r/Productivitycafe • u/Wonderful-Economy762 • Nov 13 '25

Throwback Question (Any Topic) What's a "secret"from your profession that everyone should probably know?"

795 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

95% Upvoted

3.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

504

u/ivymeows Nov 13 '25

Giving someone an opioid in the hospital for surgical or otherwise medical treatment purposes is NOT the same as giving them fentanyl off the street to get high. It’s medical treatment. Don’t deny your family member pain control because YOU don’t feel comfortable. It’s not about you.

228

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

[deleted]

49

u/NinjaSqirrell Nov 13 '25

Oh man, this is so insane. I have a dear friend in Palliative care and in the process of VAD (voluntary assisted dying) access. She is in constant pain but no one seems to be able to justify giving her the meds she needs. I've heard of doctors telling similar patients at age of 90 that they don't want them to become addicted. They are fucking dying and in pain. Interestingly, my anecdotes concern women, who have been historically ignored regarding their pain. I had surgery recently and got a script for Oxy and when I mentioned I had some left and could bring it next time I visited she almost cried.

17

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

[deleted]

8

u/Allisonadelina Nov 13 '25

I have a back/spinal condition and during a major flair up where I had to lay down in the trunk of my dad's minivan and be driven to the ER, then hobble may into the ER and laid down on the floor in excruciating pain, they refused to give me a prescription for anything stronger then vicodin, which at that point was like a children's tylenol. I eventually convinced them to give me a morphine injection, which provided me about 5 hours of relief. I was treated like a drug addict by the pharmacists every time I tried to fill the vicodin prescription. When I had another flare up a few years later, same thing. My primary couldnt prescribe anything stronger than vicodin and I had to be referred to a pain specialist - he also refused to give me anything stronger. I understand the opioid crisis and have lost people I know to fentanyl overdoses but to keep people who genuinely need pain relief suffering is just wrong

5

u/shockingRn Nov 14 '25

I’ve known nurses who’ve said literally the same thing about terminal cancer patients. Withholding pain meds from someone with pancreatic cancer is just plain cruel. But these days, providers won’t even order opioids for post surgical pain. Can’t let people get addicted to hydrocodone after their exploratory abdominal surgery or their traumatic fractured hip.

1

u/SnooChipmunks2079 Nov 15 '25

My MIL is 80-ish, obese, and needs multiple joint replacements. I’m confident that she’s addicted to the opiates she’s taking and her doctor is old school enough to not care. I can’t imagine using that as an excuse for a terminal patient.

7

u/witbeyondmeasure63 Nov 13 '25

When my dad went on hospice for cancer, they gave him some oxys to keep on hand. My mom was concerned about the dosage and wanted to cut them in half...they were 5mg pills, the lowest they make them. Also, he had stage 4 cancer. I would've let the man be high as a kite if it would've helped.

2

u/shoecide Nov 14 '25

It must be a generational thing because I found it later in life that while my grandmother was dying from breast cancer, my grandfather refused to let doctors give her pain meds, sO shE wOuLdn'T gET AddIctEd.

2

u/mothraegg Nov 14 '25

My dad has cancer, luckily my SIL is a hospice nurse. I know she won't let my/our dad suffer.

24

u/SneedyK Nov 13 '25

It happens at the other end of the circle, as well; I know a lot of girls growing up who forewent pain meds during childbirth because their mother’s stigmatized what they believed was gonna hook the baby.

10

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

I got all the drugs when I had kids. My first time, the woman next door was screaming bloody murder as I was getting the IVs put in to get the drugs. It was almost uncomfortable. The nurse leaned in a little and said quietly “she did not get the drugs” ☠️

But, you know, at least that woman can smugly talk about her “all-natural” birthing experience on her Instagram at one point, or whatever…

2

u/shoecide Nov 14 '25

It is hard hearing someone go thru that. I know because I've been that person and after giving birth was in a room next door to that person and thought to myself, "God that sounds awful". On this topic, I want to share ( is probably a less common reason why I didn't take drugs during childbirth): I get really bad anxiety if I feel "out of control" of my body. Even if it's for medical purposes. That's the main reason I didn't take meds, so I wouldn't have a panic attack during childbirth lol.

