Heroin or diacetylmorphine (INN) is a semi-synthetic opioid. It is the 3,6-diacetyl derivative of morphine (hence diacetylmorphine) and is synthesised from it by acetylation. The w...
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Has pain pulled you back into addiction?
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I am a recovering heroin addict...clean since 2002.
I was severely injured three years ago...since then, I have undergone 8 major operations, countless other surgical procedures, evaluated by over 100 different physicians, and I have had little to no success with close to 60 medications. HERE IS THE DILEMMA...chronic pain is DEADLY...why? How do you treat pain successfully when you have a STRONG tendency to abuse opioids? I know there are probably many of you out there who face similar dilemmas... I am here to help, I am here to share my experiences, and I am here to give as much support as humanly possible, OK? I HAVE been successful in maintaining my ability to use these potent medications AS PRESCRIBED... I NO LONGER have a desire to abuse heroin, and similarly, I have NO desire to abuse ANY drug PERIOD. Heroin might be a strong street drug, however, one of the biggest crimes committed in America is done so by the Medical Provider community and the pharmaceurical community...they make drugs that dwarf the potency of heroin...making it look like child's play. Fentanyl, Morphine, Oxycodone/Oxycontin, Dilaudid, and Methadone...all of these drugs were created in the IMAGE of HEROIN...they were all designed to REFLECT the potential of heroin and its capability to numb the body and mind. I have been through "hoops" when it comes to doctors prescribing these horrible potent narcotics...doctors who KNOW about my history of heroin abuse, yet, are SO VERY WILLING to prescribe medications which are STRONGER...and most importantly, drugs that come with your NAME ON THE BOTTLE...no more worrying about whether or not you will be arrested. This is a flat-out CRIME. The US government designed Methadone!! For goodness sake, the US government has designed a HUGE amount of drugs in the likeness of heroin...so where does the US government get off making rules about what you can and cannot abuse?? It is simple, the government has CONTROL over LEGAL drug abuse...they make the drugs they want us to abuse...and I have to say, they are doing an amazing job of reaching their goals. Unfortunately, we have all known too many friends/family/loved ones who have suffered or even died because of this CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE!! PLEASE...if you are in recovery but find yourself debating over how to treat your pain, whether it be from an injury or some type of condition...PLEASE...come here to speak...bring everything to the table. There will be no judgmental attitudes...there will be no assumptions...there will be no disrespect. Everything you need to share will be respected with the utmost care... I look forward to learning about you all and hopefully...what you all learn from me will help you find comfort in life!! -Dave Posted on 07/18/08, 02:07 pm |
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I too have medical issues that cause pain. I have hepatitis C so its crucial for me to use medications that filter through the kidneys and not the liver. I have been clean since June 6th, 2007. My doctor prescribes dilaudid 2mg pills. The dose is perfect because it makes my pain manageable and doesnt get me high. I too have struggled with this topic, and my family and friends are always telling me how i am going to become addicted all over again, that now, im using it as a legal high. Its so hard to explain to a non-heroin addict that you do not take these drugs to get high. I have no desire to run the streets again searching for my next pack. And the worst is when my mom gets mad at me she will tell me I am not in any pain and its all in my head.. i just want the opiate in my body. which is so untrue. I completely understand where you are at as I am there too.
good luck! 
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Thank you for being the first person to respond to this thread!!
