Correct questions; sound advice. I suffer a particularly debilitating spondyloarthritis and a severe, chronic anxiety/panic disorder. As noted elsewhere, I have reduced my alprazolam intake from upwards of 12mg/day Alplax to only 2.25mg/day Xanax (a 'weaker' brand).

It was either Morphine Sulphate or OxyContin according to my doc, who is well aware of my history and the six weeks I spent at a cost of US$43,000 in a treatment centre in Oct/Nov 2006. There are much stronger opiates available which would have been prescribed if she didn't think that I could handle the two-a-day regime, which I have done for a long time. I wrote the last blog because it's the first time I have ever exceeded the prescribed dose, from which I get no high or any other type of incentive to abuse it. The comment was to the effect that I KNOW I have to take something very strong for the rest of my life and the tolerance means there is little or no recreation in it at all. WHY, though, would I take five tablets? Doesn't make sense. Didn't make me feel good or give me the 'dunt' that I associate with my abusing days; I merely fell asleep. It was plain stupidity and the point was that yes, if medcally required, one CAN use such things with relative impunity because they are the only things to help my conditions. And they tried me on a LOT of stuff.

One more thing, normally I do get it dispensed daily or bi-daily. So it is supervised. At my request. I was very ill last week, got a few days' worth delivered from the pharmacy, and didn't take all my meds. Maybe I just thought it was an opportunity to get rid of them? Who knows? I don't. What I DO know is that therapeutically they work fine and cause no addiction problems. OC could be aspirin for all the recreational value I get from it.

Just making things slightly clearer and letting you know that there is a huge difference between this type of usage and my previous type. This painkiller is beneficial and the only one in 14 years that has actually helped my spondyloarthritis. At all.

THANKS for the comments and let's hope I am never so stupid again. Not that I feel any kind of inclination to abuse anything at all.

Gaucho