Take no notice of this fool, he would think differently if he was in the pain that you are, some people would consider him a druggie for smoking cannabis, don't let people like him make you feel guilty for finding pain relief and you don't have to tell anyone what medication you take, with some people it's best to tell them nothing then they can't criticise you. For the doctor to give you opiate pain meds you must have severe pain and taking over the counter medication like ibuprofen or paracetamol in large doses would do you a lot of harm. Tell this hypocrite that when he has pain like yours then he can have an opinion on what to take but until then he has no idea what he would do in your position. People like this make me really angry, they try and make people like us feel guilty for taking medication to help us and don't know what they are talking about. Take care of yourself and ignore this clown. X

I am a retired Substance Abuse counselor I am also a recovering addict for the past 40 yrs.You do have to be careful with ANY narcotic (Including pot and I have a "medical card" due to having PTSD). Weed helps me to sleep (an Indica strain) because regular sleeping pills either do not work for very long (3 hrs) or they make my head feel clogged up in the morning and I don't like that "haziness"in my thinking!!! There is no "hangover" with weed.If you find yourself shortening the time between doses,asking other Dr's (along w your current prescriber) for the same script (so you are getting more),getting more from friends because you have taken too many of yours or anything along those lines...than you want to take a look at that!! Just remember that you do acquire "tolerance" which means "it takes more to achieve the desired effect" so pls be aware of that.Taking the meds that you are, the way that you are, certainly DOES NOT scream dependence/abuse to me.It's not what you take,it's how much,and how often and what your behavior is like (do you stay home all day from work due to over prescribing for yourself, do you lie about your meds,etc...?) and that also includes pot.Of course weed and it's "doses" are hard to quantify.SO just ignore "your friend". I have learned to be my own advocate by reading and keeping myself informed because unfortunately many Dr's are clueless about addiction and can be a part of the problem! I hope this helps PS: I am also taking hydrocodone for a recently pinched nerve and Arthritis in my spine.Have gone back to Yoga so hopefully I can discontinue the pain meds soon.I am very aware of my limits w anything that is addictive and choose NOT to return to a life I quit 40 yrs ago!! I have read many good things about Yoga's ability to help my situation so I can live a life w less pain and more mobility and achieve better circulation.I practiced for several years (before my back n neck diagnosis) and it helped me live a better life in ALL ways.I know it helped me with my SI joints,hip flexibility,etc...so here I go again!

You do what’s right for you. Your pain is your pain and you have to deal with it, not them. But, just be careful with the narcotics - they work for a while but the you get used to them and need more and more. After a while, they won’t work and they’ll actually work against you. They’ll make you in more pain than fix it. I went through that for YEARS and ended up at the end of my medication treatments on Fentanyl. Not a good place to be. I stopped everything - with help - DON’T EVER JUST STOP!! And now I’m drug free, pain but Nothing like I was. That’s my story - but you need to do what’s right for you.

Debbie Cahoon,
Taking the medication you need to ease your pain is not abusing drugs, you are not doing it to get high but to make your life bearable, if you are in pain you will not be able to move around or get the exercise you need to stop your body from seizing up. Then you will be stiff and in more pain, I only have to sit still on the bus for my legs to start hurting and it's only a 10 minute journey, I have to stand up and move around to make it ease off. Its a vicious circle you can easily fall into so take what you need to be pain free or to ease it enough so you can move around, don't worry about what your guy thinks, if he's that bad don't tell him, some people will never understand unless it happens to them, then they wouldn't be so quick to judge you. X

No one can judge you for what you use for pain. Tell him it isn't you that hurts. And if he wants to call you a druggy who is he to talk? Please don't anyone put you down or verbally abuse you. You know what works for your pain.