To Take a Med or Not Take a Med: That is the Question
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It is very important for people to take meds as directed. Be very careful about weaning off meds without consulting your doctor first. And avoid stopping meds suddenly and going "cold turkey" as they say. Doing so can be dangerous and even life-threatening.
There are times when people are feeling great and when they start going off their meds they begin to wonder why they start to feel poorly again and why their symptoms return. Well, the reason is because the medication was helping and you are taking it away.
There are times when folks need to be on medications whether they want to or not. Certain conditions require the use of meds. Think of an insulin dependent diabetic trying to go without medication. It can be disastrous and even life threatening.
People in chronic pain may also need meds in order to function and leave a life of any quality. If it takes meds to accomplish this, then take them. As long as they are effective, remain on them. If they are not effective, talk with your doctor about your regimen and seek a change. Always involve your doctor with you decisions. That way if there is a complication, he/she will be aware of the potential reasons and be able to provide appropriate care.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: pain medication, pain management, chronic pain, health and wellness
Labels: Medication Use
12 Comments:
To take a med ot Not take a med. yes that is a very hard question. That question is like beimg between a rock and a HARDER place. u take the meds so that u " " have a better life but sometimes the effects long-term are and become more difficult than the acctual problem. SO do we take it OF COURSE we take it I would go crazy without it the pain would be so bad that I would not be able to get out of bed.
To answer the question of, to take a med? Well thier are days that are worse than others and I HATE having to depend on a pain killer to get threw the days but if I DONT take them then I suffer really bad and I get mean when my pain worses but when I take one of my pain killers I can actually get up and clean my house and do normal every day stuff like everyone else. I hate having daily pain and having to rely on a pain killer but then again Im stuck because if I DONT take that pain killer then Im NOT able to function most days at all. Thier might be one day a week if Im lucky that I dont have any pain. I started going to the pain dr last week for the first time and she actually told me that even on the days I dont HAVE pain to take it anyways because the pain could be way worse the next day and I said how did u know? Then I thought oh shes a dr she knows lol, first dr to ever tell me that. I actaully felt normal for once talking to her that day. My problems are, Diabeties, NO working thyroid with tumors in them, Diabetic nerve damage which hurts like crazy, major head and neck problems they finally figured out why Ive been having bad headaches after doing a spinal tap on me five months ago is, because I have fluid behind my eyes and the eye dr said that would cause me to have major headaches. I also have given birth to a hernia above my belly button in my stomach so now I cannot get a full stomach because if I do it hurts really bad. Well if anyone cares or understands it would mean alot... Sincerly,. A 36 YR OLD person who feels like a 36yr old broken down car in NC...
Of course it's OK to take ANY med if you need it. If that med is insulin? Take it or risk terrible consequences, even death. If it's a pain pill or you don't get out of bed? You take it of course. My pharmacist told me the pain killer and tranquilizer I take every day are the least dangerous of all my medications. So don't be afraid to reley on ANY drug to make your life livable. And better.
Rick
I was given painkillers about ten years ago, I lived a very full life while taking them. Then they found in some patients they caused liver function disorders so they were taken off the market. Since then I have been wrecked with pain everyday and I feel like a chronic hyperchondriac. I'm sure the patches they gave me since are just placebos to keep me from moaning, but they are just useless. I can't function most days.
I am the mother of a 22 year old man in chronic pain from 3 medical situations that all worsened last year. The pain, the effort to adjust, trying to find meds to address all the pain, dealing with the medical community with some people being rude to mean in their perceptions of who he is, a good Doctor working as fast as she can to help (but it takes a long time adjusting for all thats involved), watching our son suffer, seeing him loose two jobs because of the pain, have him rejected for disability, taking out of our pension money to try to give him adjustment time, hearing his struggle with hope, having some family make judgements without mercy or understanding or knowledge, etc. is just so hard. I watch his courage and struggle to take pain killers or not or when or what. It is so sad. It is hard to find ways to help.
In 2005 I was assaulted on my job (beat up by an inmate while saving my assistant unit manager's life) and I ended up having headaches that NEVER go away, problems with muscle tension and spasms in my neck and lower back. I have tried so many medications that only kept me high and not able to attend to my children who are small, at the time they were 3 and 1. I have been to so many doctors and specialists and yet today I still deal with these ailments not to mention that I've been battling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I tried to be weaned off of my meds but my headaches got worse and I had to go back on it.At one point I was taking about 6 to 8 meds a day and I got tired. The inmate fractured the bone under my right eye, I had an eye contusion, fractured nose, neck, back, and head pain. The only thing that has helped me is God! I thank God that he keep me going and able just to make it. I haven't been able to go to work since and can't go back to that job, so now what? Well, I don't know. I thank God for today, who knows what tomorrow will bring.
