• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Pain medication and addiction in Crohn's Disease

My GI has no problem prescribing me oxycodone/percocet. I'm paranoid of getting addicted, so I put up with way more pain than I probably should. I limit myself to 5mg/day of percocet or 10mg/day hydrocodone. One script lasts me many months, so that's probably why he doesn't mind writing it. Since starting Remicade 10 days ago, I haven't taken a pain pill in 8 days (I was taking them daily for months).
 
I was prescribed narcotics for several years for Crohns. The physical pain was awful. But it was NOTHING compared to the mental hell I went through when I became addicted. Yes Doctors are cracking down on giving these drugs out so freely. They are becominng more aware of the indications that someone is abusing these drugs. Since I've been clean, I have found many other ways to manage pain. I had surgery for a fistula this past year and I did need pain meds. I had someone I don't live with them dispense them to me and after the third day, I switched to heating pads, sids baths, and torodal.
I know how frustrating it is to have that kind of pain and have others concerned more about addiction. Again, opiate addiction is pure HELL. Addicts don't think they should have any amount of pain, but the truth is those that are not addicted can accept they are going to have a certain amount.
Have an honest talk with your doctor...ask him why he won't prescribe them. If he is more concerned about his license than you, find someone else that is willing to communicate with you and work on finding the right medications to control the Crohns so you are not experiencing pain and bleeding. But be honest with yourself too. If you are more concerned about getting narcotics than you are about finding the right Crohns meds to take care of ulcers and inflammation that are causing the pain, you may be heading down a road I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. You could also try a pain clinic. I hope this helps. Oh, and if anyone is worried about withdrawing from narcs, try Suboxone strips...they are much safer than methadone. Take good care! :)
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
I was prescribed narcotics for several years for Crohns. The physical pain was awful. But it was NOTHING compared to the mental hell I went through when I became addicted. Yes Doctors are cracking down on giving these drugs out so freely. They are becominng more aware of the indications that someone is abusing these drugs. Since I've been clean, I have found many other ways to manage pain. I had surgery for a fistula this past year and I did need pain meds. I had someone I don't live with them dispense them to me and after the third day, I switched to heating pads, sids baths, and torodal.
I know how frustrating it is to have that kind of pain and have others concerned more about addiction. Again, opiate addiction is pure HELL. Addicts don't think they should have any amount of pain, but the truth is those that are not addicted can accept they are going to have a certain amount.
Have an honest talk with your doctor...ask him why he won't prescribe them. If he is more concerned about his license than you, find someone else that is willing to communicate with you and work on finding the right medications to control the Crohns so you are not experiencing pain and bleeding. But be honest with yourself too. If you are more concerned about getting narcotics than you are about finding the right Crohns meds to take care of ulcers and inflammation that are causing the pain, you may be heading down a road I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. You could also try a pain clinic. I hope this helps. Oh, and if anyone is worried about withdrawing from narcs, try Suboxone strips...they are much safer than methadone. Take good care! :)

Hi Plumeria Thanks for sharing your story. Since I do take narcotics daily, and my mother died of a drug overdose when I was 12, addiction it is always in my mind. You are right! I don't like ANY pain! But I do know that is not possible. I am currently taking 3 10mg hydrocodone a day. Last month it was 4. Plumeria, I would like to ask you a question. You said you were addicted to the pain meds. How much were you taking? I never get my meds early and I only take the hydrocodone. Im not getting them from anywhere else. Like I said I do worry! One time there was a mess up at the pharmacy and they didnt get my pain pills script on a friday, so I was out till monday and tho I was worried I would suffer, the only thing that happend is I was forced to take advil for the weekend. A friend told me that wasnt enough time to withdraw so I dont know. I dont think I have a problem, but that is what someone w/ a problem would say. One thing is for sure. If you dont take narcotics you dont have to worry about getting addicted to them!
 
Opiate withdrawal sets in noticeably at 12 hours depending on the opiate as different opiates have different half lives. You are in a good place if you didn't notice anything it's when you become very conscious of the withdrawal and relief that you should be concerned. I've withdrawn from 200mg morphines and although awful, it won't kill you. You will wish you are dead though.
 

maria

I love you God.
Hi Plumeria Thanks for sharing your story. Since I do take narcotics daily, and my mother died of a drug overdose when I was 12, addiction it is always in my mind. You are right! I don't like ANY pain! But I do know that is not possible. I am currently taking 3 10mg hydrocodone a day. Last month it was 4. Plumeria, I would like to ask you a question. You said you were addicted to the pain meds. How much were you taking? I never get my meds early and I only take the hydrocodone. Im not getting them from anywhere else. Like I said I do worry! One time there was a mess up at the pharmacy and they didnt get my pain pills script on a friday, so I was out till monday and tho I was worried I would suffer, the only thing that happend is I was forced to take advil for the weekend. A friend told me that wasnt enough time to withdraw so I dont know. I dont think I have a problem, but that is what someone w/ a problem would say. One thing is for sure. If you dont take narcotics you dont have to worry about getting addicted to them!
Was it a from medication that she overdosed on? I'm sorry.
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
Was it a from medication that she overdosed on? I'm sorry.
Thank you, ya, was a combination of several kinds of pills. She was a drug addict and went to rehab a few times and it just never stuck. I lived with it so I remember what it looks like to see a drug addict and every time I take a pain pill I remember just what I dont want to happen to me.
 

maria

I love you God.
See thats why I feel so weird asking for pain relief. A lot of my family members are addicted to it but I seriously am in pain but it's like I feel like I need to explain myself and ONly to myself that it's ok because I'm only human and if I don't abuse it it's ok.
 
Fistulas and abcesses

What recommendations does anyone have to deal with the pain? I currently take hydrocodeine which works great but I do not want to get addicted. Also having trouble sleeping any advice?
 

maria

I love you God.
What recommendations does anyone have to deal with the pain? I currently take hydrocodeine which works great but I do not want to get addicted. Also having trouble sleeping any advice?
well I just asked for tramadol hopefully that works. ambien really helps with sleep.
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
maria, how long have you had ibd. I ask b/c it took me 15 years to find a doctor that was willing to "pain medicate Crohns." But it isn't like I was actively looking either. Honestly until I joined this forum I didnt know that other people w/ crohns got pain meds. Doctors led me to believe that people w/ crohns don't take pain meds unless they are in the hospital. Maria I think you should speak to your doctor again. Did you say you have a gp? That is the one that is most likely to rx meds for pain. Have you heard of tramodol? I might have spelled the wrong. Anyway it is a mild narcotic w/ the least potential for abuse. Tell the doctor that you belong to an online ibd forum and somebody suggested it. That is what I did and it worked :)
 

KWalker

Moderator
JohnnyO and Paladin. I have an education backing me up on this, not stuff you read on google. Who said dealers have to use expensive drugs to hide in their marijuana? And who said its just marijuana they "lace". I knew kids that would store MDMA in Ziploc bags with a powder (I'm not sure what), and take it.


The biggest problem is that people are in denial. Nobody wants to believe there could be more. I have no doubt in my mind there are "dealers" out there who are straight with the "customer" but it isn't rare for marijuana dealers to be found dealing heavier drugs as well, and it also isn't rare for people who smoke pot to try heavier drugs at some point. (And I'm not including C.F. Users in that category).

Its common sense just to think about it. Two dealers are selling joints for the same price, there's going to be the dealers that "go the extra mile" to get you to come back. It sounds stupid, I know. But its true.

As far as people dying off one hit of certain drugs, no its not extremely common, but its also not rare. There are a lot of different factors to consider. Environment, heart rate, the potential for mixed drugs (drinking/smoking weed, weed/heroin, etc) just to give examples. This makes sense if you understand drug interactions (additive, hyper-additive, antagonstic). Again not extremely common but there are people who can do psychoactive drugs every single day in their house, then go out into a different environment and do the exact same "dose" and the impact CAN be drastically different. There's too much science involved to explain it fully on here but like I said above, heart rate, blood pressure, etc make a huge difference. Although you think you're fully relaxed your body thinks differently. They always tell people if they're going to do these drugs (including alcohol;it is a drug) to do it in the same environment.

The textbook we use is called "Drugs and Behavior in Society". In case you're wondering, I'm not talking about high school either...

The reason I edited this also because I thought it would be important to clarify that I cannot give accurate statistics and what not about other countries because we (for the most part) only focus on Canada related instances and I am aware stats vary.
 
Last edited:
I know a dude who was on Oxy for crohns and I have never been given anything stronger than tramadol and I was screaming bloody murder. I'm kind of glad though having gone through Oxy withdrawal so many times. Also, although everyone varies the intestines aren't super inervated so the pain isn't as severe as if it was some other part of the body.
 

maria

I love you God.
hahaha yes!! I told him this today.. I called him and was like I just joined a crohns group online and people in there said their gi doctor gave them tramadol and I need to try something I dont care anymore.. He was like well I doubt it will help you but I'll send it to the pharmacy and he did. So far so good. I have to say I have relief! Finally..I'm just mad he didn't think of this 8 months ago.. Hopefully it keeps on working..Also I asked for the antidepressants and he said that it only helps people with joint pains and stuff like that and said it def wouldnt help me.
 
hahaha yes!! I told him this today.. I called him and was like I just joined a crohns group online and people in there said their gi doctor gave them tramadol and I need to try something I dont care anymore.. He was like well I doubt it will help you but I'll send it to the pharmacy and he did. So far so good. I have to say I have relief! Finally..I'm just mad he didn't think of this 8 months ago.. Hopefully it keeps on working..Also I asked for the antidepressants and he said that it only helps people with joint pains and stuff like that and said it def wouldnt help me.
He's a retard for thinking pain meds wouldn't ease your pain. There wouldn't be an entire class of drugs dedicated to pain as well as pain management centers and the branch of anasthesiology. Glad u finally got some pain relief :)
 
JohnnyO and Paladin. I have an education backing me up on this, not stuff you read on google. Who said dealers have to use expensive drugs to hide in their marijuana? And who said its just marijuana they "lace". I knew kids that would store MDMA in Ziploc bags with a powder (I'm not sure what), and take it.


The biggest problem is that people are in denial. Nobody wants to believe there could be more. I have no doubt in my mind there are "dealers" out there who are straight with the "customer" but it isn't rare for marijuana dealers to be found dealing heavier drugs as well, and it also isn't rare for people who smoke pot to try heavier drugs at some point. (And I'm not including C.F. Users in that category).
Your entire post is riddled with cliches like "the marijuana gateway theory" , "laced marijuana", and "isn't rare" "it's not uncommon".

Its common sense just to think about it. Two dealers are selling joints for the same price, there's going to be the dealers that "go the extra mile" to get you to come back. It sounds stupid, I know. But its true.

