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Notes -
Yeah, there's something going on besides chronic pain. Opioids are also prescribed for acute pain (e.g. after an operation) despite the fact that acetaminophen and nsaids are similarly effective. When my wife got her wisdom tooth removed, the surgeon prescribed oxycodone a week before the surgery even happened. It's crazy.
I guess I'm somewhat lucky in not having many issues with serious or chronic pain. I did get my wisdom teeth removed, and I don't think I was prescribed or took anything particularly strong for that, but I don't recall very clearly. I had to get a root canal a few years ago, and I do remember that hurting pretty badly the next day. I had been prescribed Tylenol with Codeine, which I took and worked pretty well at dulling the pain, but left me pretty zonked out. Definitely not something I had any interest in taking if I wasn't in serious pain. I think I only took that for 1 or 2 days, and the pain was mild enough after that that I didn't bother.
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