Any suggestions???

My youngest daughter had back surgery last September and is still having some nasty pain. Most of it I believe is from her hip where they took the bone graft for the fusion of L4L5. She has become addicted to the pain meds and has ended up needing more and more of the meds to get even a touch of relief.

Unfortunately, she made a very bad choice and accepted some methadone from a friend. She was urine tested at her pain docs and they found it in her system and now the doc has discontinued the pain meds - cold turkey. She's heading to the methadone clinic today for her initial intake.

I have to say this scares the crap outta me. She has asked her pain doc for months now to help her back off the pain meds and find other solutions yet this doc has been completely ignoring her requests. I told her to find another pain doc but of course that ends up looking like she's pill searching grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I've suggested meditation to her (don't think she even tries). But, I have never been through this kind of thing myself and I really don't know what more I can do for her to help her. This is breaking my heart to see her in this way.

What really frosts my butt is that these docs prescribe the pills, they know how addictive they are, they don't listen to the patient when the patient explains their problems with the addiction and then when something happens and the patient is left to supplementing themselves, they are treated like a child and punished by ripping away the very thing that they prescribed without giving the patient other options. I mean wth is up with that???? The procedures of this doctor are very questionable to me...and I am NOT happy

hon I am so sorry she is going thru this. I don't have the answers for you. I can only tell you from what I am/did go thru. I too am prescribed addictive meds but I knew that up front and for me I learned to deal with alot of pain so I would not have to take the meds all the time. I only take them when I am having bad flares. I almost went to a pain dr but they wanted too much money up front that I did not have at the time. they wanted me to do a blood test that my insurance would cover if they sent it out. they refused to do that so my insurance would not pay. it was for...get this.....drug testing lol go figure. here they give you narcotics but they want to drug test you!
anyway sorry about that rant there.

I wish her and you all the best luck in the world finding help.

(((((((((((( be )))))))))))) I so wish my daughter could have managed rationing out her meds the way have done. I know it's so hard. Dang doctors....they are hard to figure out eh?

The pain doc she goes to is her regular md. Go figure....the doc told her she would be able to handle her meds before and after surgery.....I'm really disgusted with this dr....and I know that another doc that used to be in practice with her had been investigated about a year or so ago for handing out narcotics like they were candy. I have a feeling this doc is also being investigated too now Her tune has changed a whole lot fairly recently. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

sabby,

you are quite likely right. the problem is that the pain docs are pretty much all under a constant microscope. the DEA is constantly breathing down their necks. unfortunatly, until something is done about the DEA there is not much that can be done for the docs. i have seen the same gp for 17 years and he handles my pain control but even knowing me as well as he does i still have to do the pain contract and all that nonsense every month, and i have reached a level where i am getting less and less good from my meds and he is afraid to go any stronger.

the methadone clinic will keep your daughter from becoming ill from withdrawls, but they will also worsen her addiction. they build you up on a level of methadone that they consider is going to keep you ok. that means not "dope sick". it has nothing to do with pain, and methadone loses it's pain killing quality long before it leaves you sick. i wish i knew what to tell you, she needs a new pain doc but will probably have a REALLY hard time finding one who will take her.

personally i think the DEA has no business having anything to do with the process. hubby was on 40mg methadone 4 times a day, 120 pills a month. as of 1/1/08 because of the DEA he now has to take 16 pills a day, 480 a month because the DEA decided only addiction treatment could possibly need 40mg tabs.

the whole system sucks.

lost

(((((((((((thelostone)))))))))))))

Thank you very much for your response. Yep, I do see where the DEA is sticking their nose into this and making it hard for the docs and patients as well. And I happen to agree with you that they do not belong there. On the other hand, I think I can understand what their initial issue was and what they may have been trying to accomplish, but it has turned into an albatross and it's gotten way out of control.

The issue with the methadone....dang.....this just really stinks to the high heavens. I'm so sorry to hear what your husband is going through. This whole thing is just ridiculous....absolutely!

I'm very scared for her to go to the methadone clinic...I really am. There has got to be a better way formed for patients to seek out newer and better ways of pain management....dang it all!

