin and no was helping and told him and finlay he said well try this.

if the meds sont work i flsuh them down the toliet why would i taken if they dont work.

i hope you find something to help i i pain feels. right now trying to type and my back legs and hurting and going numb. take care.. huggs ang

In my eyes, once your on, your on. The difference is whether you are getting the meds legally for a pain, or for fun. The withdrawl is the same either way.

I know ex-junkies and when I describe what I went thru the 2 times I forgot my meds when I went on Vacation, they told me that was exactly what was happening.

I am more curious as to how long have you been on them and to what degree. Thanks Baz69, your inut helped. How long have you been "Dependent"?

p.s. One of the interesting things I just found out. Here in Michigan, Marijuana was just legalized for pain (which I was just approved for), however I was told by my pain Dr. that if they test my blood and I come back positive for THC, they have to stop giving me meds right then and there. So much for looking for alternative approaches. And for the record, when I do smoke, it does help and I use it as a way to ease the amount of Morphine that I have to take.

I am also on Morphine.. I'm a little concerned because I am 16 years old.. it doesn't feel good pumping hard drugs like that into my system at this age. But, I really have no choice because the pain is so bad. And to be honest, it does not relieve all the pain. I also get a Morphine shot every once in awhile. At first, I was having horrible side effects from it. I still have some, but my body is used to it.
..but how do I know if i'm addicted?...

Ok, let's go back to the addiction discussion! I am on Methadone for my chronic pain and I have been on it for a year now, I was on Morphine for about 3 years, but then I lost my job due to 4 spinal surgeries became to expensive and was swithched to Methadone that is cheaper.

Like I said before..... I do not take my meds to get high. I depend on them to live, to be able to get out of bed and live a "semi" normal life. I do not do any other drugs. No alcohol, no recreational drugs, just the prescribe medications that I am given by my Doctor for my pain. I know that I will be on pain medications for the rest of my life since my spine has no fixing, they screwed it up well and that is it, no one else will touch me.
Am I going to be on pills all of my life? NO, I expect that at some time in the near future my PM /doc will recommend an intrathecal pain pump so that way I can live the rest of my days with medication going straight to my spinal canal instead of swallowing pills.
You ask; "how do I know if I'm an addict? Your answer is, if you keep using your medication even if you don't needed anymore- You are an addict
If you use your medications to get high and not to get pain relief - You are an addict
If you go shopping around for Doctor's or pharmacies to get more than one script for you morphine - You are an addict
If you will do anything to get your pillls, including buying them from the corner's on your neighborhood, stealing them from Aunt Annie, or stealing money to get your "fix" - You are an addict

Right now you have a dependency to your morphine due to your pain. If you are ever going to stop taking morphine, you need to do it with the help of your Doctor because if not, you will suffer from DT's. As a nurse practioner that is now disable and can not work, I get a bit ticked when people interchange the word addiction and dependancy. It is not the same......