why people with chronic pain take opioids

Why people with chronic pain take opioids

I wake up in the morning and immediately feel the crushing pain that has a hold over my entire body. The pain radiates from my shoulders to my toes, but I have to get out of bed so I can get my kids to school. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I don’t even consider taking pain medication because the pain isn’t bad enough yet. No, I’m going to try to see if I can be strong enough. I get out of bed and spend the next 30 minutes rushing to get my kids to school on time. I try to not take my pain levels out on them so I smile and wave as they walk towards the bus.

After my kids leave I get dressed to go on my walk. Every doctor I’ve ever seen has told me that exercise would help my pain levels. I know better. I know that exercise makes my pain level quadruple, but I do it anyway because that’s the only way I can get doctors to take me seriously. I know it’s going to hurt, but I decide to push through the pain.

I get home from exercise and drag myself into the shower. My pain level has shot up even higher, but I try to get myself showered and ready for the day. My hands are so swollen and painful that I have trouble straightening my hair so I decide that I’ll just have to wear it curly. It’s 9:30 am and I don’t know how i’ll get through the day at my current pain level.

I sit down at the computer to work, but I can’t concentrate. I’m supposed to be writing, but all I can think about is how much my body hurts. I manage to cobble something together in a couple hours, but it’s not my best. After sitting in a chair for so long my body is in agony. I don’t even consider taking pain medication, my pain still isn’t bad enough.

I rest on my heating pad for a few minutes. It helps a little bit so I decide to do some gentle yoga to see if it calms down my aching muscles. I’m five minutes in when I get a phone call from my son’s school, he’s had an asthma attack and I need to come get him. I try to get up off the floor, but it takes me several tries because the pain keeps hitting me in waves.

Wanting to diminish agonizing pain so one can live a semi normal life is not addiction Click To Tweet

I drive to the school and get my son from the nurse. Then I get in line at the school office to check my child out. My legs are aching as the person in front of me in line spends 5 minutes detailing some overly complicated problem. By the time we finally make it out of there I’m not sure if my body is going to hold up the rest of the day.

I spend the rest of the afternoon trying to work and simultaneously entertain my son.  I keep having to get up and down so I can help him with various things. Every time he asks for something I want to cry because moving causes so much pain. I still don’t consider taking pain medication.

A few hours later I pick up my daughter from school and take her to dance class. I have to sit in an uncomfortable chair for two hours and I am in agony. Somehow I manage to keep it together. I don’t know how.

wanting to diminish agonizing pain so one can live a semi normal life is not addiction

I go home and start to make dinner for my family. My pain level is so high I know that I need to cook something easy. I’m able to cook dinner and do the dishes in less than 30 minutes, but it’s still too much. By now I’m screaming inside my head, screaming “PLEASE JUST LET IT STOP FOR A FEW SECONDS.” But I keep on going and so does the pain. I help my kids with their homework, I talk to them about their day, I get them ready for bed, all the while in agony.

My day is finally over and I can rest, but my pain level has shot up so high I can’t get to sleep. I use all my pain creams, I strap on my quell device, I take a hot bath to see if it can relax my muscles, but no relief comes. At 1:00 am I’m still wracked with pain and I know I’ll never get to sleep in that condition. My day tomorrow is another busy one and I don’t know how I’m going to survive it with no sleep. I reluctantly get out of bed and take one Hydrocodone. It takes about 30 minutes for it to kick in, but it eventually moves my pain level from an 8 to a 5. It doesn’t make the pain go away, but it’s enough to allow me a night’s sleep. Who knows how I’ll manage tomorrow. I don’t have enough pain medication to take one every time my pain gets out of control, so sometimes I just have to suffer and go without sleep for several nights in a row. Each time I go without sleep my pain level rises higher.

I must not have tried hard enough

I feel like I’ve let myself down. I must not have tried hard enough to address my pain in other ways, I must not have a very high pain tolerance, I could have handled SOMETHING differently, but because I apparently didn’t do enough. I’m told I am an opioid addict. I’m an “opioid addict” that just wants to be physically able to care for my children, who just wants to live a semi- normal life, and who only takes pain medicine in emergencies.  I feel branded, labeled, pigeonholed, ignored, and desperate. In my mind I know:

  • When doctors on television bemoan the lazy addicted masses who take opioids for chronic pain thereby causing the opioid epidemic, they are talking about me.
  • When famous actors give speeches about the over prescription of opioids, they’re talking about me.
  • When the CDC recommends that people with chronic pain just need to try Tylenol, they are talking about me.
  • When the DEA decides to reduce the number of opioids manufactured because too many people are using them for pain, they are talking about me.
  • When doctors refuse to give out prescriptions for pain medicine because only addicts need them, they’re talking about me.

