How long after surgery did you need or use your prescription pain medication?

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Well I cant speak to how long to take pain meds like Oxy and Vicodin after this surgery, I have yet to learn this myself as the time is near for me. HOWEVER, after several severe back and neck injuries, a torn rotator cuff, and a few other issues I have had to endure, all ending with narcotic pain meds like these, I have a few things to share with you. Regarding how your body reports pain, be advised, there is irrefutable evidence that your emotional state will dictate your physical state. When your brain builds neurological paths to painful areas, those pathways do not simply stop when the condition stops. They continue! They take time to resolve themselves and it is very important that stress and anxiety do not keep those neuro-pathways alive. They are like yelping dogs at your door that you continue to feed to shut them up. The more you feed them, the louder and more often and longer they will yelp and remind you that they are there. Take for instance the case of someone who has had an amputation of a limb and still says they feel pain in the limb or that they have an itch in that limb. Its not there, but the neuro-pathways are still firing and thus the feelings are real, not imagined.

Long story short, don’t let stress or anxiety keep pain neuro-pathways alive. This is not "new age psyco-babbell" its real and its called mind/body syndrome. Rebound doctors like Dr Howard Shubiner and John Sarno have written books on this subject. If allowed to go on, it can manifest itself into significant pain and dysfunction. Your doctors must satisfy you that your issue is not a structural or tissue problem, than start short circuiting those neuro-pathways with exercise, deep breathing, meditation, counseling, or whatever you do to take your mind off of things.

Finally, a word about narcotic pain medications, especially Oxy, Vicodin, Morphine, Tramadol and many others. These drugs work with brain receptors to reduce pain. Many people who are take long term opioid pain medications have reported that there is a significant rebound effect both physically and emotionally when stopping them. Physically, a pain that may have been a 3 could become a 6 if you stop pain meds after chronic use. Three weeks to a month is pushing the envelope from therapeutic to chronic. Once you cross that threshold, pain can be increased just from stopping and those receptors wake up and start coming back to life. This shall pass!

Emotionally, your mood and behavior will be affected when you are on, and when you come off pain meds. Personally, I used to experience headaches from vicodin. It is a well known effect called vicodin headache. A lot of people get it. Once you’re on it for a little while, it passes, but they can come roaring back when you stop. Vicodin used to touch off migraine headaches for me at times. I’m not talking bad headaches, I’m talking lights flashing, tunnel vision, and weird noises type migraine headaches. Caffeine can really fuel that fire once you stop. After stopping vicodin after a month of 3 pills a day after a bad back injury, I felt like I had been hit by a truck and was a horrible bear to be around for about two weeks. I had a droning headache and even my sinuses were swollen shut for a week or so and I had increased bouts of anxiety I never used to have. My temp. was elevated and I felt like I was buring up. My back was hurting like hell but nothing was wrong with it. As a matter of fact, once I told my back to shut the hell up, my neck started hurting and than my knee. All of this after only taking 3 pills a day for a few weeks! Once my body and mind re-adjusted to being off the opioid meds, I was my old happy-go-lucky self again. As for the emotional effects of stopping opioid drugs, this too shall pass.

Don’t let the pain killer monster get out of the bag. Don’t suffer, but sometimes, you need to get your mind around what is happening to you. Don’t suffer with pain, but remember that pain is your body's way of telling you what’s going on. Listen to it, but don’t let it boss you around. Take control of your pain and it will leave you alone as long as your are satisfied that your cardiac team is sure there is nothing else going on that needs to be resolved.
 
The main thing I can say is don't be a tough guy about this. I was off the Tylenol 3 (codine) at about week 3 for the most part. I tried to come off when I was still in too much pain and that was wrong as I think being in pain risks injury. So I just took them when I was feeling the pain creep up with a mix of regular Tylenol. I think I took 30 pills home with me and got another script filled around 3 weeks that I did not finish. Better safe than sorry.
 
Pain Meds

Pain Meds

My surgeon and his staff encouraged me to use prescription pain meds following surgery. Vicodin was prescribed. The general thought here was that I would heal more quickly if pain wasn't an issue. Pain tolerances vary from individual to individual. My doctors were suprised when I kept declining refills.

While I really liked vicodin, I had read something about how easily people can get addicted to pain meds. I used the prescription meds as little as possible.When I did use vicodin it was mostly to knock myself out so I could sleep.

Over-the-counter pain killers have never appealed much too me. It doesn't seem to do much for me. I never used the over-the-counter stuff.

-Philip
 
I haven't used the vicodin in almost a week and I feel fine. If I do have pain , I take tylenol or motrin and that takes care of it. I don't feel any withdrawl symptoms from the vicodin.
 
Tomorrow will be two weeks and I've tried taking only advil during the day but I end up super sore and avoid my breathing exercises and walking. So I think I'll recover faster if they keep me on the 5mg vicodin longer. I'll run out tomorrow. I was given 45 ct on July 30th when they released me. I emailed my doctor last night for another weeks worth. I think if you are in pain and you need them you don't get addicted. You aren't having the same experience as when you take them when you are in no pain.
 
Are you alternating ibuprofen and vicodin? That may help. How much are you able to walk and do your breathing exercises? I hope you start to feel better soon.

Debbie
 
You must make them understand..... Tell them you need pain relief, tell them not all people are made the same. You need to tell your Drs. that you have pain and you want relief. My surgeon gave me two weeks of oxy and two weeks of vicoden. The oxy gave me such bad nightmare dreams that I stopped taking them, the vicoden worked for me. When I called my surgen for more he said no, try Tylenol 3. Well sure enough, for me anyway, the Trylenol 3 was enough to keep me pain free. Please keep your breathing up.
 

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