my view on pain meds

**i do not condone people altering meds on their own, or telling people not to seek medical attention for their ailments* *furthermore, i am not saying that there is no one out there who legitimately needs medication**

that being said, it seems to me that people these days are turning to meds to cure every little ache and ailment they get... and for some reason it just drives me up the wall... there is something to be said to just dealing with a headache, sucking it up when you have a cold, and pressing through the pain... we do not need a pill for everything and sometimes its best to deal with our problems naturally...

it just seems that people today need to numb out any kind of pain they get, and that is so wrong... pain isnt necessarily a bad thing-- it is an important part of the human spectrum of experience... we learn through pain... pain makes us stronger... pain makes us better appreciate our lives after the pain has passed...

it is my opinion that people should explore other methods of coping with the pain they are in before turning to medication...

(i know this isnt a whole lot different from what i posted in the depression thread, but this view includes much more than depression meds and i would be more interested in discussing it in a broader sense than such... and i feel like ive contradicted myself between that and another thread in that area... again though, im not saying that people should just flush their pills without talking to a doctor, and i acknowledge that some people truly need meds-- i dont want people getting all hurt and offended over this view; i just want to discuss it with anyone interested)

Drugs make your body weaker. I know from experience...

I went through the med, nonsense and enough was enough. I take Miripix for spasmodic seizures like Parkinson's, but the pain meds are rarely taken. A one month supply lasts 4 months.
I didn't like slurring my words, forgetting, feeling stupid, it had to stop. I took pain management classes and physical therapy which changed my life. I have lupus and the most severe form of fibromyalgia, if I can get away from them, anybody can. It was the hardest and best thing I ever did and it's been 8 yrs., maybe more. Distraction is a great thing for pain and if a bottle says every 4 hours I went for every 6, then 8, then 12, and so on. Suddenly it would be bedtime and I hadn't taken anything all day. I'm in pain now, but I suck it up. Cold compacts, heating pads, massages. There are alternatives to pill popping.

and you would actually fit into my catagory of people who are justified in taking pain meds...

I concur!

I'd been taking Vicodin or Darvocet for headaches and finally decided to go back to Extra Strength Tylenol. I feel like I'm making a step in the right direction. I see a chiropractor. The spinal adjustments I get help with the headaches and I get massages sometimes. I appreciate your views on these topics, chisa.

Dont take this the wrong way ppl, but it seems to be a big american culture to throw medication at everything. I dont know whether im being wrongly led by telly, but dont you take vallium for almost everything? Over here i never hear of it. Also if a child is a little hyper dont they get shoved on ritalin?

In the uk, if we have a headache of sore back, we mostly take ibroprophen(sp?) or a paracetamol. Unless its terrible then we go to the doc and get something a little stronger.

omg... DONT get me started on fricken ritalin... i swear to GOD if jeremy says add/adhd to me about justin one more time my head is going to pop, and im going to make sure it gets all over him...

let your damned kids be hyper-- maybe try to tire them out before you give them a damned pill...

Half the problem can be diet. There are still a lot of addetives in foos that can send kids up the wall! We're very careful with what we give my son.

there are so many possibilities to look at before putting a child on meds... that issue just angers up my blood...

I posted about Ritalin being legal speed. It can lead to drug addiction in the future. I hope docs quit prescribing it so readily.

And nobody wonders why the FDA approves drugs with harmful, and sometimes even potentially fatal side effects. Nobody wonders why the FDA says that "only a drug can cure or treat a disease". What if eating cheerios DOES lower your cholesterol and risk for diabetes? (which soluble fiber DOES) Then according to the FDA, it must be researched and approved as a drug. And guess what, drug companies literally PAY the FDA tens of millions of dollars in user fees to perform such research to get drugs approved. Nobody wonders if they are being lied to by the FDA, they just accept the propaganda and bend over and take their medicine...

I know a lot of people who would agree with you. For me personally, if I am in pain that means I can't work effectively or am distressed by it, I would not hesitate to take a panadol or 2.

I'm not a fan of anything stronger and have never neeeded anything stronger. If we waited for a headache to go away or for a cold to run its course, many of us would be out for the count from work for a day or two. If I were sick from work the first question my boss would ask was "Have you seen a doctor?" followed by "What are you trying to do to get better?"

I guess what I'm saying is that many people feel a pressure to get over or past an ailment quickly & medications assist with that.

I'm not taking any medicine that I have to bend over for.

no offense, but you cant go to work with a headache or cold?

Actually this isn't entirely true.
Drug companies pay the FDA for submission for a drug to be approved, but they pay for the research themselves entirely.
If the FDA say no to a drug - which they do as often as they say yes by the way - that money isn't refundable either.