Opioid addiction

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Alternative Therapies for Chronic Pain Relief

I just watched Painkiller on Netflix. A powerful story about the exploitation of opioids by Purdue Pharmaceuticals and the damage done to thousands of people. Just a reminder there are many alternatives to opioids. #Opioids #OpioidEpidemic #OpioidAddiction #alternativpainrelief #ChronicPainRelief #chronicpainawareness

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Overview of Alternative Therapies for Chronic Pain Relief

There are many safe, effective natural treatments for pain that patients will not hear about from their doctors. This is a brief overview of many options.
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I’m Fighting off a Relapse

The prescription bottles in my medicine cabinet are talking to me, my esophagus is craving the burn of alcohol, and every sharp edge gets a little too close to my skin.

The sun is a little too bright, and happiness is a little too sweet. Life is so boring without drugs.

My sobriety clock is haunting me. The numbers are holding me hostage and taunting me. I’m watching the seconds tick time away, counting down to when I lose this battle.

The chips in my drawer are a useless reminder of bad coffee and uncomfortable chairs. The months they represent have lost their meaning. I’d rather use them for poker.

I’m starting to forget why I’m sober. This isn’t what I thought it would be like. Were the nights I can’t remember really so bad? Do I really care about my damaged body? Do I really need any friends and family around to judge me? Was any of this worth it?

I don’t want to relapse… but it feels like everything that’s supposed to help is turning against me.

#AddictionRecovery #Addiction #Depression #Anxiety #Selfharm #OpioidAddiction #AlcoholDependence

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CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS DID NOT CAUSE THE OPIOID CRISIS.

It seems Australia has not learnt from the dire situation in America, whereby prescriptions to patients for legitimate opioids have DROPPED 60% in the last 10yrs, yet overdoses have DOUBLED in that same timeframe! In fact, reputable studies indicate where there is “No previous or current history of abuse/addiction, the percentage of abuse/addiction [in chronic pain patients] was calculated at 0.19%."

Cracking down on legally issued prescriptions [as part of the failed War Against Drugs], in no way is a good outcome for those who have responsibly used their opioids for years, i.e. a cohort of people who are NOT addicted to their life-saving medications, & who ONLY use their legally prescribed pain relief as required!

www.linkedin.com/posts/kevin-james-971278190_opioidcrisis-op...

#opioidcrisis #OpioidEpidemic #opioidrestrictions #OpioidAddiction #OpioidUseDisorder #prescriptionopioids #opioidmedications #illicitdrugs #fentanyl #Addiction #Dependence #policymakers #StopTheStigma #ChronicPain #Chronicpainwarrior #chronicpainmanagement #overdoses

4 comments
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CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS DID NOT CAUSE THE OIPIOID EPIDEMIC.

It seems Australia has not learnt from the dire situation in America, whereby prescriptions to patients for legitimate opioids have DROPPED 60% in the last 10yrs, yet overdoses have DOUBLED in that same timeframe! In fact, reputable studies indicate where there is “No previous or current history of abuse/addiction, the percentage of abuse/addiction [in chronic pain patients] was calculated at 0.19%."

Cracking down on legally issued prescriptions [as part of the failed War Against Drugs], in no way is a good outcome for those who have responsibly used their opioids for years, i.e. a cohort of people who are NOT addicted to their life-saving medications, & who ONLY use their legally prescribed pain relief as required!

www.linkedin.com/posts/kevin-james-971278190_opioidcrisis-op...

#opioidcrisis #OpioidEpidemic #opioidrestrictions #OpioidAddiction #OpioidUseDisorder #prescriptionopioids #opioidmedications #illicitdrugs #fentanyl #Addiction #Dependence #policymakers #StopTheStigma #ChronicPain #Chronicpainwarrior #chronicpainmanagement #overdoses

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Recovery4life

#OpioidAddiction .
I am 20 months clean! I have a relapse prevention non profit!! IF anyone is ready to take step 13 towards your future LMK and I would love to help!!!

1 comment
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Guided meditation / hypnosis / relaxation/ sleep

Here is a great video to help with relaxation and meditation. It can help you get some sleep also.

If you concentrate on his voice it really works. This guy is a lifesaver.

youtu.be/di0G6dcHF-4

#Meditation #Pain #Sleep #Addiction #OpioidDependence #OpioidAddiction #Drugs #Relaxation

2 comments
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Debilitating Chronic and Acute Pain / Withdrawal / opioid dependence

For over a decade I was on
15 patches of fentanyl 50 mg
180 Dilaudid 8mg
120 Percocet
30 Bromazepam 6mg at bedtime
60 Diazepam 10mg
Every month on a continuous basis for over 10 years

Decades Prior to that I was on different types of pain medications ever since I had a bike accident when I was in my teens when I cracked a vertebrae and twisted my back.

