Pain Medication?

I am currently trying to recover from TMS. I would like some feedback on pain medication use. I have been on pain medication for some time. It is not a lot and has never increased. I would like to hear thoughts on those currently in recovery and those that have already recovered. Did you use medication? When did you stop? I am not sure if I could do without it now. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Hi, Joseph. According to Dr. Sarno and Steve Ozanich, author one of our favorite books on healing,
The Great Pain Deception, it's a good idea to remain on medication a doctor has given you. Just ask the
doctor about when and how to get off of it safely. Don't risk drug withdrawal by doing it on your own.

The two above say it's best for TMS recovery if you can slow down or better yet stop taking medication,
but do it the safe way by talking to your doctor about it.

Have you begun the Structured Education Program for TMS recovery? It's really good and has made
many people pain-free. Meanwhile, other posts in the various forums offer great advice from those who
have healed from TMS pain. It's mainly believing 100 percent (nothing less) that your pain comes from
one or more repressed emotions.

 

I take it that you already had a medical checkup for any ailment and no problem was found.
Even if a doctor says you have a herniated disc in your back, Dr. Sarno says not to worry because
that doesn't cause pain. He says then believe in it coming from TMS and work on your repressed emotions.
It worked for me and has for thousands of others. Good luck in your TMS healing and let us know how
it's coming along for you.

 

Thank you Walt. I have been checked by a doctor and physically I could do more than the next guy. I even went out running last week and had no problem. I just have pain in my lower back and sometimes in legs. I have no problem moving though. I can touch my palms to the ground! I fit all the personality traits of TMS to a T. I think I have conditioned pain to things like sitting to long etc. I am trying to tell my brain that nothing is wrong and it seems to have improved. You live in Glenview? I am in the south suburbs of Chicago.

 

You're doing great, Joseph. Keep telling your brain to relax and enjoy life.

I grew up on the north side of Chicago but moved to Evanston after college and army service.
I've been in Glenview ten years now and really love it. Near Harms Woods for walking my dog.
My sister lives in LaGrange Park.

I've suggested to others that when they're angry or frustrated about anything, including pain,
to just LAUGH it off. It always works for me.

 

Joseph, Walt has already give you great advice. (Laughter truly is the best medicine!)

For me, I stopped the Rx for "fibromyalgia" (I always put that in quotes anymore since I know I have TMS, not fibro), when I had some nasty side effects. I told my doctor after the fact...not the wisest route I know but I was more scared of the side effects than a sudden withdrawal effect.

My use of ibuprofen has taken more time to taper down. I'm still dealing with headaches/aches...but not with the intensity and perseverance that I dealt with pre-TMS knowledge.
I no longer take the large doses that I took nor am I taking it as frequently. And when I do take some, I tell myself "this is a PLACEBO, the pain is caused by TMS not your neck."

I try to be gentle with myself in this department.

Just find out what works for you.

 

Being gentle with ourselves works.

We should all try to be our own best friends.
We wouldn't beat up on our best friends, so why beat up on ourselves.

I feel like Lucy giving out advice at her shrink stand.
She needed some herself.

 

I refer to Lucy in Peanuts, not Lucille Ball.

 

Hi Joseph,
I had the following experience regarding stopping the pain medication, tramadol. I was taking 8 tramadol per day and had been for about 15 years when I first learned about TMS. Shortly after that I spent a week entirely pain free for the first time in 20 years (I had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia). At that point I felt like I needed to wean myself off the tramadol, but had concerns about the pain coming back and about becoming depressed, since tramadol has anti-depressant properties. I am tramadol-free now, but it was a challenging process and it should be done under the supervision of a doctor. I am glad I did it, but I haven't been 100% pain free since--more like 75-80%--and I did increase the anti-depressant I was taking as my mood did plummet without the tramadol. However, I feel like I'll get to 100% pain free again as I continue to do the TMS healing work, and that I'm better able to access my emotions now than I was when I was on tramadol. And that is both a good thing and a challenge.

Whether or not to stop taking medication is a very individualized decision that only you can make in consultation with a trusted physician. But whatever decision you make, you are on the right path by delving into TMS healing and participating in this forum. Best wishes to you...

 

I am on medications for 'fibromyalgia', but off-label meds. They work very well for me considering where I was 2-1/2 years ago. The side effects are very minimal, so I am not in a hurry. When I feel I have gathered enough resources to ease away from it, I shall do so. I am not there yet. I am thinking in terms of a year or so. By gently moving away from them, I believe there will be less repercussions, and a stronger chance of remaining 'drug free'.

