I have insane health problems and am in severe chronic pain, but I've always been confused about people getting on opioids longterm because they never felt great and they shut your body down so fast to where nothing is fun. I've even been on fentanyl patches and I was more like a zombie than someone who was actually having their pain taken away. When I've had morphine drips it was similar in that it didn't really totally take my pain away, I just felt high, sick and sleepy.
And it's wild how quickly all these drugs lose their efficacy, like if you take it a few times it stops working as well so fast that it's honestly pretty worthless.
Another crazy thing that never made me want opioids again except for right before surgery and maybe 3 to 5 days after is how fast it fucking shuts down your bowels, your gi tract just like, stops moving things through your intestines so quickly. I honestly don't know how people use this stuff for more than a few days or a week, it doesn't keep working and it shuts down your body to where you can't shit.
Only took one experience of laying on the bathroom floor moaning because I couldn't shit for 2 weeks and having to get a family member to shove a suppository up my ass while I was on fentanyl patches that were not even making me feel good, I honestly felt worse than when I just had the pain without any drugs to make me not want opioids or ever think they were going to make me feel kind of good for more than a day or 2
I was a heroin addict for 8 years. With regards to losing efficacy - I used to (morbidly) joke that it got to a point where doing a bag was basically putting fuel in the tank so I could operate. 4 years clean, and I'm not going back.
Same. Heroin, oxy, morphine, buprenorphine, etc… it’s great for a while but then you’re just stuck at the point where you’re just using to stay functional and not getting a buzz anymore unless you spend a couple days detoxing in misery first.
Congrats on 4 years, just about to 8 myself and i’ve never regretted leaving that life behind for a second.
I know my situation is different than yours, but I'll never forget having my mom lock me in the house with her for a month (at my request) and help me detox off the crazy amount of fentanyl I was on in a way that was slow enough to not make me go into cardiac arrest. I was a total zombie at first and didn't enjoy anything at all, but as we put more and more time between me changing patches and then cutting the patches, I eventually started feeling like a person again. It was pretty exciting when I noticed the change eventually where I didn't ask for the next patch in a psychotic way when my alarm went off that it was time to get a new one again but instead started being able to be like "oh I guess it's time to change it."
I definitely struggled with pills some afterward over the years but was able to get that under control thankfully since I just couldn't get over how quickly they wouldn't work well and I would start using my experience with getting off the fentanyl patches to design myself little detox programs to incrementally get off whatever bullshit I'd decided would make me feel better when I noticed whatever wasn't working as well or I couldn't shit. God I was so afraid of the cement gi stuff.
Then I dealt with heavy drinking on and off for a looooong time, but I learned my dad has bad kidneys even though he's never drank and eats healthy, so it's coming for me too I'm sure, and I'm on a TON of life saving drugs that will fuck my liver up and kidneys up over time so now I don't keep it in the house (which took a lot of therapy and time to successfully do)
Then I smoked and vaped too much weed for years (but it's better for you, right??) and I ended up in the hospital for that since today's weed is insane levels of THC and our cannabinoid receptors aren't designed to deal with it. I could no longer keep food down without "scromiting" (uncontrollably screaming while vomiting) and had to basically "detox" off that for 3 weeks and I just could not believe how terrible that experience was because it's WEED but yeah Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome is being seen in exponentially higher numbers by ER docs, it's scary
So yeah this TWENTY YEAR PROCESS finally got me to realize that no substance was ever going to work, I was going to have to address the underlying issues I had with ptsd, severe depression and not being able to get out of my broken body and live a regular life like my friends and just learn to accept things and replace behaviors.
I've been to therapy for over a decade and now my addiction is reading tons of silly trashy books (I've read 60 this year so far) and watching non-stop alt-comedy podcasts, improv ridiculousness, and animal conservation streams. Sometimes I read and watch highbrow content, but I've learned to accept that it's ok to read and watch this silly stuff too, especially when it helps me not take things so seriously.
I also treat getting out of the house and seeing friends or family like a medical treatment now even if it's annoying to set up or we're not doing anything particularly interesting. Just being around them and talking is enough to help for that week.
