Quote:
Originally Posted by SeattleDDC
Now I'm wondering about opiates. I told the doctor that I really didn't want to take opiates because I was afraid of what they'd do to my liver. He said they wouldn't affect it. I checked online and found something that said the liver damage is caused by the Tylenol in the opiate, not the synthesized opium. If you don't take a dosage too high on the Tylenol side you should be okay. Any thoughts on this?
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Hi Dwight,
For PN, they're more likely to try
other kinds of medications first, and that's not necessarily a bad idea -- amelioration of the pain is/should take precedence over what (kind of) medication gets the job done. The current anti-opioid/war on drugs environment/mentality also comes into play.
For PN pain, some of the non-opioid medications actually work better for some people (when they work at all) than opioids -- everyone is different.
IMO, the biggest problems with
any medications for treating PN pain (whether opioid or non-opioid) is
tolerance and
physical dependence (which is
not the same thing as addiction). Anti-seizure meds, antidepressants, and others can be as dependence-producing (and difficult to get off of) as opioid medications.
ALL medications have side effects and risks, so it's a good idea to check them out on your own as you discuss them with your doctor.
Here is an older thread on the topic:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread161040.html
or you could google:
medications for peripheral neuropathy for more information.
Doc