Do what feels right for you, without judging or comparing to others. Only you know how you feel.

with grace and gratitude,
^_^

 

Hi joseph32! I swallowed lots of pain medications until that final shift in my mind. The shift came after integrating all issues that Dr. Sarno wrote with combination of Steve Ozanich's e-mail advices. I remember a day when I run out of pain medications and after that I simply stopped taking them. I'm not saying it was easy. You will do it too when you are ready. Ales

 

Thanks Ales. When you had that final shift in your mind, was it because of learning or had your pain subsided? So, I guess my question to you is; Did you stop taking the medication when you still had that/some pain? And after you stopped, how long until you noticed the pain diminish or go away? Thank you! joseph

 

Pain medication can help control the pain during recovery. However, it only works temporarily and is not a cure. I'm not a doctor but if you're an older male (age 45+), I'll recommend aspirin because it can double as both a painkiller and a preventive agent for heart disease. But if you're younger than that you're probably better off either without any pain medication or with ibuprofen/Tylenol to minimize the side effects. If the pain is strong enough to "break through" the OTC medications you should go to a doctor who can give you prescription painkillers.

 

Redditor's advice is sound and what I would offer to you.
I'm 83 and I don't take anything, not even a baby Aspirin.
I just think TMS and positive.

It's a good idea not to think at all about any pain. Just do things you like to do and
take your mind onto happy, pleasant thing.

If your pain is too much, ibuprofen is okay, in moderation.

I've read that Advil is better than Tylenol. Before we knew about them,
Aspirin was what everyone took for headaches or any pain.

Keep working on your repressed emotions. That's what's causing any pain.

 

Thank you for asking about the meds. I had the same questions. Lily rose, I would like to hear more about your story.

 

joseph32,it was because of learning and as walt glenview said I was working on my repressed emotions or to put it another way - I began to think psychical not physical . Answering your question: I stopped taking medications when I had quite a lot of pain. Actually I was still limping when I stopped taking medication. The pain diminshed after about 4-6 weeks and went away after another 5 weeks. Don't let the timing mislead you and don't count your days, weeks, months. Everyone heals in his own time. O, yet another important note - One is unaware of the emotion(rage, fear,etc.,..) that is causing one's pain(Dr.Sarno in his books). So one have to detect it.
joseph32, you will heal.

 

I am more than willing to share, however it would help me phrase my answer if I understood what aspects you are seeking.

This is much like I ended my 25 year relationship with my nightly, single, strong vodka/Kahlua/milk drink. It was self-medication, and it was the only thing that 'tripped' me into sleep. Without it, my sleep-switch simply did not trigger. It took over a year after being on the newly prescribed meds for me to even consider trusting that something else would help me into sleep. One day, I made the decision to just ... do it. Being a very habitual and ritual-oriented person, it was unnerving to change a habit that had served me so well. I also expected a withdrawal period.

Nothing happened, physically. The only real change was losing about an hour or two of sleep (going to bed later, getting up earlier), but I slept.

When you listen to your body, rather than your impulses, you will hear when you are ready to make that transition, whatever that transition may be. Then ... you just ... do it.

Trust in yourself.

with grace and gratitude,
^_^

 

Hi, Lily Rose.
I'm surprised the vodka/Kahlua/milk drink didn't keep you awake. It does sound good, but alcohol before bedtime is supposed to work against sleep. I like a beer, glass of wine, or a manhattan or margarita before or with dinner,
but just one. It's at about 6 pm and I hit the sack about 10 pm. No problem sleeping.

My Uncle Stash was a heavy drinker and slept like a baby. So who knows? Different strokes for different folks.

 

Alcohol knocks me out. It is the only 'drug' that fully relaxes me and allows my carefully controlled barriers to unclench. For this reason, I rarely had any alcohol in public, and never if there was any chance I would be driving. I always disliked drinking with others, because it left me vulnerable, thus I preferred my private time, the one drink just before bed, where I could feel safe. It also diminished the nightmares.

I miss the sensation of my mind and muscles simply being free. However, I do not miss the ties that bound me and kept me worried about insuring I always had stock on hand. I do not have an addictive nature, and ending drugs was always a matter of filling in a new ritual. While I can be emotionally dependent, the physical aspect has always been negligible.

The other aspect of ending that relationship came from what I witness around me. While I would self-medicate with control, too many others drown in their self-medication. I feared, perhaps unreasonably, that I would cross that line.

My daily pain is more intense without this particular drug. This is the choice I made, and I will continue on this path. When I make the decision to commit, it is fully. This is why it takes me a great deal of time to come to commitment decisions. It is not fear of commitment .... it is awareness that once I step off the cliff, I must be ready to fly.

with grace and gratitude,
^_^