Counselor and mother, Helen Thomas, sits down and talks with Bernadine about the death of her 18 yr son to Fentanyl.
Losing Malachy to a Drug Overdose: A Mother Speaks Out.
#fentanyl #Drug overdose #teenager #Addiction #nations #OpioidCrisis #Cocaine
1 reaction It seems Australia has not learnt from the dire situation in America, whereby prescriptions to patients for legitimate opioids have DROPPED 60% in the last 10yrs, yet overdoses have DOUBLED in that same timeframe! In fact, reputable studies indicate where there is “No previous or current history of abuse/addiction, the percentage of abuse/addiction [in chronic pain patients] was calculated at 0.19%."
Cracking down on legally issued prescriptions [as part of the failed War Against Drugs], in no way is a good outcome for those who have responsibly used their opioids for years, i.e. a cohort of people who are NOT addicted to their life-saving medications, & who ONLY use their legally prescribed pain relief as required!
www.linkedin.com/posts/kevin-james-971278190_opioidcrisis-op...
#opioidcrisis #OpioidEpidemic #opioidrestrictions #OpioidAddiction #OpioidUseDisorder #prescriptionopioids #opioidmedications #illicitdrugs #fentanyl #Addiction #Dependence #policymakers #StopTheStigma #ChronicPain #Chronicpainwarrior #chronicpainmanagement #overdoses
It seems Australia has not learnt from the dire situation in America, whereby prescriptions to patients for legitimate opioids have DROPPED 60% in the last 10yrs, yet overdoses have DOUBLED in that same timeframe! In fact, reputable studies indicate where there is “No previous or current history of abuse/addiction, the percentage of abuse/addiction [in chronic pain patients] was calculated at 0.19%."
Cracking down on legally issued prescriptions [as part of the failed War Against Drugs], in no way is a good outcome for those who have responsibly used their opioids for years, i.e. a cohort of people who are NOT addicted to their life-saving medications, & who ONLY use their legally prescribed pain relief as required!
www.linkedin.com/posts/kevin-james-971278190_opioidcrisis-op...
#opioidcrisis #OpioidEpidemic #opioidrestrictions #OpioidAddiction #OpioidUseDisorder #prescriptionopioids #opioidmedications #illicitdrugs #fentanyl #Addiction #Dependence #policymakers #StopTheStigma #ChronicPain #Chronicpainwarrior #chronicpainmanagement #overdoses
So, my ex, who I'm very close to, is addicted to street fentanyl. Watching him high breaks my heart and triggers me since I went through his addiction all throughout our relationship. In total, I've been dealing with his lies and addiction for 6 years. It hasn't been easy, since he's often cruel to me when he's high. Low blows come often. Watching him destroy himself kills my soul. If I try to explain how his addiction effects me, he tells me "way to make this all about you". I've explained that his addiction effects more than just him, and that's when he shuts down. He refuses to accept/acknowledge responsibility for stealing my meds, and that makes his betrayal 10x worse. I feel lost and don't know what to do. I'm so tired of crying about this situation.
I am on a 50 mcg patch and would like to come off of it completely. I did, once before, a very slow taper over several months with no noticeable withdrawal symptoms. I went back on the patch later, as the particular pain it helps got to be too much and at the time I just wanted it to stop vs trying other options. That one pain is the only thing the Fentanyl helps with. Not any of my fibro pain or neuropathy pain or anything.
The difference in coming off this time is that last Fall, due to a combo of errors on the part of the dr office/pharmacy/ins co, I was off cold turkey for almost a week. The withdrawal was horrendous and the meds they gave me to help did nothing at all (clonodine & Phenergan.) I used breathing, focusing and music to barely get through with my sanity.
Ever since then I have been very sensitive to withdrawal symptoms, and have needed the patch more often (every 60 hrs vs 72.) My pain dr was on board with that as of November. But I saw an NP today who was not. I agreed to try to start coming off the patch, which is what I ultimately want, but am freaked out about the withdrawal process. I could really use some support from anyone who has been there!
Here’s the plan:
Continue to use the 5mcg/72hr patch. When withdrawal symptoms start (usually after 52-60 hrs) start taking 2mg clonidine & 25mg phenergan, upto every 3 hrs. After 3 doses, if still feeling symptoms, try a dose of lofexidine (Lucemyra.) Hopefully that will get me to the point of putting a new patch on. Because it takes about 6hrs for the patch to start working, I may need to continue the meds until then.
I will also be taking CBD oil during all of this, as it seems to sometimes help stretch the patch effectiveness time.
If you haven’t been through withdrawal, there is just no way for me to describe it. It is the most awful feeling in the world. Not pain so much as wanting to claw out of my skin. Beyond miserable. And hoping the new med works, the 2nd one, because the other never did.
I have just gotten to a place, after a liver/kidney transplant 16mos ago, where I was starting to get some strength back and actually feel better. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to do this, but I kinda have to. If I can cut back to the 25mcg patch, that would be huge.
I am terrified. Truly. I have a strong faith, but in the midst of withdrawal it is still very lonely.
I’m supposed to change my patch tomorrow (Tuesday) night. I anticipate the withdrawal to start around dinner time and will have meds ready then.
I would love to talk with those who have been through this, or have loved ones who have even. and if you know of a better place for me to get support, please share!
Suzanne
#ChronicPain
#withdrawal #fentanyl #legallydependent #dependentnotaddicted
I'm currently getting off of opiods and in acute withdrawal. Anyone have any tips or tricks to make this easier? I am so happy to be off of them I just need to get through this! ❤ #withdrawal #Withdrawing #Opiods #Opiodsforchronicpain #Narcotics #fentanyl #embeda #morphine #Fibromyalgia #Pain
I don't even know whether to treat this place like a FB or a Twitter or an Instagram or what, that's how new I am here. *shrug* But I am talkative enough some days, and today's your lucky day. Er, well [looks at clock] night, as the case may be.
That's another thing... I'm a nightowl. I usually go to sleep about the time the sun rises. Just the way I am. I used to fake it through a workweek with a handful of OTC sleeping pills to get enough sleep before time to go to work, but now that I don't [can't] work, no reason to down a half dozen diphenhydramine a night to get to sleep before my body is ready. So, I'm up at 1:30 AM, posting in [to me] a strange, new world!
I found my way here because of an article stating us chronic pain sufferers have been right the whole time, and our opioid use hasn't been the reason for all the overdoses in the USA, after all! Well... no freaking kidding!
Blame the cheap fentanyl being smuggled in from overseas in those giant shipping containers that we dont have enough personnel to personally inspect. Not the "caravans" or an "open border" or any of that nonsense, either. It's those semi-trailer sized shipping containers coming over on giant barges, stacked 3 and 4 high, dozens deep, and dozens wide, that we can't possibly police, that this cheap fentanyl is coming from.
No, I dont know this with 100% certainty... after all, I'm not a smuggler, nor a customs officer, and never have been, but I know the size of those containers, the volume they can hold, and I know our customs agents don't have the manpower or funding to check out all of those hundreds of containers PER SHIP coming in every day. My 2 cents' worth, for whatever it's worth. 😄
Latest