As far as people dying off one hit of certain drugs, no its not extremely common, but its also not rare. There are a lot of different factors to consider. Environment, heart rate, the potential for mixed drugs (drinking/smoking weed, weed/heroin, etc) just to give examples. This makes sense if you understand drug interactions (additive, hyper-additive, antagonstic). Again not extremely common but there are people who can do psychoactive drugs every single day in their house, then go out into a different environment and do the exact same "dose" and the impact CAN be drastically different. There's too much science involved to explain it fully on here but like I said above, heart rate, blood pressure, etc make a huge difference. Although you think you're fully relaxed your body thinks differently. They always tell people if they're going to do these drugs (including alcohol;it is a drug) to do it in the same environment.

The textbook we use is called "Drugs and Behavior in Society". In case you're wondering, I'm not talking about high school either...

The reason I edited this also because I thought it would be important to clarify that I cannot give accurate statistics and what not about other countries because we (for the most part) only focus on Canada related instances and I am aware stats vary.
Well I have 5 masters degrees and a phd 20 years experience in the real world not out of a book. Most "pot dealers" don't sell other drugs. All drugs are not the same. I've never come across laced cannabis and neither has anyone I know and I have known and know a lot of regular cannabis users. Also your textbook was written by the government that is profiting from a drug war. Hardly fair and balanced information.
Also, there is a huge industry profiting from drug treatment centers and programs with disastrous success rates. I'm not profiting off any information I share. It's all based on 20+ years of real world experience in drugs and my friends experiences with drugs and treatment programs and overcoming addiction.
Your posts are classic 20th century textbook theories that are loosely based on reality aka the real world on the street.
 

allieinwonder

Moderator
Maria, I'm so sorry you are going through that. I agree with others, get a new family doctor. I have been on pain meds since my disease started June of 2010, and I can't imagine what it would be like without those meds. I am on a pain med that is specifically for chronic pain called Tramadol (like Ekay said lol). Maybe your doctor would be more willing to give you that than percocet or hydrocodone? I have been on it for over a year and it works well for me. It can be just as addictive (I have read some pretty nasty stories online), but it is a synthetic opiate, so it works a little better for chronic pain. I have had some doctors that give me tons of tramadol, then others that give me the minimum amount, but I have never had trouble getting at least some tramadol to make my quality of life a little better. Don't give up!
 

maria

I love you God.
Sometimes I wonder if I even trust his judgement.. My dad was shocked too. I had my dr on speaker when he tells me this.. I wonder how his other patience deal with him. I feel like everyday is a battle within my body just to function and for him just to let me go without helping me really hurts my feelings. Reading all this def gave me confidence today when I spoke to him. I'm just tired of him putting me off. I'm gonna start putting my foot down and go higher than him soon. Thank you allinwonder you guys have no idea how good it feels to know someone truly understands what I'm going through. Today when I got the pain medication I swear I almost cried finally even just to cut the pain in half would please me.. I could function and I actually played barbies with my daughter and hugged and kissed her. Tonight was a good night :) So far I have taken 2 and I'm feeling pretty good.
 
I'm glad you're getting some relief at last Maria. Your doctor is backward. The body does not heal whilst in extreme pain, so pain relief is extremely important. Crohns pain can become chronic. It is usually recommended to keep ahead of the pain.
 

KWalker

Moderator
Wow that's impressive. 5 masters degrees, a PhD AND 20 years of experience?
Here, the most you can do is a douible major so by that it would mean you've spent 18 years PLUS another 4 years to get a PhD. Oh, and if you're any sort of medical doctor that's even more because of medical school. Assuming you went to school immediately after high school you would probably be 18 years old. Adding 20 years of experience (assuming you're talking about professional experience because using part time work in retail store as a defense is silly) would put you around 60 years old.

This is just out of pure curiosity but I'd love to hear all about your schooling and what not. How accurate am I with my approximation? What are your masters and what kind of PhD do you have? Again, just out of curiosity. I'm interested.

You're not realizing that although "you and your friends have never came across laced drugs" doesn't mean anything. You are such a small fraction of people that do drugs, and I'd be willing to bet you don't even do enough to be considered part of that community. I've never came across laced drugs either, but I don't smoke weed. Doesn't mean it's not out there.
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
Also I asked for the antidepressants and he said that it only helps people with joint pains and stuff like that and said it def wouldnt help me.
I do think your doctor is right about this. I have found this to be true. When I was first diagnosed my doctor tried me on Nortriptyline and it actually made my pain worse. But if at some point joint pain becomes one of your symptoms. You can bring it up again. I am glad that you got the tramadol. I wish this forum had been around when I was first diagnosed. I am sure it would have saved me years of suffering.
 
Hmm, not sure which of these two completely different conversations I want to join :).

Maria:
Glad you're finally getting help, your GI sounds JUST like mine. "You have Crohn's, here's some Humira." Only recently, after this forum, am I thinking: Okay, but what about my nausea, gas, cramping and numerous Vit and Min deficiencies. It's nice that they're treating the cause, but there is definitely no need to live in agony all the time. I basically had to fight my GI to get me some Iron infusions when I have been anemic for the past 8 months. And apparently my B12 is "fine".. "normal" is above 200, mine is 213 or something and fatigue is my biggest chron's symptom atm. Sometimes it makes you wonder if some of them even care at all..

As for the MJ convo/arguement:
I'm actually just curious as to what exactly it could be "laced" with? It's usually in bud form and you have to break it up and roll it yourself, it's very hands on. Just curious because I recently started using it for my Crohn's symptoms.
 
Wow that's impressive. 5 masters degrees, a PhD AND 20 years of experience?
Here, the most you can do is a douible major so by that it would mean you've spent 18 years PLUS another 4 years to get a PhD. Oh, and if you're any sort of medical doctor that's even more because of medical school. Assuming you went to school immediately after high school you would probably be 18 years old. Adding 20 years of experience (assuming you're talking about professional experience because using part time work in retail store as a defense is silly) would put you around 60 years old.

This is just out of pure curiosity but I'd love to hear all about your schooling and what not. How accurate am I with my approximation? What are your masters and what kind of PhD do you have? Again, just out of curiosity. I'm inteIt wrested.

You're not realizing that although "you and your friends have never came across laced drugs" doesn't mean anything. You are such a small fraction of people that do drugs, and I'd be willing to bet you don't even do enough to be considered part of that community. I've never came across laced drugs either, but I don't smoke weed. Doesn't mean it's not out there.
it was a joke. I have 20 years experience. This is an opiate addiction thread NOT an Anti-Weed/Cliche/Govt Propaganda thread. Ur post was filled with cliches and no personal or case references eg "more than rarely people die from first hit of
Coke and Extacy". Sorry life isnt a 30 yr old government textbook and your industry has miserable success rate. You need job security. I get it.

PS are you out of college yet? How many drug addicts have you saved? Loved the paint thinner story as if drinking paint thinner has anything to do with weed or this thread about opiate addiction.
 
Hmm, not sure which of these two completely different conversations I want to join :).

Maria:
Glad you're finally getting help, your GI sounds JUST like mine. "You have Crohn's, here's some Humira." Only recently, after this forum, am I thinking: Okay, but what about my nausea, gas, cramping and numerous Vit and Min deficiencies. It's nice that they're treating the cause, but there is definitely no need to live in agony all the time. I basically had to fight my GI to get me some Iron infusions when I have been anemic for the past 8 months. And apparently my B12 is "fine".. "normal" is above 200, mine is 213 or something and fatigue is my biggest chron's symptom atm. Sometimes it makes you wonder if some of them even care at all..

As for the MJ convo/arguement:
I'm actually just curious as to what exactly it could be "laced" with? It's usually in bud form and you have to break it up and roll it yourself, it's very hands on. Just curious because I recently started using it for my Crohn's symptoms.
Laced Cannabis is a Government Propaganda myth from the 1970's. Sure it's possible you could encounter it in your lifetime, but highly unlikely. I'd be more worried about wether the cannabis was free of pesticide residue and flushed properly before harvest if your are concerned. You are more likely to find food at your grocery store laced with salmonella or E Coli than laced herb. The Prohibitionists are ADDICTED to their Prohibition $$$. Ask any expert who doesn't make a living off the prohibition of drugs for a real answer. Aka my UCLA trained Medical Doctor has no problems With my daily cannabis use. I also use common knowledge/sense and make sure my cannabis has no Pesticides and mold, the only "lacing", LOL, I'd be concerned about. FYI UCLA is one of the best Medical treatment facilities in the US if not the world. I also know other Medical Doctors who partake in cannabis. Fact.
 