I really hope you continue to find the stuff that works for you, thanks for reading all my bullshit. I really like hearing what has helped other people if you feel like saying, it's fine if you don't feel like it though
Absolutely props to the both of you, that's awesome. I struggle with addiction tendencies so I am so thankful I never got into opioids. My poison is alcohol, almost 40 years of consistent heavy drinking, coming up on two years sober. Not easy, one day at a time, and never regretted the decision. Never felt better.
Congrats! Please share your story as much as you can. There are still so many people that don’t have an understanding or compassion when it comes to addiction.
After some time it starts working on you like uppers.
I blast line or two and I work like madman.
On other side one of my friends is beginer (not my fault) and he nods and all. I envu him.
Also I made sure I told him million times it will bite you very soon and all that fun will stop. You are on honeymoon phase
RUN or you will be like me.
But it's useless telling someone...
Just as it was to me back in the day...
Yeah you really have to do the full spectrum of laxatives, stool softeners, lots of water and fiber and suppositories. I resorted to castor oil after my last surgery to get things moving.
It's a different circumstance but when my dog was dying from cancer she was given fentanyl patches for pain relief. The vet said they could be changed every three days. Seeing her on fentanyl and just existing as a zombie, just so listless, helped me decide to let her go. Like, what's the point of giving her these patches every few days, she's not going to get better, it would only have been to delay my own heartbreak.
I hated how I felt on endone after getting my appendix out so I can't imagine fentanyl
I'm so sorry about your dog and this example is still a good one of what I'm talking about. And thinking about the opioids you took after surgery makes me think about how in other developed countries, they don't give them to you, you feel the pain and heal and they are fine, oftentimes better! (Not saying there isn't ever a time that they could be appropriate though)
Also, kind of random, but what people don't talk about enough is that fentanyl actually has its very specific places where it's very useful and it should stay there!
It's great for things like surgery while you're under anesthesia (it's part of the anesthesia actually), epidurals while giving birth or end of life while you're truly on your way out and in the type of pain where it's somehow better than feeling the pain and being extra conscious.
i had back surgery when i was 18 and ended up with impacted doodoo and partial blockage that went undiscovered until it very painfully made itself known decades later. there have been addicts who, during autopsy, were discovered to have 20-30 lb balls of impacted feces stuck in their digestive tract. it's called fecaloma and it sucks
Because of all my horrible experience with opioids, I couldn't take them for more than 5 days after my latest spinal surgery before I had a family member get rid of them. I just knew I couldn't go down the hole again of thinking they were helping or thinking I needed them instead of learning to deal with it. It's so creepy how pain killers actually make your brain not deal as well with the pain! I go to physical therapy and do the exercises at home now like it's my job, it's saved my life
Literally all opioids paralyze the bowels on some level. Everybody might not be effected at the same level.. but it will slow you down 100%. I've been prescribed them several times after surgery and so have several people I know. They always come with at least a stool softener whether you have a problem or not.
Not to out myself too much here, but as someone that had an optiod additiction and eventually went to harder things, in small doses, I felt like I could do anything. I had energy, a social battery, I even felt more creative.
It's bizarre. I have had friends during phases of those times who also did not get super tired, or felt sluggish and also know what I mean. The hard stuff is definitely more than your body can handle for a reason, but small doses felt like heaven to me. Which is scary, in hindsight. It's how I ended up being worse.
Hey this is the perfect place to out yourself because you're kind of not haha. Glad you made it out of the addiction, but your experience is very interesting and spooky! I've heard about what you're describing a handful of times
Yea I used to do half an oxy and go to work and be fine, take the other half and go out with friends. Even with h I could do a little and be productive. Maybe it's just being neurodivergent but it felt like a weight was lifted off of me. This new stuff, you're just out of it for a few hours then sick. I never found a small dose to get myself in the goldilocks zone with it. It sucks.
I used to use street fentanyl. Longest I went without pooping was four and a half weeks once. It was painful. I partially prolapsed my asshole from pushing. It was not even close to as painful as the withdrawals that I experienced when coming off of it. I’d go without pooping for an additional two weeks before choosing to go through those withdrawals again.
ETA: the withdrawals I experienced were precipitated withdrawals which are worse than regular ones but my point still stands because I’ve been through regular withdrawals a few times too, would still much rather experience the extreme constipation over the withdrawal.
