Posted by Justherself54 on March 20, 2010, at 9:26:35
In reply to curious: vicodin potentiates stimulant?, posted by floatingbridge on March 19, 2010, at 23:22:15
I have had the same experience when I was on morphine after surgery. I felt like my old self before the refractory phase of bipolar decided never to leave.
I know pain robs me of energy and feeds my depression. And my depression feeds my pain. I have been trying to tell GP's this for a long time. The only thing I have access to right now are T3's, given to me by a friend. They just take a small edge off the pain. I finally bullied a doctor to refer me to a pain clinic. She did so reluctantly, saying they'll just give you strong drugs and get you addicted. I said I don't care, just make the referral.
She said you have to fight through the pain. I have fibromyalgia and degenerative bone disease in my sacrum. The pain feels like constant low back pain labour (any women here who have had babies and back labour will know what that feels like). I had no problem fighting through that pain cause I had a baby at the end and the pain went away. It's gotten so bad that when I drive to visit my grand kids (two hour drive), someone has to help me get out of the car, as I have just spent two hours driving feeling like the end of a hot poker has replaced my tailbone. You can imagine how much energy I have after arriving. None!
I'm now going back to my old GP where I used to live. He's been my doctor for years. If he can't get me into a specialist quickly to even try a cortisone shot or something in my back I want something stronger for the pain.
My pdoc has said that opiods were used for depression way back in time, and worked well, until they fell out of favour due to their addictive nature. I feel there is still a place for them for people like me, who suffer refractory depression and chronic pain. Do I care if I get addicted, yes, but not as much as I care about getting relief from pain.
You always hear about benefit vs. risk with medication. Right now I'm in the risk taking category. All I'm asking for right now is even one day per week to be pain free and sleep undisturbed for 8 hours.
Sorry for the rant. I'm on about year 2 of getting 4 to 6 hours of broken sleep from pain.
I so hope you get some relief from your pain, FB. As to whether or not the opiod is giving you energy, I'd be inclined to say the pain relief is what's giving you energy.
I'd better stop ranting! Sorry FB..didn't mean to hijack your thread!
poster:Justherself54
thread:940128
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100318/msgs/940157.html