Ekay03, I can't tell you how much I admire your honesty (with yourself). Those with a family history of alcoholism and addiction are much more in danger of addiction themselves no matter of how much they try and will it away. First off, I am so sorry about your Mom. Let me see if I can answer your questions. First off, I abused the hell out of alcohol before I was diagnosed with Crohns. Of course I was not honest with myself or my doctors about it. I was only ever prescribed hydrocodone 5/500. After I was diagnosed I was put on bowl rest and started taking imuran, Humira, apriso…those kinds of drugs. They worked well until I started drinking again. I wasn’t taking very much hydrocodone, maybe 8 a day, when I became hooked on them emotionally, though I didn’t realize it at the time. I figured they were being prescribed so I couldn’t be addicted. The other indicator I was in trouble (in hindsight) was that I wasn’t doing anything to take care of the Crohns so that I didn’t need the pain meds. At the peak of the addiction, I was taking 15-20 5/500’s a day. I was being told my Docs to try heating pads, sids baths, Tylenol, and I wasn’t…I wanted the instant relief. Also, not at any point was I TRYING to see if only one pill would suffice, or giving myself a chance too gauge what my pain level really was. If it said, take 2 every 4 hours, I did no matter if I really needed them or not. Anyway, what they really meant was take 2 every 4hrs AS NEEDED for pain. When I ran out of scripts, I never bothered trying to get them sooner or tried ER hoping. I had looked into it enough that I knew I would be caught. I would either switch to booze or pot, take them from someone else who had them, or get really sick. My experience with withdrawing is that it started about 12 hours after not having them. But again, I wasn’t listening to my Doc’s instructions on how to ween myself off so I wouldn’t get sick. Towards the end of the abuse, I could only get my hands on 4 to 6 pills a day..enough so I could function. I was also a full blown alcoholic and pain med addict, although I didn’t look like it. I was completely obsessed with pain meds. At first I liked abusing them because they have me energy and they made me feel so such more emotionally better dealing with “life”. I don’t know when I crossed the line into abuse and addiction…everyone is different. But I did…pain meds were all I really thought about: how many I had, when I was getting them again, they were the first thing I thought about in the am… and then I tried killing myself.
In hindsight, I was always comparing (instead of relating) myself to other people. “oh I’m not that bad..oh, I’m not taking that much, Oh I know myself too well for that to happen. Addiction have nothing to do with how well you know yourself or how badly you don’t want to become an addict. Addiction is a disease of the brain. It can be genetic. Having said that I have a sister who can take pills or drink in safety. We do have different personalities and she does not have chronic depression/anxiety like I do. I had also convinced myself that the daily diarrhea I had had nothing to do with my partying. However, after 1 week of not drinking and abusing other drugs, the diarrhea stopped.
I am NOT saying every person who takes pain meds is going to become addicted. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t be prescribed. I know physical pain that makes you throw up. What I just wrote is MY story only, and it’s a story of denial. In my case, it just got to the point the mental pain out weighed the physical. I tried detoxes, therapy, self-knowledge and I could not stop. It wasn’t until I threw myself into a 12 step program that the insanity stopped. As for dealing with the pain these days, it’s bearable. I make sure to take my meds for Crohns as diligently as I did the pain meds. I watch what I eat, and of course I don’t drink. I got third opinions until I found a Doc to help me find that best mix of Crohns drugs. I have also ACCEPTED that I will have pain…although I now follow a plan where the pain isn’t much at all and it’s not very frequesnt. . I stopped thinking, “It’s not fair I have Crohns and I deserve to take pain meds” and just accepted it. I’ve had to have several surgeries for fistulas and for 2 of them, I was ok with just Torodal, baths, and heat. One of them I did need narcotics. I had someone dispense them to me and stayed honest with myself. After the 3rd day I realized the pain wasn’t enough to warrant pain meds so I stopped.
For those that do not relate to this post, please disregard. Again, I really hope no one relates to my story at all, I really do, but in the chance that someone did, I hope I wrote something that helps you not have to go through the hell I went through.
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
Plumeria, thank you for taking the time to share that / me. I will continue to closely monitor my own drug use, but lucky for me, I dont drink. My mother drank too. It was part of what killed her. After my dx in 1992 alcohol treated me different than before my dx. I have had a lot of years to try alcohol and... Just makes me sick before I even drink enough to get buzzed. I stopped trying. I think for now I am ok!
 
Opiate withdrawal sets in noticeably at 12 hours depending on the opiate as different opiates have different half lives. You are in a good place if you didn't notice anything it's when you become very conscious of the withdrawal and relief that you should be concerned. I've withdrawn from 200mg morphines and although awful, it won't kill you. You will wish you are dead though.
B@llsh*t, most never experience opiate with drawl, its a fabrication just like marijuana addiction. I have never met a drug i didn't love, but never became addicted to any of em.

A nice solution is to grow a conrner of your garden in opium poppies, no, the cops will not notice, they are widespread in any area, if you google backyard opium production you will gather a wealth of info.

yes, a poppy is a poppy. pooppyseed bagles are opium bagels, the paranoia of the war on drugs has everyone thinking wrongly.
 
Laced Cannabis is a Government Propaganda myth from the 1970's. Sure it's possible you could encounter it in your lifetime, but highly unlikely. I'd be more worried about wether the cannabis was free of pesticide residue and flushed properly before harvest if your are concerned. You are more likely to find food at your grocery store laced with salmonella or E Coli than laced herb. The Prohibitionists are ADDICTED to their Prohibition $$$. Ask any expert who doesn't make a living off the prohibition of drugs for a real answer. Aka my UCLA trained Medical Doctor has no problems With my daily cannabis use. I also use common knowledge/sense and make sure my cannabis has no Pesticides and mold, the only "lacing", LOL, I'd be concerned about. FYI UCLA is one of the best Medical treatment facilities in the US if not the world. I also know other Medical Doctors who partake in cannabis. Fact.
The 'laced marijuana paranoia' of the '80's was because the federal gov't began spraying Paraquat on dope plants in mexico.

Regan admitted it was done to keep 'potheads' on their toes whilst doing
God's work by sending them to any early grave.
 
B@llsh*t, most never experience opiate with drawl, its a fabrication just like marijuana addiction. I have never met a drug i didn't love, but never became addicted to any of em.

A nice solution is to grow a conrner of your garden in opium poppies, no, the cops will not notice, they are widespread in any area, if you google backyard opium production you will gather a wealth of info.

yes, a poppy is a poppy. pooppyseed bagles are opium bagels, the paranoia of the war on drugs has everyone thinking wrongly.
I am with you regarding the failed war on drugs that fuels drug cartel violence, black market, and feeds law enforcement and questionable "rehabs" addicted to tax payer funds. However, I speak from experience. If one is BOTH psychologically AND physically addicted they will have a harder time stopping opiates. It also depends on if the individual has an addictive personality. Otherwise the symptoms could pass in a few days unnoticed. It also depends on the dosage, potency, and duration of opiate use.
My dad grew up in Europe and his mom would make him opium tea when they had a bad cough. Natures NyQuil and much cheaper. The givt doesn't like that here as they have their huge line of "approved drugs" they want to sell you. Same thing will happen to cannabis I'm afraid. The US givt already has a patent on cannabis.
 
Laced marijuana is an absolute myth, anyone who has smoked for more than ten minutes knows that most marijuana dealers are a completely different segment of the population than the "hard drug" dealers, and want nothing to do with the bigger drugs. We are not talking drugs of the ghetto, where some gold-toofed hard-ass is walking around with a wad of cash (tens and twenties to the outside so it looks like even more than it is, of course!) slinging whatever he can... we are talking about marijuana.

Get a grip and stop spewing propaganda. Of course, if you focus on the tiny percentage who may do something to their marijuana, you can write a wonderful bogus textbook with skewed facts to scare the elementary school kids, but it doesn't accurately reflect anything. It's almost funny to read. I have smoked for two years for chronic pain, my younger brother has smoked for ten years for chronic pain, and I've known people my entire life who smoke - including that goodly lawyer, doctor, judge, the restaurant owner, the retired principal, all the "upstanding people" around you (so open your eyes!) and I don't know of a single person who's ever gotten a "bad batch" of something "laced." A dealer would lose their entire customer base if they did that.

And I actually was in a relationship for FOUR YEARS with a guy who bought/sold (didn't know until I was months into the relationship, it was my first "real" relationship at 18) - in quantities of quarter pounds, to five pounds, regular weed - and quantities of quarter ounces to quarter pounds, "krip/GM" weed - and not even any of that, over four YEARS, was ever laced with a single thing, by him or by a single person he ever bought from, in dealings along the entire East Coast of the USA. Ever. Ever. Ever? Ever.

Welcome to the 1980's, 1990's, 2000's...
 
KWalker obviously works for a "drug rehab" and is therefore biased as she needs job security. Those who are addicted to tax payer funds, as their job depends on those funds, cling to antiquated 20th century junk science to justify their job existence.

Anyways, isn't this an opiate addiction thread? If anyone has any concerns I have personal experience overcoming a heavy opiate addiction and have been opiate free for 8 years save for the maybe once or twice a year single Vicodin dose, codeine cough syrup, or anasthesia for colonoscopy. I did 6 months methadone and them withdrew from that and now years later fine.
 
JohnnyO and Paladin. I have an education backing me up on this, not stuff you read on google. Who said dealers have to use expensive drugs to hide in their marijuana? And who said its just marijuana they "lace". I knew kids that would store MDMA in Ziploc bags with a powder (I'm not sure what), and take it.

Its common sense just to think about it. Two dealers are selling joints for the same price, there's going to be the dealers that "go the extra mile" to get you to come back. It sounds stupid, I know. But its true.

As far as people dying off one hit of certain drugs, no its not extremely common, but its also not rare. There are a lot of different factors to consider. Environment, heart rate, the potential for mixed drugs (drinking/smoking weed, weed/heroin, etc) just to give examples. This makes sense if you understand drug interactions (additive, hyper-additive, antagonstic). Again not extremely common but there are people who can do psychoactive drugs every single day in their house, then go out into a different environment and do the exact same "dose" and the impact CAN be drastically different. There's too much science involved to explain it fully on here but like I said above, heart rate, blood pressure, etc make a huge difference. Although you think you're fully relaxed your body thinks differently. They always tell people if they're going to do these drugs (including alcohol;it is a drug) to do it in the same environment.

The textbook we use is called "Drugs and Behavior in Society". In case you're wondering, I'm not talking about high school either...

The reason I edited this also because I thought it would be important to clarify that I cannot give accurate statistics and what not about other countries because we (for the most part) only focus on Canada related instances and I am aware stats vary.
Good luck in your studies. Let me guess, you're gonna be a brain surgeon?

Number of people that choked to death on ball point pens in 2008 ? 437.
That is just lower than all combined drug deaths. Simple ASA use accounts for double that number of deaths.

An education used to be a pathway to learn to think and act for oneself and not accept opinions set forth by others as fact.

"Only Users Lose Drugs".
 
Get a grip and stop spewing propaganda. Of course, if you focus on the tiny percentage who may do something to their marijuana, you can write a wonderful bogus textbook with skewed facts to scare the elementary school kids, but it doesn't accurately reflect anything. It's almost funny to read. I have smoked for two years for chronic pain, my younger brother has smoked for ten years for chronic pain, and I've known people my entire life who smoke - including that goodly lawyer, doctor, judge, the restaurant owner, the retired principal, all the "upstanding people" around you (so open your eyes!) and I don't know of a single person who's ever gotten a "bad batch" of something "laced." A dealer would lose their entire customer base if they did that.

And I actually was in a relationship for FOUR YEARS with a guy who bought/sold (didn't know until I was months into the relationship, it was my first "real" relationship at 18) - in quantities of quarter pounds, to five pounds, regular weed - and quantities of quarter ounces to quarter pounds, "krip/GM" weed - and not even any of that, over four YEARS, was ever laced with a single thing, by him or by a single person he ever bought from, in dealings along the entire East Coast of the USA. Ever. Ever. Ever? Ever.

Welcome to the 1980's, 1990's, 2000's...

Good weed is way too valuable to be corrupted in any way, the slightest introduction of foreign material is noticed while smoking.

FWIW i grow my own, legally, hold a licence and do not sell to anyone. My pain is not relieved by smoking so i make up a tincture for injection or
a paste for suppositories. Works great.
 
Johnny, my question was more for KWalker, because I know there is nothing that you could even really do to MJ hahah. I'm not worried at all about my MJ use, or it containing anything i'm not aware of. I'm a Newfy, so my sarcasm can be tough to read sometimes haha.

Paladin:
I've never heard of anyone taking MJ through injection or suppositories. I'm very curious..