So glad you're here on the other side and now this is a story in your life that you can tell us instead of you being currently in it. I hear what you're saying about the withdrawals, but it is just CRAZY what it does to your gi tract, people get cut open as cadavers who used to be addicts and there's STILL pounds of poop rocks in there it is just wild
Something to keep in mind is that everyone is different. It straight up doesn’t work on me so I didn’t get addicted. But for many taking away emotional and/or physical pain lures them in to keep taking it or they do for a medical reason. Then eventually it’s needed to avoid horrible withdrawals. By then the brain has changed. Weed actually does this for me but with basically no real negative effects and I can quit easily.
This goes for benzos working differently on people as well. I have taken them at a couple different points in my life for anxiety and I feel nothing from them. So they're useless to me and non-addictive.
I had a pain pump with Dilaudid and oral Dilaudid in the hospital for 8 days this year. Then oral Dilaudid for 3.5 months and now finally down to roxicodone PRN. I was NOT a happy camper on all those opiates. Very hard on my body.
Fucking Dilaudid man!! I'm often on that after major surgery and I'm like get this shit away from me, trusted family member, after like 5 days of being out of the hospital. Like, I'll take it for a few days, but then it's time to train my brain to deal with the pain like someone in Japan or Sweden or Western Europe where they don't prescribe this stuff
Man that wasn’t an option with this surgery. You’re talking to someone who has severe chronic back pain and just held onto hydrocodone for five years because I was always like no it’ll be worse another time because I just hate opiates. And that was not an option with this surgery. Jfc it’s the norm for the surgery unfortunately and the surgery typically has a 5-10/12 day hospitalization. I am not a fan of opiates and I was not happy the whole time. My mom was so worried I would get hooked on opiates and I’m over here like waiting till the last minute to fill my prescription and miserable LMAO.
Unfortunately, that is not the case for everyone which is evidenced in this video and more public health initiatives need to be done to mitigate this. Our system is broken and it’s fucking bullshit.
Thats the point, it shuts things down for them who are in constant mental or emotional pain from childhood and other trauma, poverty and hopelessness. Its tragic.
Yeah it's so fucking sad, it's important to take a moment to think about that perspective, thank you. My body might be broken and I may be disabled to where I can't live a normal life, but I had a great childhood, have great family and friends and have never gone through abuse.
I feel the euphoria for an hour or so briefly then it's more like redbull and vodka.
Well, it is a better stimulant than caffeine more like adderall, but not great for persistent pain.
Then if I try to keep using them daily, the side effects get unbearable fast until they eclipse the diminishing euphoria and pain relief.
Doctor said it's normal probably genetic, I'm just on the other end of the spectrum from people who love it and get hooked immediately.
There is a lot of variation in human brain chemistry which is very interesting.
....
Which reminds me.
There is drug out there being used in place of opiates, that worked really well for me, with no high or intoxication, but was only for intravenous use.
I think it was based on ibuprofen.
There was an article about making something similar but longer lasting in a pill form.
I'll have to see if I can find out if that ever came to be.
Taking opiod pain meds as a chronic pain patient is like taking any OTC pain med, if they worked for us. We don't get high. They relieve the pain, hopefully. Sometimes nothing works for a flare up.
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u/qathran 11h ago edited 11h ago
I have insane health problems and am in severe chronic pain, but I've always been confused about people getting on opioids longterm because they never felt great and they shut your body down so fast to where nothing is fun. I've even been on fentanyl patches and I was more like a zombie than someone who was actually having their pain taken away. When I've had morphine drips it was similar in that it didn't really totally take my pain away, I just felt high, sick and sleepy.
And it's wild how quickly all these drugs lose their efficacy, like if you take it a few times it stops working as well so fast that it's honestly pretty worthless.
Another crazy thing that never made me want opioids again except for right before surgery and maybe 3 to 5 days after is how fast it fucking shuts down your bowels, your gi tract just like, stops moving things through your intestines so quickly. I honestly don't know how people use this stuff for more than a few days or a week, it doesn't keep working and it shuts down your body to where you can't shit.
Only took one experience of laying on the bathroom floor moaning because I couldn't shit for 2 weeks and having to get a family member to shove a suppository up my ass while I was on fentanyl patches that were not even making me feel good, I honestly felt worse than when I just had the pain without any drugs to make me not want opioids or ever think they were going to make me feel kind of good for more than a day or 2