Playing while on Painkillers

I was having a chat with a friend the other day and she said that she takes painkillers before a play session. I always had in the back on my mind that playing while on painkillers not a great idea because they may mask bad pain.

I tried to find out why she does it and she said it helps her to push herself. Personally I think that's weird because how can you be pushing yourself if you need to take painkillers to get there?

Anyhow, does anyone here play while on painkillers (well specifically take painkillers for a scene) and is it a common thing?

I had a friend of mine take hydrocodone, that I was unaware of at the time, we had been drinking as well after she had taken it. Not a lot of alcohol, just a few drinks.

She told me that the combination made her less inhibited and helped her relax, though sometimes she blacked out and didn't remember what happened the previous evening. She told me this during a pause in our fooling around, which freaked me out a bit considering the whole blackout piece. so I put a stop to it for my own self as I didn't feel right having sex with her either vanilla or anything kinkier, if there was a possibility she would black out and not remember it all.

So apparently there are at least two ladies who take them prior.

That's so odd! But yeah, I can imagine the motivation for doing it. isn't it funny, how competitive we get? Even about things that should not be a contest.

I suppose it makes a certain amount of sense. I've taken things like anti-inflammatories before play sessions, but that's mostly for other reasons.

IMO, if I was to take painkillers first, it'd be to alleviate OTHER pain (back pain, most notably) to let me really enjoy the session, versus keep getting distracted. And, certainly, having anti-inflammatories onboard beforehand wouldn't really dull acute pain, but may prevent brusing and lingering pain (if one needs/wants to)

Honestly though, it doesn't sound like a GREAT idea to participate in a play session with sensation and/or mind alteration. Seems like it'd be too easy to do too much damage to yourself (or others. I suppose definitely one of those areas where it's important to know your limits!!

There is absolutely no way I would play on painkillers - I don't react well to them so for me, it would be like swigging a bottle of JD beforehand. I find the idea of using anything artificial to help you 'push your limits' a little odd as well, because you're not really - the shifted boundaries aren't true ones, are they? But, if it works for her and she doesn't damage herself, then that's ok I suppose. I wonder why she feels the need to push herself more, but that's a whole other question.

kiwi_submissive said:

I was having a chat with a friend the other day and she said that she takes painkillers before a play session. I always had in the back on my mind that playing while on painkillers not a great idea because they may mask bad pain.

I tried to find out why she does it and she said it helps her to push herself. Personally I think that's weird because how can you be pushing yourself if you need to take painkillers to get there?

Anyhow, does anyone here play while on painkillers (well specifically take painkillers for a scene) and is it a common thing?

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I'd be wary of playing with somebody on painkillers, for the same reason as you. Probably more of an issue if we were going outside our comfort zone.

Also, if they were using something like aspirin that inhibits clotting, I'd want to think about the implications - I guess it might be seen as a good thing for somebody who wants to bruise, but that's not usually one of my objectives.

There's an unwritten rule that when playing with things BDSM it's not wise to be doing drugs, alcohol or anything else that can numb, depress or just alter your mental or physical capacity. It might seem like fun and that's up to you, but at least let your partner know ahead of time. They might want to make changes in what they had planned or totally back out of the scene.

Pain killers can seem to calm you down, but it's artificial. It's not the real you. Later, you might regret the fact that you were calm, when you would normally call out your safe word. Doms need to know how you are doing both mentally and physically. The way they find out this information is from you, the submissive. If the submissive's mind is clouded up with pills or alcohol, they don't really know how they feel. Oh, the drugs might make them feel great, but that's not how they really feel. If they can't be counted on to use their own safe word system, how is the dom suppose to know their own job?

I know I did enjoy smoking a little pot before sex, in the old days of my 20s and 30s, but it wasn't BDSM sex. But even that enhanced any feeling I felt. Pot is relatively mild against pain killers and alcohol. And the pain killer alcohol combination can be very dangerous. Your mileage may vary and I'm not going to say everybody should stay away from this stuff when playing, just because I say. We're all adults and as adults, we have the right to choose for ourselves. Just choose wisely.