Michael
 
Johnny, my question was more for KWalker, because I know there is nothing that you could even really do to MJ hahah. I'm not worried at all about my MJ use, or it containing anything i'm not aware of. I'm a Newfy, so my sarcasm can be tough to read sometimes haha.

Paladin:
I've never heard of anyone taking MJ through injection or suppositories. I'm very curious..


Michael
i'm a huge fan of cannabis but would never recommend injecting it!!! too many things can go fatally wrong. you don't want to be the first death from cannabis do you?
 
?When pot was made illegal back in the 30's, the only objectors to its illegality was the
medicine industry. Tincture of Indian Hemp or marihuana was used in over 400
medical preparations and salves/supositories.
I am not advocating anyone do anything, specially not listen to an idiot like me.

Do your own research, find your own recipes and facts, grow your mind.

I don't suggest pot for recreational use, as a medicine it has many beneficial properties,
as far as recreational use, don't know, have never used it that way.
 
No I completely agree, I'm just curious because I've never heard of anything like it before.
I'll be sticking with smoking, vaping or eating for sure.
Duce, it sickens me that the atlantic region has the highest cancer rates and
lowest allowances of medical pot permits. Just not right at all.
 
You mean they give you people pain killers? I have never been given any pain killers except when it is a 9 in pain and go to the hospital. I usually have to take a stool softener, a gas reliever, steroids, and make myself vomit to relieve the pain to a level of sanity. If you get a chance check out my other posts I have figured out it is all about the speed of your bowls. I have tried every medication out there every treatment and have dropped them all I am med free. I found if a doctor doesnt know I do know my body better then they do and messed around and found my cure took me years but I have a full life besides an every now and then mistake of eating steak lol.
Good for you!!!! That's amazing you were able to figure out ( probably from trial and error) what helps you and what causes you to flare.
You are right when you speak about the speed of your digestive movement and even although you experienced pain with no relief of a pain killer, opiates are really bad for the stomach and intestines. I know from experience.
It's different for ever person. Me for instance, experience severe diarrhea. So quick that my doctor's cannot prescribe anything that is in capsule form. Tablets only because they are metabolized quicker. The capsules would go straight through me, not even dissolving for me to reap the benefits of them.
Anyway, my point here is that more people with Crohn's experience diarrhea and not constipation and when given an opiate medication, as we know it slows down the movement of digestion. Ultimately giving the patient a false feeling of getting better. Not only does the diarrhea dissipate, but so does the pain that Crohn's sufferers experience. It really all depends on how much pain meds you are taking and for how long.
So, for you, not being given anything for pain was really a blessing, because like so many people that aren't informed and educated enough to know that opiates and digestive disease, don't mix, some people end up with worsening of the disease, drug addiction and just end up in a bad situation.
I do think it's wrong that being in a hospital setting and experiencing any pain level over 5 and not controlling it with SOMETHING, is just wrong. People should not suffer and by law, if you are being overseen by medical professionals in a monitored setting, they have to control your pain. That's the law in NYS anyway.
In the end, you ended up coming out and conquering the disease the right way by listening to your body. Your original post was quite sometime ago, Hopefully, you are still doing well and feeling good:soledance:
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
That's a dog??? AHAHHAHAHA Omg that's hilarious!!!:D
Yes that is my pound pup Sarah. I was just having a little fun w/ per pic. I noticed you are 33 and have Osteoporosis. I have 2 questions for you. what are you doing for your bones and if it gives you pain, how do you treat it? I have been ddx / osteopinia also caused be years of prednisone.
 

KWalker

Moderator
KWalker obviously works for a "drug rehab" and is therefore biased as she needs job security.
Actually, I'm a male, and I do not work doing drug rehab. There is so much false information from some people with no actual professional or educational experience it's unreal, so I'm not even going to waste my time correcting most of the comments.
 
This thread is a giant train wreck. But there are few very valid ideas.

While some people opt to use marijuana for medical reasons, there are many other forms of pain control that can be effective. I found swimming in a heated indoor pool and doing yoga and pilates to offer quite a bit of relief. Anytime I've had just mild pain to deal with, trying to maintain activity works for me in keeping the pain at bay. The more I just sit around, the worse it really does hurt.

However, on the note of feeling truly bad, last summer I had the worst flare up of my life. I was eventually diagnosed with having upper GI and esophageal crohn's as well as my previous diagnosis since childhood of fistulizing crohns. While hospitalized I was given dilaudid by IV and I have in and out memories of even being in the hospital. On my release I was given scripts for percoset and ultracet.

During this time, I still had major issues swallowing. Eating was increasingly painful. Getting food down was terrible, much less swallowing pills. I figured this would be the perfect time to attempt to use marijuana for medicinal purposes. I had no attraction to smoking previous to this, but I had some acquaintances who were well known for their favorite and most common past time.

After getting in touch with them, I went to one of their houses to hang out. I was driven by another friend, who is totally sober. I found out both of the two could locate product for me. They both were dealing with chronic pain issues. They lamented that it was too time consuming to seek treatment for their pains. Seeking out an appointment with a doctor doesn't mean you can get it fixed, they have to send you for tests and it takes forever. We sat around and waited. Finally they got a text. Whoever they were waiting for wasn't coming over.

I went home. The next day I spoke with them to see if they had gotten in touch with their contact. They had tried all three people the typically used, and no call backs.

The day after that? They made contact. It was going to be after dinner but before 2 am when they were having one of the contacts drop by. I was asleep.

The next day, I finally just called my doctor and made an appointment. Whether you approve of medical marijuana or not, I think what I ultimately got out of this ordeal was how no matter how disorganized and dysfunctional the medical community may be, to some it's a lot easier to navigate than seeking out other avenues.

While I feel it's terrible that these two young people are living in chronic pain, I find it rather ironic. I often think if they used the energy they had to put forth for seeking out places to buy their marijuana into seeking treatment for their medical issues, it wouldn't have been any more time consuming or inconvenient than what they had been living with already.
 
So did you try the cannabis for pain? Its as effective as a vicodin without the Addictive component. Yoga and exercise are great for pain relief. My pain is greatest when sitting. Your argument about safe access to cannabis is correct. It shouldnt be such an ordeal, and isn't in CA where I live. There is a dispensary a mile from my house and I'm allowed to grow a personal amount.
 
So did you try the cannabis for pain? Its as effective as a vicodin without the Addictive component. Yoga and exercise are great for pain relief. My pain is greatest when sitting. Your argument about safe access to cannabis is correct. It shouldnt be such an ordeal, and isn't in CA where I live. There is a dispensary a mile from my house and I'm allowed to grow a personal amount.
Yes, I did try it. I was pretty much the only option I had which was viable at the time. I couldn't eat or swallow. I found I was coherent enough to go about doing my tasks around the house as well, which isn't the case for me when I've taken oxycodone. Staying in any one spot for too long is painful for me, too. I think that's why I have trouble getting to sleep at night. It was a cycle: take painkillers, fall asleep, wake up hurting from being in the same spot too long.

See, I'd have no issue with cannabis for medical uses if it's something one can obtain in a safe and reliable way. I was turned off from using it any further due to the ordeal of tracking down people that were friends of friends at odd hours of the night. I didn't like the idea of having to sneak around, or going over to people's homes I didn't know.

Overall, I realize that painkillers exist for a reason - when people are dealing with real pain and suffering and need relief from that. It's made me want better treatment so I don't have to rely on them to be able to function. In having a condition which requires controlled substances on occasion, it's made me skeptical of people who are comfortable to just numb themselves to the point of not wanting to seek treatment.

People have popped up into my life with the thought that I have drugs, something they want. Their complaints come off like complete bullshit to me, "I have a bad back" or "I get headaches". It's as if they think that because I'm living with a chronic illness, I'm going to be sympathetic to their drug seeking. Nothing angers me more than people comparing my life with crohn's to medical problems that could be fixed or alleviated with treatment, physical therapy or lifestyle changes. I try not to pass judgement on anyone, but that is my one breaking point. None of us did anything to give ourself this disease, and I don't believe any of us consciously turn our illness on or off at our convenience. The struggles I've talked to other IBD patients with over the years, in seeking better treatment or options are lifelong and not something we use as an excuse or a cop out. Most of us would do whatever we could to have a normal life. It takes a really strong person to stay positive and go through all of this day to day. I don't see how anyone would 'want in' on having a long term illness!
 
"People have popped up into my life with the thought that I have drugs, something they want. Their complaints come off like complete bullshit to me, "I have a bad back" or "I get headaches". It's as if they think that because I'm living with a chronic illness, I'm going to be sympathetic to their drug seeking. Nothing angers me more than people comparing my life with crohn's to medical problems that could be fixed or alleviated with treatment, physical therapy or lifestyle changes. I try not to pass judgement on anyone, but that is my one breaking point. None of us did anything to give ourself this disease, and I don't believe any of us consciously turn our illness on or off at our convenience. The struggles I've talked to other IBD patients with over the years, in seeking better treatment or options are lifelong and not something we use as an excuse or a cop out. Most of us would do whatever we could to have a normal life. It takes a really strong person to stay positive and go through all of this day to day. I don't see how anyone would 'want in' on having a long term illness! "

I can relate to this living in a state that allows safe access to medical cannabis to those in need while also allowing an industry to flourish that hands out cannabis recommendations for any ailment. It makes a mockery of people who are legitimately using cannabis for medical reasons. Having said that, I also believe it to be a wonderful cure all that can replace many of the synthetic medicines sold to us. I think we should be free to choose what we put into our own bodies, and creating a medical excuse to use a god given plant seems insane to me. I personally believe that it should be regulated like alcohol or only classified as a "supplement". The pharmaceutical industry and the FDA already have patents on the medicinal properties of cannabis and will never allow the whole plant as it would eat into their trillion dollar pharmaceutical business.

Regarding the drug seeking behavior of pharmaceutical addicts, the principal is the same. They use the excuse to use pain pills for their headaches and back pains and justify using higher doses for pain. Some people do need it for pain however, and because there is no accurate way to measure for this, we must trust patients and give them the benefit of the doubt. We also need more public money for drug treatment instead of incarceration. It all comes down to having an addictive personality. Either you have one or you don't. Maybe they can develop from environmental factors and maybe you are born with it. I don't know. I definately have one.
 
