Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
Does anybody feel that they are losing their mind from either the pain that they are in or the drugs they are taking. I feel out of control and I don't know why it is worse now as compared to before. I pace the house in a demented state forgetting even why I entered a room. I feel like I am in agony. I remember when I was a child and I had both feet surgically repaired and when i woke from the anestetic I was rolling from side to side moaning from the pain. My mind was blank other than trying to find a way to escape the pain. I can feel that detatchment now as I wander about looking for something that will satisfy my brain. My brain is the part that feels this agony. I can't think straight anymore and I find I have become very obsessive in my patterns. I have never been what you would call an addictive personallity but I find that I am aseeking some sort of high or gratification for my pathetic existance. I am worried that this behavior will escalate and I will end up in the poor farm. My physical restrictions keep me from being able to just do something. When I try to do things i am easily turned off the attempt so I go wandering for another project that I look at and then walk away. My abilities have become crazed. I don't think about consequence or beyond the instant gratification that I am trying to obtain. When I dice vegetables I just know I will be going to the hospital for stitches because I lack the focus. I know it and I can't stop it. What is this run away train mentality that I am experiencing? Is it common?
Other neurolathic agents.
Never again.
yes, I relate! You are not alone. I am in constant severe pain and on lots of medication. I think it makes me feel crazy sometimes. I've been on 30 mg of prednisone a day for about 4 months and I get very anxious & confused sometimes.
I'm learning how to cope with it. I found a great counselor that focuses on the solution & questions what makes me happy or what used to make me happy. It's about changing how I think.
I also meditate, paint, and stay busy to keep my mind off of work pain. That migh sound too simple but when I focus on the good it really helps. People here on DS said to give 5 minutes to feel sorry for me and then stop. Sometimes i do 15 minutes. Of course the pain meds help a bit too.
Hang in there.
NY
I take the max dosage of Lyrica per day, extra strength Tylenol, Cymbalta,Tramadol and a sleeping pill for night time. I will have drinks before dinner ( moderate ) because it seems to be the best cure for pain. Although alchohol is a temporary high it does brighten a long hard day. I guess what I have really noticed in myself is that everything I try to attempt seems so daunting.I go from one thing to another like some crazed squirrel on speed and never really accomplish anything. I have had to accept a large amount of diminished physical ability so often it can be a matter of what am I able to do. Often times I really don't know. My pain is constantly evolving leaving me guessing as to what I will wake up with. I'm trapped because I have as much pain as I can handle. In fact if I could take stronger meds and get some quality of life back I would. I never thought I would write off the future for a better now but I am starting to think that way. I cannot afford any paramed services or councilling so I am trying to keep my self going with drugs that are covered. The medical system in Canada is over burdened and operates in a manner that keeps you somewhat sedated ( pat on the head ) but never really deals with much beyond that.
Do you have any options as far as getting better pain management?
When I feel my pain is out of control I try to focus on one part of body that is in pain, the one with the least amount. It makes it all a bit more bearable.
The body absolutely must have the sense of pain functioning! It is critical to life to be able to notice when we are injured, have our hand on a very hot surface or fight back/run when injured by another person.
For this reason, every time that we suppress pain, the body goes to work making it more noticeable. It literally enhances the nerve pathways to make sure that pain is there to protect us from harm.
Giving up the meds for a couple months resets the body to more normal levels.
After I stopped taking the opiates, I ended up with the exact same pain levels without any pain meds at all!
Although I have not [thankfully] had those problems you speak of regarding inability to focus or my never having felt any need for the seeking of a high, I have known others who have and yes, it was distressing for them too. Your thinking sounds like fear and a mistaken feeling of negativity of yourself i.e. your comments of you're feeling "out of control" and are "looking for a high or instant gratification" for your "demented state" and your "pathetic existence" and your "abilities become crazed" seem to be a bit on the side of you having catastrophic thinking that something bad IS going to happen when you do something or anything. That sort of fearful thinking is not good, and deserves to be looked into by a well trained person, likely by beginning with your MD who is your medication prescriber, to sort out what drug or drugs you are taking that could be the causes of those distressing behaviors. Your MD, who might consider to refer you to a qualified psychiatrist to help you sort out your many fears. If you do see a psychiatrist, he/she would be able to suggest low to no cost local support groups where you would likely learn that you are not alone in this type of behavior. Just knowing that you're not alone and by you sharing with others could allay your fears and give you a sense of belonging, rather than feeling totally isolated whilst struggling to find some sanity in your day to day life.
I agree with the others' comments. And it goes without saying that nearly every normal person will walk into a room almost daily and not remember why they went into the room. Nearly all people do that and has been joked about for decades because it is just that common when a person's mind is on busyness. And when you had your feet surgically repaired when a child and then woke up in pain, there is nothing unusual about that pain either, and you likely received pain meds which gave you a reasonable amount of relief from pain until you were eventually healed. You don't say you still have the pain in the feet now.
And how many times that you were dicing vegetables did you actually end up in the hospital and have stitches?
Ask for help, demand help if you have to. No one should have to live their life and suffer as you have been doing daily, not to mention terribly suffering.
I hope you get the answers you need quickly and your life becomes less distressing.
Hugs...
But yes, drugs can definitely affect our brains. I cannot take hardly any meds because of the side effects. But looking at your list of meds, I would say that some of them would cause your mind to go a bit bonkers at times.
Please check with a medical professional about the side effects. But be aware that they don't know all the answers. For example, I was on Cymbalta and it caused bronchitis in me. The doctors didn't believe it, until I started and stopped Cymbalta three times. And each time I got bronchitis. So, be aware that you might be having side effects that are not common. By the way, Cymbalta does cause agitation and anxiety in many people.
I wish you well.