question about addiction

georgia1923 · ‎12-28-2015

Somewhere on a thread here, I read something about being addicted to painkillers. Can someone please explain the difference between addiction to painkillers and addiction to other types of pills?

I have a neighbor who is in her mid-fifties. She goes to a pain clinic run by a reputable anesthesiologist. Anyway, she is on painkillers.. I don't know if it's oxy or hydro whatever. She never appears to be loopy, her speech is never slurred but she takes these pills every day. She has for years.

On the other hand, I take thyroid pills. If I stop taking them, I guess my body will tell me? I have no idea what would happen since my thyroid was removed years ago, so I have to take the pills.

Would I be in the same position as she is? Am I addicted to my thyroid pills the same way she is addicted to the pills she takes? I realize she would go into withdrawal if she stoppped taking her pills and if I stopped taking my thyroid pills, wouldn't my body go into some type of withdrawal too?

MyGirlsMom · ‎03-09-2010

Call your Doctor the first thing tomorrow morning and ask him or her any questions or concerns you have.

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esmeraldagooch · ‎03-10-2010

I have never used them, but know many who have and have been addicted. Some are cross addicted so I see them at AA and they tell their stories. I believe they start out taking them for the pain, but then have to take more and more to get the same affect. Then they either can't get the pills in the quality they want from the doctor so they steal or buy them, some change to hard drugs to fill in.

I don't think you have to do that with Thyroid medication.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

You need thyroid to make your body work like it's supposed to.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

This links tells you what will happen if you stop taking your meds

https://www.verywell.com/what-happens-when-you-dont-take-your-thyroid-meds-3233274

Moonchilde · ‎05-23-2010

There is physical addiction and there is psychological addiction. A person could have one or the other, or both.

Generally, a medication that someone needs to take in order to maintain basic health - thyroid medication, heart medication, diabetes medication - is not connected to the concept of "addiction." If you stopped taking any of those, there would be serious consequences including death. "Addiction" doesn't figure in there.

Sleeping pills, anti-anxiety and pain medications are not generally fatal if stopped. They have an affect on the body that causes physical withdrawal symptoms that, while they may be very uncomfortable, are seldom fatal if you stop taking the medication. For *some* people, often those with an addictive personality or genetic predisposition, an original dose loses its "effectiveness" and the person starts to take more - but that's NOT a given or inevitable conclusion. Those with severe pain issues should be monitored by a physician, as with your neighbor; she's doing it the right way.

Psychological addiction? You *believe* you need something, and if you don't have it something bad will happen, but that may not be true. It's become a psychological crutch. One *could* be psychologically addicted to aspirin or antacids or cough drops - or a teddy bear.

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toria · ‎08-28-2010

In her later years, due to a varity of problems like severe arthritis and other pain issues, my mother took vicodin every day. It was under the car of a doctor. In the beginning she only took them occasionally but at her death, and she was almost 87, she was up to like 6 or 8 pills a day. She never was loopy, or had slurred speech and took them in a way that was consistent with the perscription. Was she addicted? I don't know. I'd say she was dependent on them and would have suffered if she did not have them. She tried other pain killes but for whatever reason they did not work for her. She also had injections in her back and knees to stop the chronic pain. If a person is not taking the pain killers consistent with a perscription, or mixes them with some thing else then its a problem.

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

I was given Oxy in the ER for a heart problem six months ago. While in the hospital, I sustained a very painful injury to my shoulder, so they continued the Oxy.

I have Lupus. Pain deprives many people of sleep, which is dangerous for me. The only way I could sleep for a couple of months was with pain killers. Luckily, I was diagnosed years ago as a non-addictive personality, and when the pain became manageable, I stopped the pills.

Not everyone becomes addicted, and I don't think it was due to my "personality," but rather my genetic makeup.

sweetee2 · ‎06-21-2015

There has been many times I have forgotten to take my thyroid medication with no side effects. Pain medication is a totally different ball of wax as they say. It would be both physical and mental side effects, even to the point of death. You don't want to try this without medical help.

happycat · ‎09-18-2010

It has always interested me how some people get addicted to pain pills and some do not. I have a friend whose husband is addicted. He says he isn't, but when she has had surgery, or got an rx for pain meds, she says she has to hide them to keep him from taking them.

I have had to have several surgeries, and I have yet to meet a pain pill that I didn't make me sick as a dog or keep me up all night with insomnia.

Maybe its our body chemistry that makes us react differently to them?