Regarding the drug seeking behavior of pharmaceutical addicts, the principal is the same. They use the excuse to use pain pills for their headaches and back pains and justify using higher doses for pain. Some people do need it for pain however, and because there is no accurate way to measure for this, we must trust patients and give them the benefit of the doubt. We also need more public money for drug treatment instead of incarceration. It all comes down to having an addictive personality. Either you have one or you don't. Maybe they can develop from environmental factors and maybe you are born with it. I don't know. I definately have one.
This is a very good point. Decriminalization of drug offenses is something I've thought about many times. I lived in Kentucky for many years, which was formally a state producing hemp. The economy was very negatively effected in recent years, as much of the blue collar jobs in factories were no longer available. It was brought up in community discussions many times when I lived there how the state could use another cash crop.

While I understand and respect your statement regarding your own personality in regards to addictive personalities, the fact that you are able to recognize this behavior in yourself really says that you're self aware and proactive in your usage of pain control methods. Just logging into this website and exchanging stories and information with other patients really says that you are trying to engage in learning more to help yourself and help others. I can't say as much for the people I was discussing.

I think what made me judge people for their begging me for drugs, was the fact that I knew them, and I didn't view their behavior as being that of someone dealing with chronic pain, needing control from pain which was making their life miserable. I ended a friendship with someone; I've never felt like more of an asshole. The guy had an accident at work, and had been dealing with back pain. This lead him to being off work, for the grand scheme of suing his former employer for workers comp and a disability law suit. In the time that he spent being off work, most of his time was spent getting high, drinking with friends, or partying.

He had been seen by a family doctor a number of times, and hadn't had but 2 x rays in his year off work. He had declined having a MRI, and did not seek out any specialists to diagnose his pain. When he was complaining to me one day about his body pain, and how he had no idea what to do to even get treatment. I knew I was going to the university hospital for tests that afternoon so I made the effort to get a recommendation to which doctors would be best for treating his injury. I also researched that as it was a workman's comp case, he wouldn't even have to pay any copays to see the doctors or go to physical therapy in the clinic, that they took his insurance, and saw to it that I got the correct paperwork for him to provide his insurance company to have faxed to get a pre-authorization. I even made the appointment for him.

I had mentioned that indoor swimming in the heated pool or yoga might be good for him, but his reaction was "Um, that's just stupid."

Because of his lifestyle - barely sleeping, only eating fast food, drinking beer all night in addition to taking his pain killers (oxycodone which was prescribed to him, or hydrocodone which he was buying on the street), his health was quickly going downhill fast. He could barely eat because of how wrecked his stomach was. I offered him what was left of my carafate when I was moved over to Remicade and no longer was taking it. He was then able to eat a little more. I gave him my typical "you aren't going to feel better unless you start to take care of yourself" talk. It really was hard to watch anyone doing this to themselves. I really wish he had just smoked pot.

After his initial doctor's appointment, things were looking very good. The clinic I was able to locate for him was a world class spine surgery center. They were looking into finding a surgical fix for his injury. He went to physical therapy a few times and even commented it was working, he just had to remember to follow through with doing his exercises.

I got a strange call at an off time one day, where he called me begging me for whatever painkillers I might have. I had ultracet which was no interest to him. He was disappointed when he got a spinal block for his pain, as it wasn't anything he could sell or snort. He also offered to trade me for a box of Flector Patches, as they had worked for him but same deal - not very fun. During this time, it turns out, he had decided that continuing the PT and going to see the spine surgeon might have a reversal effect on his bodily pain, and he really was set on getting a settlement someday for his work related injury. This was just crazy to me. If someone offered me a solution which could potentially fix my crohn's disease, but I was going to have to work hard and probably be broke my whole life, I'd take it.

The last time we saw each other was at a birthday party for a 4 year old. I always found it strange that whenever he was in good spirits and not sitting around pondering his pain, IT DIDN'T HURT! This same guy who begged everyone he knew for pills which he was snorting at bars while drinking was jumping on a trampoline, and riding a motorcycle around town. He joked that no one better tag a photo of him on Facebook, because he didn't want that coming up in court that he was up and about.

While I don't know if this person truly was addicted to their pain medication, I think what upset me the most was how I felt they really weren't interested in getting well. It ruined our friendship because when I needed a supportive friend in my life, I found I was only someone who would listen when no one else would, and help to find a solution. Ultimately, when the illustrious law suit for worker's comp was settled, my former friend ended up with a check for $5200. This was all he got after getting 75% of his pay rate, with his lawyer's fees subtracted. It took him 2 years to get that check.
 
I could easily excuse being in OxyContin. I average 20+ doctors visits per year, have back problems, recurring abscesses, and chrons. I've also been addicted to oxy and never want to be an opiate zombie again. Im glad I am no longer enslaved to opiates. Its a terrible addiction.
 
I also cannot have narcotics

This post caught my attention because I also have to be careful about the kinds of medications that I take for pain for my Crohn's. I am an alcoholic/addict and have been sober for over four years, so for me its something I have to be very careful about. In general this is how I deal with it: If tylenol doesnt work and I have to go to the hospital I ask for non-narcotic pain meds. If they really arent working I will then accept narcotics. However, I always make it very clear that I am an addict and cannot be sent home with a perscription. After my surgery I had to be sent home with a script and I stayed with my mom to recover for a few days, she doled the pills out to me as perscribed, so it was never my decision. What it comes down to is I have to ask myself. Do I really need this? And I avoid them as much as possible. Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
I was just in the hosp for 8 days- on my SBFT they found the narrowing in my small bowel. Even after one week on IV steroids. My Radiologist said that took alot of the inflamation down already. Same place as 20 yrs ago. They gave me 1 mg dalaudid (sp) in the hosp. Good thing I was laying down, it knocked me on my butt!
At home I have used hydrocodone. I take 1/2 at a time. I have found most drs are reluctant to
treat pain at home. Not sure why. The birth of my three kids didnt hurt as much as my cramps can get. I usually only take enough to take the edge off the pain. My Dr did give me Bentyl and it really helps with the cramps. I was suprised. Ask your Dr about that one.
 
I tried to post on this one but, I somehow posted it somewhere eles ??

You can try Bentyl for cramping and it really works well! I dont think it takes the place of pain meds if you are in alot of pain.
 
Drug of choice

My intestines drug of choice is prednisone. When I am on it for whatever reason it is like cocaine for a junkie, pure bliss. Of course it doesn't care about the nasty side effects which hit with a vengeance. It just loves the feeling of "being normal" that happens with high doses. I try to get my doctor to give me anything but prednisone but alas it is still the best anti inflammatory out there (usually pneumonia or nasty old upper respiratory type sicknesses).
Serious note though....I lived for years with pain as I am sure the majority of people who suffer and don't know why have. That in my opinion gives us a higher chance at addiction. I was so excited to not hurt. When I was diagnosed and assessed the doctors pulled out their scripts and started righting. Finally I didn't have to suffer anymore their really was something wrong with me. It wasn't in my head or made up (broken home, teenage angst, etc...). It was a scary time but eventually I learned I didn't always need a pill...except for the migraines which were a by product of birth control pills (pills, pills, pills...yuck). One thing that helped the migraines was inderall xr. Seriously though I battled addiction and had to learn what I needed and what I wanted just because it made me feel better. Kudos to all out there who have found and are finding what works for them.
 
I was just in the hosp for 8 days- on my SBFT they found the narrowing in my small bowel. Even after one week on IV steroids. My Radiologist said that took alot of the inflamation down already. Same place as 20 yrs ago. They gave me 1 mg dalaudid (sp) in the hosp. Good thing I was laying down, it knocked me on my butt!
At home I have used hydrocodone. I take 1/2 at a time. I have found most drs are reluctant to
treat pain at home. Not sure why. The birth of my three kids didnt hurt as much as my cramps can get. I usually only take enough to take the edge off the pain. My Dr did give me Bentyl and it really helps with the cramps. I was suprised. Ask your Dr about that one.

Remember those breathing exercises from childbirth? They are amazing at cramps and those moments it is a race to a restroom.:D
 
My intestines drug of choice is prednisone. When I am on it for whatever reason it is like cocaine for a junkie, pure bliss. Of course it doesn't care about the nasty side effects which hit with a vengeance. It just loves the feeling of "being normal" that happens with high doses. I try to get my doctor to give me anything but prednisone but alas it is still the best anti inflammatory out there (usually pneumonia or nasty old upper respiratory type sicknesses).
Serious note though....I lived for years with pain as I am sure the majority of people who suffer and don't know why have. That in my opinion gives us a higher chance at addiction. I was so excited to not hurt. When I was diagnosed and assessed the doctors pulled out their scripts and started righting. Finally I didn't have to suffer anymore their really was something wrong with me. It wasn't in my head or made up (broken home, teenage angst, etc...). It was a scary time but eventually I learned I didn't always need a pill...except for the migraines which were a by product of birth control pills (pills, pills, pills...yuck). One thing that helped the migraines was inderall xr. Seriously though I battled addiction and had to learn what I needed and what I wanted just because it made me feel better. Kudos to all out there who have found and are finding what works for them.
Wow! Your theory on untreated chronic pain and addiction is revolutionary. You may be on to something.
 
JohnnyO, were you addicted to opiates? I was and once I got off them the pain slowed down. Abusing them had gotten to a point where they were making things worse not better. Prednisone...Ive never heard of peeps getting addicted to it but I agree it does give euphoria because you feel better! Thanks for your post! :)
 
Yeah I did 6 months of methadone and never really liked opiates after that even though I have occasionally since them taken them for severe pain only but even then I'd rather use cannabis if at all possible. I have a very high tolerance for pain. When I was addicted to opiates any slight discomfort and I wanted more opiates. It made me hypersensitive to pain after a few hours after the opiate peaked.
 
Actually I was trying to take a heavy subject and make it light. Prednisone makes my intestines feel normal. I don't hurt as much. Side effects are vicious though but for that brief time while on them my belly doesn't hurt. I have battled my demons and will continue to do so as long as I draw breath. Pain medicine has been a demon since it has the duel effect of slowing intestines down and causing me to not hurt. I learned alternative ways to dealing with pain since I have a very addictive personality. We all have different pain thresholds and ways to handle pain.
 
