WELL, I'm going to go against the tide here and put in a few good words for oxycodone, which is basically codeine.
Because I've had four kids and more than a dozen surgeries over the last 30 years, I've had more than a little experience with pain meds. Most of them don't do me any good at ALL -- I don't make endorphins like a normal person, so what annoys someone else a little puts me in SEVERE pain. Most other meds make me feel dopey and confused and don't really do much of anything to relieve pain. Codeine, however, is my friend -- I feel completely fine and the pain GOES AWAY.
Last February in the hospital I was on several different meds and was having a lot of trouble; it got to the point where I could gulp a double dose and just felt psychotic and still really hurting. One very cool nurse asked my doc to switch me to Norco, which I'd never heard of. It's a lot more codeine and a lot less ibuprofen, and it worked miracles.
Now yes, the stuff can be addictive, or habit-forming, but it's not like cocaine or something. You don't want to chug this stuff all day and all night and keep at it. But that's not the point for pain management -- the point is to get you some relief FOR A WHILE, and it's very good for that. They say constipation is a negative side effect, well ha ha ha on that, not for me it's not. It helps control diarrhea, which I don't consider a negative side effect !!
I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that (a) you shouldn't panic about its habit-forming potential -- the fact you're aware of it means it likely won't be a problem for you -- and EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT. Other people may have serious trouble with it. But I have serious trouble with other pain meds that work great for other folks.
It's like diet or any other kind of prescription medication -- what works for one person doesn't work for someone else. The key here is to pay close attention to how it works or doesn't work for YOU, and keep in close touch with both your doc and your pharmacist on your situation. If it works well for you, fine, take it. If it isn't working, then get them to fix you up with an alternative that does work.
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