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October 10, 2006
In pain? Maybe it's your antidepressant.
So I was reading up on a drug that was prescribed to me today, Tylenol 3, which has codeine in it. I'm used to codeine as I'm actually trying to step down from Hydrocodone because A) it's wasn't effective for me, and B) It's potentially addictive as it is a combination of 2 derivitives of opium.
When I was trying to get the details on my Tylenol 3, I came across this funny little statement saying that prozac and similar drugs would essentially negate the pain-relief benefits of codeine, while still allowing for the negative effects. Hmm... so maybe it wasn't that the hydrocodone was ineffective, but instead that my Zoloft (which is also an SSRI form of anti-depressant) was preventing it from functioning properly. Furthermore, I had to switch to codeine in the first place because I was prescribed Tramadol which had absolutely no effect on me, but in combination with the anti-depressant I was using could cause seizures. Another catch I made that my Dr. didn't seem to know.
It's a scary world out there people. I would highly recommend not touching a thing your doctor prescribes to you until you've researched it. Had I not wanted to know what it was exactly that Tramadol does... I could have had a seizure, because my Dr. didn't do his homework. In addition, I've been taking and paying the excessive price for Hydrocodone for almost a year now when it couldn't have possible worked because of the combination of drugs my doctor had me on.
Needless to say I'm going to seek a new Dr. Nevertheless, even if you trust your Dr. fullheartedly, I Still recommend you second guess everything he/she says and find out for yourself. You've got to look out for yourself, just because they are professionals doesn't mean they are perfect, or 100% effective at all times. That's a more significant statement when they are playing with your life.
As an aside, wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com) is a great resource for researching prescription drugs, as is webmd.com.
Did you know that proper eating habits, diet, and exercise is proven to show more effective results at resolving depression than SSRIs like Zoloft or Prozac? Hmm... funny, nobody told me that when they prescribed it, maybe I would have tried it first.
Posted by Decemberice at October 10, 2006 04:30 PM
Comments
Did you know that one symptom of withdrawal for pain medication is...pain?
I had a class on drugs last semester and it was facinating.
I don't even like taking tylenol after the stuff I learned in that class. Scary stuff!
Good luck with the new doctor search. In my work, I've determined 90% of them are evil, money grubbing, SOBs.
Posted by: Sarah at October 11, 2006 10:17 AM
Yeah I can believe the eating better stuff...I've noticed it just personally when I go on a better diet.
Posted by: Austin at November 10, 2006 08:53 AM