Explain to me why opioid pain pills are addictive.

[.455_Hunter]

I broke my collarbone in a vehicle accident on November 1st, and had repair surgery four weeks later when it became apparent the bone was going heal problematically. For the first time in my 46 years, after both events, I was prescribed a short regimen of opioid based pain pills. I took the full dose of two 5-mg pills every six hours for 2-3 days, then one pill every six hours for two days, then 1/2 pill every six hours for two days before fully transitioning to OTC acetaminophen. I agree that they helped take the sharp edge off the pain, but made me feel tired and blah, with overly vivid dreams and bad smelling piss. Luckily, my GI tract didn't shut down like some folks experience.

What is the attraction that makes these things supposedly so addictive and dangerous?

[Drucker]

Junkies are always going to find their next fix. No matter what it is.

[SouthPaw]

Try taking double your prescribed amount at one time and see how you feel.



That’s when addiction starts.

[hollohas]

Some people just aren't prone to addiction. Others are so prone to it they can become addicted without ever abusing.

[BPTactical]

You just didn’t wash them down with enough beer….

[.455_Hunter]

Try taking double your prescribed amount at one time and see how you feel.


And supposedly what happens?

[hurley842002]

And supposedly what happens?

You get F?d up?


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[.455_Hunter]

You get F?d up?


So super tired with Michael Mann quality dreams, plus killer piss and perhaps mega constipation- sounds like a great time!

[eddiememphis]

And supposedly what happens?

Euphoria.

I have heard it called "cotton spine".

Heart rate slows, you get nice and warm all over and it feels so good to just...relax.

Everything is groovy. Not in a trippy, hallucigen way. But in a very mellow... nice and warm and painless... it's all gonna be okay...zzzzzzzz

About 20 years ago, I broke both legs in a dirt bike crash. After they screwed them back together, I had a long recovery.

It included opiates.

When I found myself watching the clock, counting minutes until I could take the next one, I decided they are not for me.

Not because I they didn't work. They worked too well.

The Vicodin you were prescribed is time released. It chemically breaks down to give you an even dose. If you chew it up, you'll feel it hit much harder. If you grind it and snort it, you'll REALLY feel it.

I can only imagine how well the Chinese fentanyl works. Seeing the lost youth downtown, standing doubled over with their faces touching their shoes, it looks like it's some really good shit.

[BPTactical]

Hey man…..whaaaaa??????

[BushMasterBoy]

You can titrate the pain by cutting the pills into quarters. Take one quarter at a time until the pain stops. Doctors kill more people than guns. I am having the same problem, post operative agony. The surgeon and VA DGAF. If I have to go to Mexico again, I am going to be PO'd. The biggest criminal is the.gov in this scenario.

I read a lot of medical research and stay up to date on the latest developements.

Did you know the VA labotomized thousands of veterans after WWII ?

[O2HeN2]

After surgery to set my broken femur (femoral neck fracture) they gave me a demand morphine setup. I had very little pain and never used it. The doctor comes in, takes a look at it and says "Well, you're not using it, we'll take it away".

He leaves, I look at the GF and tell her "Well, I gotta see what it's like!" and hit the button.

She said five seconds later I was fast asleep. I still don't know what it's like. :)

O2

[Tor Larson]

Anything can be addictive: drugs, sex, danger, online football gambling, etc. Its that rush, that rollercoaster plunge, that escape for a few minutes from the pain of reality, that orgasm of sensation when the tourniquet is released and that drug hits the brain. Some folks have that predisposition to addiction, most dont. I have 3 decades of experience with patients so I have seen pretty much everything under the sun.

Addiction is a real problem but what I dont agree with is our snowflake society making it into a normal, acceptable way of life. I think the Puppet-masters are happy as Hell to let our country get flooded with drugs and let us rot from the inside. Plenty of money to be made/spent and more reliance on Big Brother to keep em all happy and voting for free stuff.

[buffalobo]

Anything can be addictive: drugs, sex, danger, online football gambling, etc. Its that rush, that rollercoaster plunge, that escape for a few minutes from the pain of reality, that orgasm of sensation when the tourniquet is released and that drug hits the brain. Some folks have that predisposition to addiction, most dont. I have 3 decades of experience with patients so I have seen pretty much everything under the sun.