Hi Blenda2U...got ya. Frustrating thing about messaging..you can't hear the witty statements...haha. I was on prednisone for about a year and it did work but I ended up with osteopenia. I was too emaciated at the time to get a moon face or gain substancial weight but damn did the food I did eat taste good! ;) I was an alcoholic and prescription med addict in full swing the first few years of having Crohns. Once I detoxed and stayed sober and clean off the benzos, opiates, and booze, my crohns got about 80% better instantly. What are some of the alternative you use? I feel eating better, adding in supplements, exercising, and meditating for stress reduction help immensely! :)
 
Plumeria I totally agree, my wit does have a tendency to find the T and become a twit...lol. I am very sorry to hear about the osteopenia, that doesn't seem fair that you try a medicine to help another issue then you turn around and contract something else from the meds. I almost lost a hand due to iv prednisone. One thing that happened during a hospital stay, I was on a liquid diet after a surgery and taking sulfasalzine (not sure if I spelt that one right or not) and flagyll (yuck) and iv prednisone. Due to sulfur in sulfasalzine I started turning orange, like spray on orange...think George Hamilton...lol. Then again I found the pleasure of a morphine button and when that came out demerol and phenergan were my new allies. Yep, needless to say I fell head over heels with pain meds. Now days when I do take something for pain I can only have low doses with the minimum amount of codeine. It appears that God played the ultimate joke and anything strong gives me a raring horrendous headache. I appear to have an allergy to codeine. I really try to do my breathing exercises which helps in focusing me and my pain. It isn't always effective but for me it works. **Disclaimer: Any comments I make that include the term "me" are not reflective of others nor intended to reflect what others should or should not think or do. Nor are they making claims to what others should or shouldn't do.**
 
gaining weight on pain meds?

I take percocet for my pain. sometimes it isn't strong enough. i tried dilaudid but it makes me incredibly sick when taken orally (through an IV, I'm fine). but pain meds help tremendously with my diarrhea too...but i think it's made me gain weight...does anyone know about gaining weight while on pain meds?
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
it's made me gain weight...does anyone know about gaining weight while on pain meds?
Hi jmcbrid2 Pain meds and gaining weight. Perhaps it is because when you take the pain meds you can eat more cause you have less pain associated with eating. I think this has happend to me too. I haven't gained more than a pound or two, but I have to keep a close eye on my weight. If you are up to it maybe a daily walk can help keep your weight from creeping up :)
 
Went through a lot of pain meds. Never addicted really, but it never occurred to me when I didn't need them anymore...I was a little too spaced out. Fentanyl....
 
the long road of addiction.....and dealing with pain

Wow,

Ive heard soooo many good things reading through this whole thread. So many good and some not so great.

My personal standpoint on the issue of addiction and pain management is probably rather familiar although maybe not very well liked....

I was diagnosed with crohns when i was in the 8th grade along with lymes disease and severe depression (im assuming this was aggrevated by the other illnesses). At that time i was bleeding uncontrolabely and in immense pain pretty constantly. Subsequently began a long time presciption to oxycontin, oxycodone, vicodin, dilaudid, fentanyl, librium, lomotil, and pretty much everything else with a narcotic base that i cannot remember at this time. I am 26 years old now and have JUST kicked opiate based medication after 12+ years. I am, as of tomorrow, 21 days sober. totally sober. no pot, no booze, no narcs, no nothing. I havent done that. Ever. Since substances were first introduced into my body. I go to A.A. meetings every single day (have avoided N.A. becuase in my area at least they tend to be a place to score drugs). Now, i must say this about myself, i am a VERY addictive person. You name it, and if it makes me feel good, ill get addicted to it. That being said, ive found in my years (relatively few though they may be) that it is few and far between the person who is prescribed narcotics for an extended period of time that does NOT end up addicted. Ive heard tell the difference between dependance and addiction.....i dont claim to know much about this, but i do know that either one is a long, nasty, scary road. I know that for many pain medication for quality of life is at times a necessity, but it must be just that. Necessity. To anyone struggling with pain i sympathize in a major way. I still struggle with pain as well. What i do know now though is this: I would rather use "less effective" methods of pain management and learn/teach my body to handle the pain when i can then to live in the thrawls of the pain caused by who i am and what i do when narcotic pain meds are a regular in my life. This all probably sounds very preachy and for that i apologize, but if i can help lead anyone from a path of addiction i will do whatever it takes. Opiate based pain medication ends up (and i know everyone is different, but im sure there are others like me) controlling my life. Fear of running out of pills, fear of the addiciton itself both physically and especially mentally, fear of withdrawals, fear of judgement, fear of pain without the pills, fear of losing (or never really creating i suppose) important memories due to being in a haze of pain pills......the list goes on and on.....and on and on. Today, though in early recovery from a pretty severe addiciton to numerous medications (which were ALWAYS obtained legally via doctors orders), I am stronger, healthier (though still symptomatic with the crohns), and for once in my life HAPPIER then i can ever have hoped to be. For those of us who truly need them these medicines are a good thing. One that should be monitored at bare minimum, but a damn good thing none the less. By the grace of my cat i no longer (for now at least) TRULY need them, and i am beyond greatful. I guess the long and short of this is to be very aware. Aware of how honestly you need narcotic pain medication and of what ammount. Thank you all for listening to my obnoxiously long run on ramble.

Best of luck, much love, and all best wishes to everyone in these halls.
 
Wow,
i am a VERY addictive person. You name it, and if it makes me feel good, ill get addicted to it. That being said, ive found in my years (relatively few though they may be) that it is few and far between the person who is prescribed narcotics for an extended period of time that does NOT end up addicted. .
I was lucky to get off the pain meds with normal tampering, my doc was surprised I didn't need help getting off them. I did feel like increasing it at times while doing the taper. I didn't though... Hopefully others can get off the meds as well as I did. I never felt addicted though, never out of control.
 
Redbeard

Redbear that is so excellent. At the risk of sounding condescending (i do not intend to be) i am hugely proud of you. The spot many of us G.I. challenged folk are put in with pain, quality of life, and the balance of such things is a slippery slope at times to say the very least. It is so refreshing and uplifting to hear a success story like yours. Having recently gotten entirely sober myself i feel much better, but do worry that sometime in the future i may actually necessitate pain management of some form or another. That for me is a fear because i know how i am effected by such medications. For some it is a non issue, for me it is. That is something i need to accept, respect, and remember. Not always an easy thing to do. At any rate, today is a good day even without my pain being entirely "under control" and for that i am greatful. I find that, difficult though it often can be, a positive attitude is our best friend through such trials and tribulations.

To all in these halls: Stay strong, be well, and may health come to be on your side. Endless thanks and love to the people who share here.
 
I have had to have surgery for fistulas since I got clean and sober. For two of them I got away with just using Torodol...it really works. For the last and major one I had to use vicadin. I planned this with my surgoen, shrink, friends in the program, family, and sponsor before the surgery, ie, I worked my program! *I had already gone through the steps*. I had someone hold on to the bottle and dispense them to me. They also urged me to start tapering after 3 days. I realized my addiction with messing with my head at day 3 so instead, I stopped them all together and started the Torodol. As soon as I stopped taking them, the addiction shut its mouth!!
 
I have only been prescribed Tramadol for my Crohn's. It does help at times, but it is something I cannot see myself getting addicted to. The docs have me on 300mg daily. I was also prescribed dicyclomine and it helps with the abdominal cramping and pain.
 
I can say that I did go through a period of time where I thought I was becoming too reliant on percoset. Often looking to see how many days of pills that are left is a sign. Worrying too much about whether my dr. will give me more is also a sign.
 

allieinwonder

Moderator
Mike, they allow you on 300mg of tramadol a day? Wow! My doctors only allow me 150mg a day, and it isn't enough for my bad days. But they refuse to up my dose or give me something stronger for my breakthrough pain. But be careful...tramadol is addictive! I have heard some awful stories of people who tried to stop taking it and had bad side effects. I myself have been on tramadol for a year and a half now, and my is slightly dependent on it. When I was put on pred the first time (higher dose than now) I didn't need the tramadol, and stopped cold turkey, and had terrible withdrawal symptoms! MY mind isn't addicted, but my body is dependent. Just be careful!

Steelerfan, that kind of worries me, bc I count my pills of tram and I also kind of worry when I think I might run out. But I am just worried about being in pain...Because I go huge gaps without taking it, and I only take it when I absolutely have to. I try my best to take it a minimally as I can.
 
It definitely worried me. I am not on any pain meds now. I would take them when my pain was much less than in the past...it was def all me...one of my flaws is addiction...of all sorts. If I like something, I want more of it...maybe its a self control issue lol...is there a difference between lacking self control and addiction?
 
I guess that is possible...if only (for me) because the stomach pain goes away...without the feelings of euphoria...which was my problem...I enjoyed the euphoria.
 
Mike, they allow you on 300mg of tramadol a day? Wow! My doctors only allow me 150mg a day, and it isn't enough for my bad days. But they refuse to up my dose or give me something stronger for my breakthrough pain. But be careful...tramadol is addictive! I have heard some awful stories of people who tried to stop taking it and had bad side effects. I myself have been on tramadol for a year and a half now, and my is slightly dependent on it. When I was put on pred the first time (higher dose than now) I didn't need the tramadol, and stopped cold turkey, and had terrible withdrawal symptoms! MY mind isn't addicted, but my body is dependent. Just be careful!

Steelerfan, that kind of worries me, bc I count my pills of tram and I also kind of worry when I think I might run out. But I am just worried about being in pain...Because I go huge gaps without taking it, and I only take it when I absolutely have to. I try my best to take it a minimally as I can.
Yes, they said the max a person can take is 400mg and they didn't want to do that! During my last colonoscopy, they saw lots of ulcers, inflammation and such. They also saw me in lots of pain! Guess thats why they want me at such a high dose?
 
Maybe that's why my tramadol does nothing for me. It's only 50mg! I take oxycodone/percocet for pain. I was getting better and didn't take any for a few weeks, but I've started taking it again the past couple days. 3.5 more weeks until my next infusion!
 
Maybe that's why my tramadol does nothing for me. It's only 50mg! I take oxycodone/percocet for pain. I was getting better and didn't take any for a few weeks, but I've started taking it again the past couple days. 3.5 more weeks until my next infusion!
It doesn't do that much for me! They won't prescribe narcotic pain relievers to me because of the effects it has on the bowels. I was also just diagnosed with degenerative arthritis in my back as well. Not a great few months to say the least! All I can think to myself is that I am 26 with these life long diseases now.
 
I've battled addiction in the past. I was only 18 when diagnosed - went from being an athlete my whole life, played baseball competitively and was going to play in college until all my health issues surfaced. Needless to say I got depressed and was in denial for many years. I continued to eat and drink and live my life with no regard to how it would effect my health. I had two bowel resections just a few years apart and got hooked on hydrocodone. I was soon introduced to Oxycontin and became hooked on that immediately. First it became a mental addiction - it made me feel better and relieved my anxieties. But it wasn't long before it became a physical addiction. I was buying them off the street, crushing them and snorting them. I lost my job, my family, my doctor and had sold my belongings to pay for more Oxy. I eventually started IV'ing them and that's when things got really bad and I wished for death. I wasted several years of my life on that junk and if it wasn't for my family I probably would have killed myself. Because my parents and sisters were there for me, I eventually asked for help and went through detox multiple times and eventually went into a 30 day inpatient rehab center in Florida. Long story short I've been clean for almost two years and my life has completely changed. I found a new doctor, no longer on any pain medicine and take my medicine religiously. I'm no longer in denial with my disease and finally taking charge of my life. It was a crazy journey but it has made me a stronger person and I'm better because of it. I could probably write a book on the crazy shit I've experienced. I hope none of you have had to go through what I did and if you see yourself becoming dependent on pain killers, get help immediately before its too late.
 
