When my husband had surgery he was prescribed 20 Oxy. Knowing himself and his pain tolerance he asked me to fill the prescription for only half. The pharmacist was reluctant to do so because he explained that we wouldn’t be able to come back and get more if my husband was still in pain when the 10 ran out. Even the doctor wouldn’t be able to prescribe more because of the laws around opioids. I insisted, got 10, and he used 2. I wish there had been a way to split the prescription so we could have picked up five initially then gone back for more if necessary. I hate having extra pills in the house but it can be a pain to dispose of them properly.
I was actually relieved to find after my daughter’s wisdom tooth removal that she doesn’t tolerate opioids well. They made her feel lousy, which I figure is at least some protection against opioid addiction.
My doctor writes me a prescription for the restricted over-the-counter allergy medicine. For some reason, Costco likes to fill 6 months worth at a time. Without the prescription, I can only get a couple of weeks worth.
“When my husband was prescribed an antibiotic that turned out to be unnecessary, he threw the unused pills in the trash when the doctor said to stop taking them. But if he has Percocet left over after he recovers from his surgery, I can’t see him throwing those pills out.”
It is advised NOT to put old pills/meds in the trash or flush down the toilet.
In my area, the police used to have periodic drug take-back events, but now they have a place in all police stations available all the time to return unused meds.
Our plastic surgeons often tell patients to avoid ibuprophen and aspirin post op because of the bleeding risk. People who have had surgery usually need good pain relief that Tylenol alone cannot provide. There is so much judgment being thrown at doctors these days by lay people who do not understand the medical rationale.
An important point made is that dependency and addiction are not the same thing. And that some people do need to depend on long term drugs for pain which otherwise makes life almost on livable.
Reading this made me feel fortunate to not be in that position. I can’t imagine what it must be like.
Yes, the addiction epidemic is real, but dealing with that should not mean abandoning people in real, intractable pain.
I don’t know who these doctors are who are over-prescribing. I suppose if you are drug-seeking you can find them.
H and I have both had some significant surgeries over the last few years, and neither of us has ever been prescribed more than 10 individual pills at a time. I recently had open emergency abdominal surgery and I was VERY happy to take oxycodone when I need it after I got home. I had no desire to be a hero post-surgery, and it doesn’t disagree with me. I think they gave me 10 pills. After the first couple of days I hoarded them to use at night so that I could dull the pain and sleep. I did get another prescription for 10 more from my PCP, which took me through to the removal of the staples, thank doG.
I now have 1 leftover oxycodone that has been sitting in its bottle on my nightstand for over a month. But I am keeping it, just in case.
On the other hand, decades ago I was given a very small prescription for percodan after a nasty wisdom tooth removal, and it was instantly addictive, honestly. It didn’t just dampen the pain, it made me feel all warm and happy and not care about it. I was really, really glad that the dentist only gave me enough for a few days.
Someday I will be really mad that I will have significant pain and will not be allowed the drugs to treat it because politicians cant figure out how to keep really unhappy people from getting high instead of fixing whatever is making them so unhappy.
Having had very complex and painful shoulder surgery, worrying about pain pills is awful. The pain was indescribable, but the side effects of the oxy to me was horrid. I even ended up in the ER when I couldn’t stop vomiting. It became a question for months - what is worse right now, the pain or how oxy makes me feel.
It’s easy to say when you aren’t in a breathless agony of pain to take otc or breathing techniques or be worried about addicts. It’s an entirely different animal when you’re the one suffering. As it went on for a few months I came to a deeper understanding of why people in chronic pain choose suicide. It scared my husband to death that I said that - I wasn’t suicidal because I knew I would get better, but if I was going to be in that amount of pain forever, I don’t know if I could have handled it.
And yes, I do keep my pain pills on hand just in case of something else and we can’t get a prescription. I’m now really afraid that something awful will happen and no one will help because of this epidemic of addiction.
And orthopedic surgeons tell you to avoid them during the entire recovery from your procedure because they slow bone healing. They grudgingly accept it if your cardiologist has prescribed aspirin, but they don’t want you to take this class of drugs for pain. My husband was told this after his surgery (which was a spinal disc procedure) a few days ago, and I was told it after surgery for a broken leg 12 years ago.
