I think everyone responds differently to drugs. That's how I explain to myself my difficultly in comprehending the opioid epidemic, because I've taken some of these drugs and their addictive qualities just aren't apparent to me. Since I can't offer anything else helpful I'll just list how I respond to common drugs. I've only taken over the counter or prescribed drugs or drugs administered in hospitals. I'm apparently not vulnerable to the placebo effect.
- Tylenol (Acetaminophen): Doesn't do anything. Aches, pains, headaches, it does nothing.
- Aspirin: Wonderful for headaches - works every time - but I have to double the normal dose
- Ibuprofen: Sort of okay for inflammation, not too effective
- Naproxen (Alleve): Excellent for headaches and inflammation - but I have to double the normal dose
- Gabapentin: No effect on pain that I can tell.
- Alcohol: In social settings I enjoy it, privately it seems weird.
- Hydrocodone: Doesn't work for me.
- Oxycodone: Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Occasionally it provides a feeling of mild euphoria.
- Percocet (Oxycodone with acetaminophen): Sometimes alleviates tooth pain, sometimes not. Occasionally it provides a feeling of mild euphoria.
- Zolpidem (Ambien): For sleep disorder. Works every time, am alert quickly after effects wear off.
- Propofol (for sedation in hospitals): I promptly fall asleep, am alert quickly after effects wear off
- Morphine: Apparently not used much anymore, but I had it during a hospital stay in the 1970's and it was wonderful. High euphoria.
It bothers me that for pain there is aspirin or Tylenol at the low end of the pain alleviation spectrum, opioids at the other, and nothing in between. Seems like there should be something in the middle ground, but there isn't.
This is actually a significant problem, though not the topic of this thread. If you have hip replacement surgery they prescribe Tylenol for pain after release from the hospital. When it's explained that Tylenol doesn't work for you and can you take aspirin, the answer is no because aspirin is also a blood thinner, which is a no-no (another way of saying highly contraindicated) after surgery that can cause blood clots since you're already on the blood thinner Coumadin, so adding aspirin would be way overkill since it could cause bleeding in the surgical area. They probably use Eliquis instead of Coumadin these days, but aspirin is still contraindicated.
So if you can't take aspirin for post surgical pain, and if Tylenol doesn't work for you, then the only alternatives are opioids, and doctors these days are really resistant to prescribing opioids. You tell them Tylenol doesn't work for you and they start looking at you real suspiciously. But, and here's where the placebo effect enters the story, Tylenol doesn't work for most people. Studies have revealed that Tylenol is in general far less effective for pain than advertised, and it only actually works on about 30% of the population.
Many may have a hard time believing this, that the pain drug they've been taking since childhood is actually a fraud, and a dangerous one at that, since Tylenol overdoses, particularly among children, is a common problem that hospitals have to deal with all the time. The little help Tylenol provides for pain cannot be justified against it's potential for damage to the liver, up to and including requiring liver transplants. Here's the opening paragraph from
The Limits of Tylenol for Pain Relief published in the New York Times a few years ago:
quote:
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is widely recommended for the relief of back pain and the pain of knee and hip arthritis. But a systematic review of randomized trials has found that it works no better than a placebo.
If you think Tylenol helps your pain it's likely just the placebo effect at work. Tylenol is a big scam. I'm guessing that Kratom as a semi-opioid isn't a reasonable alternative.
--Percy
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