18 Year pain pill addict,Want to quit.

I have been taking a variety of pain meds for over 18 years now and want to quit.I have severe sciatic pain presently and have had 5 other surgeries in the past that led to my addition issues.I am presently taking about 60 mg. of morphine a day.I was taking 60 mg. Norco but I have Hep-C and can't take any tylenol so the doctor switched me.
I am supposed to be getting an epidural injection to alleviate the sciatic pain but I have read that it is only a temporary fix.I'm not sure if I should do that or go elsewhere and just get surgery.I also have Blue Cross but the co-pays in my plan are outrageous.
I got hooked up with the VA about a year ago and the primary care doctor I was assigned to told me he thought I was faking pain to get more pain meds.I just saw a Nuerosurgeoun who gave me an MRI and assured me he believed that I was in pain.
I am just sick and tired of the doctor run around and would rather deal with pain than deal with the stress of getting enough pain meds.I just started reading about Suboxone
Not sure if I should wait until I get this sciatica issue dealt with or just quit and get it over with.I have cut down to 30 Mg. a day several times for a week or more and relapsed.
I asked the VA doctor about detoxing and he said that they don't do detox.You have to go to a private detox unit and they will treat you through mental health afterwards.
Anyone out there deal with the VA or have any thoughts on where to begin?

hello, i am sorry i do not have any experience with VA hospitals/doctors but i am very familiar with sciatica. May i ask what caused your sciatica and has there been anything that has been helpful for it (other than pain meds) i was on percocet for lower back and sciatica issues , but my tolerance got high quickly and i was taking more pills then i should have been, so in a short story had a hard time tapering down off percocet and decided to try suboxone. it helps for my back pain but when my sciatica flairs the sub doesn't do much for it. I was in a car wreck and got pregnant 3 months later and i developed sciatica , it was so bad in late pregnancy there were days i couldnt walk or get out of bed it felt like someone was trying to rip my leg off at the hip, i would lay there moaning in pain almost unable top talk. it was the worst pain i ever had. it has eased some since my son was born but it still has it 's days especially if i do a lot of physical work( gardening yard work) or on my feet all day. i wish i could be more helpful , i was wondering wjat u had planned when you said "have this sciatica issue dealt with " since i also suffer from it. I know for some people suboxone works great for chronic pain suffers, but it varies from person to person. I hope you get the care you need and if you start sub, this is a great place for support and info. Goodluck!

Sounds like you're in quite a spot now with the pain and what to do. Just like the previous poster, I too had fairly severe sciatica and was told to get the fusion operation. It was about a 6-7mm bulge hitting my nerve. (MRI results) Went to an Orthopedist who gave me the epidural injections. And yes, they are temporary but may be of help even if it's only six months worth. And I too was taking too many Norco's and worried about my liver.

I stayed on pain meds for about 5 years until I decided to seek help getting off the drugs. Got onto Suboxone and stopped doing the job I had that aggravated my back. Presto, very little back pain now. Time sometimes heals better than anything else. I never gave it time before Suboxone because every time I quit the Norco's my pain level went through the roof. Today, looking back, I believe it was my addiction creating more pain to get the opiates. And also I was fortunate enough to get another position that wasn't so physical.

Suboxone may or may not help you. There are still some days that I need two Aleve to help, but it's never as bad as it was. And thank God I didn't get the operation. The bulge must have just shrunk on its own or shifted away from my nerves.

No one here can make the decision you need to make. We are not doctors, we are patients who have had experiences that may be similar to others. All we offer are suggestions to other addicts. And sorry, I too don't have any experience with the VA. Hopefully others will chime in who do.

Rule
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Moderator status does not make me a professional when giving opinions about Suboxone treatment. My opinions are based upon experience.

Have you heard of pain pumps that continually dose the area with effective medications? I don't know what conditions they can be used for, but it's worth looking into. They leave your brain unaffected by the drugs.

Amy
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Done is better than perfect!

I have heard of them Amy but don't know exactly what they contain. There are self dosing Morphine pumps, but they limit the amount so one doesn't overdose. And there is another one I had that contained either Lidocaine or some other numbing agent. That was good for 24 hours but worked like a charm on my shoulder after surgery.

Which one were you referring to?

Rule
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Moderator status does not make me a professional when giving opinions about Suboxone treatment. My opinions are based upon experience.

I have very little knowledge about the different kinds of pain pumps, but I've seen them mentioned on chronic pain websites. I thought the OP might want to check them out as an option for their chronic pain.

Here is a link to a discussion forum with lots of info about pain pumps:

http://forums.healthcentral.com/discussion/chronic-pain/forums/a/frm/f/7251032

I hope the information helps!

Amy
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Done is better than perfect!