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15 months ago I was involved in a car accident that left me with two ruptured discs in my L4-L5 and L5-S1. My L5-S1 disk is not only ruptured but torn as well. The pain is excruciating and quite often debilitating. I have been put on numerous varieties of non-narcotics and narcotics such as trammadol, darvocet, vicodin 5mg and 7.5mg, percocet 5mg and 10mg, that is just to name a few. With every one of those I got minor relief but was still left in pain and would end up taking more than what I should have. I have already been seen by a neurosurgeon who has recommended a lumbar fusion. My regular doctor and the neurosurgeon felt that my pain was significant enough to warrant an immediate appointment with the pain center. Typical wait time is 2-3 months, I got an appointment within 3 days. I go in on Monday to speak with my pain management doctor and wasn’t sure what to expect. I would like to know if I would be able to recommend a specific narcotic that has proven to be very effective for me in the past leaving me little to no side effects while allowing me to function normally. I am just not sure if they will be ok with it.

I was given Dilaudid to help manage the pain I had from gallbladder pains as well as pancreatitus. I had 7 12mm stones in my gallbladder and the pain was as intense as the pain I have now, and I had the same issue then with finding a narcotic that was effective at giving me relief so I could function as normal as possible.

Just a little insight would be great. My most recent prescription that my PCP has given me was percocet 10mg every 4-6 hours. This takes a bit of the edge off but still leaves me in a lot of pain. Is asking for Dilaudid too high of a jump to make?

I am very well aware of what dilaudid is and what its side effects are, I am just wanting to know an answer to whether or not a pain management doctor will take a recommendation for a pain medication that has proven to be effective for me in the past.

You will be on very close supervision with a pain clinic for the drugs you get. Screw up once and that’s it. They may want to do an upper dermal, if it works fine if not, they’ll work something out for a relief drug.

I also take Xanax for my anxiety and Ultram for my back pains. The DR was concerned about the Luvox and the Ultram. I was on Vicodin and Lortab for the back but I could not tolerate the side effects of narcotics. Do I give this Luvox CR a chance to help my sick OCD or do i just keep with my Xanax and tame my anxiety? I also have bleeding ulcers that do on bleed anymore and i take 80 mgs a day of protonix for this, I have a low thyroid and massive allergies. I don’t want to take extra pills but I want to know if this Luvox CR will help – otherwise I’m not taking it. I also have had rashes in the past from some other pill.If the Luvox CR can help me with my OCD I’ll take it, but I do not want anymore gastric bleeding or rashes. I dont care about the sexual side effects or the weight gain – I just want some feedback from ppl who have major anxiety, take Xanax, and are seriously OCD. Thanks for your help!
Edit – I love the 2 responses I have received. To the first responder, I do try and use a holistic approach the my pains. And funny you mention volunteering – my 14 yr old cat died in June and I go to the locals Humane Society every week and play with the cats. I’m not an official volunteer but loving the cats helps me heal. I am on the fence with these meds bc I know the DRs want you to get hooked on it so they can get money. I am just very concerned about possible ulcer disruption. From what I have read about this med so far, there doesn’t seem to be a bleeding issue – the main issue seems to be gas and I live alone so thats not a problem. I just dont know if I should try this stuff. I have 5 weeks of free samples so no money was spent but I dont want to create other medical problems if this pill isnt something I really need. What do you all think I should do?

I think you really need to talk to a therapist, counselor or a professional about this. They can give you the best answer.

I’ve heard that there are 3 types of medicines for Borderline Personality Disorder: for impulsivity, mood swings, and depression. But what are the names and any side effects? If someone has a history of pill/narcotic abuse, is there anything to worry about by them having free access to these medicines?
I suppose I should add that the meds are not for me; it’s actually my roommate with BPD. He’s finally getting help and I want to be prepared for what’s going to happen next.

I posted a similar answer to someone else, so please forgive me if I repeat myself.

Is it you that has the BPD?

Prescription meds often make symptoms worsen – maybe not right away, but can over time! Did you know that when one takes any type of prescription medication, it can take as many as 10+ years for it to leave a persons’ body?

Some meds not only make symptoms worse, but can cause other symptoms, making you think that you have this, or have that; hence, doctors telling you that you have so many different things.

Have you ever thought of trying natural cures, homeopathic treatments and herbs? Alot of these treatments are safe for the body, and have a better outcome vs. prescription medications.

There are plenty of websites on the internet, as well as books found at your local library or barnes & noble bookstore, that have several natural remedies.

