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+--- Thread: Disciplined Dosing (/showthread.php?tid=3082)
RE: Disciplined Dosing - nickolyko - 02-21-2017
Oh no , I see some good methods above. 20 years now I am a mess since I am a very impulsive person. It takes a little more anxiety, pain or stress and I loose all of my discipline. Not to mention bad luck. Pill count, that a new idea for me. I wish I hade a really close person that could control me sometimes but even my girlfriend says it is a personal matter and she does not get involved with it. If I had some control I would go into far more fewer wds . I believe there will be much more discussion here in this thread. And more ideas.
RE: Disciplined Dosing - 45ACP - 02-22-2017
thanks Nick...even with help I find myself in your situation...thanks for being open...
RE: Disciplined Dosing - hqinmaine - 02-23-2017
Great thread. I get non-addictive pain meds and have a hard time controlling even them! Learned a lot.
RE: Disciplined Dosing - MUSEical - 02-24-2017
For some reason I can't get the quote function to work, so I hope you see this 45ACP
I really feel that something like this is just personality dependent. My girlfriend and I are totally opposite in this regard. I have a lot of self control whereas she really struggles with it. IMO, some people are just naturally better at. Those who aren't would just have to consciously and actively force self control on themselves and that's probably not an easy thing to do. Out of pure curiosity, are you ADD/ADHD by any chance?
RE: Disciplined Dosing - Raven - 02-25-2017
Great Thread 45ACP.
For me, it all comes down to "what is the minimum dose I can get through the day with"? That said, there are very stressful days when I need to up my dose significantly to avoid the panic attacks... At this point, I know my medication well enough to determine what dose will be required for those days.
Your goal should be to always avoid building tolerance by taking the minimum amount required to get you through the day. There will be days when you need more, but be sure to limit any increased dose to a short term basis.
Self discipline is the key to staying healthy in this game, and it requires a never ending series of checks and balances. If you can get through the day on 1 - 2 Mg. of a medication, then be sure you hold yourself at that level. If you let it slip to 3 Mg. per day, then you can be damn sure that 4 Mg. per day is not far off.
Always consider that your supply chain could be disrupted, or that your sources could rapidly disappear altogether. Everyone on this forum should have a realistic sense of what the consequences of sudden withdrawal are. They can be life threatening. If you keep your dose low and maintain enough medication for a safe taper, then you should be OK. Be safe my friends.
Good Luck
Black Bird
RE: Disciplined Dosing - barq2 - 02-25-2017
Wow, this is a really good thread, and such insightful answers.
Let me be totally honest. I have not always managed this issue well, and that's been a problem. Everything I've taken has had a legit medical purpose, but it is so easy to creep up. It is so easy to make excuses... "I need to take more today because I'm doing x" It's amazing the way you can rationalise these things.
Here's what (mostly) works for me... I get those pill boxes that are sometimes given to people with dementia. They have four compartments for different times of day. I put my pills into the boxes, in my pack there are 7 boxes to cover the full week. So on Sunday night I sit down and count out the pills for the week. Then the pill bottles and blister strips are put away safely and out of sight. On any one day I am carrying one day's worth of meds. So yeah, I could double up and take the afternoon dose early, but the consequences of that are pretty immediate (i.e. hours, rather than delayed to the end of the month). What I'm drawing upon here is what psychologists call delayed gratification. If the negative of taking extra hits me that day it feels more real than if it is at the end of the month - that's just too far off to care about the same way.
The only down side is I am carrying controlled medication around without the pharmacy label. Whether you think that is a problem may depend on which country or state you live in. For me, I am prepared to take that risk. I have been searched by police before (just happened to be near a crime scene), and they didn't seem to care. I suspect that at a psychological level, the pill box is seen by others as clearly medical and not a "drug". It doesn't raise any eyebrows at work.
RE: Disciplined Dosing - Popster - 02-25-2017
The real question here is who is in charge......the horse or the rider?
One technique I use with great success is to sensitize my self to meds that alter my sense of well being.....this is can be done by observing your feelings and the effects of the meds on your feelings. By being aware and observing, you remain in charge. Anything less leads to indulgence, guilt, excess and an empty bottle (stress)
RE: Disciplined Dosing - Raven - 02-28-2017
Good comments and recommendations all:
I just wanted to add one more suggestion on maintaining disciplined dosing. It relates to what I believe is referred to as interdose withdrawal. If you experience a behavioral / physiological pattern where you can no longer wait for your next assigned dosage without your symptoms creeping back, and perhaps overcoming you, then you are most definitely on the path to increasing tolerance to your medication. That's bad news and it means that it is time to put yourself in check.
Personally, I don't want to stop taking my medication. No way! There is no cure for my condition and I have no desire to return to the quality of life I experienced pre-medication. For me, this means that it is time to put myself through a tolerance withdrawal. I have not strayed far from my original, relatively low, daily dose. So I just drop back and suffer my way through it. If, however, you have gone far off course, then you need to take extra care and taper accordingly (lots to read about that here on IOPList).
You simply can not safely administer many of the medications we seek if you allow tolerance to build. It is not sustainable! Get back to your original dose and dosing schedule as soon as possible and stay there!
I only speak from experience. I'm no expert. Just glad to be amongst friends here on the IOPList.
Black Bird
RE: Disciplined Dosing - solarpunch - 02-28-2017
The amount of meds needed can climb drastically. Before you know it your going to get way out of hand. I use my weekends off work to slow down the dose days. If I find that work has made me take more due to increased pain from physical activities. I use my two days off to let my legs ache for a while in between doses. It's funny sometimes I can go well past my normal intervals from taking pk's. It seems to have to do with the conversation I am having or interactions with what I am currently doing. I believe my body releases it's natural endorphins to maintain the medicine for longer periods of time. My morning routine at work is the same. I take pk's right when I wake up. So typically by mid morning or before lunch I start to physically hurt but also get leg and muscle aches. I then mentally note it and before I grab my pill bottle. I let myself hurt for a bit longer. I find that when I do take the next dose I feel much more relief when it does finally kick in. It's all about training your brain. Yes I hurt bad enough to take that next dose. But I need my meds to last and work when I take them. Taking too much makes the time in between doses MUCH shorter. That's not what you need. I've never ran out of medicine in a long time because of this. Only cause I know the agony I'd feel if I had none all together. So next time your about to reach for another tab. Challenge yourself to see how long you can go without. Make it like a game in a sense. You'll feel accomplished when you think mentally your spreading your doses out.
RE: Disciplined Dosing - Popster - 02-28-2017
there is no such thing as a pain free life....so accepting that idea is important.
Self regulation is a game.....and if well played.....you win.