Raw opium is extremely addictive .. and likely more dangerous as the level of alkaloids cannot be controlled .

I understand you are a health care professional.
You are in a different country than I, tho.
In the US, there is a push to limit the opiate drugs to patients with certain chronic health issues.
Many doctors here will recommend, if not require, pain management therapy in lieu of a prescription.
I once had a doctor tell me to put my pain in a box.
What the hell is that about?

I'm in pain right now.
I was in pain when I woke and I will be in pain when I go to sleep.
I have conditioned myself for "my pain".
You can poke me with a pin and I won't react like I used to.
My gf gets pain.
She has a very low tolerance of pain.
Things that give her pain don't even phase me.

Oxy is a very abused pain med in the US.
You can buy it on the street for $20 a pill.
People get addicted to it because it causes them to be able to function without pain.
If there were a drug that didn't have the addiction issues, people would want it.
Pain flat out SUCKS!

Aspirin does work but it too has side-effects.
Too much aspirin will make you feel sick.
I take aspirin before I take Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen.
Too much Tylenol or Motrin can also give you side effects.

The thing is, when you are in pain, you want it to stop.
You want it to stop so you can 'live' like you used to, before the pain.
When I take oxy, I am able to do things I normally can no longer do.
Problem is, when the meds wear off, I pay for it dearly.
Not because of my dependence on the drug but because I am using parts of my body I normally can't use anymore.

Part of the withdrawal of codeine can be attributed to normal stress from a body that is not used to doing what you do.
Normally, I move slow at certain things. I'm not so energetic because that activity increases my pain.
When the pain is dulled, I am more energetic and stress parts that are not normally stressed.
When the meds wear off, I feel it. I want even more meds to deal with it.
And, you have yourself an addiction.

You have posted many times about your pain tom and it really is heartbreaking to hear . Likewise with Stu .

Feel free not to answer .. but do you have a chronic pain specialist .. and psychological councillor ...

Do you have regular physiotherapy sessions to improve your range of movement and reduce maladaptive posturing and compensation .

Have you trialled antidepressants .and neuropathic pain therapies (gabaoentin ..pregabalin... usually taken with other adjuvants )

Chronic pain is extremely difficult to manage and is often associated with depression and reduced life quality . Though it manifests physically , pain impacts on all aspects of being including mental and social .

I cannot imagine modern day life without access to medications .. can you ???

How can opiates be sold over the counter .. is that legal in the states ???

I don't have any support.
I am invisible.
I am a non-person.
I used to get really messed up about how insignificant my health is to my health care providers but I came to realize that I am not greasing anyones pockets anymore and none of them care a damn about me personally.
I am just a number.
A quota fill.
Hell, my dr doesn't even remember my name and if there isn't labs, he dismisses me.
But, that's the way it is and I dont have the money to have a dr that cares.
Hell, at least he keeps my Rx filled.
Rx that was prescribed by other drs years ago.
My doctor has NEVER even touched me.
No examinations at all.
A dr visit for me is go to the nurse, tell her how I feel, she writes it down.
The Dr comes in and brings me to his office.
He sits in front of his computer and looks at my lab results and refills all my meds and says see you in 6 months.
They don't care, I'm not paying them enough to care.
I ask for something for the pain andits ignored, like I never said anything.
They used to ask me to sign a statement that I will not sell them but they don't even do that anymore.
The freak won't even shake my hand.
Edit to add:
This current dr has trouble speaking English.
Half the time I don't understand what he says but thru questions, I get the gist of it.
He does get impatient with me if I am 'bothering' him for more than 15 minutes.
My normal dr visit from being called from the waiting room to leaving is 15-20 minutes (not counting labs).
At $160 that is nearly $600 ph.

Sounds like you need a referral to a pain clinic and to be reassessed . You can make that request . .. the choice is yours tom .

Is there no free public health system in the states ???

You obviosly have no idea how the VA medical works in the US.
If they acknowledge my pain, they are required to do something about it.
They don't want to do anything about it so they ignore my complaints.

The last Rx I have for any type of pain meds were 6 years ago.
I still have an Oxy pill remaining.
I had to sign three documents in order to get that Rx.
I had to attend a pain management appointment wher she told me to put my pain in a box.
WTF is that about?

Basically, they want me to acknowldge I'm sick but then their fix is to tell me to stop being sick.

I absorbed so much chemical toxicity in my 30 years as a truck mechanic that its now seeped into my bones and tissue.
When I had a real dr, because I had really great insurance, they tried to mak it better but even they told me its only going to get worse as time passes.
When the SSI re-evaluates me every two years, I get notices that tell me no review is needed.
This is because of the condition I suffer from.
I'm never going to get better.

I have lasted longer (3 years now, yay) than the insurance drs predicted but the VA (the only affordable alternative on my fixed income) don't care.
I have medicare, I pay the premiums.
Can't afford the out of pocket for the dr visits, labs, Rx and co-pays.
Unless I don't want to pay my bills and buy food and gas.

Sorry .. I really do not have a clue about your health system ..

Perhaps you should consider moving to another country

Hope tomorrow is a better day for you . Nite tom

And I thought, the Health system in Ireland is shite

Anyways, taking painkillers only cures the symptoms. The cause must be treated by all different methods. It's vers often psychosomatic

The problem here in the states is that the streets are now flooded with the Oxycodone's of the world. China has ripped off the trade mark and is mass producing the drug and then shipping it to the U.S. and other countries to be sold on the streets.

U.S. customs is only catching a fraction of what gets in.

It has become the drug of choice here in the Northeast U.S. and it has created a massive amount of addicts.

