Last November I had quadruple bypass. I m 59 not over weight male, I thought in pretty good health. Well high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes and cancer survivor. So maybe not so healthy. At the time I was on max anti-inflammatory, and meds for all the other and insulin. My question is now the Dr don t want me on any anti-inflammatory meds and in addition to everything else , they have me on Percocet 40 mg per day. Is this safe and the best way to go.
Hello, The risk of narcotics is a curve with a sharp and continually declining drop off. In the first year there might be up to a 20% risk of addiction. If people don't have the risk in the first year, their risk rapidly drops. People who've been on them for a while the risk of problems drops to about 1% per year. Oh, 40 mg a day is moderate. You should be advised of the risks of getting used to it and getting into a problem that you need more and the problems go up (this is in the first months not one year or, far more likely it will not happen). the guidelines for risks of narcotics start at 30 mg. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Matt Wachsman, Addiction Medicine Specialist