This is me they are talking about, the “opioid addict” whose medication needs to be taken away so they can save me from myself and my “addiction.” Thank goodness for politicians and actors that know more about my body than both me and my doctor. With their influence I know I can overcome my so called addiction and my chronic pain will just disappear.

why people with chronic pain take opioids

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21 thoughts on “Why people with chronic pain take opioids

  1. From what I’ve was told by more than one doctor, one of the problems with pain medicine, especially opiates, has come from not taking them according to directions from their creators.

    Doctors, afraid of over-prescribing, told people to take one every 10-12 hrs when the appropriate dose timing should have been 6-8. This was often after surgeries, etc., and because people were in such pain they started doubling doses. So the patients are doubling doses, then the pain wears off, so the highs begin and addiction can start.

    That’s why I wonder at your doc’s ok of your current situation. Based in the above scenarios, it’s actually a more dangerous way of taking pain meds than regular dosages would be. After my chronic pain continued to get worse I did go to pain management, where I do get medication but also occasional injections to block pain, etc. they also have you see a shrink to talk about dealing with pain and its effects. Very helpful. I remember you saying it was very expensive but if there is any way your doc could make the case to insurance?

    1. It does seem counterproductive to me, but the fear of addiction overtakes everything. I could actually get more medicine from my doctor but then I would have to pay out of pocket every month for drug testing and it’s $1800. That’s just too much money. I haven’t looked into shots at all, I’ll have to do some research since my doctor is usually pretty willing to work with me on alternatives.

      1. Look into Kratom. It’s a little contraversial but if you do the research on it you’ll see even military veterans who have chronic pain vouch for it over opioids. It has the same Alkaloids as morphine but it’s not man-made and the only way you can overdose is if you combine it with other narcotics. I don’t. I use daily as needed. It lasts longer than pain meds. I take a red vein powder and I only from reputable retailers who show testing results for it. You won’t believe the difference it makes. The FDA wants o ban it because bug pharma can’t tax it. I believe in regulating it but don’t believe there should be restrictions on. There’s a lot of bad publicity on it because the government and pharmacy companies want to have everything in their control so don’t believe mainstream media. Do the research and there is plenty of research and testing on it to know the effects and weigh out the pros and cons of use. Good luck. I hope this helps.

      2. Look into Kratom. It’s a little contraversial but if you do the research on it you’ll see even military veterans who have chronic pain vouch for it over opioids. It has the same Alkaloids as morphine but it’s not man-made and the only way you can overdose is if you combine it with other narcotics. I don’t. I use daily as needed. It lasts longer than pain meds. I take a red vein powder and I only from reputable retailers who show testing results for it. You won’t believe the difference it makes. The FDA wants o ban it because bug pharma can’t tax it. I believe in regulating it but don’t believe there should be restrictions on. There’s a lot of bad publicity on it because the government and pharmacy companies want to have everything in their control so don’t believe mainstream media. Do the research and there is plenty of research and testing on it to know the effects and weigh out the pros and cons of use. I went from being in tears and praying to die to having ability to slowly start carpentry work. It’s really miraculous and there’s plenty of it around. Checkout doublemherbals.com for the best vendors and strain reviews! Good luck. I hope this helps.

    1. Pain management clinics around me don’t hand out pain medicine very much anymore unfortunately. I consider myself lucky my PCP is willing to give me anything.

    2. As a (former) Nurse, & current Chronic Intractable Pain Patient, I am so incredibly frustrated when Physicians give Chronic Pain Patients (CPP’s) that old cop-out lie that “Opioid’s don’t help CPP’s b/c they don’t work on chronic pain”.
      That is a lie! While it is true that all CPP’s should have “tried and failed” all other options before Opioid’s are considered, & they aren’t suggested as the first choice to treat chronic pain, the fact remains that there are a large population of CPP’s who DO achieve great success using Opioid pain medication for legitimate chronic pain relief.
      Both my Sister and myself are among those who have been given a second chance at life as a result of Opioid pain medication.
      Before being prescribed Opioid’s I was unable to walk, forced to crawl between the bed & the bathroom, & had been bedridden for over 2.5 years.
      When the day came that I could no longer tolerate the horrendous, insidious pain anymore, I attempted to put myself out of my misery. That’s the day my PCP saved my life by prescribing me some Percocet, & referring me to my current Pain Mgt Dr, who also saved my life.
      When my younger Sister began suffering from almost the same exact symptoms that I had, & her PCP was doing NOTHING to help her, I had her switch to my PCP & my Pain Mgt Dr, & they helped to return her to her former quality of life again, as well.
      If I were to ever lose access to my pain medication without finding a “miracle-cure pill” to take it’s place, I would end up bedridden again. That thought terrifies me, & I WILL NOT go back to that miserable existence.
      I. WILL. NOT. GO. BACK.
      I have joined several Pain Patient Advocate’s groups & I spend a lot of time trying to help other Chronic Pain Patients learn how to communicate with their Dr’s as well as how to advocate for themselves, & I’m involved with trying to push for Prescribing Physician’s to maintain the rights to treat their Chronic Pain Patients in whatever way they feel is therapeutically warranted.
      We ALL need to come together & demand to be heard & treated with respect, dignity, & compassion; otherwise we’re going to lose our rights.
      Never before have I ever seen such a direct assault on Patients rights

      1. I really don’t get why they said opioids don’t help with chronic pain either. Almost every single chronic pain patients can say differently! It’s ridiculous how the right to be treated for pain has disappeared.