I'd never do it. For one, what the hell is the point then? It'd be like taking a pill to dull your taste buds before a meal. I guess you'd really have to hate eating if that were the case. For two, though, I'd have to take a lot for it to do anything. I have a stupidly high tolerance for them to the point where I need very strong Rx varieties to feel anything beyond ibuprofen for a headache.

But honestly, I would only bother taking something if it heightened the experience. (That would probably be the only way to get me to have sex regularly anyways.)

I do approve of the idea of S being... imbibed for play, though. He doesn't often go as far as I'd like. I have been with him uninhibited before, and that's been a ton of fun.

I wouldn't do it for the specific purpose of playing, but I've taken pain meds (for a migraine or one of my many and varied injuries) and then ended up playing later.

Disclaimer: Opioids affect me much differently than they do most people, on account of me being mentally interesting. (You should've seen the kind of tips I made when I waitressed the summer I busted myself up badly falling off a horse and had to take Percocets to get through my shifts without dying. Everyone loved me.)

Anyway, while I have, admittedly, never had any really hardcore pain meds, they've also never seriously hampered my ability to feel pain being inflicted on me. They killed existing pain just fine, of course--otherwise why bother?--but they didn't completely turn off my pain receptors, either. It might be different if we're talking about some of the stronger pain meds out there, though.

How much of this is a combination of my own high pain tolerance and strange reaction to opioids is anybody's guess, but I just can't imagine that that works like your friend thinks it does, Miss Kiwi.

I've never used painkillers just to raise my pain tolerance before playing, but at times I have to take quite a bit of them just to make the lingering everyday pain go away. Like others said, I haven't noticed it'd change the way how I feel acute pain. That said, I've never tried playing while on some of the stronger painkillers, so there might be some out there that work just like Kiwi's friend hopes. But I don't think most people would pop those casually just to do BDSM.

I can imagine taking a painkiller before can work as a mental crutch and have sort of a placebo effect. If you're about to engage in play that's challenging both physically and especially mentally, the placebo effect can take off some of the physical edge and help you overcome that mental hurdle for the first time.

Like I said, I've never noticed painkillers relieve acute pain, so I don't believe it works like that, but the mental crutch can be helpful. Whether it's wise or advisable to use it is another thing.

Thanks everyone, I knew I would intelligent answers here. Just seemed odd to me at the time but maybe it is the placebo effect thing where she just feels better mentally, who knows, each to their own I guess.

BiBunny said:

Disclaimer: Opioids affect me much differently than they do most people, on account of me being mentally interesting. (You should've seen the kind of tips I made when I waitressed the summer I busted myself up badly falling off a horse and had to take Percocets to get through my shifts without dying. Everyone loved me.)

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I like that, "mentally interesting". I'm actually not too surprised this kind of effect exists. We see something similar in cats and horses (perhaps the two species most noted for being naturally bipolar ) Also makes my mild mood elevation with opioids a little troubling xD

As a thought, I'm not even sure how great of an effect a typically prescribed pain med would be for diminishing impact pain. Nothing besides local anaesthetic prevents that instant "impact point" sensation. A hefty opioid would make the after-pain so minimal it's like it wouldn't have happened, but I'm not sure how a day-to-day opioid like codeine or hydrocodone would manage.

I personally want to feel everything. Intensely.

I wouldn't take pain killers or get inebriated. A slight buzz from a couple of glasses of wine may make me less inhibited (though I tend to be rather free anyway) but it certainly isn't required.

bhndblueyes88 said:

We see something similar in cats and horses (perhaps the two species most noted for being naturally bipolar )

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HAHAHAHA, OMG. Ain't that the truth?

/hijack

Response to these drugs varies greatly. I would mostly be concerned about overdoing things and then not being fully aware of injury.

I have done so occasionally, but not to mitigate the anticipated pain. I have a screwy hip and shoulder, so I will time my prescribed tramadol in order to have that pain quiet down in order to enjoy the pain that I actually crave.

