Comments on: Addiction versus Pseudoaddiction http://www.addiction-free.com/blog/addiction-versus-pseudoaddiction/ Chronic Pain Solutions Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:13:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Kay http://www.addiction-free.com/blog/addiction-versus-pseudoaddiction/#comment-88492 Kay Thu, 03 Feb 2011 02:15:41 +0000 http://www.addiction-free.com/blog/addiction-versus-pseudoaddiction/#comment-88492 I have chronic pain and recently went to my doctor to "confess" that I had been taking way too many medications, sometimes not always for pain but for the depression, restlessness, and lack of motivation that developed over a year of being prescribed large doses of opiates. She sent me to a doctor with lots of experience in dependence and addiction AS WELL as pain management. I spent most of the visit telling him all the bad things I had done and how my brain feels terrible without tons of opiates and such, basically trying to convince him I was a dirty terrible addict. He told me he believes I'm not an addict, but have psuedoaddiction. The more interesting part was that even the use of excess drugs for non pain relief reasons probably started as a result of long term opioid use destroying my brain's natural chemical production. I felt so guilty I wanted to punish myself with horrible withdrawal, but he convinced me this is not necessary. I was always a very happy person who never had difficulty stopping substances after a root canal, broken ribs, car accident, or any other short term use of opiates. We'll see how it pans out. Worst case, I know I'm brave enough to taper off slowly as my brain heals. I just want to feel like I did a few years ago before all this. I miss my happy, natural brain chemicals. :( I have chronic pain and recently went to my doctor to “confess” that I had been taking way too many medications, sometimes not always for pain but for the depression, restlessness, and lack of motivation that developed over a year of being prescribed large doses of opiates. She sent me to a doctor with lots of experience in dependence and addiction AS WELL as pain management. I spent most of the visit telling him all the bad things I had done and how my brain feels terrible without tons of opiates and such, basically trying to convince him I was a dirty terrible addict.

He told me he believes I’m not an addict, but have psuedoaddiction. The more interesting part was that even the use of excess drugs for non pain relief reasons probably started as a result of long term opioid use destroying my brain’s natural chemical production. I felt so guilty I wanted to punish myself with horrible withdrawal, but he convinced me this is not necessary. I was always a very happy person who never had difficulty stopping substances after a root canal, broken ribs, car accident, or any other short term use of opiates.

We’ll see how it pans out. Worst case, I know I’m brave enough to taper off slowly as my brain heals. I just want to feel like I did a few years ago before all this. I miss my happy, natural brain chemicals. :(

]]> By: Elsy Meola http://www.addiction-free.com/blog/addiction-versus-pseudoaddiction/#comment-45484 Elsy Meola Fri, 13 Aug 2010 04:07:56 +0000 http://www.addiction-free.com/blog/addiction-versus-pseudoaddiction/#comment-45484 liked this post! liked this post!

]]> By: Kimberly Smith http://www.addiction-free.com/blog/addiction-versus-pseudoaddiction/#comment-3806 Kimberly Smith Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:54:05 +0000 http://www.addiction-free.com/blog/addiction-versus-pseudoaddiction/#comment-3806 I'm sorry,, somehow the story got copied and pasted ,, and what I wrote as a reply was lost.. i'm having a bad flare up with fibromyalgia today, and wanted to speak about the nightmare I also endured living with chronic pain since childhood and being accused of being a drug seeker and being sent to drug and alcohol treatment, it was horrible.. if you can fix the triple story I mistakingly submitted, I would love to share my story.. thank you. I’m sorry,, somehow the story got copied and pasted ,, and what I wrote as a reply was lost.. i’m having a bad flare up with fibromyalgia today, and wanted to speak about the nightmare I also endured living with chronic pain since childhood and being accused of being a drug seeker and being sent to drug and alcohol treatment, it was horrible.. if you can fix the triple story I mistakingly submitted, I would love to share my story.. thank you.

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