And like I stated earlier. It is not the " typical" addict we are seeing out there, its kids, Moms, Dads, grandparents.. main stream America becoming addicted to this drug.

And it all starts with the pharmaceutical companies and the healthcare industry. One makes it.. the other distributes it.

It should have never been allowed outside of hospital setting.

There always has to be a crisis to distract us from the real problems our countries facing. Have some doctors over prescribed? You bet, but now anyone who has legitimate pain issues is looked at as a drug seeker.

Perfect example two nights ago my dad had a bad fall and hit his head so hard it bounced off the floor 8-10 inches. We rushed him to the hospital. His head and neck was swollen and he was screaming. My dad isn't one to ask for pain medication, even if he is in pain. He was in the hospital bed crying and anytime they touched his head or neck he screamed. The ER doctor at first wasn't going to five him anything for pain. He told my 75 year old dad he had to deal with it.

I got so heated that I confronted the doctor in the hall. He alluded to the fact the people say their hurt when their not just to get drugs. His damn head and neck and lip was swollen, he wasn't making that up. I dared him to call my father a drug seeker and basically told him that I was going to make two calls, one to our attorney and the next to a family friend that sits on the hospital board. After that he gave him a low dose of Morphine which barely helped and said nothing was wrong. Needless to say my dad was at a Neurosurgeons office today and there is quite a bit wrong and he maybe going in for surgery within the next couple days.

hope your dad is ok ..

when a head injury or concussion is involved it is common practice to be very cautious giving opiates (or any medication) which depresses the central nervous system .... it is important to be able to keep reassessing neurological status... Even a small amount of opiates can alter neurological symptoms ...especially in the elderly . Not only that in the context of a head injury .. there is already a risk of hypotension increasing intracranial pressure .. Opiates can cause a further drop in blood pressure and respiratory drive .. both of which increase ICP.

Cranial swelling , bleeding and clots can also be delayed and not present initially .

Even without the benefit of a full case history and note of events .., I can understand the doctors reluctance ..

The f**king bottom line here is Drs. in this country are so scared of the DEA and loosing their gushing money fountain they no longer care!(period)
I was going to confront one a couple of years ago and thought there was something in their hippocratic oath about relieving suffering; after reading several versions online there is nothing like it there.
A friends grandmother was dying about 10 years ago, everyone knew and she couldn't sleep. Nine days before her death her Dr, refused to give any serious sleep or pain meds because he didn't want her to be addicted.....WTF? At least she could have slept more than 9 hours in her final 9 days....

Actually it's not. I was an EMT II for years and for a time in Nevada we could administer certain medications including Atropine, Adrenaline, Morphine, Demerol, Ativan, Thorozine, Zofran, Phenergan and certain cardiac meds. Also, because we were in a very remote area we could administer more powerful medication (we carried Dilaudid on board) if we got the approval of the Medical Director if the transport time was unusually high because Care Flight was either grounded do to weather or was in Service on another call which would happen more then you could imagine.

Yes it can lower resp and blood pressure but that's why you hook them up to a cardiac monitor and also a pulse ox. You start at a low dose and see how the patient tolerates it and raise it from there. The goal is two fold, one to keep the patient alive, but to also keep them comfortable.


The only thing we were taught to never administer is anything that has a blood thinning effect. Back in the day they said never give Opiates or anything sedating because if there was a concussion the last thing you wanted was the person to fall asleep, but that was also debunked in the 80's.

BTW the surgeon my dad saw, who also teaches at the University of California on occasion agreed the doctor was out of line.

let me know what the legal system says
of course ..we are only hearing your side of events .. I would love to hear the doctor's .

Treatment of a traumatic brain injury depends on "severity"

and takes into account ... comorbidities .. patient history , presenting symptoms .(including pain) . regular medications .. primary and secondary assessments ... ongoing neurological assessments and diagnostic interventions required .....
stabilising a pt at the scene for transfer to hospital requires additional measures .

I do have more to say about my thoughts on your behaviour .. but it would become personal so I will leave it at that best of luck .

Nature Lady request that your doctor refer you to a pain management clinic. They will evaluate you and decide on the best treatment for you. If narcotics are prescribed you'll be required to enter into a contract with them and do periodical urine tests. It would be well worth your time, GPA don't like to prescribe pain medication for chronic pain.


Blondey, you give great advise, I assume by your knowledge your in the medical profession?

hi itybit yes .. but not practising in the states

Disclaimer ... .. with the exception of suggesting a pain clinic referral ..I am not giving advice .. just expressing my personal thoughts and opinion :-). But thank you

Pain, reminds me that I'm still alive.
I've no "personal experience" with opiates/opiods.

Sorry, otc Tylenol, is about the strongest pain med
I'll take.

Well, if you smoke it, the effect is pretty much instant, and you cannot overdose that way, so you would be able to measure how much you needed for your pain quite easily. We probably wouldn't even have heroin and oxy whatever, and subotex and all the rest, if they hadn't made it illegal in the first place. They were invented after and largely because of, prohibition. I mean opium was used for hundreds or thousands of years, before there was a ******** war on plants

ITYBIT - I have been to a good pain clinic. Later took two weeks of 40 hours per week chronic pain relief at a hospital. Overseen by a psychiatrist.
Have had radio frequency ablations by ortho. I have had fibromyalgia for 40 years. I am now at a new pain clinic. Doc took away my Norco and has me on LDN (look it up) so now my pain level is at a 9 all day and all night. Narcotics for me was a half-way answer. Lyrica, neurontin, and a dozen other meds had bad side effects.... so Now i have nothing.