Posted by jojo on July 22, 2001, at 23:36:40
In reply to Physical pain, posted by AKC on July 22, 2001, at 8:44:52
> As some of you are aware from my post on PSB, I am currently (slowly) reading "The Noonday Demon." I am in the chapter on breakdowns, and the author's experience of suffering breakdowns after suffering intense physical pain.
>
> This has me thinking (and nervous). I was already very depressed when I had my gallbladder go south. It was unexpected and very intense pain. I had the unfortunate experience of a primary care physician thinking I was just after pain meds (I had recently relocated and this was a new doc who just saw my history of alcoholism and recovery). My tests were coming back at best ambiguous. I would go to the emergency room when I would have acute attacks - the er people believed me and would shoot me full of demoral and would give pain meds. I luckily had to change docs because this doc dropped my hmo - so after three weeks of physical hell, surgery was scheduled and my gallbladder was removed, and the physical recovery only took about a week (they were able to use the lathroscope).
>
> However, after the surgery I went from a bad depression, into suicidal hell - and about three weeks later took every pill I had on hand. Luckily, shortly after doing so, I started to panic and called 911 myself - I wanted the pain to stop, but truly didn't want to die.
>
> I am scared because currently I am doing wonderful - as I have shared on this board. But, as life is so great at doing, I am having some physical problems, specifically, I have a knee that is causing my a lot of problems. It has been messed up since I was a teenager. I have had it operated on in the past. But for whatever reason, it has gone really bad over the past two months. And reading Solomon's stuff on how pain is a trigger for him, even when he was on meds, it made me scared.
>
> So I was wondering about other's experiences with pain and its effects on your meds. I so want this good time to last a while - I don't know if it was the pain, the pain meds, the general anethestics, or a combination of all of the above, or the fact I was already deep in a depression that led to the suicide attempt. There were so many variables. But most importantly - I just don't want to get depressed again. Right now, the pain is tolerable. I guess, I just am a little afraid now and would like some words of wisdom.
>
> AKCA few of us are trying buprenorphine as an antidepressant.
I've had some improvement in my depressive
symptoms (I'm better, the "symptoms" themselves
are not doing so well ; >)
Anyway, it also took away a sholder pain that had
been bothering me for several weeks. It's equivalent to
about 10 mg. of morphine as an
analgesic. I physician cannot prescribe it from his office as
a treatment for an addiction, however, so you may need
a wise Psychiatrist who will prescribe it as an off lable
treatment for depression (which is legal), but not as an anti addiction medication,
(which is illegal) Has anyone noticed what fine
attorneys some of these drugs are. They are able to determine
whether they should function as an anti addiction medication or as an antidepressant.
Possibly they're more perceptive than some of our lawmakers.
poster:jojo
thread:71325
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71462.html