I swear by natural remedies vs. prescription medications. As a previous sufferer of depression, that last 10+ years, and having doctor after doctor push several different drugs down my throat, and telling me I had this and that – never an exact answer…after going thru the emotional rollercoaster that I was on for that length of time, I changed course, and was introduced to natural cures. I haven’t been to see a doctor in 7 years, and I couldn’t feel better.

It might be worth a shot. Doubt you’ll lose anything by trying a different avenue! If you have questions or need suggestions on books/sites, feel free to email me! Hope this helps, and possibly opens up your eyes to other methods of "cures".

I understand why narcotic pain killers like vicodin and darvocet have to be strong, but why do they make you feel so good? Is it do get your mind off the pain? Or does it happen to be a side effect and just a coincidence. Do you think the companies want you to get addicted?

In my case it makes me feel good cause it kills the pain that I deal with all the time in my knees.

My mother just told me about a month ago that she has developed MS. She had been diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy about 6 years ago….she’s now 57. She’s had a past with narcotics, in which my brother blames her "crazy" episodes towards…I can vouche for that… (altough when people are in pain, they’re in pain!!). The only thing that is bothering us is… YES, she has had and has a problem with pills…so it’s hard for us to decipher whether or not she is telling us the truth…It’s hard for me not to believe my mother when she has been going through this and a lot of other physical things. She forgets a lot and is showing all the signs of MS. But, we (I) want to beware of all of the side effects. This is something that is very new to me. I’ve been researching a lot (crying a lot) and want to hear from actual kids that have or are dealing with this!! Please only answer this if you or a loved one has MS and knows what I am talking about….the rest just read and carry on..

I have MS as well as three other sisters with MS. This disease can affect people differently. One of my sisters went blind, another has lesions that are causing a lot of numbness and weakness in her legs. My other sister passed away in 2004 but not because of the MS. In my case I refuse to let the MS bring me down. I truly believe that our mind can play a large role in the way our body reacts to situations and conditions. If you mother really has MS then she is going to need your support and understanding as well as encouragement. They have made many advancements in MS. I would encourage you as her daughter to start a regiment of vitamin D of 800 I.U. per day as a preventative measure for yourself from developing MS. My neuologist stongly suggested that all of my children do the same. Check with your doctor about the advantages of vitamin D.

I hope this helps you.

I’ve had severe nerve pain for about 4 years, I am on disability – I was approved the first time. That should tell you how severe it has been. T11 and T12 were severely rotated, and T10, L1 L2 were also rotated. The pain runs across the #11 Nerve – Intercostal nerve. They tried meds like Neurontin and Lyrica,they helped with the pain a lot but I couldn’t tolerate either, both caused me severe side effects and I had to quit both. All they can do is give me narcotics and send me to the pain clinic – both methods are ineffective for me.I’ve improved a lot in the past year, mostly through physical therapy – but I still don’t have enough control of pain – and I’m trying to get where I can work again. My wife died a year ago (she was 42, I am 45 now) -and I don’t want to be home all the time,I want to be productive, and I try very hard.The pain along the 11 nerve is still fairly bad,and if I go off the narcotics it’s unmanageable. I’ve gone to lots of doctors for 4 years,not much help
I have been going to a Chiropractor for over a year – my primary physician referred me – he’s been untwisting my rotated vertebrae.

I would suggest you try a chiropractor. I’m enclosing a link where you can find a doctor of chiropractic that uses a very gentle technique. You’ve gone through this much, why not try a different type of doctor?

Probably most everyone. It seems that when it comes to narcotic pain killers they refer to the side effects of stopping as addiction or dependence but with antidepressents they claim it is Discontinuation Syndrome. LOL That would be the same thing. My problem is stopping Lexapro. It is terrible, just terrible. I had a much easier time stopping Vicodin at 60 mg a day. I got the flu for a couple days and it was over but with the antidepresent its crazy. The same flu like symtpoms along with jolts in my body and head, depression, just a terrible feeling and there dosnt seem to be a end in sight. But thats right its not dependence its discontinuation syndrome. Totaly different… yeah right… worse!!!!!

the difference is that with an addiction, stopping the drug can kill you. with a dependance, it just makes you wish you were dead, you can’t die.

I was recently given morphine for severe pain. I’ve tried many other narcotics but either they didn’t help or had very bad side effects. Now I’ve been on morphine for just a few days and have noticed that I can’t swallow well, especially later in the day as the med ‘accumulates’ in my body. I’m on the immediate release form of morphine. I’m wondering if anyone has had this side effect and if so, did it go away with time or did you have to go off of it? My doc knows about this and we’re just waiting to see what happens. If I complain about this much he will switch me to another narcotic and finally I found one that actually WORKS and don’t really want to ‘experiment’ with other meds. I have a *very* good doc so please do not tell me to find a new one. He’s very conservative and cautious so it’s up to ME to tell him what’s going on. Any help regarding this will be enormously helpful! Thanks in advance!