Addiction is a real problem but what I dont agree with is our snowflake society making it into a normal, acceptable way of life. I think the Puppet-masters are happy as Hell to let our country get flooded with drugs and let us rot from the inside. Plenty of money to be made/spent and more reliance on Big Brother to keep em all happy and voting for free stuff.Truth well said.[emoji106]

[BushMasterBoy]

Here are the latest CDC guidelines. Probably wise to stock up on opioids, antibiotics, and other medications that are necessary in a breakdown of supply chains. The doctors and lawyers have way to much power over us.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/rr/rr7103a1.htm?s_cid=rr7103a1_w

[Martinjmpr]

Some people just aren't prone to addiction. Others are so prone to it they can become addicted without ever abusing.

I'm pretty sure anyone CAN get addicted. However, for sure some people are biologically/genetically MORE prone to addiction than others (particularly those that have a family history of alcoholism or drug addiction.) You may be lucky (as am I) to not be in the population that is more susceptible to addiction but I've seen it happen to enough people that I know it can happen to anyone.

[XJ]

I was given "the good stuff" for a broken shoulder blade years ago, puked the first dose up and never tried it again. So no idea what it feels like.

[Wulf202]

If you're in pain, they have a different effect than when you're not. Theres a feeling of nothing bothers me and mild to moderate pain doesn't actually hurt, you feel the nerves saying ouch but it doesn't actually reach your brain as such.

The issue is if you get a script and the doc says its important to take these as prescribed and then you have a few days when you're not actually in pain, you end up getting high.

My issue is they made me not care about the pain. Or anyone else for that matter.

I became a different person on them. Not a good person.

I'm glad to be rid of them, even though doctors kept trying to give them to me even after I went cold turkey.

I hurt still to this day, but I can live with myself in pain better than I can being a shitbag


I am not an addictive personality type. I was prescribed every single pill. I went thru withdrawals during my brothers funeral. I had over done it at the wake with a bunch of marines. To say it sucked was an understatement.

I'd had a closed head injury or tbi or whatever they call it these days. Along with dislocated ribs and a separated should and some other stuff. I had multiple surgeries and had to learn how to walk anand see again.

[colorider]

Pain meds are addictive because pill poppers like to feel good. Just like liquor makes people feel good. Unfortunately, pain pills are easier to take without people knowing. You can smell booze on peoples breath, see them taking a swig. Pill popping is really easy to hide. Both my father in law and mother in law died due to pill addiction. It's amazing the length people will go to get the pills. Went to several docs for the meds. General practice doc, pain management doc, ER doc. you name it. Also had several pharmacies set up with accounts. Went to Mexico with them once and my father in law snuck out and got a bucket of oxy and a bucket of xanax to take home! Damn fool darn near didn't get allowed on the flight home because he was so zoned out. I wanted to leave him in Mexico.
It's a terrible thing to witness. Prescription med abuse is a disaster.

[Bailey Guns]

I've had opioids prescribed to me several times. Each time I told them "Don't bother". I hate them. They do nothing for me to alleviate pain. I suppose if I took a dangerously high dose, they might. But even at 2 or 3 times the prescribed level they do nothing for me in terms of pain relief. Side effects, on the other hand, are horrible. Constipation, insomnia and constantly tickles all over my body like someone has a few hairs they're tickling me with. I have several bottles full of oxy and hydro codone. I'm just hanging on to them in case something happens where they come in handy. I have that problem with lots of meds, though, that are supposed to relieve pain of one sort or another. I'm going through what seems like a never-ending trial and error process with a neurologist right now to find something that works for the neuropathy issues in my legs.

[Clint45]

When my wife broke her back after getting hit by a runaway truck at work and was confined to bed for over a year, the doctor refused to prescribe any pain medication... told her to "take Tylenol and Motrin together, it's the same thing." Fortunately a friend of ours had an unused bottle of Tramadol to help get her through the bad days.

