Paula Off the Pills…Or So She Says
Filed under: Drugs > Paula Abdul > American Idol
Paula Abdul is clean…well, coming clean about her withdrawal from pain killers in the June issue of Ladies' Home Journal.
The cover article discusses how, in an effort to keep on keeping on in the business, she turned to painkillers and Chinese medicines to get her through her dance routines and tours. Because of her strenuous lifestyle, (constantly touring, shooting videos, etc,) by 2005, she was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition called reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome. The illness and pain were so severe that Paula was given a patch to wear that delivered medication about "80 times more potent than morphine."
Damn!
She would also be known to take muscle relaxers and nerve medication, all to deal with the pain.
The article states that "It was a combination of these factors that may have led to the impression that she was high at times when she was on the air."
But Paula did right by herself, supposedly.
As of last Thanksgiving, when she checked herself into La Costa Resort and Spa, in Carlsbad, California, she has weaned herself off of any medication.
But she had this to say about the process:
“I could have killed myself…Withdrawal – it’s the worst thing. I was freezing cold, then sweating hot, then chattering and in so much pain, it was excruciating. But at my very core, I did not like existing the way I had been.”
It's a brave story, but do we believe it?
Eh.
What do U think?
[Image via WENN.]
what a vagina face
Drunk Paula is funny, I like it when she falls out of her chair
Perez is a gay fuck. He should die soon from aids
Yes, this is true. She discussed this before your time, Perez. Omega 3's (fish oil gelcaps) are great for connective tissue pain. Worked for me. Paula should hire a recommended nutritionist and make sure she's getting enough of what she needs.
I lurrrve her. She's genuine, and the real deal.
What a legend
I believe her. It fits the symptoms perfectly. I never thought she was high or drunk, as others suggested. It always seemed like muscle relaxers.
she is def over medicated #1, #2 i have rsd as well and it is extremely painful but I chose to be coherent and present and not drugged up.
all LIQUORED up………..
She is a SPACE CADET…Coo coo for cocoa puffs.
Think she is full of shit and still poppin'!
wow….well maybe its true ….takes alot to tell everyone…she didnt have to….i just want to know why she wants everyone to know that? but, yet she doesnt want everyone in her business
The only way this crazy bitch is going to be "Coming Clean" is if she gets an enema!
Re: PopForBreakfast – You are right about that…I did enjoy watching hey paula
Fucking posts take forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fucking site sucks ass!!!!!!!!!!!
It makes a lot of sense!
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I think that she had one too many hot beef injections to skull
well if she was addicted to pain killers, withdrawal does suck for sure but if she legitimately needs them why wean herself off completely? something sounds weird. she was clearly on pain meds it was obvious. but if she needs it then why do this? i like paula. she seems legitimate. i feel for her. opiate addiction is hard.
I'm sure this is true. Suffering from chronic pain is enough to make you go insane, and the fact she became dependent on these drugs isn't because she was a druggie, but she was trying to control her pain so she could function. I admire Paula for coming forward and admitting this, and then trying to find a more natural way to control her pain. It takes a lot of guts to do what she did. So Perez, quit casting doubt her way.
you can't die from opiate withdrawal. only alcohol withdrawal can kill you. what a drama queen.
i believe it. good for her, im glad she had the strength to conquer her dependency/addiction.
so then all the times she said that she wasn't high she was lying.
No way. Pill heads are worse liars than heroin addicts. For one thing, they are so loopy that they think their lies are believed/believable. Then when too many people start accusing them of being drunk or on drugs, they come out with a sob story about how much "pain" they're in and that they got help and are clean now. They are LIARS!!!
She is talking about Duragesic patches, or Fentanyl patches. And they are actually about 300 times stronger then morphine. She must have been on the lowest dosage.
I have used them in the past for my back and after the initial 3 days where your body is adjusting to the medication you do not act like an airhead or like a drunk. She had to be taking quite a bit of other things on top of the patch to get the erratic, slurred behavior she was displaying to all of America. Hell, I was on the strongest dosage of the patch, which is 100mcg and I was still fully functional. Driving. Completing two college degrees and raising my two daughters.