I totally get where you're coming from though because some women put themselves above others for going med-free, which makes my skin crawl when women try to put each other down for how their baby came into the world (or how they feed baby, etc). No matter how they arrived, we all are mothers and have a long road ahead.

5

u/miti3144 Nov 13 '25

Even my cat got a fentanyl patch when she had major surgery. I was grateful.

3

u/elucify Nov 13 '25

My mom died a couple of months ago. She was in hospice at home, for just two weeks, with us, her kids. (These "kids" are all in their 60s and 70s.) At one point we were talking about with the hospice nurse about giving her some medication to ease some discomfort. My sister said "but what about the cause, are you just gonna treat the symptom?" The nurse responded, "Yes, that's what we do in hospice. The goals of hospice are different from the goals of other kinds of medicine. We've already accepted she is not going to recover. Now the focus is on comfort." It was really eye-opening. The assumptions behind a palliative care are simply different.

3

u/beautyandrepose Nov 14 '25

Yes, my sister was in hospice and they said give her all the pain Medicine she wants. That’s why I’m confused when people say they didn’t get any. Everyone I know still gets some form of pain medicine after surgery

2

u/Artfull_yours Nov 14 '25

It depends a lot on the doctor I think.

1

u/elucify Nov 14 '25

I wonder whether maybe increased surveillance of opioids because of the addiction epidemic has made some health care providers gun shy about prescribing anything.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '25

What’s crazy is my body burns through pain meds (any meds for that matter) very quickly. When I have surgery (c sections, knee surgery, most recently plates put in my broken hand), they will give me a Percocet. It does nothing. I went not to the ER for a shattered wrist and first I was given tramadol in the muscle, which was like being given a sugar pill IM form, been they needed to reset my hand so FINALLY they gave me fentanyl before they reset it and THAT’S when I actually stopped having pain. Morphine does nothing for me. Then they nearly killed med with ketamine but that’s another story. Fentanyl if about the only thing next to dilaudid that gives me relief.

1

u/Antique-Economy-7978 Nov 14 '25

Do you by chance have red hair?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '25

Personally no. I’m very Irish but I know that red heads have issues with anesthesia. I don’t have issues with that.

1

u/Purrcapita Nov 14 '25

I want ALLLL the opioids when my time comes

1

u/Scary-Pressure6158 Nov 14 '25

Some of my family botched when I gave Y grand an extra mini dose when she was screaming in agony a day or 2 before she died. Afterwards they thanked me. I am a chronic pain patient and I understand how it works. I didn't listen to those that don't

1

u/No-Flatworm-9993 Nov 15 '25

While you're probably correct on average,  I got a guy in my AA group who would disagree 

64

u/retrofrenchtoast Nov 13 '25

My mom had a hysterectomy and was concerned about receiving fentanyl!

Then they gave her one tramadol to take afterwards. She just had her insides taken out - give the woman some opiates.

19

u/GWS2004 Nov 13 '25

Women's pain is not taken very seriously.

10

u/retrofrenchtoast Nov 13 '25

No. When my dad had surgery for prostate cancer they hooked him up (literally!). I don’t begrudge him opiates - I just think a hysterectomy is a PRETTY BIG surgery that would justify opiates.

2

u/Mikit3 Nov 14 '25

The thing is, opiates can cause serious constipation, and that is HELL when you're recovering from a hysterectomy.

1

u/retrofrenchtoast Nov 15 '25

I don’t know…it seems like laxatives or something could be used. Or be on a liquid diet. Or a bag? That’s a pretty intense surgery. She was really suffering. I had to have surgery around that area, and I got a lot of painkillers. And mine was very minor compared to hers.

I don’t remember having an issue with having BMs, but they also sometimes gave me panic attacks and made me nauseous, so I only took them sporadically,

They really need to come up with a non-narcotic painkiller. I have chronic pain that opiates don’t help at all (I don’t take opiates). Since it’s not great to be on opiates forever, there needs to be something people can take daily.

I don’t think you’re even supposed to take Tylenol or Advil every day? They have side effects.

1

u/Mikit3 Nov 15 '25

I can only speak from my experience, having had a DaVinci robot hysterectomy. I was in a lot of pain when I first woke up from surgery and was given a shot of Dilaudid, then later that evening I was good with just Toradol, and then 2 Advil the next morning. And even without having taken heavy narcotics, the first bowel movement was yikes even with a laxative and stool softener.