Again, thanks so much lost! I wish you and your hubby well


sabby

I don't want to sound callous, but it does sound like she is getting the help she needs now. The methadone clinic is exactly the spot for her to wean off the pain medicine. Once she's done that, she'll have a better understanding of what pain she really does have from a legitimate physical cause...if she has any at all. This isn't against her, but a side effect of some drugs that the rebound pain from the medication causes a need for more medication. It takes an intervention when this occurs.

I don't know of any pain specialist that doesn't have the patient sign an agreement stating they will take ONLY the medication that the doctor prescribes. She's learned a tough lesson, one that I hope will help her stabilize and begin again for good pain management.

((((((((((sabby))))))))))

are there any actual pain clinics in your area? don't know the financial or insurance situation, but that would be so much better. she would have to do a contract, and abide by it, but they might actually help her get off opiates and find other ways to deal with the pain. no offense sky, but the methadone clinics don't wean you off, they feed you more and more till you get the level they think will keep you from trying to get drugs from somewhere else, then keep you there. and methadone is far harder physically to detox from than even heroin.

i wish there was more i could do to help you.

lost

Hi Sky, thanks for responding.

Yes, in a sense you are correct that she is getting the help needed to wean off the opiates, but at what cost??? Becoming dependent on another drug and it has nothing to do with curbing pain??? Something just doesn't make sense to me about this and I am very concerned about it.

I do understand about the legitimate physical cause of her pain if any. I do understand that opiates can give that rebound affect. The opiates really do make a mess of things don't they

I never had a problem with her having to sign a contract with the pain doc (who btw is her pcp too). I believe that is the right thing to do because of the issues that can pop up with the pain meds. The problem I have is with the pain doc who refused to listen to my daughter when my daughter told her months ago that she was addicted and it was taking more and more to take the pain away and she needed to be weaned off then.....and now she got herself into a world of hurt because this doctor ignored my daughter. That part just really frosts me. I think this doctor did her a great disservice and then turns it around to be my daughters fault. Shame on this doctor!!!

I do hope she has learned a good lesson Sky....I truly do. I'm not saying my daughter was innocent in this. She did make some bad choices. But I can almost understand why she gave up and gave in when her own doctor refused to listen and heed what she was being told.

(((((((((((( Sky ))))))))))) Thank you!

sabby

Thank you ((((((((((( lost ))))))))))))))))

I don't know about other pain clinics....I've not heard of any but am still looking. Daughter is disabled so she's on SSD and medicaid. I agree with you about the pain clinics....and I have suggested that to her so many times......to look for them. There has got to be something...even if in a holistic form...anything at all that would help her besides this dang methadone.

I certainly appreciate your thoughts hon.....mine go back to you and your hubby also!


sabby

Well here's another twist....my daughter came to me today after seeing the doctor at the methadone clinic and she was absolutely ticked off by him. He accused her of being a junkie. He basically told her that it was her fault she got where she is and that she was looking to go from one addiction to another because she was a junkie. OMG...that is absolutely so untrue!!! He was not interested in hearing how her doctor ignored her pleas to taper off the opiates. He told her that he was going to tell her pain doctor that she should also be removed from the benzos that she was prescribed. My daughter was livid....with this jerk. She does NOT abuse her benzos....they are prescribed as a prn...she takes them as a prn only when needed. She very very rarely ever refills the benzos on time every month. Many times she ends up going 2 to 4 weeks longer on one prescription of before refilling them. Does that sound like she is dependent on them??? I think not.

My daughter said she does not want to go back to the methadone clinic....she would rather go through the 2-5 days of withdrawl and be done with it. I'm all for that. I know it won't be easy for her and I'm prepared to help her through that hell as best I can.

I did find a medical practice that offers holistic and homeopathic medicine including accupuncture, massage therapy, and a whole lot of other different ways of helping her deal with this situation. She is going for her first accupuncture treatment tomorrow morning. I pray it helps lesson some of her withdrawl symptoms.

the holistic treatment sounds wonderful. i was afraid that was the response she would get from the methadone clinic. they are there to deal with junkies. massage would help with the withdrawls, as well as sugar for some reason. and if she has benzos they can help her to sleep through the worst of it. it is not easy to tough out the symptoms, but it can be done. and much easier to do than if she had gone on the methadone.keep an eye on her, and if she gets too ill take her to the emergency room. don't know what her dosage was, but the higher the dose the worse the symptoms can be. hot baths or showers can help too, she will have flu like symptoms and muscle aches. i have never gone through it myself, but have seen my hubby through it a couple times. i will be praying for her to have the strength to get through it, and once she is, she will be able to assess where she actually is pain wise and hopefully find some relief that is not addictive.