I suffer from fibromyalgia, if I don`t take pain meds I might as well lay down and die ,because I will wish I was dead the pain is so great I CAN HARDLY STAND IT.I WISH I KNEW THE ANSWER TO THIS, NO ONE SEES TO KNOW WHAT TO DO. trying to find a doctor that may help, or know how to treat this illness. ab
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Medication is often necessary to decrease pain and allow one to become more active. I'm providing this link to educate patients on the types of medications available and their use. Hope you find this helpful. See the article posted January 6, 2007 at http://www.eraseyourbackpain.com
To ALL my fellow pain sufferers and especially the person with Fibryo. I have that also and I truely can relate to this debilitating disease. I have went tru and am still going thru so many drs' and i have found here in Toledo ohio some major NON CARING DOCTORS they care more about their medical licence's and insurance than the patient.
I am going to nearby places which the traveling is way to much for me to drive myself. (thank god for the most world's caring and undersatanding husband)
I spend most of my time in bed also. If i have things to do i try to make it a mind over pain matter attitude. BUT that is not always the case whatsoever..i don't have any friends either any longer they don't understand. that when i am in pain i can not function so i don't even recieve calls because i am sure they are sick of hearing me say how i hurt.
A good dr for fibro pain is a Nuerologist. and a pain specialist i found to be is one that deal with anesthelogology (SP?)
ansthelogolisist... I am not a dr. so please don't quote me.
I have found a dr. that put me on patches and vicodin and the both of them had taken me to a tolerable pain level and now she want to wean me off. I AM IN DISMAY AND I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO.
i am totally scared..i cried and aksed her why and she said that the 1500 mg of acetamine that is in the vicodin is to much for my liver she give me that a day. and she knocked down the fentynly patch to 50 and it has been 8 days and i am starting to feel the pain coming back BUT I AM SCARED TO CALL HER, SHE IS MEAN AND STRICT.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
I am in pain and depressed and worried.
i also have short bowel syndrome, and i almost died 3 times so they had to do 6 abdominal and midline surgeries all throughout my midsection. and the constant pain of the scar tissue and adhesions literally gives me a burning and stabbing twisting.(this is to name a few pains).i can't turn, bend, twist,lift, get up straight from bed from a laying position...i also to make everything worse they want to do a surgery on my c5-7 vertabrae on my neck (they said that those vertebrae's have deteraoratiated... I am sorry about my spelling i am in to much pain to worry about it.
I want everyone to keep their head up and have faith in god. some days it is hard for me to do so but i have to.
sorry to keep you and making you bored!
Hello fellow pain suffererrs! I am 42 years old. 5 years ago they finally diagnosed my life long neck pain as "spina bifida" i was born w/a hole in my spine betwee the 2nd & 3rd vertebrae. The specialist told me the only thing we could do was control it w/ pain managment because surgery would leave me with little or no range of motion. I was told it was a chronic issue, that would worsen over time as age causes my bones to settle the pain will eventually get worse... AFter 5 years of pain mngmt w/ vicodin...(i am EXTREMELY careful with it. i only take 5/500 1/2 a pill 3 times a day. there have been times i've needed more, and the MOST i've ever taken was 4 in one day...and that was very rare) he told me to stop taking vic's...that it was time to try something else, handed me some samples of Celebrex and sent me on my way. ( I read the side effects of celebrex and said no thanks! i'll use tylenol! Sooo being a good patient, I weaned myself off down to 1 a day the first day, and half the next day then 30 hours w/out taking any vics...I had severe gas pains for about 2 hours and the pain was sooo severe I took a vicodin...then BAM 30 minutes later while sitting at my friends wedding reception I fainted and then when I came to I threw up in front of 80 people (lovely). While sitting in the AMbulance a few minutes later, they told me I shouldn't have weaned myself off that fast (without medical attention)! Why didn't my doctor tell me that? I really didn't think 1.5 vics a day was that much...or could this be something else? When the EMT's first arrived my heart rate was very low as was my bloodpressure and I was extremely pale and clammy. But within minutes I was absolutely FINE - like nothing happened ...they didn't even take me to the hospital..they said if I felt bad again, to go...I haden't eaten much that day (bowl of cereal in the morning and a granola bar befor the wedding), but drank 5 cups of coffee throughout the day. Am I that sensitive to the withdrawl? or again...is this something else? Any suggestions would be great. Gonna see primary doctor today. Nothing i've read about vicodin withddrawl included FAINTING....maybe it was the no food and too much coffee???
Hello fellow pain people, my story is much like all of your yours. In lots of pain with no dr's that understand what its like to live this way day in and day out. To not be able to function in normal everyday stuff w/work and famliy, w/dr not wanting to give the pain meds you need just to get through each day...That is until one day where I went to my pain specialist who knew exactly what I was going through and why because he was a "Pain Specailist" reg dr do not have the everyday experience to deal with the issue of what paitaince w/cronic pain go through, my suggestion to all of you is to find your pain specialist that knows what your going through. because of the fact that this (pain) is what they spcailize in...and best of luck to all of you . I know for me it was the best thing I have done for my self. No my pain is not gone (and it never will be) but it is being treated "correctly" and has improved my life in more ways then I ever though could be ..Best of luck to all of you
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