I'm only starting out on the aviation licence road, but am disabled with a couple of rheumatic conditions, i.e. Fibromyalgia (chronic pain syndrome), and Lupus (autoimmune syndrome) amongst a few others. But I need to take painkillers for the FMS - currently too strong to allow me to pass a medical.
However, I am trying to get down on to more acceptable ones e.g. Paracetamol. I'm curious about whether any other pilots (not necessarily commercial) have had to deal with or are still dealing with long-term/chronic conditions specifically requiring constant pain relief, and whether it affects later medicals. I've been told I should pass this first medical if I can keep off the stronger drugs (and that's a BIG if), but I sort of wonder, would they eventually get to feeling that even being on Paracetamol/aspirin based drugs constantly might not be healthy - after all too much paracetamol can shred your liver nicely. It's just so frustrating, as I'm fine taking my current drugs while learning, and have in fact been commended for my performance, yet because of their nature, cannot be allowed to consider going solo in order to get my licence. I understand the reasons perfectly, and like other posts regarding alcohol/drugs, I appreciate that I may not be the best judge of whether I am being adversely affected by them or not. Any input of experiences in this area would be really appreciated - nice to know how others deal with these problems.
Thanks. TR