My wife suffered immense pain, much like Carol Ann- to the point where her neurologist recommended a 'pain clinic' for treatment for a 17' fall from a ladder, that fractured her back in multiple places, with bone fragments partially severing multiple nerve endings.
At the worst point she was ingesting OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Morphine, Methadone, Lorazepam (and another bennie that escapes me right now) at the same time. Every time we'd go for visits, if she said the pain wasn't going away, and her 'pain scale' was always hovering around 8, this 'dr' just increased her dosage. Being a psychologist, part of my education was to know medications, even though I don't prescribe, so I could assess meds vs possible affects causing mental breakdowns, so I was acutely aware that so many opiates were not good. I was also observing her daily, and even though she's one of the rare people that things like morphine do nothing for, I knew that these drugs at the levels given, along with the sheer volume she was ingesting just weren't good. We never had the incidents like Carol Ann, but the wife and I knew it wasn't a good situation.
The last visit we went to, my wife asked about removing some or all of these meds from her schedule, and her doctor said it would require hospitalization on an addiction center. At that point, I knew I needed to help her, and quick. I consulted with several friends and her own neurologist on a recommended course for tittering down dosages- found sufficient placebos, and set to work.
I filled her med box for her every week, and felt it was better to let her believe she was still taking everything (even though I felt incredibly deceiving) but I felt that some of the withdrawals patients feels are sometimes symptomatic, so decided that unless she showed symptoms, I'd let her carry on without the stress of possible complications the dr had supplanted with his addiction center diatribe.
After 6 months, I'd removed her from everything but some Tylenol/codeine (level 3) x 3 times daily prn, and her lorazepam that was also prn, then told her. She cried and after that time, I'd been 'collecting' her monthly meds, in case she needed to go back on them from withdrawals, and presented her with 50 bottles full of pills that she happily and slowly packed up, wheeled into the dr.s office, dumped on his desk, and told him if she were a more spiteful person, she'd sue, so 'check yourself before you wreck yourself, and kill the patients you're claiming to help!' turned her wheelchair around, and rolled out the door.
She's now taking a medication that actually helps with the pain and neuropathy (gabapentin) and Motrin, and hasn't been on an opiate for almost 10 years now. Had she been a different person with a different chemical makeup and a spouse with no idea where to turn, this could have gone so much worse. We count our blessings every day and know how lucky we are. I don't regret my decisions, and my wife certainly doesn't.
These companies that exploited people, drs who preyed upon patients knowing exactly what would happen, all need to be prosecuted. I don't believe initially the drs or even the reps had any idea how horrific this would be, but the evidence emerged shortly after the market was flooded with opiates, yet they proceeded ahead.
My sincerest condolences to Carol Ann's family, especially her husband. I cannot fathom the pain they endure.
At the worst point she was ingesting OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Morphine, Methadone, Lorazepam (and another bennie that escapes me right now) at the same time. Every time we'd go for visits, if she said the pain wasn't going away, and her 'pain scale' was always hovering around 8, this 'dr' just increased her dosage. Being a psychologist, part of my education was to know medications, even though I don't prescribe, so I could assess meds vs possible affects causing mental breakdowns, so I was acutely aware that so many opiates were not good. I was also observing her daily, and even though she's one of the rare people that things like morphine do nothing for, I knew that these drugs at the levels given, along with the sheer volume she was ingesting just weren't good. We never had the incidents like Carol Ann, but the wife and I knew it wasn't a good situation.
The last visit we went to, my wife asked about removing some or all of these meds from her schedule, and her doctor said it would require hospitalization on an addiction center. At that point, I knew I needed to help her, and quick. I consulted with several friends and her own neurologist on a recommended course for tittering down dosages- found sufficient placebos, and set to work.
I filled her med box for her every week, and felt it was better to let her believe she was still taking everything (even though I felt incredibly deceiving) but I felt that some of the withdrawals patients feels are sometimes symptomatic, so decided that unless she showed symptoms, I'd let her carry on without the stress of possible complications the dr had supplanted with his addiction center diatribe.
After 6 months, I'd removed her from everything but some Tylenol/codeine (level 3) x 3 times daily prn, and her lorazepam that was also prn, then told her. She cried and after that time, I'd been 'collecting' her monthly meds, in case she needed to go back on them from withdrawals, and presented her with 50 bottles full of pills that she happily and slowly packed up, wheeled into the dr.s office, dumped on his desk, and told him if she were a more spiteful person, she'd sue, so 'check yourself before you wreck yourself, and kill the patients you're claiming to help!' turned her wheelchair around, and rolled out the door.
She's now taking a medication that actually helps with the pain and neuropathy (gabapentin) and Motrin, and hasn't been on an opiate for almost 10 years now. Had she been a different person with a different chemical makeup and a spouse with no idea where to turn, this could have gone so much worse. We count our blessings every day and know how lucky we are. I don't regret my decisions, and my wife certainly doesn't.
These companies that exploited people, drs who preyed upon patients knowing exactly what would happen, all need to be prosecuted. I don't believe initially the drs or even the reps had any idea how horrific this would be, but the evidence emerged shortly after the market was flooded with opiates, yet they proceeded ahead.
My sincerest condolences to Carol Ann's family, especially her husband. I cannot fathom the pain they endure.