Oxys are the worst. I got hooked on them when they had the easily removable coating. The manufacturer should be held liable for murder for how many have died directly or indirectly to OxyContin. There is hope though. A few of us have been lucky enough to get out in time. I know people who died from opiates. No joke.
 
Yes, that's when I was on them as well. Now they are hard to abuse with the new formula. Unfortunately myself and many others switched to heroin because of the new formula and I too lost a friend to the drug.
 
Same thing happened to me. Met my heroin connect at a county detox. Finally, after a year of that, i sought help and ended up on methadone for 6 months and never looked back. That was 7 years ago. :). Good job!!! Only someone who's been through the bowels of hell with opiate addiction knows how much better you must feel now! Did you take suboxone to help with opiate withdrawals? I don't think I would be opiate free if it wasn't for that short 6month stint on "the juice", but methadone also has a nasty and prolonged withdrawal. Glad it's in my past, but I can relate to the guilt of time lost and wasted but we shouldn't waste our present moment regretting the past. That would be a waste. Thanks for sharing!
 
I have suffered from some really bad pain - the kind that makes me crawl into a ball and writhe around in bed (and sometimes the floor). Tylenol and tramadol work for me in that they take the edge off and make it more bearable, but the pain is still bad and I am still trying to see what helps the best.

Tramadol is an opioid and is still potentially addictive. However, it works differently from other opioids like morphine and oxycodone. It is overall less addictive and has less GI slowing than other opioids. Prolonged use of any opioid will cause some sort of physical dependence so long term use is generally not recommended. Do not let the fear of physical dependence prevent you from seeking something to help with the pain though!
 
WOW... I'm just finding this thread now and although I haven't read all the messages it's so amazing to see that I'm not alone!!

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when I was 10 years old (33 now). I went through my entire youth running to the bathroom because even though I wasn't in a complete flare up, irritable bowel symptoms persisted. It led to embarrassment, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, you name it.

I was really passionate about my goals in life, but after a while of fighting the rejection and struggles to succeed, the combination just knocked me over.

I felt like the doctors just didn't understand, and didn't push for the psychiatric help I desperately needed.

After about 4 years in a career path that I enjoyed I hit a wall of resistance in moving forward and, combined with my anxiety related symptoms, I gave up.

I changed cities and although I was able to get jobs here and there, it was very hard for me to feel satisfied and my symptoms persisted psychologically anytime I was further than 5 minutes from a bathroom. I left another interesting job in part because of this.

Finally, I didn't know what to do. I was able to get on unemployment and get financial support from my family, but I ended up turning to weed, and then opiates just to try to take a break from my stomach pain. My opiate addiction lasted over a year, and I relapsed from time to time. Suboxone was a savior, as was leaving New York.

Now I'm in a situation where I see a therapist who is helping me. My only Crohn's meds are Lialda, Remicade infusions every 6 weeks, and vitamins. I also take Celexa and Ativan for my psychological problems.

I do find that when i'm about a week away from a Remicade infusion I get diarrhea, and I've been taking small amounts of suboxone to help deal with that although I am almost out of my supply from when I was cleaning myself up.

After going through addiction and studying medications online as much as I can, I really believe that suboxone could be a miracle drug for Crohns relief. Yes, it is an opiate... but I have never ever felt the need to take more of it as, unlike other opiates, it has a limit to how much you can take and feel the effects. It doesn't get me "high" but it makes my stomach feel so much better.

Is there any chance this medication can someday be added to the tools a GI doctor has for treating Crohn's symptoms??
 
"They" would never allow suboxone or methadone to be used for Crohn's as it's associated with "junkies". I'm sure they would be good thought. I've only been on methadone.

Although you are right, it's sad.

I never felt that the doctors properly treated my symptoms, in multiple cities even. When you feel trapped by your disease it is only natural to want to self medicate.

Also, doctors don't mind prescribing other opiates that just lead down a bad path.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you are going to turn to pain killers (whether through a doctor or elsewhere), suboxone is probably the best one out there for a couple reasons.

1. There's a maximum dose beyond which you won't OD or feel higher, it's just the max. So, unlike other opiates, you don't feel like you need to keep increasing your dose.

2. It forms a barrier preventing other opiates from linking to your receptors so you're safer from other opiates.

It's been a godsend for me and I portion it out so I won't run out for at least another 5-6 rounds of Remicade.
 
I haven't read every post in this thread, so I hope I don't echo someone else exactly, but just thought I would share my pain management and maybe a couple of tips for those that are not aware. Also I want to say that I also have degenerative disc disease along with my crohns pain and that's why I see a pain management clinic.

Back before my last surgery (small bowel resec. with illeostomy for a year to promote less scar tissue) my GI dr. was treating my pain with Percocet 10/375. This was starting not to work and he refereed me to a pain management clinic. This is a very strict and respective clinic, not a pill mill, we have to take urine screens every month and they constantly run various tests to make sure the pain drugs aren't messing up anything.

Anyhow, after 5 years and the body naturally becoming dependent and tolerant to narcotic pain meds., They have me on Morphine Sulfate 100mg 3 times a day and Roxicodone 30 mg 5 times a day.

A lot of people have posted how narcotic pain meds. slow down the digestive system and this is true for the most part, but as I only may have close to a normal bowel movement sometimes when on high doses of prednisone, this isn't really an issue for me.

The one tip I want to tell that suprisingly a lot of people don't know is to have the hospital call in your pain doctor if you are admitted. Everytime I have to go to the ER with severe pain, they will give me like 1mg of dilaudid and it doesn't even touch the pain. But the ER docs. don't know and can't just take someones word for it and so they will only do so much. They call in my dr. and he will have them set up a dilaudid pain pump, or whatever it takes to get things under control.

We have pain doctors and pain medicines for a reason, and if used properly can give you a better quality of life. One thing I have found out over 17 years of living with crohns is that no two people will have the exact same symptoms, side effects, pain, etc.....

I wish everyone on here the best of luck with your disease and here's to a cure to crohns!!!!!!
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
i was just wondering if anyone else here has experienced getting addicted to a pain med? (like codeine)-and-if so--what do you use for pain now? (if anything) i got addicted to tylenol 3's (tylenol w 30 mg codeine). i had been taking them for awhile then-(starting with shingles-one small nerve was in pain along eye--but-that one little nerve caused enormous pain-worse.
Hi shane, you could take acetaminophen. besides that..... IDK. Aside from that there really isn't very much that I can think of. Also it depends on what kind of pain it is you are trying to treat.
 
Mike, they allow you on 300mg of tramadol a day? Wow! My doctors only allow me 150mg a day, and it isn't enough for my bad days. But they refuse to up my dose or give me something stronger for my breakthrough pain. But be careful...tramadol is addictive! I have heard some awful stories of people who tried to stop taking it and had bad side effects. I myself have been on tramadol for a year and a half now, and my is slightly dependent on it. When I was put on pred the first time (higher dose than now) I didn't need the tramadol, and stopped cold turkey, and had terrible withdrawal symptoms! MY mind isn't addicted, but my body is dependent. Just be careful!

Steelerfan, that kind of worries me, bc I count my pills of tram and I also kind of worry when I think I might run out. But I am just worried about being in pain...Because I go huge gaps without taking it, and I only take it when I absolutely have to. I try my best to take it a minimally as I can.
I'm on 400 mg of tramadol, thats the highest you can go. Also on Oxycontin ER 30 mg tabs 2x daily.

I started ordering my tramadol online, I get 180 tabs for 100 bucks including express shipping.I was tired of doctors not giving me any trams at all, especially when I have been on them for years.The company I go through is called alignehealth and they have been great.I've been ordering from them for a few months now, and have not had any problems.Getting tramadol online is illegal in some states, thankfully not mine. :)
 

allieinwonder

Moderator
I'm on 400 mg of tramadol, thats the highest you can go. Also on Oxycontin ER 30 mg tabs 2x daily.

I started ordering my tramadol online, I get 180 tabs for 100 bucks including express shipping.I was tired of doctors not giving me any trams at all, especially when I have been on them for years.The company I go through is called alignehealth and they have been great.I've been ordering from them for a few months now, and have not had any problems.Getting tramadol online is illegal in some states, thankfully not mine. :)
I have heavily thought about ordering my tramadol online as well. My situation has actually changed since that post. My GP has decided that she needs to watch my pain meds like a hawk....she will only give me one months supply at a time, and actually only gave me 2 weeks supply during my last visit to make sure I come back. She is giving me as little as possible, 150mg a day. She did add another pain med, codiene, for night time since tramadol causes insomnia for me, which I am grateful for, but I doubt she will let me stay on that for a long period of time. I mean, I would never up my tramadol to more than that a day unless I absolutely had to (so not an everyday thing), but I don't like stressing over the fact she keeps me on such a short leash like I'm a criminal.

I am in Germany, so I have no idea if it would be legal for me to order it online. I'm here with the U.S. Army, so I would probably have to follow U.S. Law somehow too. Whenever I mention it to my husband he jokingly says we should just order pred, not trams, and up my meds to get my pain down. >.< Obviously remission would be better than all these pain meds, if only the doctors would do more to try and get me there.
 
