Medication Addictions!!

Hey Guys,

Does anyone here know what the opiate Endone is?

Well the hospital put me on it during my life threatening ICU admission back in april, I weened myself off it, then low and behold I ended back in hospital with a bowel obstruction, I went to the hospital on 4 diffirent occasions via ambulance, in absolute agony, sent home and told I was just constipated, anyhow, I had 2 ops for my 1 month stay in hospital between 4th July -> 4th August. They cut adhesions first, then when that didn't work they opened me right up and cut out sick bowel. again wacking me back on Endone.

Then my GP slowly weened me off, any bugger me, I get a injury and they whack me back on it, now I am finding that my body isn't coping with the withdrawals, finding it much harder the 3rd time around. I am going through the proper channels to get help but its a lengthy process.

Becuase of my heal I can't take iBruprofen, Paracetemole (aka Panadiene Forte), I have siezures when I take tramadole, so all thats really left is endone, their is Codeine Phosphate but I have a rather massive tolerance to codiene, and as I am finding out, since taking endone for so long, I have also built up a huge tolerance to that.

Any idea's on coping with body withdrawals? I physically want off ALL my medications, but all have to be weened, bad side effects happen when they are abruptly stopped, which is peeving me off. Olanzapine for example, the hospital put me on that becuase I freaked out when I woke up in ICU a week later in april. Anyone that was in the same situation, going home from hospital, being told I was fine when I could hardly walk! laying down on the couch to go to sleep, then waking up a week later, not knowing what the heck was going on, not being able to speak due to a trekky, would freak out! took me over a week to dictate what was real and what was my imagination, and to be honest, I don't feel I have mentally recoved yet!

I have a few gripes with my hospital, especially when a nurse turns around and calls me a waste of space!!!

 

Regarding getting off it, I am at a bit of a stale mate with it.

I went to withdrawal services here in darwin, trying to be pro-active and help myself, becuase I feel I have a bit of a problem with it, I have certain symptoms that have been going on for a while, which I discussed a couple of months ago on this very board, and I have found that I have taken endone on a couple of occasions, not for my pain, but for relief from my very bad anxiety problems that have surfaced just after I got out of ICU.

Which is a bad thing, I was given valium to begin with, but that was abruptly stopped and I went through a fortnight of HELL! I could'nt sleep, Its so undescribable, it basically felt like I was going to die, thats the best way to describe it, palpatations every couple of minutes, it was HORRIBLE! never again will I go through something like that.

They now have me on Mirtazapine, 45mg strenght, which I have been taking for nearly 3 months now, I find it slightly helps, but not much, but again it is another medication you cannot stop abruptly.

Withdrawal services want me to be reviewed by the pain clinic before even preceeding with a withdrawal program, however my dr won't give me a referral, I don't know why, and withdrawal services think that I should actually be on endone, and weened off it via my doctor, very slowly! (Over months) but my doctor will only subscribe it on the condition I will go to withdrawal services.

Do I have pain, Yes, alot of it, physical pain, but I myself think it is something that I have to slowly adapt to, but finding a doctor that will help me is very very difficult! especially since darwin is SO SMALL, and I think their is only 1 bulk billing practice here, the rest charge $60 to $140 a pop, and I need a script every 5 days, I am on a disability pension and get a mere $330 after rent, thats got to buy food, power, utilities, meds, etc & have 2 kids with a fiancee that doesn't work becuase she takes care of the kids and me.

I am in a lose lose situation, with nowhere to turn.

 

I notice one more thing too.

Endone, the actual box they come in has lightned, and the tablets have changed. According to my pharmacy thats due to addicts shooting endone up, the new version doesn't give you that 'High' feeling like the old ones. Is this true? I have never had a high from endone, only morphine does that for me.

I am also subscribed Codeine Phosphate which for some reason is an S8 medication, yet their is only 30mg strenght, however panadiene for has 30.02mg, but becuase of my liver & kidney failure I cannot take paracetemole, asprin, ibruprofen, etc But I am way too codeine tolerant, so I never get a high from it, does that mean my body cannot get addicted to it? same question for the endone, never get a buzz from it, even after I had surgery and they upped me from 2x 5mg 4x day, to 4x 5mg 2-3x day, never got a buzz, does that mean I am oxycodone tolerant?

Thats my fear, becoming addicted and dependant, I can't afford that in my life, especially after the year I have had! I won't to get on the road to recovery, not get to the top to fall straight back off again, that would be rather pointless and I would loose my kids & fiancee, were getting married on the 26th june!

Dave

 

Tell withdrawal you want duplicates of the letters sent to your doctor so you have something told in his face,failing that just make an appointment to a different doctor,you can see as many doctors as you want to you don't even have to tell your doctor just go to a different surgery and say you want an appointment.

 

Cheeky sod you don't have to take that kinda :crap from anyone, i'd tell her where to get off, and i'd complain to her superiors, and have a right old mad about what she said !

 

I'd just shit myself :major Literally...