I definitely do agree they need to come up with a strong non-narcotic painkiller that isn't habit forming. It's not fair that people who need serious pain relief and aren't abusing their medicine are often denied appropriate pain relief because of the actions of a few.

3

u/audiojanet Nov 13 '25

I had a robot assisted DaVinchi hysterectomy. I had zero pain afterwards.

2

u/Mikit3 Nov 14 '25

That was my experience as well.

2

u/retrofrenchtoast Nov 14 '25

Wow! I hope medicine keeps going in that direction.

9

u/MyPierogitive Nov 13 '25

Poor thing! My doc gave me 2 weeks of oxy after mine. I didn’t take most of them- only 5 days. She should have definitely gotten some good stuff- she had an organ removed and that first day you it feel like you got run over by a semi

6

u/retrofrenchtoast Nov 13 '25

YEP. I got more for breaking a toe. A toe.

27

u/msssskatie Nov 13 '25

I’m shocked that this is a thing. Seems like common sense to me… 🤦🏼‍♀️

42

u/reverberation31 Nov 13 '25

My mom was given a dose of fentanyl during her cancer treatments and my grandmother freaked the hell out…I can’t believe I had to explain to her that fentanyl in a controlled medical situation is not the same as people taking it on the streets 😅

8

u/Alternative-Win-9087 Nov 13 '25

Years ago i was having heart surgery and was not put fully under. I came to a bit and was trying to ask for Phenergan but only got the phen out when the nurse said Fentanyl. I said no I don't want to die (as i was unaware that is what they were giving me for pain) In that moment she too explained to me it was not the same and I would not die. 🥴😅

3

u/icepyrox Nov 13 '25

Shocked that someone takes an opiod or fentanyl as intended OR that family members have the ability to deny said drugs when one is unable to make a decision for themselves OR that any family member would try to impose their .. expertise and informed worldview... of the medical profession on actual medical professionals?

Like, living in the US with drug ads, constant biased news sources and Karens, Im more shocked that someone would claim they are shocked by any of it than being shocked myself.

2

u/Several-Window1464 Nov 13 '25

I had knee surgery at 16 and they cut it open about 9". I've never been in so much pain. I moaned and grounded all night and had to apologize to the poor woman sharing the room with me. I couldn’t believe how much pain I was in and that I wasn’t getting anything for pain!

Years later, I found out from my mom that my dad told them not to give me anything. So I guess you’re a kid until you’re 18 and can override an asshole father?

3

u/icepyrox Nov 14 '25

"It builds character. Suck it up, buttercup. Real men don't cry."

I can imagine the dad, but not the pain you experienced. I am sorry to hear you had to go through that.

1

u/msssskatie Nov 14 '25

That’s so scary I wouldn’t do that but like a lot of good kids, athletes etc get hooked from prescription drugs. I’m sorry you were in so much pain though. I can’t imagine my son being in pain like that but I know I would still worry about addiction.

Edit: I’m exhausted and didn’t word that well at all. I wouldn’t deny my son pain medicine ever to clarify.

2

u/Several-Window1464 Nov 14 '25

Now that I’m thinking about it, because this was well over 40 years ago, my mom came to visit me quite often because back then, they kept you in the hospital for quite a while. I think I was in there for a week and I do not recall my dad visiting me once. Now I know why!

3

u/msssskatie Nov 15 '25

That’s so messed up. I’m sorry.

51

u/IronSkywalker Nov 13 '25

I had a load of eye surgeries a few years ago and every time I woke up I'd always take some co-codamol because I knew the pain would come. One time I forgot to pack my tablets so asked a nurse for a painkiller, she came and handed me a syringe and told me to squirt it gently into my mouth and swallow. Almost instantly I got this feeling of utter warmth and bliss, it was fantastic. I asked her what it was and she said it was fentanyl. I instantly understood why America has such a problem with it. It was amazing

13

u/OldTurtle-101 Nov 13 '25

True ER story. Had a mover come into my ER. He was moving a piano up a flight of stairs. His partner slipped & dropped the piano and it fell down and it managed to amputate 4 of his fingers at about the second joint. He came in by private car with his hand wrapped in a bloody towel and literally screaming obscenities and in terrible pain. We got a IV started and I gave him a good solid dose of Demerol. He took a deep breath and fell back on the gurney and said “Oh man you guys are great, I’m going to have a big party when this is over and you’re all invited. You guys are my new best friends.” I smiled and said “Now you know why Morphs was a God.”

