Addicted to narcotic pain medication...for a good reason???
 

Not having the greatest day right now. So, I will try to make this short as possible.

I'm a long time member of this forum here. I see a lot of new faces, so I will quickly introduce myself...

My name is Nick. I'm 29 years old. I suffered a mild "complicated" traumatic brain injury back in 2011. My main symptoms are severe sensitivity to visual and auditory stimulation, and serious problems with communication. There's a whole plethora of other symptoms, but those are the most debilitating. The sensitivity to stimulation is extremely debilitating. I wasn't able to watch TV, listen to music, or go ANYWHERE without my brain shutting down....and I don't mean for a moment. It would shut down for days, weeks or months. I couldn't do anything while my brain was in that state. I spent everyday of my life locked in a dark, quiet room for years.

Long story short, I started taking opiate based, narcotic pain medication for my headaches about a year ago. I noticed at a slightly higher dose that I'm prescribed, it completely ELIMINATED my cognitive issues. Yes, I know that sounds funny but I'm 100% serious. I've finally got my life back!!! I've gone back to dating, I watch movies, go to casinos, play video games everyday...and much much more. Basically, I'm able to do everything I was able to do before my injury!!! I am now a very social person like I was before.

It's amazing....

But...it's NARCOTIC pain medication. I'm taking more than prescribed (of course at a safe dose). My tolerance raises more and more every week, leaving me with 2 choices: Stop taking them and suffer tremendously. Or, keep raising the dose, run out of pills and have to resort to the black market to obtain more.

I don't know what else to do. I've tried every type of medication, vitamin regimens, therapies, had every test performed under the sun and seen every type of doctor you could imagine. NOTHING else works for me. I somehow manage to scrape by every month, never going more than 2 days without medication...but...there has to be another way.

Does anyone else have a similar experience with narcotic medication to relieve symptoms??? Any suggestions???

As of right now...my plan is to try to bring my tolerance back down by teetering. Once my tolerance is back down, I'm gonna try taking them for 3 days, and stopping for 3 days. That way I don't run out, or it doesn't cost me as much. The three days that I'm not taking them, since I'm not working, I will just lock myself in the room and rest while my siblings help with my son.

Well, let me know what you guys think....

Nick

P.S. Judge me if you please. But, we all know only God has that honor. I was desperate to have my life back. This is what works for me!!! I pray that everyone here finds what works for them.

Nick,

I doubt the legal system will give you much room to fudge so I suggest being very careful, especially with custody at risk. Can you substitute Tylenol and aspirin combined for your 'days off' ? I get pain relief equal to codeine (an opiate) with the Tylenol/aspirin cocktail.

IMO I think it's time to taper the dose, it will take a while to do. When you get it down to a low level you might find you have to change to another pain drug for a short period. There must be something in the drugs pharmacology that helps your brain, maybe Gabapentin would help you too, you'd have to ask a doctor! Good luck, you can do it.

what narcotic are you on? Usually the docs dont like to use narcs for headaches. Have you been to a headache specialist?

Mark,

I have a friend who is prescribed percocet and doesn't take them. He just gives them to me. So, it's not like I'm out buying drugs off people =P. He's someone that I see on a daily basis, so nothing suspicious about it.

SuperElectric,

I've tried EVERYTHING. Gabapentin, seizure medications, nerve pain meds, various types of anti-depressants, vitamins, muscle relaxers, every type of therapy known to mankind. Nothing else works for my cognitive issues. Not even a little bit. I think I'm gonna stick to my plan on tapering, lowering my tolerance and only taking them for a few days at a time.

jinga,

It's not the headaches that are debilitating. They are nothing more than headaches someone without a concussion would suffer. It's my COGNITIVE issues that opiate based pain killers are helping IMMENSELY. Without them, my brain function is the equivalent of a 90 year old man. And that goes without exaggeration. I can't watch 3 seconds of TV, drive a car, hold a conversation, etc. without my brain shutting down...and staying in a compromised state for hours, days, weeks and one time for 3 months. What I have experienced as a result of my brain injury is complete TORTURE!!! I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. The medication I take is Oxycodone. Either in the form of Percocet or Roxicodone. It's amazing what it does for me. It fixes every aspect of my brain injury problems, and I have no clue why. It's like a magic brain injury pill for me. There's actually one other person I know who has the same EXACT symptoms as me, and she finds total relief from the same type of medicine.

Weird =\

Space-

Is there a doctor you trust you could talk to? I understand your desperation! ...but the consequences could be more horrific.

What would be he component in this drug that restores your ability to tolerate sound, movement, conversation, improving perception?????

These areas shut down my brain too keeping me from life but I am confused on how it's working. The Neuro doesn't want me on any altering drugs.

Aren't you worried about addiction and the hell of withdrawl? Plus black market sound scary-what if you don't get what you are paying for and it's deadly?

It just sounds confusing and I hope you are careful. I know the depth of your despair and darkness. I lived there a very long time and drugs and alcohol were tempting among other things. Desperation can cause us to do things we would not do normally.