Anything which diminishes sensation, such as a narcotic, has the potential to cause swallowing problems.
The swallowing reponse is mediated partially by reflex, but is mostly voluntary.
Compensation for the problem entails tucking one’s chin before initiating swallowing. Sucking hard will stimulate the swallowing response by moving the material to be swallowed to the location where the swallow is triggered.
Keeping the chin tucked while chewing helps to protect the airway from premature spillage of material into the pharynx (throat) and will prevent choking.
If you are having trouble with liquids, drink stuff with high stimulus value, such as well-chilled nectars, sodas, and the like. It’s safest to use a straw, but be sure that chin stays tucked! Ice water is good, too. Room temperatue or warm liquids will be the most difficult to get down because of their low stimulus value.

What do you think about doctors who prescribe meds that are necessary, but have side effects, and then prescribe something else to treat the side effects, and then something else for the side effects of the side effects?

Example: I have a close relative who was treated for pain with narcotics (which made her tired) so she was given some kind of uppers (which made her nervous) so she was given anti-depressants (which made her awake) so she was given sleeping pills too…

Naturally, she got ADDICTED to some of these meds and had to go through those motions too (but not before the complete destruction of her life).

I know this doctor, and I think she means well in general… But how can anyone prescribe so many heavy drugs to a fairly healthy person without question?

I’ll give a ‘between the lines’ answer. It points to some of the things wrong with the healthcare system.

Of course, there is, what other posters mentioned, kickbacks from the pharmaceutical companies. But that’s far, far too simplified. The AMA determines the process for administering treatment. There are ‘approved’ treatments, and those that are not. There is a flow-of-diagnosis that must be followed for the doctor to continue the practice.

Take ozone therapy, for example. We use ozone to purify blood supplies, just as many European countries have been doing for years, but it has also been found that ozone treatment can dissolve tumors, and isolate and destroy many viruses like HIV, and interestingly, HPV (which we have found is linked to many cancers, and cancer may be directly virus-related). However, it is ILLEGAL to proscribe ozone treatment for ANY medical condition, in the US! Why? Chemo is expensive. You can build an ozone generator yourself with 200 bucks in parts, and the process is easily found and can be self administered. What would happen to our healthcare system and insurance industry if cancer suddenly became ridiculously cheap and easy to treat?

Any doctor found proscribing or administering such treatment in the US loses their license to practice, is likely jailed, and fined.

The AMA, more and more, determines how a doctor can treat anything. The doctor has increasingly less and less say.

are there any natural supplements out there that can be used for children with ADHD and if so what are they. My son is 11 and has ADHD and I dont want to put him back on narcotics Id like to try a more natural approach with no side effects.

ADHD treatment is done with a variety of medications but not narcotics.

There are two classes of medications prescribed for treatment of ADD/ADHD both work remarkedly well a couple with minimal side effects (which is fairly new)

1st. Strattera (Atomoxetine) is in the same chemical family of antidepressants. It does very well in aleviating the symptoms associated with attentional problems.

2. Stimulants (such as Adderal, Focalin, Ritalin, Concerta ) are common place for ADHD

My daughter is on Focalin, we tried several medications to find one with the least amount of side effects.

Medication has truly saved my daughter from certain failure in school. At first I felt very much like I would NEVER put my kids on meds, but seeing the results, of a happy adjusted child is worth it. She can concentrate. This from a kid that struggled daily to get D’s and C’s with lessons to one that completes her assignments and it actually wanting to become a surgeon someday.

Concerns about medication and their side effects were very real for me as well. But, for my daughter it’s been worth it.

Homeopathic remedies and behavior therapies lead to frustration on the part of the child, parent and school. B-Mod was the rage a while ago, one of the posters will likely mention stimulating the child.. The problem with these children is they cannot filter stimulation. It’s a difference in the wiring of the brain.

I recommend seeking a pediatric psychiatrist NOT a pediatrician!! The pediatric psychiatrist will current on all the latest medical treatment options available. See them often..

Google Strattera+UNMC study. The University of Nebraska Med Center studied the effectiveness of Strattera in clinical trials prior to it’s release. The study was coordinated by Dr. Chris Krachtovil. He is one of the leaders in the nation for the medical treatment of ADD and a very good resource for information.