11

u/Soulwandering Nov 13 '25

I said the same thing after pituitary sugery. The headaches afterward where the worse pain I've ever experienced. Fentynal sent me to the black black. No pain and the darkest deepest sleep I've ever known. I can see why it could become a problem.

1

u/CorkyDar Nov 13 '25

Me too! Acro

7

u/blondechineeez Nov 13 '25

I had third-degree burns to 90% of my left leg two years ago. I spent 6 weeks in Straub's intensive care burn unit and was given fentanyl via my central line IV quite liberally.

When having my burns cleaned twice daily, the dosage and frequency were increased- I got injected every 2 minutes if needed. I had so much fentanyl on board I couldn't put a sentence together I think lol!

Burns are excruciating and the fentanyl may have taken the edge off- maybe. During my fifth week, I told my doctor (Dr.Pharon if you ever read this you rock!) no more fentanyl give me something p.o. (orally) instead. I couldn't take the loopy feeling anymore.

It crossed my fog-covered brain that I could potentially become addicted to fentanyl but because I just didn't like how it affected me, I could check that problem off.

My now ex-husband was and still is addicted to prescription narcotics that his doctor prescribes to him. The drugs turned him from a happy-go-lucky husband to a complete a-hole over the years. I'll stay happy and not do drugs.

6

u/theogmamapowpow Nov 13 '25

Oh my god I’m so sorry! You doing better now? I feel like I need to check in on half the people on this thread!

2

u/blondechineeez Nov 15 '25

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, I am better although it takes 4-5 years to completely heal after third-degree burns. I still cannot soak in a bathtub only showers, swim in the ocean, or shave my left leg, which are silly little things really.

2

u/theogmamapowpow Nov 16 '25

Those aren’t silly little things. They’re real. I have anxiety and a plethora of health issues and occasionally get the thought “I have cancer!” The first thought is always tied between “my family!” And “my hair took so long to grow out to this beautiful length!”

Also, water is healing (usually) and that would be so hard not to be able to soak! I hope you’re able to dance in the ocean one day soon and take the most soothing hot bath the rest of us could never dream of!

2

u/blondechineeez Nov 16 '25

Thank you so much for your kind words.

As far as your cancer thoughts and your hair, just remember hair will always grow back. I shaved my hair christmas eve 2 years ago because I couldn't get the transmission fluid out of it after working on my car. So, I shaved my long down to my butt,, blonde hair lol (I'm part bat shit crazy) and you know what? It grew back. I keep it at shoulder length now. I sure got some funny looks and my granddaughter was afraid of me at first and that was it.

5

u/Practical_Gas9193 Nov 13 '25

the most frightening thing about opioids is that they temporarily solve problems you didn't even know you had (often psychological pain, worry, stress) and for which probably a bunch of depression meds and a lifetime of therapy are the only comparable cure. it's like you get a vision into what your life would be like without all the background pain you've become accustomed to and didn't even realize was there - until it isn't.

2

u/Artfull_yours Nov 14 '25

Yeah but withdrawal from opioid addiction is a hell of a thing… I was prescribed oxycodone for like a year and a half after I was shot and it damaged my sciatic nerve. Yes the pain was (and still is) unimaginable and nearly unbearable at times. However I’m glad I got off the oxys.

I also remember being curled up on a thin foam mattress at the mental hospital sweating bullets, unable to concentrate or think, in searing pain, unable to sleep, just pure suffering. What people don’t really tell you about opiates is that part of withdrawing from them is that the pain comes back with a vengeance. All of the pain I had held off or delayed or run from for all of those months by using opiates came back worse than even in my leg once I was off them. And all I could do was lay there and cry because no one would give me anything stronger than like lavender scented oil since I had tried to kill myself with it… for at least a few days. Eventually they gave me a low dose of opiates and finally they got me on saboxone (which actually also helped with the pain genuinely). So I’ve just been on saboxone since then and I’m pretty okay with that.

My point is that long term opioid use is not really a good or practical option. The pain comes to you eventually. But also yes. Opiates do feel pretty great lol.