I'm glad she has cleaned herself up if she was abusing medication but she gives a bad name to those of us who actually require such strong meds to get through the day and she isn't telling the whole truth.
I take that patch. Its called Fentanyl. ITs 80 times stronger than morphine and 40 times stronger than Heroine. Its a bitch to get off of. Once youre sued to it though it doesn't make you loopy. Wellll itt doesnt with me.
my mom used to use those patches for brain tumors and they killed her. no joke. patches= bad news. they can leak and cause the person to unwillingly overdose
Re: ascottrock – actually if you're on high doses you can die from withdrawls from that kind of medication.
i'm sorrry love paula but she looks like that girl monkey from planet of the apes.. ya know the one that was crushing on the human? OMG ! lol!
lie lie lie lieeee,
she's still doing it.
I have a chronic pain illness like Paula. I have been on a duragesic patch for a number of years and am now off it. BUT, I am on oral meds. NOT OFF ALL MEDS-IMPOSSIBLE. I was 'loopy' when I was first on the patch, but after I got used to it and I go on the right dose, I was okay. I had a pain managment dr. who said that if you are in pain, you will not get addicted to pain medication. Now, if you received too much medication, where you are no longer in pain and are 'high', then you can become addicted. I was taken off the patch after being on it for a number of years AND SWITCHED TO ORAL MEDS. There is no way I could go off all meds, I WAS STILL IN PAIN. To get the meds Paula was on she had to be under constant dr's care, they should have seen her on tv and seen she was on too much, much to much medication. and if she was able to go off the meds, how much pain is she really in? especially since she dances, and sways and claps and cheers? I can't do that. Paula, what is really going on?
RICH!!!!!!
Hell no- I don't believe it! I don't believe this fake syndrome disorder- the bitch is just a dope fiend!!
OH I BELIEVE SHE WAS AND IS ON PILLS…SHE TOO FU*KED UP TO BE OFF THEM NOW…MAYBE HER AND EMINEM SHOULD MAKE A MADE FOR TV MOVIE TOGETHER…LMAO….SHE EXPECTS US TO FEEL SYMPATHY FOR HER, BUT YET SHE HAS BEEN LYING FOR YEARS SAYING SHE'S NEVER HAD A DRINK OF ALCOHOL AND NEVER TAKEN A DRUG..YEAH RIIIIIGHT….
she is crazy….i liked her better on the pills!! LOL
Sounds a little off. Sounds like she was an addict and went to rehab. She has certainly been more coherent this year on AI.
I don't know what the deal is with her, but she frequently seems like she's on something to me.
I HAVE RSD AND IT FUCKIN SUCKS..CONSTANT PAIN DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO PAULA TO LIVE WITH IT !!!!!
My mom suffers from RSDS and it's TERRIBLe. There are numerous days she cant get out of bed. She was on the patch as well as morphine suckers. It STILL didnt take away the pain completely she had a surgery to put wires and stuff in her to shock the nerves…she's off the meds now after 10 years of being on them….she still deals with the pain daily and it's WORSE when it rains. I admire Paula for trying!
nah, she was just going through menopause.
That is such a crock! LaCosta Resort & Spa is NOT and has NEVER been a rehab facility!!! It's a golf club/tennis/swimming resort 1 mile from the ocean with a beauty spa, Chopra Center and restaurants. People go there for vacations. Yes, wellness is emphasized…..but a WHOLE lot of partying goes on there.
i believe her. that is exactly what happens, seen it sooooo many times….
withdrawal from that shit gives u seizures and can kill u. she probly started cause she was in pain, then found she liked the high she could get. I get it, it makes you just…happy, like everything is ok.
people often begin innocently and gradually become a full blown drug addict. Its sooo easy to start and so very hard to stop. Its easy to convince yrself u dont have a problem, until yr supply runs out. THEN u have a BIG problem.
RSD is a real disease. I know someone with it and she is in extreme pain and has to take a lot of pain medication to make it through the day. RSD is progressive and many people end up in wheelchairs because the pain in debilitating. If Paula Abdul really does have this disease she should be more open about it, so people are made more aware of it. People with RSD deal with unimaginable pain and still go about their day-to-day lives.