Please be careful.

Jace

Nick,

Having narcotics that you do not have a prescription for is just as illegal as buying them on the street. Find a doc to prescribe them and keep the bottle with your name on it handy. Being caught with a pill on your person can get you thrown in jail. Having more than one can be considered possession with intent to distribute. Your friend can get in legal trouble for giving them to you.

I have seen enough people stand before the judge for just the same. Possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. I doubt you could get a diversion program.

You have too much at risk. Please find a legal way to get them.

Mark,

First off, thank you =]. I'm prescribed Percocet from my pain management doctor. DEA is cracking down hardcore on doctors and pharmacies here in Las Vegas. The doctors are scared to prescribe over a certain amount, and the pharmacies are afraid to fill them. The small amount I'm prescribed doesn't get me through the entire month. My friend gives me just enough of the drug (Percocet) to make it last. But, like I said, my tolerance is going up fast. That's why I'm gonna start teetering down and use the 3-4 days on 3 days off method. Eventually, if everything goes as planned, I won't have to obtain them from an outside source.

Long story short, I do have a current bottle of legally prescribed Percocet every month. Even though I have a prescription, I never leave the house with them in my pocket. They're always locked away safe in my medicine box.

I really do wonder what part of the compound is improving these functions. If I could find out, maybe there's another route I could take for relief.

:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

Living_Dazed,

Thanks for your response and concern. I've done extensive research on opiate-based pain medication. I'm aware of the risks that come with usage of that particular drug. I know what the withdrawals are like, I have lived them on more than a few occasions. Everything that is associated with using this medication, including the addiction and dependency is well worth it for me. You have no idea how much of my functions have been restored while using them. I won't say the problem is fixed, because it isn't. It's only a bandaid that works very well if taken on a regular basis.

About finding a doctor I could trust...There is no doctor who I could talk to about this. They would cut me off immediately if I were taking them for any other reason besides headaches. It's the cold, hard truth. Too many people out there who take it only for the HIGH that ruin it for people who really need them.

I'm sorry for what you're going through. I feel for you. I've been living in a nightmare for the last 3 years now. I am lucky to have found a temporary/bandaid solution to the majority of my problems. I wish for you to find peace as well.

Nick

I'm confused. If you are not taking it for the pain relief but instead, for the cognitive value, why do you need to increase the dose? I would think that the cognitive value would stay the same since it is not based on the pain killing effect. There are meds that help it last longer. (Tagament or Regilen) Grapefruit juice is supposed to help.

Just like the pain relief properties, my body is needing more and more every week or two that passes in order to help with cognitive functions (communication, processing speed, overstimulation, etc). It builds the same type of tolerance as if I were taking it for pain.

Never heard of those meds. Tried grape fruit juice once, don't think I noticed a difference? Maybe I didn't drink enough of it.

How do those meds work?

I believe they work by increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain.

....The pain pills that is!

L-Tyrosine can help increase dopamine production.

Specifically opiates that improve mood, are sometimes used for
medication refractory depression.

Oxycodone is specifically most active for this, because it has obscure but definitive effects on serotonin release.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/805197

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/majo...ant-depression

We have some threads here on our Bipolar forum about this.
"Suboxone" is one keyword to try to search for them.

Doctors require a special license to prescribe Suboxone, however and sometimes it is difficult to find one.

There is one antidepressant that works on dopamine...and that is Wellbutrin. It might be worth a discussion with your doctor about trying that.

Firstly, thanks for posting this. I have resisted opiates, and the like, since my Mtbi. However, as the injuries continue to make my mind/body deteriorate, what quality of life I have is ebbing away. The last few weeks have just been a nightmare of pain. I'm wondering if it's time to give myself some relief - any relief.

That said, I agree with the others that you need to find a legitimate source for you meds. The consequences of your current arrangement, especially in your country, could be dire for you, and your friend.

It's a tragedy, and travesty, that people in pain are collateral damage in the futile, asinine "war on drugs."

I had similar experience while taking Xanax.
When I started taking it, I would get relief in my symptoms to the point where I would feel normal again.
I tried taking less than was prescribed to me, at first I only took a small dose each day only when I felt I needed it, but quickly had to up the dose (xanax only works for about 6 hours) to get the same effect.
This allowed me to be social, productive at work, etc...
Soon I realized that instead of getting better, I was actually getting worse, as every time xanax dose wore off, I would feel horrible.
At about three weeks in I figured out that I'm addicted to it, and decided to stop taking it cold turkey. The three days that followed were the most horrible days in my life.
Took me about a month after that to be able to work again.

I believe that Xanax was masking my symptoms and instead of resting and taking it easy, I made things worse by overtaxing my brain every day.

Last year I hit a plateau in my recovery for several months. It felt like I'm not improving at all, and sometimes would have really bad setbacks from very minor stuff. I tried several different things and found a good Atlas Orthogonal chiro, who was able to get my recovery moving in the right direction again.

I realize that my story is different from yours, but don't give up and try to find something that helps you, I don't think drugs are the answer...