Benzodiazepines Pose Threat to People Using Opioid Painkillers

[Cort]

Isn't it interesting how these opioids tend to give energy to those of us who have Fibromyalgia? Now that deserves looking in to!

Agreed.

 

[Cort]

There is something very important to note re this statement: "A victim of respiration depression simply goes to sleep and doesn't wake up. It's a common way to die from opioid painkiller misuse." This paints a picture that is not exactly accurate. It's very important to know this, because our population has a high percentage of suicidal people, and this statement makes this sound like a very enticing and peaceful way to go. Many years ago I tried to commit suicide this way. (I was dealing with PTSD, severe depression, and some other problems, not these illnesses, at that time. However, I can totally understand why suicide seems inviting to many with these illnesses. Had I not tried before, had a horrible experience, and ultimately been happy that I failed, I probably would have tried at some point since getting so sick.) The truth is that with this combo of drugs, you can absolutely feel yourself suffocating, and it is terrifying. There are some other symptoms that go along with it that are very hard to describe, but they are also scary. It is not anything close to peacefully laying down to sleep and then simply not waking up. I am writing this in the hope that it will deter anyone who is contemplating suicide. I'm also writing as a reminder that this is a population that has a high rate of suicide, and as such, we need to be very careful about what we write.

Thanks for clarifying that Tammie!

 

[Cort]

Ugh, I saw the title of this episode and I'm not even going to read it.

By the time I tried Methadone, I had suffered from Fibromyalgia for 8 years. I tried EVERYTHING, but nothing helped. I also have a fairly severe medical background. For example, I went to an evaluation for an elective surgery a month ago and the surgeon told me, not only would he not work on me but that if I found someone who would, I shouldn't let them touch me. I was heart broken. I wanted to fix the disfigurement that occurred during my surgery for Breast Cancer. I couldn't do it back when I had breast cancer because right after my radiation I found out I had 4 Pulmonary Embolisms and once that was cleared up I had open heart surgery. Now I'll never get rid of the damage.

So, back to Fibromyalgia. I started taking Methadone about 4 years ago and have been a long time clonopin user. Methadone was my first miracle in the fight against Fibromyalgia. I didn't take it lightly, much to the contrary, but my life had become so small, so painful and lonely that I had contemplated suicide seriously on more than one occasion. So I took the dive, with Methadone instead of suicide.

My Fibromyalgia wasn't completely relieved, due to that severe medical history of mine I had lots of pain that wasn't related to Fibromyalgia. But the more annoying symptoms like those darn flu like aches and the absence of motivation and energy were helped tremendously. I no longer felt sick, I was just in pain. Not ideal but a vast improvement. And pain from some diagnosed conditions which I could now parse out and treat. Also pain from, what I suspect is, a problem with my tendons. But that's another story.

It's also important to note that after I began Methadone, I became more active again and was able to cut down drastically on my clonopin use. I went from 2 mg/day down to .5 mg/day. If I know I'm going to have a particularly stressful day, like a job interview, I may take 1mg, but that has become more the exception than the rule.

And yes, I did say "job interview"! The job interview didn't come from Methadone alone, but from Methadone and Ketamine infusions which I heard about here on Health Risings. A man named Stephen Corte had commented on the dangers of benzo use and some where Ketamine came up, he welcomed questions and so I e-mailed him. And that seemed to be the missing link to me getting back to a more full life.

I am working, very part time, but continue to look for something in the 20 hr/week category. So if taking opiods and benzos pose a threat to me, it's a risk I'm willing to take. I've not been fortunate to have good health and when I was hit with Fibroyalgia, things looked so dark for so long and I was so weary. I do not mean one should take this information lightly. I know the risks, my doctors put me through a lot before they would prescribe this. Rarely do they help and they allow this. So in order not to panic, I no longer read this kind of information. And really, with all due respect, is there anyone one of us who doesn't know this is risky? I'm not going through life with blinders on, I'm simply chosing what makes my life worth living and accepting the risk that comes with it.

