paregoric

Use this forum to suggest Good Words for Professor Beard.
skinem
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1197
Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:33 pm
Location: Middle Tennessee

paregoric

Postby skinem » Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:02 am

Just thought it was interesting that this word has roots that mean both to "mitigate pain" and "to talk over" and "to assemble" --agora!. Talking about something that is bothering one does frequently seem to help!

par·e·go·ric
Pronunciation: "pa-r&-'gor-ik, -'gär-
Function: noun
Etymology: French parégorique mitigating pain, from Late Latin paregoricus, from Greek parEgorikos, from parEgorein to talk over, soothe, from para- + agora assembly, from ageirein to gather
: camphorated tincture of opium used especially to relieve pain

Perry
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2306
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:50 am
Location: Asheville, NC

Postby Perry » Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:29 pm

camphorated tincture of opium used especially to relieve pain
Tincture of opium (laudanum) contains 10 milligrams of morphine per milliliter; and was used to relieve pain, and also as a sedative.

The principal active ingredient of Peregoric, or camphorated tincture of opium is morphine (but at a concentration of 0.4 mg/mL), with other ingredients being benzoic acid, camphor and anise oil. Its use was in the relief of diarrhea; and sometimes as a cough suppressant.
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
Anonymous

skinem
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1197
Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:33 pm
Location: Middle Tennessee

Postby skinem » Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:38 pm

That morphine is gooooood stuff! They ought to put that in six-packs. At least that's what I thought when I've had it. (Legally, I might add! And frankly, wish I'd never had a reason to have it.)
Maybe not. If so, no one would accomplish anything!

Perry
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2306
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:50 am
Location: Asheville, NC

Postby Perry » Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:44 pm

I beg to differ. For about 4 months, or more, in 2003-4 I was taking morphine tablets chronically. (As some of the 'old-timers' from the other Agora already know, I have been through the mill with neurosurgeries on my neck.) It was effective for the pain (to a degree), but caused constipation and an extremely dry mouth.

I'm glad you got some pleasure out of the experience.

On the other hand, once when I had open-knee surgery many years ago, I was given demerol for pain. Before the shot, I was in agony. After the shot, I just had the disconnected sensation that something hurt somebody somewhere down towards the foot of the bed.

Perry-who-knows-a-thing-or-two-about-pain-and-pain-meds-Dror
"Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening all at once. Lately it hasn't been working."
Anonymous

User avatar
gailr
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1945
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 11:40 am
Contact:

Postby gailr » Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:53 pm

That morphine is gooooood stuff! They ought to put that in six-packs. At least that's what I thought when I've had it. (Legally, I might add! And frankly, wish I'd never had a reason to have it.)
Maybe not. If so, no one would accomplish anything!
There have been some interesting studies done on the brain's opiate receptors, serotonin production and mood regulation, as a possible [physical] explanation of religious experiences. One of my instructors said that the brain's chemistry is an elegant, intricate system of delicate locks and keys, and sometimes the best that corrective pharmaceuticals can do is to go in with a sledge hammer.

English majors know that Coleridge wrote Kubla Khan under the influence. A short overview of uses, abuses and official muses on this substance can be found here.
Note the last sentence.

-gailr

skinem
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1197
Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:33 pm
Location: Middle Tennessee

Postby skinem » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:12 pm

Never had the morphine for long, long term. I can definitely see it wouldn't be a good thing.
It's great for the pain, and after high-speed foreign objects have inserted themselves into you, it's about all you're really interested in.
You're right about the dry mouth. In my case it also caused rash and fever. But, you know what? In the amounts I had, I didn't care! It all kind of changes your perspective.
Never had any religious experience nor the ability to write anything while on it. They pretty well took the sledgehammer approach. The biggest thing I remember for a week was feeling warm, fuzzy, loving everyone around me, and being extremely happy; except when the monster came back, woke me up , which caused the nice person with the needle to come back, which made me happy again!

Bailey
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2114
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:51 pm

Postby Bailey » Wed Aug 23, 2006 8:18 pm

I'll pass on the religious experiences and the sledge hammers... Had a back injury and torso surgery and wide-awake hand surgery told the docs to keep the pain meds, never took more than a tylenol. I think I'll stick to endorphins, they are always available, Free, zero 'sides' and HaHa, *Legal* La-la-la-la-la.

mark doesn't-do-drugs Bailey
I should add that I'm allergic to lots of meds, and was the biggest stick-in-the-mud the whole of the 60's.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb









Bailey
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2114
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:51 pm

Postby Bailey » Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:10 pm

Perry, Long ago...Laudanum was given regularily to babies for teething. Not this century though.


mark can-you-say-Happy- babies? Bailey

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb









Stargzer
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2578
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:56 pm
Location: Crownsville, MD

Postby Stargzer » Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:53 pm

The doctor I had years ago would prescribe Phenergan VC with Codeine when I had a really bad cough that dextromethorphan (e. g., Robitussin DM) wouldn't stop. I asked him once what would happen if I had a beer with this medicine before I went to bed. "You sleep good!" was his reply. :)

Now that I have high blood pressure, whenever I have a really bad cough my doctor will prescribe Tussionex, an antihistamine with hydrocodone. The first time I took it I misread the directions. I thought it said to take one Tablespoon, and being a rather big fellow, 8) thought I'd take another just to be sure. The directions called for a TEASPOON, so I wound up taking 6 times the recommended dose! :shock: I could still function, talk, walk, and even drive a car with no problem, but you could not have insulted me that day no matter how hard you tried. I learned the meaning of "Euphoria" that day. I can see why some people will abuse this stuff!
Regards//Larry

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-- Attributed to Richard Henry Lee

Bailey
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2114
Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:51 pm

Postby Bailey » Thu Aug 24, 2006 12:06 am

The doctor I had years ago would prescribe Phenergan VC with Codeine when I had a really bad cough that dextromethorphan (e. g., Robitussin DM) wouldn't stop. I asked him once what would happen if I had a beer with this medicine before I went to bed. "You sleep good!" was his reply. :)
one allergy tab, otc will put me to sleep, I can't stay awake, and no beer along with it, just 1/2 the normal adult dose..I have a real hangover with a tiny taste of codeine.

mark a-drug-lightweight Bailey

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb










Return to “Good Word Suggestions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot] and 48 guests