I suppose over the years I did not realize how high of a dose I was getting used to. My doctor however did everything he could for me. He sent me to specialists, pain clinics and Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Toronto to the addictions centre to confirm whether I was addicted or dependent on opioids. They confirmed that because I never abused my medications and only used them for pain, I was determined not to be addicted however dependent on opiates and benzodiazepines. The opiates for pain and the benzodiazepines for muscle spasms and sleeping at night. I was living a successful and happy life, able to function properly during the day and get proper sleep at night. The sky was the limit. I was happy, content and believe that I could’ve lived the rest of my life like that as my mother did. She also had a dependency on the same types of medications and I had no issues because she never abused them. My mother had suffered a severe car accident when she was young and the doctors did not think she would survive as she broke many of her ribs and had several broken bones. It was a miracle. Otherwise healthy, she recently died peacefully in a hospital at a ripe old age of 94 years old

At the end of 2019, my family physician was reprimanded by the College of Physicians and surgeons of Ontario and stopped working at the clinic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that I was going to for over 10 years

That clinic no longer had a family physician as they were waiting for a doctor from the U.S. and therefore could not refill any of the prescriptions I was taking. They remained a walk-in clinic only.

I ended up in an addiction walk-in clinic and forced to take Suboxone. Did I have a choice? It was that or buy drugs illegally.
The main problem is, Suboxone is meant to treat addiction and not for long-term pain management. I have been on Suboxone since January 2020. It DOES NOT HELP WITH MY PAIN. It only gets me to fall asleep, temporarily.

All night every night, I wake up with pain between 10 and 20 minutes apart. I cannot get a proper night sleep. I end up crawling out of bed at 3 or 4PM on average. By the time I wake up and have my coffee, offices that I need to call ie. to find a new doctor are closed. So I am unable to get anything done. I feel 100% useless, helpless & HOPELESS.
I cannot live like this!!
HELP

Has Anyone else experienced this type of thing? Taken off high doses of both Opioids and Benzodiazepines at the same time?

#withdrawal #coldturkey #opioiddependence #OpioidAddiction #opioidstigma #opioidusedisorder #fentanyl #benzodiazepines #benzos #opioidcrisis #overdose #Addiction

4 comments
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My soul is hurting...#Addiction #fentanyl addiction #OpioidAddiction #CheckInWithMe

So, my ex, who I'm very close to, is addicted to street fentanyl. Watching him high breaks my heart and triggers me since I went through his addiction all throughout our relationship. In total, I've been dealing with his lies and addiction for 6 years. It hasn't been easy, since he's often cruel to me when he's high. Low blows come often. Watching him destroy himself kills my soul. If I try to explain how his addiction effects me, he tells me "way to make this all about you". I've explained that his addiction effects more than just him, and that's when he shuts down. He refuses to accept/acknowledge responsibility for stealing my meds, and that makes his betrayal 10x worse. I feel lost and don't know what to do. I'm so tired of crying about this situation.

6 comments
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Opioids: Understanding Addiction Versus Dependence

It is really important that the poulation understands the difference between opiod addiction and deoendence. A lot if thus is tge fault if drug addicton treatment centers tgst eill pop up furst on a google search (because they want the money). They are oretty much paud click bait from SSRI's & rverything else & often have very misleading information about addiction. Chaps my hide!

Research shows that chronic pain patients rarely become addictided. Ygere are a large number if studies to back this. Opiod addiction is more caused by doctors that prescribe them incorrectly or too long for acute pain. Or acute pain patients that use them too long ir incorrectly after and injury or surgery.

A lot of people unknowingly use them interchangeably & it prepetuates that all chonic pain patients are 'addicted'.

I have excerpted from an article. Please read the link for full information. It is quite good.

www.hss.edu/conditions_understanding-addiction-versus-dependence.asp

Opioids: Understanding Addiction Versus Dependence

Many patients are often confused as to how they can be dependent on a drug, such as an opioid, but not be addicted to it. The distinction is essential for patients and caregivers to understand. This is why recent evidence-based literature clearly defines the difference between addiction and physical dependence in drug use.
Physical dependence is when the body requires a specific dose of a particular drug, such as a prescription opioid, in order to prevent withdrawal symptoms. This typically happens when a patient uses a drug long-term (six months or longer) to manage pain associated with a medical condition. In this time frame, the body builds up a natural tolerance to the medication and becomes dependent on it to maintain status-quo. .........While the patient who is physically dependent may experience some euphoria while using the drug, the reward center in the brain remains “offline,” and the patient is still capable of managing impulses and making decisions in their best interest. In other words, the patient still has control over their use....

Substance use disorder (SUD), or addiction, is classified as abnormal and is defined by the DSM-52 as a chronic, treatable illness. SUD can have devastating, life-long consequences if not addressed. SUD results in compulsive behaviors that manifest as cravings, an inability to control use, and continued use of the drug despite its harmful consequences. SUD can occur separately from physical dependence, although in the case of opioid use, a patient is also typically physically dependent on the drug. ......with SUD, a patient’s actions are directed primarily by an overwhelming need to accommodate the brain’s reward center, and the part of the brain that guides self-control and decision making is directly impeded. A patient with a SUD begins to lose the ability to effectively prioritize their well-being over the continued use of the drug....
#ChronicPain
#OpioidAddiction

6 comments
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Cravings..

I have been of prescribed opioid medication for about 2 months now. I miss it. Despite how horrendous it was to come off them and all the difficulty I had... I still would happily have them again.
Does anyone else get this?
I feel crazy when I say I’d happily take them if I was offered them from a random stranger.. I didn’t think much to this until I saw the reaction of my closest friend when I said this.
Am I gonna always want them?
#Addiction #OpioidAddiction #Cravings

1 comment