I have long been a believer in the least effective dose. If I can handle something with aspirin, the scrip goes untouched. If It gets too bad, I’ll take the meds—once. Dentist prescribed hydrocodone after oral surgery. I did take one of those. After that, it just wasn’t so bad I needed anything. So I saved the ones left over for a couple of years in case I ended up in real pain, then threw them down the toilet.
I am honestly fearful of taking opiates. Perhaps that is silly, but they scare me. I know some people have events where they really need them, but it would have to be extremely bad for me to take them!