  2. Yep! You’ve hit the nail on the head! I wake up in the morning with sense of dread and wonder how much the floor is going to hurt me when I get out of bed, so I don’t until my other issues insist on making my broken body travel the few steps into my ensuite.
    I have 4 chronic conditions, a body that is also suffering from the intense 26 years of medications (no opiates though until a few years ago!!) and I’m currently trying to come to terms with a new issue as yet undiagnosed even though I’ve been hounding Drs for 2 to 3 years! Somedays I wonder how I’ll get through my day let alone the rest of my life but I must say its the only reason I can accept the fact my body wouldn’t allow me to have kids! I can barely look after my dog and me most days, and then even the dog gets put on a shelf some days! My heart broke when I was told I could never have kids, and in truth its another daily struggle for me everytime I see a happy family but I know in my heart it was for the best, genetically (3 of my 4 issues are hereditary!!) and realistically.
    Today was a not so good day, I did get out of bed so not a bad bad day (I only moved to the sofa so not a great day!)! I followed a link on a friends facebook page to here at about 10.30am its now 1am and I’m still working my way through your blog post by post!
    You are brave, strong, talented and beautiful! Your blog has definitely matured over the years but even though none of my conditions are the same as yours I can identify with almost everything you say! (and even some of the things I feel you wanna say but never do!!) I’m in the UK so I don’t have the same medical bills issue but health care over here is a postcode (zip code) lottery and our choices are limited as far as Drs go!
    To me anyone dealing with chronic illness and still taking the time out to smile and laugh is a hero to me, even more so if they are holding down a job (housewife IS a job!!), running around after children, participating in church and charities and maintaining a positive blog!
    You are my Superhero of the month!
    Luv’n’ugs (gentle ones!!) xxxxx

  3. They don’t have a clue what we go through pain-wise, or seem to realize that we “addicts” wouldn’t be able to hand over our “drugs” fast enough if doing so meant a normal, pain and illness free life. Would a true addict do that? I think not. What we’re taking these MEDICATIONS for is to treat real pain. We get no “high” from them, just some level of pain relief. We aren’t trying to escape issues or get “f***ed up”, just trying to survive different levels of pain that are with us every day. Offer us a guarantee of zero pain, and see how fast we give them up forever. That’s when you see who’s really an addict, and who’s just taking them for REAL pain! Don’t lump us all together and make us feel even worse for trying to relieve relentless pain!

  4. I plan on showing my family this post. It is very frustrating for me to explain how horrible I have been feeling lately and not get upset with the way others respond. You would think that I would be used to being in chronic pain because I’ve had chronic pain my entire life. I don’t think anyone truly understands how someone in constant chronic pain feels unless they are in constant pain what chronic pain. I never knew how bad pain could be until recently. Thanks for sharing

  5. I am not a addict I have REAL pain, every minute of every day!! My feet are so twisted I can’t find shoes that fit I use a wheelchair most of the time and I can’t drive myself anymore. I depend on my family for everything and feel like a burden even though they say No !! The quality of my life is so bad but without the “DRUGS “ I wouldn’t get out of bed or end my life because I can’t stand the pain. Do I get HIGH “NO” never ever !! Do Drs believe me “No “ except the pain management Doctor is so kind and understanding my primary is not kind and is anything but understanding!! So to all the people who think this old lady is a drug addict i just you don’t end up in my situation. Then you will have the shame of being called an addict that you are not in pain you want to get stoned fly high!! I cry so much and wish, pray, beg God to stop this from happening but it is my life now and give me the benefit of doubt that just maybe I am really in pain. I read about all the people saying that we don’t try hard enough to use other things to relieve the pain I’ve done it all and nothing works. Why would I put myself through it If all i wanted was to get better be my old self!! PLEASE! PLEASE IF ONE OF THE MANY WHO CALLS ME A ADDICT SPEND A DAY IN MY BARE FEET and then tell me i’m addicted to pain pills NO i just want to live with the pain i can stand !! And that is a 6 most of the time without medication a 10+ and out of my mind!! So PLEASE take care all of you who are suffering because they won’t give you anything jump through all the hoops until hopefully you get a pain specialist who understands and take pity on your suffering then that little pill helps and you don’t want to kill your self!! Because believe me people have ended their lives because they couldn’t take the pain anymore!! Enough said but again i’m not an addict if the pain would go so would the pills!!

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