Painkillers, addiction and endo

Pain management is one of the main factors in which Western medicine manages endometriosis. Where pain cannot be eradicated it is "managed", and a cocktail of pharmaceuticals issued to numb the nerves and make life liveable.

For my own pain management I am prescribed a mixture of magic pills. I tend to need ibuprofen on a daily basis for what I view as the daily threshold of pain. When the threshold goes higher and ibuprofen isn't doing the trick I move onto Diclofenac, a strong Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory  Drug (NSAID). This takes the edge off, but in order for me to get any rest in comfort codeine is the only thing I can take that allows me to get some sleep and alleviate the pain enough for me to do so.

In seeking relief from pain there lies a cascade of other problems - NSAID's are damaging long term and their acidic qualities contribute to stomach ulcers. Codeine interferes with digestion making everything sluggish, which in turn causes IBS problems which flare up the endo, creating a cyclical downturn of symptoms.

It is also highly addictive.

I try to only take codeine when I am in agony as the more I have it the more I need to have the same effect. A few years I had been in so much pain before a laparoscopy that I was taking Tramadol, another painkiller in the opiate family which had a slow release formula. After some time I realised it was no longer working for me and I was having to take codeine and Tramadol to get any relief; I was addicted.

I decided to cut the loop and go cold turkey. This was a hideous process to go through and one I could only do working from home being self employed - I had night sweats and shivers that made my bones itch and ache, I itched all over my body as my system craved it's fix, and I had sever flu like symtoms for about 10 days. I couldnt sleep ,and several nights searched the flat high and low in the hope of finding a hidden pack of codeine to relieve my suffering.

I made it through but not without developing empathy for addicts; to cold turkey from Heroin is not so many steps removed - codeine and the big H are in the same family, after all - and it's a hideous experience.

Currently I am taking more painkillers than is ideal (are ANY ideal?!), and I am acutely aware of the dangers. I need respite from endo but the associated conditions with painkiller addiction are no walk in the park either.

I long for my body to be free from pain, free from a cocktail of drugs and as natual as can be.

Is it possible? Who knows.

Have you experienced painkiller addiction? Share your stories with me in the comments, and stay well.

DD

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