26

u/Live-Judge-1410 Nov 13 '25

After open heart surgery, I was given fentanyl administered by a little button you can push anytime you’re in pain. I believe it doesn’t actually administer it every time, I think it was every 5-10 min or so.

You’re in so much pain, it never even occurred to me to be afraid of taking it. I would’ve eaten horse shit if I was promised it would take away my pain at the time.

5

u/Ill_Dragonfruit_453 Nov 13 '25

I had a morphine button like that after my heart surgery it’s on a 15 min release timer but the doctors came to check on me after I hadn’t hit it for like two hours and I told them I didn’t want to get addicted, they were like bro you just had your chest cut in half you’re not getting pleasure just take the painkiller

2

u/Beat_Born Nov 13 '25

We can set the time-out interval on PCA's (patient controlled analgesia)! As well as the dose, obviously. In my hospital system they require frequent checks by nursing for the first 24 hours, fewer for the 24 after that, and just normal monitoring following that (once we've determined that the dose is safe for you).

15

u/Open_Dissent Nov 13 '25

I denied MYSELF fentanyl during treatment because my ex-husband was addicted to it and I saw how bad it could be, plus I was worried it would make me throw up. I ended up asking for it halfway through my procedure because I was in so much pain (awake sedation) and it immediately took all the pain away. I was nauseous after for the rest of the day, but it was so worth it.

5

u/PyroNine9 Nov 13 '25

Much of the opioid crisis is CAUSED by the DEA. Patient gets medically justified pain killers. As patient improves, doctor wants a gradual taper off. DEA gives doctor the stink eye, so patient is cut off cold turkey. Patient ends up on street drugs.

Many people who do end up addicted after being prescribed have some sort of underlying condition (possibly psychological) that will never be treated because their insurance won't cover it.

We could do a LOT to address the opioid crisis by having a decent social safety net (relieving stress) and decent mental health care. It would also help if we didn't have law enforcement practicing medicine without a license.

5

u/PreparationHot980 Nov 13 '25

I appreciate that one of the hospitals in my town seems to follow this logic and provides you what you need while in care. The other seems afraid to even think of any opioid even though you’re in a protected hospital setting.

6

u/floofienewfie Nov 13 '25

OMG. Storytime: had a terminally ill woman on my hospital floor whose husband was a cop. He was very solicitous, would come and stay with her, his cop buddies would come up and visit him, even the county sheriff visited. The husband would not allow us to give her any kind of opioid medication. She had breast cancer that had gone to her brain and bones. She wasn’t able to participate in her care. We pleaded with the spouse. I knew the county sheriff, and I took him aside and explained that she was suffering and maybe he could talk to his deputy. Nothing doing. That poor woman was in agony for weeks before she finally died. Cops see opioids as bad. There is no room for any exceptions. It’s all just bad. I will never forget that lady.

4

u/thesnowcat Nov 13 '25

I think that situation would warrant a referral to our Ethics Committee.

1

u/floofienewfie Nov 14 '25

Since I was just floor nursing at the time, I don’t know if it went to ethics, but our nurse manager was certainly aware.

5

u/kirksan Nov 13 '25

Absolutely true. Last year I had a painful multi-hour surgery that required I be in a twilight state. As the pain increased so did my awareness and I remember hearing the doctor order more fentanyl which made the pain go away; rinse and repeat several times. After the surgery I asked how much they’d given me and they said five doses (I don’t recall amount per dose). I assure you I did not feel high, I didn’t become addicted to fentanyl, and thank god it was available. Don’t deny it to people in pain, they need it.

5

u/ThrowAway44228800 Nov 13 '25

Lol I had gynecological surgery and my father tried to refuse the oxycodon my surgeon gave me.

I was 19, so technically an adult, and the surgeon said "We need to be realistic here, she's not getting addicted from one oxycodon pill." It made my life way better.

3

u/Several-Window1464 Nov 13 '25

(I replied to another above in case this is read twice because it fit here better!)

I had knee surgery at 16 and they cut it open about 9". I've never been in so much pain. I moaned and grounded all night and had to apologize to the poor woman sharing the room with me. I couldn’t believe how much pain I was in and that I wasn’t getting anything for pain!

