Posted by Jim R on October 27, 2001 at 12:53:51:
I read teh posts below mine after I posted, but I want to address the addiction issue... I have a medical education (same as a nurses, without the clinical components) and I work in hospitals. I too (like Nancyc but unlike Nancy becasue she see the actual patients) see medical records of patients who are addicted to narcotics. Usually they start out legitimately for chronic pain, back pain, other injuries. Soon many of them are in the ER's with some story or another, trying to get the narcs their docs won't prescribe anymore. It is very sad.
My post about ending up in the ER contained several references to Percocet, another highly addictive narcotic. Yes, they help. There is little, if any pain. There is also little cognition. I feel like I am floating above the ground in some sort of semi-consciousness. ZOMBIE. NOT a way to live, even pain free. Yes, I will take them for the KIP 10's. NO, I will not take them every day for for lesser headaches, hence my search for SOMETHING non-addictive that can control these horrible MONSTERS. I am very aware and WORRIED about addiction because the temptation to take these to stop the torture is so great. Everyone on these PLEASE BE CAREFUL - NOT EVERY TIME, NOT EVERY DAY!! Use alternatives (non-narc), bear it a few times, use O2, use ice - anything that helps that is NOT addictive. Save your narcs, if any, for the times when there IS no alternative. If you are having a lot of "no alternative" times, get help fast and NOT through these drugs. You'll be in danger...
O2 helps sometimes, but definitely not all the time. Midrin helps sometimes, but not all. Verap can help but apparently not forever. Don't give up and take the narcs all the time - they are dispensed like candy and then the medical profession wonders why there are addicts.
PLEASE PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN USING THESE DRUGS (and that goes for ME too!)
Jim R