[BushMasterBoy]

I've had opioids prescribed to me several times. Each time I told them "Don't bother". I hate them. They do nothing for me to alleviate pain. I suppose if I took a dangerously high dose, they might. But even at 2 or 3 times the prescribed level they do nothing for me in terms of pain relief. Side effects, on the other hand, are horrible. Constipation, insomnia and constantly tickles all over my body like someone has a few hairs they're tickling me with. I have several bottles full of oxy and hydro codone. I'm just hanging on to them in case something happens where they come in handy. I have that problem with lots of meds, though, that are supposed to relieve pain of one sort or another. I'm going through what seems like a never-ending trial and error process with a neurologist right now to find something that works for the neuropathy issues in my legs.

Have you tried magnesium sulfate in bathwater. AKA Epsom Salts. 4 cups in really hot bathwater. Sir with spatula. Wait for water to cool to your comfort level. Soak until water is too cool for comfort. Ask your doctor if it ok. It is worth a shot!

[TFOGGER]

After my big bike crash in 2013 they had me on dilaudid and fentanyl in the hospital. They wrote me a prescription for a 90 day supply at 4 2mg dilaudid per day. I ended up taking exactly 2 pills, 1 each night the first 2 nights home. Yeah, I had some pain, but on a scale of 0-10, it was about a 2 or 3. I was so zoned when I was on dilaudid that I was utterly useless, so I just stopped. Never understood the appeal of being high on drugs that make you stupid.

[bczandm]

Addiction is a very complex subject. The short answer is narcotics have both physiological and psychological aspects of addiction. Each category has many subsets and each subset impacts individuals in many different ways. As an example your DNA alone can have a huge impact as your DNA can impact on how long it takes to metabolize the drugs. The metabolism rate has significant impact on how much of a high you get or how bad an overdose can be. That's just one example, there are hundreds of more. Opiates are more problematic for addiction than other drugs as they can feed both the physiological and psychological needs. That's the addictive end.

From a danger aspect they can stop important things (like breathing) if too much is in the blood stream. This year will likely see over 100,000 Americans die from drug overdoses and will be a record year for deaths. With the current trends more people will die next year than this year. More addictive plus greater likelihood of dying certainly means more problems.

[Clint45]

After my big bike crash in 2013 they had me on dilaudid and fentanyl in the hospital. They wrote me a prescription for a 90 day supply at 4 2mg dilaudid per day. I ended up taking exactly 2 pills, 1 each night the first 2 nights home. Yeah, I had some pain, but on a scale of 0-10, it was about a 2 or 3. I was so zoned when I was on dilaudid that I was utterly useless, so I just stopped. Never understood the appeal of being high on drugs that make you stupid.

A junkie will just sprawl on the ground, shit all over themselves, then giggle about it.

Some Psychologists posit that junkies crave "a return to infancy."

Never really saw the appeal of sleeping all day and not caring about anything.

[eddiememphis]

Never really saw the appeal of sleeping all day and not caring about anything.


https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Popcorn/i-XMZf8TW/0/3a990c82/M/IMG_0969-M.jpg

[.455_Hunter]

Thank to all for providing your perspectives.

[rondog]

I've had opioids prescribed to me several times. Each time I told them "Don't bother". I hate them. They do nothing for me to alleviate pain. I suppose if I took a dangerously high dose, they might. But even at 2 or 3 times the prescribed level they do nothing for me in terms of pain relief. Side effects, on the other hand, are horrible. Constipation, insomnia and constantly tickles all over my body like someone has a few hairs they're tickling me with. I have several bottles full of oxy and hydro codone. I'm just hanging on to them in case something happens where they come in handy. I have that problem with lots of meds, though, that are supposed to relieve pain of one sort or another. I'm going through what seems like a never-ending trial and error process with a neurologist right now to find something that works for the neuropathy issues in my legs.

THIS! I've had several kinds of the damn things prescribed for injuries and surgeries, and I HATE them! The insomnia, the itching, the paranoia and mind bullshit - no thank you! Got several of different kinds tucked away, no plans to use them a-tall. I'd rather just hurt.