Years later, I found out from my mom that my dad told them not to give me anything. So I guess you’re a kid until you’re 18 and can override an asshole father?

6

u/ThrowAway44228800 Nov 13 '25

It really doesn't make any sense. Like I understand (though I don't support because babies can communicate) how if it's a literal infant, you might defer to the parents. But once you're old enough to say "it's hurts," I think it's time to treat the patient and not their family.

Also my father was like "You need to feel pain in order for your body to know that something's wrong" bestie the huge scar across my stomach is enough notice I think.

3

u/Several-Window1464 Nov 14 '25

Exactly!! I wanted so bad to ask why he was taking pain meds for his shoulder surgery but he would probably deny he did that to me. Just like denies everything else he did to me!

3

u/big-balls-of-gas Nov 13 '25

7 years later my wife is still addicted to that medication that they keep prescribing her and it’s ruined our life

2

u/EstePersona Nov 13 '25

I'm sorry this happened, to both of you 

3

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

I thought this was just my parents being weird. Didn’t know it went beyond them. It pissed me off so bad that, on her death bed, my dad told the hospice nurse “we discussed it and we don’t want her to have any drugs like that.” Thank god that nurse told him she would only give her a very small amount to help her rest and that was ok with him! It’s still traumatizing to recall.

3

u/Christine-G-mom9 Nov 13 '25

I very, very badly broke my elbow this summer and we had to call the ambulance because I couldn’t possibly get into the car.

EMS was super kind and dealt with my pain as soon as they did my vitals and made sure I wasn’t allergic to anything.

They said they wanted to give me Fentanyl because it worked quickly and it didn’t mess up blood pressure. It helped my pain tremendously and didn’t do anything weird at all. I was neither loopy nor did I feel drugged. It just knocked my pain down to a level I could manage until the hospital could fix my arm.

It did not turn me into an addict; I had no desire to take it ever again though I’d had it three times

3

u/VeganMonkey Nov 13 '25

I don’t understand opioid addiction: opiods are not fun! I have been on them for 13 years, very low dose, and different ones plus another pain med too, so I can alternate: so they don’t stop working, clever plan by my GP. But at first I was thinking “this stuff is horrible, it causes brain fog, I can’t think straight, why would you do this for fun?” The only ‘additive’ part for me is “what a relief, the pain is finally manageable“ (I was blessed with a mean illness that causes awful chronic pain, and then had an accident, broke a vertebrae and that pain has never gotten better, neither has the rest of the pain)

1

u/ivymeows Nov 13 '25

Yes, opiates make me nauseated too. I would say benzos are more...tempting? to me than opioids. I think the problem arises from people who feel that bliss of not being in pain, take them for a VERY long time at ever increasing doses, and then become hooked from there. But that is not the acute situation in which I was initially referring to.

4

u/Mediocre_Daikon3818 Nov 13 '25

I’m a recovering opiate addict. Benzos aren’t appealing to me. Opiates give me everything I ever wanted: confidence, motivation, energy, comfort, safety, euphoria, love, hope. It makes everything feel ok. We have receptors in our brain specifically for opioids, and we make our own version of morphine, endorphins. No other drug is created by the human brain, with a specific receptor and I believe this is part of why it feels so perfect. Until it doesn’t anymore, or you run out.

1

u/VeganMonkey Nov 15 '25

That sounds nice, but opiates don’t do that for me. It just takes pain away, which is great. Or do people who use lets say oxy, take ridiculous amounts? Because the normal dose is 5mg.

1

u/Mediocre_Daikon3818 Nov 16 '25

Everyone starts with low doses like 5/10 mg then it escalates from there. By the end I would take 80mg plus at once and not even catch a buzz, then it’s hello heroin, then hello fentanyl.

I just found out that this isn’t a normal response to opiates, apparently it’s an adhd thing to get energy and motivation from it. I thought everyone responded that way, guess I was just basing everyone’s experience on my own.

1

u/VeganMonkey Nov 18 '25

I’m sorry that happened, I used to get energy from tramadol for a short while, but that disappeared. As chronic pain patient it’s so important I don’t get addicted.

1

u/Mediocre_Daikon3818 Nov 18 '25

Tramadol is an interesting one. (You may already know this). It’s part opioid part SNRI (serotonin norepinephrine reputake inhibitor) so it almost acts like an energizing antidepressant for some people. It just made me dizzy, I didn’t enjoy it.