((((((((((sabby & daughter))))))))))

lost

(((((((((((((( lost ))))))))))))))

Thanks so much for your reply. She was on a low doseage - 30mg of methadone and had only taken it for 3 days. Thank goodness she smartened up to how dangerous this way was for her to go.

She will go for acupuncture on Monday morning. She is having some difficulties since the last dose was on Thursday I believe, but so far she is maintaining. I will definitely keep an eye on her...we live next door to each other so that's an easy one

Thanks for your input....I really appreciate it and find it very helpful!


sabby

keep me posted. i am praying for her. at that level she should be ok in a few days as long as she is committed, and it sounds like she is. glad she is so close to you, makes it easier for you and for her.

lost

Thanks so much for your support and prayers (((((((((((( lost )))))))). They mean a lot to me.

Right now, she seems to be handling things fairly well. Her emotions are all over the board and she is dealing with a relationship issue with her b/f at the moment, so that is also playing into things. She went out with her big sister earlier today so she's not sitting around the house feeling sorry for herself.

Since we had an impromptu 10 hour trip on the road yesterday, she wasn't up for going to the accupuncturist this morning. There is another session she can go to tomorrow I believe, if she feels she needs it.

I do believe she is committed to this also. She will hunker down in her apartment when the physical stuff gets to her. I'll know when that happens and my other daughter and I will keep an eye out on her.

I'll keep you updated as time goes on...but I do believe she will be ok!


sabby

Well, my daughter is finally having some more withdrawl symptoms. She can't eat, she's been throwing up and having to run to the bathroom. She said she does feel better if she gets out of the house and does things. Sitting around makes her feel worse. So, I guess that's a good thing that she's trying to make herself feel better She told me that the methadone clinic called her to check up on her and see how she was doing. I thought that was pretty nice of them to do.

I'm really proud of my daughter for all she is working on and trying to get through. I feel better now and I believe she is committed and she will make it through the tough stuff.


sabby

good 4 her

sorry i haven't been back in a few days, are the symptoms getting any better? soda, with real sugar, is good for the nausea, or sweet iced tea. they should pass after a couple days. keeping busy is the best way to deal with it, keep the brain doing something else. if she feels like she can sit still long enough a massage will help the pain both from her back and from withdrawl. glad she is getting through it.

lost

No worries (((((((((((((( lost )))))))))))))))

Well....they symptoms are still with her, but for a different reason

She just found out that she is about 6-7 weeks pregnant!! It seems her withdrawal was much easier than she thought it would be and lasted only a couple of days....her face is clear, her eyes are bright and shiny and she has no physical pains and aches from withdrawal anymore. I'm so happy that it was easier for her to go through than she thought it would be. Now if she can get through the morning sickness...she'll be fine LOL

Thanks so very much for your care and support ((((((((( lost )))))))))))) I really appreciate you!


sabby

congratulations, and tell her to eat saltines. 6 to 7 weeks she is almost to the end of morning sickness period, and great that she is off the meds for pregnancy.

lost

I kept saltines on the table by the bed, and before I opened my eyes each morning, grabbed a mouthful....

LOL

The first thing I told her was about the saltines....she tried them...it didn't work

Her doc's office told her to eat potato chips....every day. I guess there is something about them that helps the tumm??? Whatever works I say! She has been able to get some fresh veggies down with dip no less...go figure?

Lost, yes it is a good thing she is off the meds. You know, I always say that things happen for a reason....well this whole thing really couldn't have happened at a better time no? Off the meds, done with the withdrawal and now just having to deal with the pregnancy. God does work in the most wonderful of ways


sabby

Actually I think it's the saltiness that helps? But I agree, whatever works! How kewl though, to have normal problems!

(((((((((((((( Sky )))))))))))))))

What is normal???

(normal= morning sickness when you're preggy!)

ahhhhhhhhhhhh now i see