I've been reading these posts for hours, and would like to thank everyone who took the time to write their opinion, or story, they were all very helpful, and informative.
I was diagnosed with crohn's in 2006, and until recently have been suffering with a lot of pain associated with the disease. many people have said, there is no reason that we should have to suffer, when there is medication out there that could help so many of us have a more normal quality of life. Or should we be made to suffer because of the negativity surrounding theses medications. there is no denying that opiate based pain meds are addictive, and there is a very real possibility of people overdosing, but everything has risks. I've read so many posts about people being so afraid of becoming addicted, and i can relate, there was a time that i feared the same thing. The thing i came to realize though, is that there is no cure in sight. We all have a chronic disease, so for me at least, i stopped worrying about the addiction. every one of us is different though. Not everyone has chronic pain, and those of you who dont should be thanking whatever God you believe in. But for those of us who do, why in the hell should any of us be denied relief from that, why should we be denied a more normal quality of life? Because we may become addicted? seems they should be much more worried about handing out opiates to people with..idk lets say a broken bone, something that will get better. I suffered with extreme joint pain for years, and obviously abdominal pain. The joint pain was much worse though. I could only sleep after being awake for so long that i would just basically pass out from exhaustion, and nobody would help me. That was a terrible feeling, knowing that there was help out there, but nobody caring enough to do anything for me. Fortunately i did finally find a pain management doctor who was willing to see someone with crohn's, if I hadnt, im not sure how much longer i could have handled it before i just ended it myself. People who have no idea what its like, living with chronic pain look down on people who take narcotic pain meds, but to all you out there living with this disease, none of you should feel the slightest bit of shame for wanting to have the quality of life that they take for granted. My pain doc put me on 15mg oxycodone pills, and gives me 150 a month, which isnt as much as it sounds. It helps so much with the joint pain, and eliminates the abdominal pain. the side effect of constipation just evens me out. I usually only go once a day, and it has a normal consistency. To those of you out there that are on the fence about opiate therapy, I hope this helps. There is no reason you should have to live in pain, not when medication exists that can help you. If your doctor refuses, find a new one, or get a referral for a pain doctor. there is no reason to be afraid of being dependant when you have a chronic illness. Just dont become a addict, never let the pills run your life, never take more than you need to stop the pain, never try to use them to numb emotional pain, and always be honest with everyone about them. Nobody with our disease deserves to suffer, and i hope you all understand that. Getting this disease is bad enough, no need to add more misery to it. Best of luck to all of you. I hope to God im wrong, and someone cures this disease, but until then one day at a time.
 
Not everyone has chronic pain, and those of you who dont should be thanking whatever God you believe in. But for those of us who do, why in the hell should any of us be denied relief from that, why should we be denied a more normal quality of life?
You have perfectly summed up my own perspective of using pain medication. Before Crohn's, I was the type to avoid all medications in general- also, I didn't really have a need for them. After developing Crohn's in '09 I decided that it made absolutely no sense to me, despite some people's opinions, that I should "deal" with the pain.

We have a life-long disease that causes chronic pain that at times becomes unbearable. There is a medication out there that can reduce pain associated with our disease and at times, even allow us to live a life somewhat like the life we had before. I never understood the "I'll deal with it" mentality and never will. We didn't "deserve" this disease and we surely don't "deserve" to live with pain for the rest of our lives.

Also, most people with Crohn's are taking all these different types of medications for their disease. Some weaken your immune system so it will be less likely to attack your digestive tract, or prednisone where it prevents your body from beginning that painful inflammatory process. None of these meds are treating Crohn's disease- they are treating the symptoms. All of the medications for Crohn's are mere pharmaceutical bandages. Pain medication is just one more that happens to treat one of the most debilitating symptoms- pain.

Don't feel guilty for not wanting to be in pain. We're human beings and deserve to live a life as fulfilling as anyone else. Unfortunately for us that involves a cocktail of medications. It's quite okay if at least one of those makes us feel good.
 
I have heavily thought about ordering my tramadol online as well. My situation has actually changed since that post. My GP has decided that she needs to watch my pain meds like a hawk....she will only give me one months supply at a time, and actually only gave me 2 weeks supply during my last visit to make sure I come back. She is giving me as little as possible, 150mg a day. She did add another pain med, codiene, for night time since tramadol causes insomnia for me, which I am grateful for, but I doubt she will let me stay on that for a long period of time. I mean, I would never up my tramadol to more than that a day unless I absolutely had to (so not an everyday thing), but I don't like stressing over the fact she keeps me on such a short leash like I'm a criminal.

I am in Germany, so I have no idea if it would be legal for me to order it online. I'm here with the U.S. Army, so I would probably have to follow U.S. Law somehow too. Whenever I mention it to my husband he jokingly says we should just order pred, not trams, and up my meds to get my pain down. >.< Obviously remission would be better than all these pain meds, if only the doctors would do more to try and get me there.
Tramadol can cause a bit of insomnia at first, but as your body adjusts to it, sleeping should get easier.Melotonin works great for me, as long as I don't take it every night.
These doctors treat tramadol like they are oxycontin or some other potent pain med, when really it's not even considered a narcotic at all.I think it's ludicrous really.
I know in some Countries they sell codeine over the counter.Is it like that in Germany?Codeine actually makes my stomach hurt worse.If I take something, it really has to be tylenol or ibuprofen free.I don't think we are suppose to have ibuprofen anyways, my GI said it can cause a flare or make a flare worse unless that is true only in my case.

My GP is willing to prescribe me Oxycontin and tramadol for BT pain.I'm glad he will, because I have yet to find a GI doctor that will help with crohns pain.I have seen 3 of them this year, and none of them would prescribe anything at all.They make it sound like you don't treat crohns with pain meds.One of the reason I like pain meds besides the obvious getting rid of pain is because they slow everything down.So instead of me going 20 times a day, I usually go around 3-7.

I hope everyone is having a good, pain-free day. :)
 
I have to add what's happened with me up until yesterday !

Ive been on a few pain meds for nearly a year now but others before that were weak like codeine phosphate .
My pain medicine cocktail as of now is
Dihydrocodeine 120 mg slow release 3x a day
Dihydrocodeine 30 mg instant release up to 8 a day
Tramadol 50 mg 2..4x a day

At first it was just the 2 dihyrocodeine meds at low doses but over the year I've been upped an then tramadol was added .
This was by my gp , I begged to see a pain specialist because I knew the doses I was given were pretty much overdoses an In my opinion I need to be switched to something better which I can take less of .
I was always told no you will have a massive prescription an we don't want that for you , which is fair enough I suppose but not when its clear I definately need some pain relief that works an he cannot help me himself .
So yesterday I returned as he requested to see if he would refer me .

His first sentence was ahhhhh I looked right back through your notes , an you have crohns right ? I replied yes , well then you are always going to have pain aren't you what do you expect me to do ?
I stated that I wanted / needed to have a referral to the pain specialist as I was struggling with my pain not just in my stomach but my back in two places upper and lower and my hip joints .
He said someone in my notes had suggested seeing a pain specialist before so he will make the referral but I have a choice , he makes the referral an then that's sorted or he gets me some x rays waits for the results a then refers me , so I said I want the referral now plus the xrays as I clearly need them .
He then changed things so I now go for xrays an Wait for the results then he will refer me whether there good or bad .
So that's another week or 2 to wait for the referral !!!!

At least I'm getting somewhere eventually I just hope he doesn't fob me off when I return for the results .
I'm fed up of being miserable an in pain I just want some relief so I can be normal ( ish)
An play with my kids etc
I also don't know what to expect from pain management specialists so can anyone advise me on what happened when they went or a friend etc
Thanks
Jen xx
 
Hi Jen,

I will share my experience dealing with a pain management specialist.
First, I will go over the positives.He sent me to some specialists, that no other doc wanted to do, and I am glad I finally got diagnosed with some of the things that were wrong like fibromyalgia, and arthritis.He was very good at being on top of things.

I have to say there are far more negatives in my situation than there were positives.
I was pretty much able to get whatever I wanted.This came with an awful price to pay.I started off on a 5mg oxycodone IR, and within the year, I was on a 100 mcg Fentanyl patch and 6 15 mg oxycodone IR's a day!I ended up losing my insurance, so the only option I had was to get off everything and it was complete hell.
I had to sign a pain contract, saying at any time they call me, I would have to come in with my meds to do a count.This was very inconvenient, because it was a 45 minute drive one way.One time I was short on some pain meds, so then he sent me to an addiction specialist.He also made me see him once a week.Everything was just a huge inconvenience, and I never should have been on that much medicine in the first place.

I love my new primary doctor now.He prescribes me oxycontin 30 mg ER twice a day, and I am also on tramadol.He is very understanding and I don't have to go through the BS hassle of the PM doctor.I hated it.

This has been my experience anyway.
 
I'd avoid the highly addictive opiates in favor of cannabis. Our bodies quickly become tolerant to opiates and opiate addiction is as big a cross to bare as crohns. I know from personal experience. If you absolutely need them and your primary care physician is a scaredy cat, find a pain management clinic. Crohns is no joke and you should not be made to feel like you are a junkie drug seeker for trying to manage your pain. Again, cannabis will alleviate most people's pain as good or better than tramadol or vicodin, and anything stronger is highly addictive.
 
Tramadol helped me with my pain, but I will never take it again. EVER. My body became dependent on it. I recently had to go on antibiotics for about a week for a minor infection and they exacerbated my flare temporarily. I had to take more tramadol to account for the pain. I was originally ordered to take 3 50mg/day as needed but was taking 4-5 depending on how I felt. I ran out of my script early and cannot have them refilled until 9/14. It has been 72 hours exactly since my last dose of tramadol and I plan on not taking it ever again. The withdrawal symptoms are hellish- flu like symptoms, temp changes and a feeling of your skin crawling. They have toned way down since yesterday morning and I think I'm on the other side now (thank god). I hate the feeling of having a dose run your life. I was constantly worried about when I would take my next dose of tramadol. I feel that way to an extent with my dicyclomine, but I'm ok with that since its not an opiate like tramadol. I felt so ashamed going through the withdrawal symptoms, I felt like I was some sort of junkie. In the end, I'd rather deal with the pain of crohns and learn how to properly manage it rather than rely on some pain killer that can do me more harm than good.

If I was told tramadol could be addictive and cause withdrawal symptoms when coming off of it, I would have never taken it.
 
Tramadol sucks. A good cannabis Indica has more analgesic properties than tramadol or vicodin and stimulates appetite while suppressing nausea and inducing a sense of well being. Things anyone with IBD can use.
 
If you withdrawals are still bad ecu drummer anything opiate based will ease the widrawals an let u come off more slowly .
I see your in america so I have no idea what's over the counter there but I thought tramadol was over there.
The thing with me is I've taken more of my tablets for legitamate pain an so I end up too early for my script as you do but I told my gp this was what was happening an he still wouldnt refer me to the pain clinc ( he's going to now coz I kicked off lol)
He said you have crohns right ? I said yes an then he replied well your always going to be in pain so what do you expect me to do ?
What a twat so I should just put up with the pain until I end up in hospital each time !
Hes going to refer me when my xray results are back good or bad thank god
He says he hates dihydrocodeine an it should be taken off the Market , that's what I'm up against !
So I get penalised because he hates the stuff that somewhat relieves my pain !
I'm due my script this week but he added up the days wrong an put tablets not due till 18 th don't give early !
So I'm gonna look like a druggie if I try an get them on the date there actually due which is a whole week before the date he put down idiot.
I'm hoping the pain specialist will help me by changing my tablets and referring me to whoever I need to c , I just hope they don't think I'm an addict I'm dependant yes but not an addict !!
Can anyone else put up there story of the pain clinc ?
Jen xx
 
Top