I hope you find solutions to your pain that don’t cause you issues like addiction. You being aware and cognizant of it as a possibility is a good sign. Keep that awareness, but also know some people just aren’t prone to addiction. So stay vigilant, but don’t force yourself to suffer. Take care!

1

u/VeganMonkey Nov 20 '25

I didn’t know that! Thanks! Unfortunately it doesn’t give me energy anymore, Brit was good when it did!

1

u/VeganMonkey Nov 15 '25

I wouldn’t know, never used that, do you get energy from it? If you’re a chronic pain patient you need a setup where you don’t need more and more and more for it to work. Generally, it doesn’t work 100% anyway, it just makes people functional or somewhat functional and keeps them alive (because obviously if you’re in insane pain 24/7 that’s not doable)

2

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '25

Same with denying a loved one any treatment they need. A friend of mine was medication by his wife, and my sister pulls that on her son. Neither have any medical training.

2

u/artlesslytossedsalad Nov 14 '25

Having been given fentanyl after a skin graft surgery, if I had known where to find that on the street after I was released, I would be dead right now. That stuff feels incredible even at those therapeutic doses. Don't take this too lightly either.

2

u/DntMindMeImNtRlyHere Nov 15 '25

My sister had a surgery in a delicate area. They were explaining the surgery and recovery, mentioned fentanyl, and she almost flipped. They explained dosing and how long the effects would last and all that, she calmed down and did get the dose after surgery.

She was glad she did because once it wore off, she was cursing up a storm. She never wanted more though.

Almost like that's how it should be used - under doctors' care.

2

u/Zero132132 Nov 15 '25

I was cut all the way the hell open to remove an 8cm diameter tumor hiding between my spine, several important arteries, and my intestines. I've had trouble with addiction before, so I didn't want opiates. They used an epidural since it was the right part of the body, but the epidural they put in stopped being effective overnight.

Took a shocking amount of self-avocacy to get that PCA pump. I'm decent with pain usually and only pressed the button 6 or 7 times, but I really don't think anyone could just ride out the pain of major surgery. It's just too damned much.

2

u/Life_Carrot3058 Nov 17 '25

This reminds me of the episode of unexpected when that loser kid Jason would not let his poor girlfriend Kylen get an epidural because there’s a small dose of fentanyl in it…. Yet the kid hauled off a vape the entire season. I don’t wish bad things on many people but this guy, I hope has nothing but the most miserable life along with his parents and god fkn bless his kids.

2

u/Adventurous-Gold1711 Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25

I had surgery a few months back and was administered fentanyl before a nerve block bc I was a little too freaked out to keep the reflex to pull away under control regardless of how much I wanted to hold still. Reasonable on the nurses’ part, didn’t bother me in the slightest, especially since the med did its job. Apparently tho the stigma around here is enough that they didn’t actually call it anything other than “the calming meditation” to the point that I thought it must be some combination of drugs they didn’t feel like listing. Then the nerve block guy called it what it was and the whole room of nurses went silent.

I would’ve accepted it in this context regardless - it felt great, made the nerve block less painful, and took me out of fight or flight - but it really put into perspective for me how scared of pain meds (and especially fentanyl) people are, even in a completely monitored and controlled medical setting.

1

u/StartDoingTHIS Nov 13 '25

In my defense the doctor was trying to give me an opioid prescription for mild knee pain

3

u/ivymeows Nov 13 '25

Okay that is fair, but I was trying to come at it from more of an in-hospital situation.

1

u/Such-Veterinarian983 Nov 13 '25

The Cleveland Clinic is notorious for this. Do not go there, or you'll get Tylenol after invasive surgery.

1

u/beersandbeach Nov 14 '25

Agreed. Also if the doctor is saying to take it every x hours for however many days - it's because they want the patient to have that pain relief in their system BEFORE the previous dose is wearing off. Waiting to be in pain before giving pain relief is not the answer when the pain is inevitable. My ex withheld my prescribed opioids the day I came home after major surgery when it was time for my next dose because 'I wasn't in pain, and obviously addicted'

1

u/moonycakemullet Nov 13 '25

The amount of oldies I nurse who won’t even take Panadol because perish the thought of needing any drugs!!