If anyone has any questions about any of this, please feel free to e-mail me at lorrainecalvert@sbcglobal.net. I'll get back to you just as soon as I can.

How about that! That is great news Martiinigal - congratulations. Sometimes we focus so much on the negatives that we forget about the positive.

I would note that even the chronic opioid users has relatively small risk of having a real issue (@5%) and the paper didn't assess dose...

I think all you have to watch out for is for signs of problems such as "unusual dizziness or lightheadedness, extreme sleepiness, slowed or difficult breathing, or unresponsiveness. Unresponsiveness means that the person doesn’t answer or react normally or you can’t wake them up. "

It sounds like you're having the opposite reaction - your energy is up, etc.

 

[KweenPita]

There is something very important to note re this statement: "A victim of respiration depression simply goes to sleep and doesn't wake up. It's a common way to die from opioid painkiller misuse." This paints a picture that is not exactly accurate. It's very important to know this, because our population has a high percentage of suicidal people, and this statement makes this sound like a very enticing and peaceful way to go. Many years ago I tried to commit suicide this way. (I was dealing with PTSD, severe depression, and some other problems, not these illnesses, at that time. However, I can totally understand why suicide seems inviting to many with these illnesses. Had I not tried before, had a horrible experience, and ultimately been happy that I failed, I probably would have tried at some point since getting so sick.) The truth is that with this combo of drugs, you can absolutely feel yourself suffocating, and it is terrifying. There are some other symptoms that go along with it that are very hard to describe, but they are also scary. It is not anything close to peacefully laying down to sleep and then simply not waking up. I am writing this in the hope that it will deter anyone who is contemplating suicide. I'm also writing as a reminder that this is a population that has a high rate of suicide, and as such, we need to be very careful about what we write.

Thank you for excellent points. As a person, who in 2001, considered death to be my best friend because like most people I just wanted all of the doctor visits, useless meds, my inability to live my life as I wanted and feeling like a burden, I just wanted to go home. For me, home was to be with My Father, God, peace, mercy and wholeness. But even though I prayed continuously to be set free, allowed to take my own life it never came. Then one day, about 3 years into therapy, suddenly I awoke one morning wanting to live. Nothing had changed, but something inside of me, 3 years of journaling, letters often to God. But death was no longer my best friend or suicide an option. It was a long journey. Only my personal beliefs had kept me from taking my life, not because I feared people who take their lives are hell bound, I don't, because I knew I still had a purpose or I would be able to go. Some people don't have someone, something, to quiet that mesmerizing voice that offers peace, an end of our day to day struggle and the unknown, but offering an easy out would be oh so tempting.

However, information is just like emotions, neither good not bad within ourselves. It all depends on how we react or respond to it. The CDC made it perfectly clear opioid medication is dangerous, even deadly as a long term answer to pain management. Doctors are overworked. Our population usually has more than one Doctor prescribing. It's an easy way for mistakes to happen, sometimes deadly. Because that's what almost happened to me. The woman who decided to live was almost killed by a Doctor's failure to perform his job and other Doctors prescribing medications together they shouldn't have. Overdosed by taking my medications as I was prescribed. My delicate kidneys shut down. I was in ICU for 3 days ironically fighting to live.

That's why I wrote this long, long, story. I changed my medications. I have weaned of 10 of them, including all opioids. Yes, I was on a lot but off them, taking excellent vitamins, treating myself naturally, I feel so much better. I thank My Father, the day I lost feeling in my body, my BP was low it didn't register and my heart beats so slow threatening to quit my daughter was there. Or I would be a statistic, no one to tell this story or accuse the Doctors that nearly unwittingly killed me. Thanks to this article, I know of at least 3 medications why.

 

[Issie]

I know one thing that can create much pain and many don't address is chronic mast cell degranulation. When I started addressing my MCAS, things got so much better with everything.

Issie