Hi Lisa ~~ I'm not working, but there was a time when I was, and I was taking MS Contin plus MS IR, and a few other drugs. I used to be an optician, so there's alot of detailed stuff you have to know & do. I know what you mean about feeling "loopy" but that usually is just temporary. After a bit, you get thru that, and the "loopiness" goes away. It's just a matter of your body getting used to the dosage.

I think by August 29th, you'll be feeling much better. I just hope that you'll be able to sit that long. When you go back to work, make SURE that you get up a few times a day to just walk around -- whether it's to the bathroom or to get a drink of water, or whatever. That will help your spine to tolerate the prolonged sitting.

Keep us posted on how the meds are affecting you, ok? God bless & take care. Hugs, Lee

Thanks Lee, I sure hope this loopyness wears off soon. After my night meds which is 250 mg Lyrica and 10 mg oxycontin I am sooooo dizzy and woozy I'm tripping over things and bumping into walls going to bed. I actually had to adjust the times I take my meds so it the night one is closer to bedtime. I was taking it at 8:30 (morning dose at 8:30 as well) but by the time I went to bed at 11 I could barely walk. I dont' notice that now since I'm in bed and i am sleeping much better also.
I'll keep you posted,
Lisa

I have worked on vicodin for 3 years no problem. I stopped Lyrica as it made me way to dizzy and was difficult to stare at the computer screen. Get a timer and set it to 30 mins to make yourself get up and stretch/walk. Sitting too long is not good!

I learned to work on a low level of vicodin. I could get to work and take 1/2 pill in the am and then a 1/2 pill after to lunch to "try and get through my day".

However, as the pain and the damage increased...I was increased to 4 full vicodin a day and I could NEVER take them all. I would make three a day and I was falling asleep at the computer and taking naps in my car or in the sick room. I was also on Gabapentin for nerve pain and Baclofen for spasms.

As my condition continued to deteriorate...I was removed from Vicodin and placed on Morphine and that made it harder for me. I was not able to combat the sleepies and I was also in a position of not being able to work much. Furthermore, I was responsible to drive and of course I was on too much medicine to be driving a State car.

I left my job in June and I appreciate my life so much better. I am still in a lot of pain and trying to make sure that I work on it everyday. The nice thing now though is that I no longer have to fight to spend every ounce of good energy just trying to stay at work and not let on that I was in agony, that I was sneaking away to sleep for a few hours a day and that I was too out of it in pain and in medication haze to actually do my job anymore.

I hope things work well for you and that you are able to find a happy medium.

HUGS!

HUGS to you

When I last worked I was doing IT for a major cable company monitoring servers for drop off's with VOIP telephone services. it was very hard to keep alert taking oxycodone Neurontin and Elavil. I am was on call a lot and when i would take my full doses of meds it was bed time for me. My job saw me taking my medication and approached me about substance abuse and made me take a drug screening. Even though they knew I had had 3 surgeries the last one being January of this year. They told me I could not take that medication because I became a liability for them. I was let go 10 days after surgery. I sat a good deal of the time and really couldn't get up and leave to walk around. And i couldn't do my job without my meds. Sitting killed me. I hope your company is more sympathetic to your needs. I even had doctors notes. But they did not care.

Thanks Teena158 sounds like you worked in a department my department would call for help; I know what you mean about not being able to get up to walk around. I'm sorry you lost your job over this but its probably for the best for your health. Luckily for me I only work days and take my largest dose of 'drowsy' meds at night. Driving in to work may be an issue for me unless I do like superduck and take my morning meds after I get to work. Depends if I can focus while on it. Right now, though, it is up to work if they will let me come back on these meds. They said they need to know what I'm taking and what effect it has on me, then they'll decide. One of my worries is they only have one project with open positions right now and it absolutely does not allow working from home - ever! So if I'm having a particularly bad day I can't just stay home and keep working, I have to go in. I still have alot of thinking to do about this. Thanks everyone for your input.

