How long does it take to become dependent on opioids?

[Anonymous]

Dependency is fine. I am dependent. Thanks to opioids I can continue with my job, go grocery shopping and bathe my toddlers. Otherwise my chronic pain would keep me in bed

Addiction on the other hand is different than dependence and is problematic

[Anonymous]

I was prescribed Percocet after my c-section. Do they still do that? I used it for a few days, then switched to Advil. Once my pain decreased, the medication actually made me feel sick; I couldn’t tolerate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For some (me)it only eases pain and produces no high whatsoever, just nausea and irritability. I couldn’t stop it soon enough.

Same. I have been prescribed them a few times. And never felt high. I had a bottle lying around my house for the longest time with no desire to take them for fun.

Most people who got addicted didn’t taken for fun. They got addicted after injury or surgery because the dosage and pill amounts prescribed were excessive. Eventually, people are taking them just to avoid withdrawing.

I was prescribed opiates for cancer pain, and after a few weeks I became physically dependant and showed all the signs of drug-seeking behavior. Figuring out how to get a supply of opiates quickly becomes the central tenet of existance. So I am very skeptical that chronic pain sufferers are not hooked the same way I was. Eventually, the pain was gone but I still wanted/needed the pills. It took a few months of walking down my dosage 5-10% per week before I was clean. Faster dosage reductions gave me nasty withdrawal symptoms.

Cdncer pain is relatively shorter lived in comparison to say fibromyalgia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was prescribed Percocet after my c-section. Do they still do that? I used it for a few days, then switched to Advil. Once my pain decreased, the medication actually made me feel sick; I couldn’t tolerate it.

They do I think, or at least I was prescribed it after mine 6 years ago. I didn’t take it. Not because I was worried about dependence in that case, but because of the side effects I’d had when taking it after an emergency surgery 2 years prior. The side effects were definitely worse than the pain, so once I was off the 24 hr IV in the hospital after the c-section I just took OTC stuff for the pain.

I have two chronic conditions whose primary symptom is pain: endometriosis and fibromyalgia. Opioids do not help the pain with either, and I’m grateful for that as otherwise I’d be very worried I could become dependent or addicted taking them. The pain from the endometriosis is so bad at times that I feel like I’d do almost anything in the moment to stop it. I take boatloads of ibuprofen, and wish I didn’t have to, but there’s no alternative if I want to be functional. For the fibromyalgia I take Cymbalta daily, which helps a fair amount, and ibuprofen as needed (which only helps minimally).

I very much empathize with others who suffer from chronic pain. Many have it much worse than I do; at least my pain comes and goes. I can definitely see the need to mute the pain just to function sometimes, and I understand the desire to rid oneself of pain when it just a constant, ever-present thing. Chronic pain is very hard to live with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Watch some documentaries and news stories on YouTube. There are MANY where an addict is saying that it all started for them with just one dose or injection and then they were hooked.

This exactly.

[Anonymous]

Many of us with chronic pain are fully aware that a pill is not going to erase the pain. It will simply take the edge off so we can function. That’s tge key difference —-those with scute injuries do expect the pain to be erased.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of us with chronic pain are fully aware that a pill is not going to erase the pain. It will simply take the edge off so we can function. That’s tge key difference —-those with scute injuries do expect the pain to be erased.

What exactly are you doing to address the source of your pain?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of us with chronic pain are fully aware that a pill is not going to erase the pain. It will simply take the edge off so we can function. That’s tge key difference —-those with scute injuries do expect the pain to be erased.

What exactly are you doing to address the source of your pain?

I've had 6 surgeries, I do PT and reformer pilates, I follow a strict diet, meditate, use some adaptive equipment, wear a lidocaine patch everyday, and take percocet as needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For some people, one dose.

For others, it's more.

Question is, do you think it's worth the risk to find out?

Do you think it's worth the risk to try alcohol? Some people become addicted, you know.

Do you think it's worth the risk to drive a car? Fly in a plane? Some people have died that way.

Do you think it's worth the risk to try losing a few pounds? Some people become addicted to exercise, calorie restriction, laxatives...

Do you think it's worth the risk to find out if you are allergic to the dyes they use when you get certain types of MRIs? You won't know until you're injected.

The state of our education system right here. None of this is remotely analagous to opioids. It is proven that these can become addictive and/or deadly immediately for many people and in most cases, there are better and safer alternatives.

Opioids are not cohol, plane rides or dyes. Seriously.

Alcohol is more dangerous than opiods...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of us with chronic pain are fully aware that a pill is not going to erase the pain. It will simply take the edge off so we can function. That’s tge key difference —-those with scute injuries do expect the pain to be erased.

What exactly are you doing to address the source of your pain?

I've had 6 surgeries, I do PT and reformer pilates, I follow a strict diet, meditate, use some adaptive equipment, wear a lidocaine patch everyday, and take percocet as needed.

Who is the PT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For some people, one dose.

For others, it's more.

Question is, do you think it's worth the risk to find out?

Do you think it's worth the risk to try alcohol? Some people become addicted, you know.

Do you think it's worth the risk to drive a car? Fly in a plane? Some people have died that way.

Do you think it's worth the risk to try losing a few pounds? Some people become addicted to exercise, calorie restriction, laxatives...

Do you think it's worth the risk to find out if you are allergic to the dyes they use when you get certain types of MRIs? You won't know until you're injected.

The state of our education system right here. None of this is remotely analagous to opioids. It is proven that these can become addictive and/or deadly immediately for many people and in most cases, there are better and safer alternatives.

Opioids are not cohol, plane rides or dyes. Seriously.

Alcohol is more dangerous than opiods...

How many are dead of alcohol every year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was prescribed Percocet after my c-section. Do they still do that? I used it for a few days, then switched to Advil. Once my pain decreased, the medication actually made me feel sick; I couldn’t tolerate it.

Yes, I do think it’s freely given as a matter of routine, with no other alternatives. This is just lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IMO, not as quickly as the media says.

How about the CDC? The media was slow to report the epidemic.

[Anonymous]

Big Pharma gets protection from lots of the media.
Why bite the hand that feeds you?
Big Pharma does more advertising than anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For some people, one dose.

For others, it's more.

Question is, do you think it's worth the risk to find out?

Do you think it's worth the risk to try alcohol? Some people become addicted, you know.

Do you think it's worth the risk to drive a car? Fly in a plane? Some people have died that way.

Do you think it's worth the risk to try losing a few pounds? Some people become addicted to exercise, calorie restriction, laxatives...

Do you think it's worth the risk to find out if you are allergic to the dyes they use when you get certain types of MRIs? You won't know until you're injected.

The state of our education system right here. None of this is remotely analagous to opioids. It is proven that these can become addictive and/or deadly immediately for many people and in most cases, there are better and safer alternatives.

Opioids are not cohol, plane rides or dyes. Seriously.

Alcohol is more dangerous than opiods...

Um, no. While alcoholism is certainly a problem, it take a person significantly longer period of time to become an alcoholic. With opioids, it's sometimes a couple of week or even quicker.