Opioids, take action yourself
If overprescribed
Here is an alternative for people suffering from dependency or addiction to a “medication” prescription. I am not implying any weakness to people who have increased their prescription drug usage. However, many have died because they need more drugs to satisfy their pain. Your physician may be overprescribing opioids for pain. If you have been prescribed opioids, and you believe you’re taking too many per day, try to take fewer.
It happened to me. Fourteen years ago, I was prescribed pills to counteract the pain of shingles. My physician had little knowledge of addictive drugs. Originally, he gave me a prescription for 300 opioids a month. Luckily, I realized I didn’t require that number of pills and began my own process of pill reduction almost immediately.
Yes, you will be “not listening” to your physician to cut back your usage. It may be a little painful, but the process may save your life. Because of the detox pain, drop your intake of pills as slowly as possible, maybe one half pill per week.
When the pain becomes severe, consider a detox program at a hospital. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the Veterans Administration detox program after I could get no lower than 2.5 pills of Percocet a day. The VA Hospital was excellent. Opioid detox may be painful and mentally very challenging, but I was told I would not die from it. To help with the pain and other problems, I was prescribed Baclofen, Clonidine, Ibuprofen, Diphenoxylate-Atropine and Prochlorperazine.
The first few nights were traumatic as I experienced some hallucinations, yet had leg tremors for 30 to 35 days, making sleep difficult. Though I was physically dependent after 14 years of opioids, I was psychologically addicted. I still deal with the pain of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia, which afflicts about 20 percent of people who contracted shingles
Through the excellent care of the VA, I take Gabapentin, Tylenol and Lidocaine cream to handle the PHN pain. I have been opioid-free for over three months and will not return to usage.
I am casting aspersions. I am simply offering another way to deal with a deadly scourge. I also recommend
drug education and detox information to all physicians throughout the world. VINCENT KIRK Whitehall