I am working as a computer programer and taking narcotics daily, about 6 percocet each day. I use to feel pretty groggy, but that went away. I did some pain tracking and discovered that If I stay ahead of the pain, I take less medication and don't feel so bad and the pain plateaus at a lower levelo. Maybe try tracking your pain and plan to take your meds to stay ahread of the pain. Maybe you too will take fewer pills.

I know nurses that work on meds such as yours. I know judges, lawyers, cops, and others who take narcotics for CHRONIC pain. Obviously, they have to be tested, they have to be on a stable dose any not having side effects..but they do it.

Believe it or not, they have found that pain sufferers are actually more focused on the task at hand with their pain under control. This is quite obvious to most pain sufferers.

There is a lot of judgement and ignorance regarding the use of opiates for chronic pain. Most people base their judgements on how people on pain meds for ACUTE pain, which is incredibly different. For example, most people know what it's like to have dental work done and take a mild opiate like Vicodin for pain post-op. It usually causes fatigue and drowsiness. Which is helpful after dental surgery!

But once you have been on a narcotic for several days/weeks, the initial effects on the mind diminish. WIthout chronic, incapacitating pain all the time, the chronic pain patient can focus again on every day life.

Unfortunately the public at large has a negative view of the use of opiates. Your employer need not know. If you are drug tested for your job, as long as the drug testing center can verify your CURRENT, valid prescription, and you are not overmedicating or using other narcotics (for example, marijuana, without a Rx), you will "pass" your drug test.

I hope this helps. The longer you take your meds, the better you will feel on them. The less side effects you will experience. The only side effect that doesn't go away is constipation for most people. If you are able to work, there is no reason not to. I would, however, be careful whom you discuss your medications with, only because rumors and judgement can be harsh in the workplace. I can testify to that.

If sitting remains a problem, I would ask for some exercises you can do at your desk or at work. Such as getting up and walking periodically, standing at your desk, or just stretching every few hours can make a big difference. You qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act to get a special chair if needed at your desk, as well as other accommodations that will help. Sitting is my worst too, with back problems. It really aggravates the pain. You know what works best, maybe it's cushions, lumbar support, or heat/ice that helps. All of these things can be incorporated into your work day to help you go back to work without suffering from pain.

I hope this helps a bit. I know I'm replying a bit late, so I hope everything went okay, and that you are doing well. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I have been a back pain sufferer for years, and have been on narcotics for nearly a decade now. I have been on everything and can certainly understand the issue! I hope you are able to work without any complications. Please let us know how you are doing, okay?

Thanks for the replies everyone. This gives me some hope that one day I will be able to return to work; but not right now. I'm in a bad flare right now, the weather is rotten here and the last week has been quite stressful on a family matter. My doctor has written me off work again until the end of October. If I can get through this flare and keep working on my exercises and diet there may be hope to go back then. Unfortunately being in Canada means I'm in for a long cold winter and that kind of weather always affects me worse. The short summer we had was nice and I did feel better for a while but that is coming to and end quickly.

My workplace already has my ergonomics assessment which states I need to rotate between different positions all day - office chair, exercise ball, kneeling chair and standing. That is not a problem and I'm sure I could get through the day but would be wrecked for the evening - not ideal but it would get me working again. The mental part is what is really bothering me now (not saying I'm not in alot of pain). Not sure if its brain fog from the FMS or still from being on medication but my short term memory is horrible and concentration seems impossible. I used to love to read but have a hard time with it now, seems I can read the same paragraph over and over and still not get it. I still have my work laptop and have the access to take online courses. I think the best thing I could do is to set it up at my desk and try doing a course. I'll be working my brain as well as getting used to sitting and working out that part. I'm not prepared to start that this week in this flare but I will next week if I'm feeling a bit better.

Fortunately my long term benefits were approved so I don't feel pressured or rushed to get back for financial reasons. I'll work on the sitting and 'thinking' and see how it goes. Thanks again everyone,
Hugs, Lisa