That guy in the background is Rich from JohnJay and Rich in Arizona!!!!
I have suffered from chronic pain too and know what it's like to do anything to stop the suffering. I Hope paula is feeling better and taking care of herself. It's a hard road….
I actually believe it.
sounds legit.
It's Fentanyl…it IS 80x stronger than morphine… And it's a life saver for those of us in Chronic Pain… However, just as she said… when you're finally off of them, the withdrawals are HELL!!! And, yes, you typically take other meds even with the patches for "breakthrough pain"… Good for her for talking about it!
she sais she was taking strong pain killers that left strong side effects , she said she never took it for fun
leave her alone she is suffering from chronic pain
Ok first off- It's called Fentenyl. It may be strong, except it dispenses itself very slowly. morphine is measured in milligrams, while this is micrograms.So really even tho its strong they give you amounts equal to what they would give in morphine, or oxycodone.
I believe her– I don't think shes off them. Her quote still seems like shes so afraid of withdrawl. If she had beat it she'd talk like she beat it, with a sense of accomplishment and proud of herself.Instead she's talking like it still controls her.
There are also medications out there to help with withdrawl. Since she's getting the Fentenyl patch for a disease im sure is just a cover up, im sure her money hungry doc will prescribe her Clonidine (which takes away the sweats and chills, and alot of the other shitty feelings cuz it lowers your blood pressure) or theres also a pill you can take in the states (its not here in Canada tho) called Suboxone– takes away ALL symptoms of withdrawl.Or even methadone, which is just switching.
I know she didnt go thru withdrawl. It doesnt just take a week. The worst is 4-7 days but it takes months for your body to go back to normal (you have the shits, like disgustingly, depression, etc.)
This just pisses me off. theres people suffering and she doesn't get it, shes just selfish and not using her experience to do good, shes using it to get publicity for herself–addiction is selfish.
Poor Paula….people who diss her for being on heavy meds have obviously not lived with chronic pain…..good luck and healing to Paula. Screw all the haters.
I SAW HER ON ai LAST NIGHT SHE ACTUALLY LOOKED AWAKE
To all you haters I have RSD too and I can tell you it is the most painful thing in the world. Think tooth ache nerve pain but all over your body. And it feels like someone is stabbing you, a piece of clothing hurts to touch the skin and the pain is unbelievable. So if she really did/does have RSD I'm wondering how she is managing the pain now? Those nerve pain meds are anti-seizure and make you SO OUT OF IT and zoned out, so I can totally understand why she was in the shape she was in. Taking pain killers actually helps me function better, have a full time job, go to school and raise a child. It is a myth that it makes you like that. Yes, if you over-medicate, take a bunch of different meds, of course there are going to be side effects. Only 2% of people who take pain medication actually get addicted…dependent yes, but addiction is a whole other monster. So inform yourself before you judge people.
Re: snyper – Just because you take pain medication doesn't make you a druggy. And just because YOU choose to live in pain doesn't mean everyone else needs to. I respect your decision if it works for you great, but not everyone is just like you honey.
Please people…chronic pain is REAL and is a horrible way to live. I hope none of you ever have to live with it. People choose to deal with it in their own ways and what works for one may not work for another. Taking strong pain medicines IS NOT FUN! Its not something anyone WANTS to do. It really sucks to feel dependent on a medication to make it through the day. But you make a choice, go on disability and rot on the couch, or get up, take your meds and function like a normal person. I don't get "high" off my medication and I hate taking it but unless I want to give up, its what I have to do right now.
Re: SerenityFair – CHEERS!
She seems more sober on Idol this year than ever before! Good for you Paula!
Paula has actually made more sense on this season of American Idol than ever before. And she's definitely been giving better and more constructive advice than the annoying space-filler "that's sick" and "ridiculous" Kara.
Until you've had pain like that, you have no clue to how much pain can hurt. I believe her because I too live with daily pain and on medication.
I believe that she's in constant pain. She was in that plane accident a while ago.
Whatever. She is a druggie.