Prescription drug use

[cookiedough]

I took only 1-2 of those pain meds when I had surgery on my knee.  They both made me loopy and sick felt like throwing up since never taken any pain meds ever before in my life.  Am sure they helped that first night after the surgery meds wore off, but made me very drowsy and somewhat sick feeling, sort of out of it really or so the wife said that first night back from surgery.

I have worked with a former co-worker who daily does pill popping for her supposedly pain she suffers daily, but I think she was a drug addict and hooked on them popping pills at work at her desk daily.  I guess like anything else, if you are use to them,  is not as bad since use to them vs. someone like me who never used them before.

Same pills can react differently for every person, some good, some bad reactions to the meds. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

So, I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee two days ago.
No big deal, meniscus repair and some arthritis clean out.
They gave me a big bottle of strong narcotics. I have not felt the need to take any. Mild discomfort but no serious pain.

I guess this is why the country has a terrible prescription drug addiction problem, that often leads to heroin use once the supply of pills dries up. Why couldn't they have just told me to take an over the counter pain reliever, and it the pain was intolerable I could have called the Doc's office for a script to be called in.

As a former therapist, I saw the terrible toll such addiction took on my clients and their families. Often it started with innocent use of prescribed drugs. As a nation, it seems our pain threshold has dropped tremendously. We seem to think any pain at all must be quickly relieved. I will be flushing these pills.

I agree prescription drug use is a huge problem in our society, maybe bigger than illegal drugs. Luckily I have been relatively heathy my entire life. I take Advil and Zantac on occasion. But a few years ago I had a herniated disc that was dibilatating, I could barely walk. If it wasn't for the Dilaudin prescription I don't know how I would have made it till the time they repaired it. As an aside I don't really understand why people like that stuff so much. It didn't make me feel euphoric or anything it just removed 80% of the pain.

[Chrisj CMA]

When you need strong meds YOU NEED THEM

My beef is with Drs and nurses that push the hard stuff on patients that could get along with Tylenol instead.  Or the ones that comply with "patients" that are seeking meds.  I am also against the Philosophy that you should never feel any pain after an injury or operation.  Pain is helpful, it lets you know what you shouldn't do!