I was just talking to a friend yesterday who recently had back surgery. We compared notes on post-surgical stuff, and she said her Dr. gave her a prescription for 60 oxycodone pills! (I was given 10 pills.) She was rather shocked, and only had to take 3 or so.
Now that I read about the bone healing issue, I’m wondering if this was because she wasn’t allowed to take the usual OTC options.
Unfortunately, the same insurance, state and federal rules apply to terminally ill patients least likely to develop an addiction. These rules are not consistent, so medical providers cannot do a one fits all prescription plan.
I can’t imagine how difficult it is for elderly care givers, those with education or language barriers and patients without familiarly members to frequently visit the pharmacy. Develop a relationship with the pharmacist team, keep checking for drug interactions and of course keep medication away from children, teens and their friends.
The whole thing is so frustrating. About 8 or 9 years ago, I sprained my ankle, went to the ER (because I had heard a pop when I injured it and was afraid I had broken something). Upon release, the nurse said, “let me get you a prescription for painkillers” I said I didn’t think I needed anything, as I wasn’t in much pain at all. She said she would give it to me “just in case I had a lot of pain in the middle of the night” or something. I still have that bottle of oxycodone in the cabinet. (Been meaning to drop it at the police station, but just never get around to it). So, I think in some part, it has been due to over-prescription, and it’s very frustrating that now people who need the medications are having trouble getting them. I take a controlled substance (not an opioid) and now must have my ID on me every time I go into the local pharmacy, where I have been going for 20 years, and where they all know me, to refill my prescription. No more leaving the purse in the car just to drop it off. Small price to pay, I guess, but I kind of resent having to present my ID in front of other customers to get my prescription.
I think the real problems leading to the opioid epidemic are social and economic, and they aren’t going to be solved easily.
When we have these discussions, I find it frustrating that we can’t hold two ideas in our head at the same time.
On the one hand, opioids kill pain. We don’t want people to be in pain.
On the other hand, many many many people are addicted to opioids, tens of thousands are dying every year from overdoses, addicts are not evil people who intended to become addicted, and the rate of overdose is skyrocketing.
We shouldn’t just say, “I don’t want to be inconvenienced when I have pain and want a painkiller.” Of course you don’t want to be inconvenienced, but you also don’t want people to die, and you don’t want families to have their lives ruined. The middle ground for painkillers is going to be hard to find, some people are going to be inconvenienced, and some people are going to have to be in some pain, because there is no magic here.
The last time we had this discussion on CC, several people were chiming in about the difficulty of getting opioids, and then one mom told us about her son who became addicted IIRC after a sports injury. It could happen in your family too.
Aspirin also is contraindicated because it inhibits bone growth. I can’t go off the aspirin or the cardiac meds that keep me from taking anti-inflammatories. I avoid painkillers if at all possible, so to actually take Percoset is indicative of a high level of misery. And the stuff isn’t doing much for me.
Evil is a value judgment. I bet most people get addicted to opioids for the same reason people get addicted to cocaine. People start using recreational drugs, usually in their teens or twenties. Then, there’s a large cohort with chronic pain. Some of these people may be over-prescribed, but there’s no easy answers for this group. The example of someone getting 10 or 20 pills for their wisdom teeth getting taken out and then starting down the garden path to shooting heroin laced with fentanyl seems to be mostly an urban legend. See the link in #41.
My H was going to have shoulder surgery. We were given an Rx and a 12 or 24 hour to fill it the day it was prescribed (prior to surgery). We went to pick it up immediately so we would have it on hand and could stay ahead of the pain after the outpatient surgery.
We do know the 24-hour pharmacies in our community and are glad they exist.
I had no desire to be a hero post-surgery, and it doesn’t disagree with me. I think they gave me 10 pills. After the first couple of days I hoarded them to use at night so that I could dull the pain and sleep. I did get another prescription for 10 more from my PCP, which took me through to the removal of the staples, thank doG.