This issue of chronic pain treatment VS addiction is so very taboo...sometimes I wonder if the medical community is even thinking about the potential dangers of their pharmacological roads of treatment. I too was prescribed Dilaudid 2mg "baby pills" for pain...are they not the smallest pill you have ever seen? In any case...I was a mess when I used them. I was tired/drowsy all the time, I was depressed and miserable, and I believe that the potential for abuse was VERY high...however...that is just ME...not YOU!!! Everybody is an individual with specific needs...our bodies all function on such separate levels that we sometimes forget how medications can affect us differently. If Dilaudid did not work for me and did for you...that just further proves the point that there IS a NEED for different types of pain meds for different types of people!!! You know...I have been dealing with my mother telling me "its all in my head" for 8 years...and for the past 3 years while I attempt to live a life filled with debilitating pain, I am consistently accused of "manufacturing" symptoms in order to obtain opiates!!! Now you dont know me, however...despite that...what do you think about this... Would YOU (putting yourself in my shoes) "manufacture" 3 years of chronic pain symptoms that include; debilitating spasms, shooting/stabbing/burning pain throughout the groin/thigh/genitals, complete loss of sensation (randomly) through the genitals while at the same time experiencing inexplicable pain, crippling pain flares... ...on top of all that...would YOU "manufacture"...8 MAJOR surgical operations on the lower abdomen/groin including; 2 major herniation repairs, 1 experimental nerve removal, multiple trials and permanent implants of implantable nerve stimulators, and a life-threatening staph infection requiring being "scraped" out of my abdomen... WOULD YOU "manufacture" all of that just to get your hands on pain meds??? I am sorry to say this, but...if I REALLY wanted to feed an addiction by taking pain meds...I would easily be able to hunt the drugs down on the street without putting my body through IRREPARABLE harm!!! The point is NOT that we constantly consider different ways to fall back INTO addiction...the point IS that we search for ways to support a HEALTHY/drug ABUSE FREE lifestyle!! For all the people out there who have such incredibly "insightful" criticism towards the way we are forced to treat our conditions...I ask this... **What would you do if you had to battle CONSTANT CHRONIC PAIN? Would you "tough it out" without medicating...would you search for "alternative" means of pain treatment (PT, etc)...would you look for ANY and ALL ways to treat your condition so that you can live a somewhat normal life???** I can tell you this...no person in their right mind would EVER WISH the kind of pain you and I experience on ANYONE...no person would EVER wish this kind of frustration and debilitation on their OWN life...no person who has the LEAST bit of common sense would ever just LET this kind of problem RUN THEIR LIFE without doing SOMETHING about it!!! The only thing that makes you and I different than the majority of chronic pain sufferers out there is the simple fact that we USED to have a substance abuse problem... Are we ANY DIFFERENT than the majority of chronic pain sufferers out there in need of treatment?? Should we be criticized for treating our conditions with pain medication just because of our past?? Are we any LESS worthy of pain RELIEF than a person with a "clean" history?? THE ANSWERS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS...they should all be NO...problem is...not everyone will agree with that opinion. Sometimes I wonder if I would have received better/more focused treatment if I never abused drugs...would those doctors who criticized me in the past have changed their attitudes about my "worthiness" of pain treatment?? I will leave you with this little tid bit... Over the past 3 years...on SEVERAL occasions, I have requested that my medications be changed and/or lowered in dosage because they are either affecting me poorly and/or they are unnecessarily TOO STRONG.... NOW...those SAME doctors who all had something crude to say about my possible drug-seeking behaviour were in the position to completely CUT ME OFF from prescribed narcotics, right? So, what do they do?? THEY RAISE THE DOSAGES...THEY REPLACE ONE STRONG MED WITH ANOTHER STRONG ONE... I specifically ask these docs to help me out...and what I get in return...a SMACK in the FACE. But...I am smarter than all of that. I have (more than 25 times) turned down stronger (or just as strong as my present ones) meds, I have turned down higher doses, and I have refused treatment ALTOGETHER with narcotic pain meds (when at a few points in time, my pain seemed to be under great control). ARE THOSE THE ACTIONS OF AN ADDICT? NO... Those are the actions of a person who is CONCERNED with the well being of their body and mind. I wish you the best in your fight against a horrible disease...if you need support...I am here...it is the least I can do...I know the pain...I share the burden. -Dave
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ultram or some other partial opiate antagonist may work well. A full opiate antagonist will eventually have you chasing that high.
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Thanks a bunch Bill...I will look into it.
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yeah, apparently I go to the doctors and ASK for surgery to fix these problems. yeah, I love hospitals and all of the FRIENDLY staff they have.
lol yeah, I actually get what you are going through and its nice to know that i am not the only one.
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so im trying to stop using heroin and get clean i have been hearing a lot of things about methadone and suboxone i …
I did shoot heroin for 8 years and I have been off of it for 1.
I did shoot heroin for 8 years and I have been off of it for 1.
