So a week ago I visited with 2 friends who just had to tell me how dangerous my medications were.

[Maraya1969]

I take an opiate for chronic back pain from damages to my spine.

I don't know why I felt like I had to defend myself but it didn't matter because nothing I said was good enough. I told them how I try not to take them, (because I know how quickly they lose their effect so if I am OK I don't take them. )

The one insisted on telling me how "these medications will tell your body to stop breathing"

I felt so attacked! And I don't feel like they did it out of concern because they know on a recent trip overseas I had to be pushed around in a damn wheel chair because my back was so bad and yet they never even asked about my back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I just found out I've got a fracture on top of all the other mess)

I do not think this type of behavior is really caring and concern. Especially since one gave me the bad news, "You're going to go through withdrawal" (I swear she had a smile on her face! But maybe it just smugness)

I did send them both an email afterward about the different medications. I also informed them about the new drugs that block opiates and how they lessen or stop the withdrawal, (just because of what the one said to me), and I told them about Narcan and how it can bring someone out of an overdose. I don't know why I was just wanted them to know that they knew ...... not so much.

So the one friend wrote back and said something like "If our expressing concern for you came across wrong then I apologize" So I said, "Thank you. And now that you have all this information you can make better decisions about where and when concern is warranted and when it may just cause a problem"

I am a bitch.

I can't be wrong about all of this though. Someone has had to have a similar situation.

[TexasTowelie]

1. You should have asked to see their medical licenses.

People that aren't qualified shouldn't practice medicine, law, plumbing, etc. and for them to step into a situation where they have no expertise is laughable.

Don't feel about what you have done and the next time one of the busybodies tries to get sympathy from you give them a grudging smile and a platitude. Continue to take your medications as advised and let it go because some people aren't worth getting upset about.

[Maraya1969]

5. I thought about sending them a link to my doctor's page in case they had any further questions.

[mopinko]

2. oh yeah. all the time.

did they tell you to see a chiropractor? that is one of my faves.
also, telling you that the drugs that are saving your bacon are no better than placebos.

i dont get why people do this either. i think they think they are doing you a favor, but they seem to relish it so that it must be something else.
just a game of oneupmanship.

[Maraya1969]

4. Your Avatar looks like an X-Ray of my back. What is it?

[mopinko]

7. he is a painting that i did.

unusual for me, as most of my paintings are me, and are smarmy and warm. this guy was a weirdo that got in the way of painting one day, and i just drew him so i could set him down and move on. but the emotion was there and i went with it.
he stood out and became my alter ego.

[Warpy]

3. My favorite ones are the ones who tell me I'm sick because of something I did in a past life

They're almost as much fun as the ones who tell me I'm sick because I've been cursed by god, invaded by a demon, you get the picture.

Concern trolling over the medications I take is one of the lesser worries. I was an RN so I can usually dispose of concern trolling very efficiently.

Mostly, I just want to get rid of ignorant people. Life is short and I'm beginning to get closer to the end of mine and I just don't have the time it takes to educate the smugly ignorant.

And yeah, I'm in the opiate club, too. Fools just can't seem to understand that they're not fun when you need them.

[Maraya1969]

6. Those demon people really fucked with my head way back in college.

[ohheckyeah]

8. Sorry you had to deal with that.

I find people like that cause my middle finger to get a good workout. And I don't feel guilty about it either.

[madokie]

9. Thats pretty much where I'm at right now

I take pain meds and have been for a long ass time and I've tried all the other non opiates and nothing works. After 10 or so years I still take my meds as prescribed. Never double up nor take them for the high. In fact the high went away years ago. Actually I quit smoking pot and drinking because I was tired of being high all the time so the last thing I want is to start taking a pill that gets me high. BTW I was on the pain meds when I quit toking and drinking

[obliquediversions]

10. Does not matter what you use

On the other hand, if you're a chronic pain patient who is successfully using cannabis (I have axonal neuropathy, opiate and opioids don't help me), you're then judged as simply a druggie who wants to get high (not to mention utterly destroy western civilization and cause everyone to turn into face eating zombies). There is no winning for chronic pain patients, no matter what method of pain control is effective for them.