Thanks "immarcie". I appreciate it! :)

I spoke to someone recently with this thread in mind. This person drinks almost every evening & said it helps deal with pain they experience. They will not seek out treatment at this time & will not consider meds. I know this person is in pain.

I am not out to judge, mixing scares me but Ive never been one to judge another for the most part.

Trust me there are days I would love a drink. The fear of mixing stops me.

Driving under any influence is risky. Including cold medication & allergy. I was a little tired when first starting my meds & avoided driving but now I don't feel much of anything.
I was always a little fearful my PM would tell me I could not drive.
I'd go crazy. I don't go a lot but at least I know I can.

I think its great people can share. That's why if someone is not here for the right reasons they need to leave. Honesty is a big plus for helping others.
Sammy

George Clooney just admitted to having done that, when he had chronic pain from an injury and was afraid to take pain meds.

Me, no. I dislike alcohol.

I am fairly new to having confirmed chronic pain and I have felt myself relying on alcohol more and more. I have recently had 5 weeks off work staying with my parents and I had a beer a night with my dad.

Since returning to London and the pain seemingly getting worse I feel like drinking all the time. As I write this I have had 2 beers and a glass of wine and am trying to hold back having more.

I find when I drink the pain reduces hugely. It really is the only thing that helps. If I am out with friends and have some beers then I all but forget the pain after a few!

I am on duloxetine and pregabaline but hadn't really thought about the dangers of mixing too much to honest. I was more concerned with the addiction of the alcohol alone.

I'm not sure what to do when it seems my only rest bite is after a few drinks!

Any advice or experience would be great.

Happy Easter!!

Always forget to tick the box for emails!

Karen Quinlen did. She mixed Valium with alcohol. She lived a long life- in a vegetative state in a nursing home. Bad, bad idea.
Sandy

# 40
tolerance allows, if opiate medications are taken on schedule as opposed to as needed... which is the difference between most pain management patients and opposed to those under the care of a gp, driving, chewing gum at the same time as walking and even using a chainsaw. the information given with each prescription of every mind altering drug (including your friendly anti-depressants) says to wait and analyze how the drugs effect you before you attempt anything that you would normally take caution before doing. if you tolerate and follow your doctors instructions there is nothing that should lead you to believe that you can not operate heavy machinery or a vehicle. all you need is some whits about you and a person to describe how, if at all, you are altered. i am not a driving time-bomb for anyone else on the road because i take long acting medications with scheduled breakthrough meds. i've been on them for over a year. if i pussyfooted about at least trying to drive, i'd be a pretty pent up person and i'd be keeping myself off of an activity that i CAN do well for the sake of FEAR.

yes, you might see me pop my morning doses and operate anything from a dremel to a chainsaw to a vacuum to a car. wtf, is this information? you can lead a perfectly normal life with pain medicine. other medications may be more at issue than opiates here....


just since this thread is back. ugh.

i know this wasn't the current of the thread but, i resent being compared to a drunk driver. having committed both offenses at one time or another, i really want to share a boot with the thought that people in pain management cannot or SHOULD NOT drive. yeah, it would be swell to get a ride. i'd love it if i didn't have to drive my toddler anywhere too. guess what- every time you drive you take a risk. you don't even have to do anything morally wrong like take pain meds to be in a tight spot behind a wheel. here's the facts,

if you have chronic pain and are taking your medicine correctly, around the clock, you are not likely to be impaired...

if you save up your meds for the bad times and don't take them as actually needed or allow yourself to adjust to them, yup... you're a freaking hazard to yourself and others. no wonder you were scared, good on you for the heads up. if you're skipping pills and then relieving yourself with the extras, you're abusing your medicine.

there's no way, you'll drive the same as i do. you can drive on these medications. otherwise, they would tell you specifically NOT to drive. your caution and causation theory only serves to invoke fear in people. cut it out. goody for you. you're special enough not to have to drive. cut it out. so wrong and soooooo rude.