<insert prolonged musing about broken body pains vs. yummy BDSM pain, and why I don't get off from a stubbed toe>

I'm not sure if it affects our "playing pain" and allows me to ramp up higher in what I receive or not. JUSTAScoundrel would have to answer that part, I guess.

For me it depends on the pain. I have a endometriosis and so there are times that I have to take painkillers just to get through the day. If I have an impact scene I will call it off. But it is for something like needles, I will go ahead.

After my last play session, laying across the spanking bench and feeling my back begin to spasm, I have sincerely considered it.
As many people have said, it is hard to concentrate on the nice pain when the ikky chronic pain is coming through. I guess my choice would be ibuprofen as paracetamol doesn't touch my muscle pain and codeine makes me spacy.

kiwi_submissive said:

I was having a chat with a friend the other day and she said that she takes painkillers before a play session. I always had in the back on my mind that playing while on painkillers not a great idea because they may mask bad pain.

I tried to find out why she does it and she said it helps her to push herself. Personally I think that's weird because how can you be pushing yourself if you need to take painkillers to get there?

Anyhow, does anyone here play while on painkillers (well specifically take painkillers for a scene) and is it a common thing?

Click to expand...

Interesting question. I had a sub years ago that would always drink a shot before we went into a dungeon for public scenes because it let her deal better with her nerves. Ive also known a few who have chronic pain issues and who have mildly medicated before a scene for some of the below listed reasons.

However, I also know others who would want to get high (pot) or drink more than a shot of alcohol prior to a scene. This later group of people (regardless how how much I wanted to scene/ play with them.. I categorically refused. I explained to them that if they are high or tipsy then they cant 1) in all honestly give consent for the play/scene. and 2) As a Dominant, I read a subs body language much more than what they say during play. I HAVE TO. I cant trust that she can tell when its time to stop, often times she may be in an frenzy and just want more, more, more. Its the responsibility of the Dominant to know when to stop (aside of course when she askes to stop of course). If my sub is inebriated or high, I simply can not trust what her body language is telling me.

I will not, can not chance hurting a sub or her coming back on me after she sobers up claiming that she didnt give consent for everything that happened during a scene or play period. Ive seen both happen to other people in dungeons... I guess I learned from their mistakes.

So a small amount I will condone but more than that... I wont take the risk.

I’d say anything that numbs or dulls the sensation can be dangerous. I’ve has some overly sore days after a night fo drinking. I’d have to say it should be the responsibility of the domme/dom to make sure the sub is safe.

I'm pretty much against pain killers for any reason. Surgery might be an exception. Pain is there for a reason.

Alcohol combined with hydrocodone put me straight into zombie mode. I can't feel, I can't move. While it might make me less responsive to pain, it interferes with my ability to know when I'm reaching the point where actual damage. So I'll confine my pre-session drugs to wine and pot, thank you.

The masochist in me finds this idea exciting..

I find the idea of someone saying. “Take these because it might get uncomfortable and maybe painful.” Very exciting...

Scareltt said:

I find the idea of someone saying. “Take these because it might get uncomfortable and maybe painful.” Very exciting...

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I love how you think!

Firmly on the capitalized side of the slash, we found (once upon a time) that having codeine on board made me an asshole. **sigh** Fine. A bigger asshole. So, it was added to the list of mood-enhancing substances that I didn't partake in prior to play. Even when my torn rotator cuffs (both of them) interfered with my ability to swing the dual floggers. I could either tough it out or figured out something else to meet her needs in that moment.

For my little sweetmeats, I required that I be told any and all medical conditions including any substances on board. Whether "just" booze or some amalgam of opiate derivatives or whatever. It's not just her body I was interested in, but her mind. And if her mind was already padded, I had a whole steamer trunk of alternatives that would not even necessarily require touching her, much less as roughly as she might desire.

At the end of the day, I controlled what we did, how much we did, and how hard. Not her. And not the medications. If she needed the medications to withstand it, then it lost a great deal of the appeal to me, no matter how delightfully she begged.