back pain management

[marine mrs]

this is the first day i have attempted posting any questions myself. my post may end up in the wrong place sorry for the ignorance.

my question is......what are the most effective meds for lower back pain? what do other people who live with lower back pain daily use for meds? I have had lower back pain for many years. My 4th pregnancy put me over the edge. After #4 was born i could not deal with the pain on my own. My youngest is 6 and I have been on some sort of pain meds for over 5 years now. After trying many muscle relaxers i have learned i am allergic to muscle relaxers. I had terrible hallucinations from nurontin(sp). lyrica didn't work either. After trials of many meds, a dr prescibed Tylenol3 8x day with 50mg tramadol 4 times a day. I went to a pain management specialist and recieved several injections over the course of the first year and 2 surgeries the following year. my pain mgmt dr tried many meds not limited to. lidoderm patch, fentinol patch, vicodin etc. in the end I agreed to live on a daily basis with a pain level between 3-5 while taking 8-50mg tramadol and 4- tylenol #3 per day. pain mgmt specialist sent me back to my primary care manager with recommendations of what i agreed to. For 10 months now I am back trying meds because the T3's and tramadol were not working. I am currently taking the lowest dose percocet (5/325 i think) with the 50mg tramadol (2 tabs, 4 times a day) but i am living with a pain level of 5-6 daily. IF i try to do any gardening or bending over/lifting i know i will have 2-3 days of increased pain after that. I love my husband very much but I have not been able to sleep in our bed all night for over 3 years. I sleep on the sofa with tons of pillows placed in specific areas.

I hate the idea of being "that" person who takes percocet. when the docs have suggested oxycontin I will not entertain that idea even for a moment. I have accepted my dependancy on help from meds to get through my day but I am scared to death of becoming addicted to a certain drug that i can't stop taking for other reasons than back pain. I have children i need to take care of. I am too young to be living this life. until they come up with a better surgery with better odds i have accepted i will need to take something to help me through my day. I wonder if other people are taking meds or combo of meds that i have not tried yet that could help me.

thank you for any suggestions. I truly appreciate your time/effort.

[Cats Meow]

Oxycontin is probably the very best controlled release narcotic pain med, why will you not consider it? Taken responsibly it is no worse then any other pain med available, you are already dependant, so I don't understand your reluctance. Oxycodone is an excellent pain med, which you probably know since you take Percocet. Probably the best combos for people in severe pain is Oxycontin with a BT med like Oxy IR (if needed), or Duragesic patches (Fentanyl) with a BT med (if needed).
Codeine and Tramadol are really no good for severe pain. Your other options are Opana ER or Avinza or Kadian (both are morphine) which are both CR's, or Dilaudid or Oxycodone IR.

After being on pain meds for 5 years, I would like to suggest you detox, narcotics actually have a phenomenon where they cause more pain, they lower your pain threshold plus the pain associated with dependency, Many find out, myself included (I had terrible lower back pain, and over medicated at times) that pain will subside with cessation of pain meds, you should find you're able to function at a much higher capacity. I went from a pain scale of 8-9 down to a 1 or 2. I know it's hard to fathom imagining not being able to function without meds, but it works for many, many people, but getting over the withdrawals is the hard part, then it takes another 4 months or so to really access your true pain levels.

You said you had 2 surgeries, but were they spinal surgeries? What did they do, and where? Back surgery has a extremely high failure rate, like 85%, very few people are better off, and many are worse off.

Again, I strongly urge you to quit and re-assess your true pain levels, I think you will be surprised, you can always resume opioid therapy.
Cats

[Cats Meow]

Oxycontin is probably the very best controlled release narcotic pain med, why will you not consider it? Taken responsibly it is no worse then any other pain med available, you are already dependant, so I don't understand your reluctance. Oxycodone is an excellent pain med, which you probably know since you take Percocet. Probably the best combos for people in severe pain is Oxycontin with a BT med like Oxy IR (if needed), or Duragesic patches (Fentanyl) with a BT med (if needed).
Codeine and Tramadol are really no good for severe pain. Your other options are Opana ER or Avinza or Kadian (both are morphine) which are both CR's, or Dilaudid or Oxycodone IR.

After being on pain meds for 5 years, I would like to suggest you detox, narcotics actually have a phenomenon where they cause more pain, they lower your pain threshold plus the pain associated with dependency, Many find out, myself included (I had terrible lower back pain, and over medicated at times) that pain will subside with cessation of pain meds, you should find you're able to function at a much higher capacity. I went from a pain scale of 8-9 down to a 1 or 2. I know it's hard to fathom imagining not being able to function without meds, but it works for many, many people, but getting over the withdrawals is the hard part, then it takes another 4 months or so to really access your true pain levels.

You said you had 2 surgeries, but were they spinal surgeries? What did they do, and where? Back surgery has a extremely high failure rate, like 85%, very few people are better off, and many are worse off.

Again, I strongly urge you to quit and re-assess your true pain levels, I think you will be surprised, you can always resume opioid therapy.
Cats

[marine mrs]

Wow! this chat thing really works! Thank you so much for replying to my post. You gave me great insight of questions to ask my doc at next visit. Now, for your questions.....there are so many details i left out of my original post as well as my ignorance of meds and spelling did not deliver my message completely. My pain mgmt specialist did put me on fentanyl patch but it was like taking no meds at all-no pain relief but no side effects either. The last surgery I agreed to was performed at an incompetant hospital (my opinion) by a very good reputable Doctor. The surgery was scheduled for a friday morning. The doctor prescribed morphine thru my IV during recovery. When I woke up I felt pain like I have never known. For the first 3-4 hrs I told the nurses my back hurt worse than I have ever felt, I couldn't walk or roll over or move at all for that matter. The nurses continued every 35 minutes to put morphine in my IV line and told me this was the only med the doc had prescibed before he left, it was saturday and doc was not in his office. They also said this was common they just needed to give me more medicine to get on top of the pain and then it would be okay. Finally after 8 hrs i told them to stop giving me morphine it obviously was not working and they were just injecting me with a ton of very addictive stuff that was not even touching the pain. The only thing it was doing was fogging my head at this point. Now looking back I am sure the only way I was sleeping was blacking out from the pain. I gave birth to 4 children, 2 of them I chose to have completely natural. I do understand pain and I have been told that I do have a high threshhold for pain. I also understand what you are saying when suggest I detox. Between child 1and 2 I was diagnosed with endometriosis(sp) and prescribed T3. every several months or so I felt it was not as effective and would go a 6-8 weeks without anything other than over the counter so to wash my system. I am fortunate that I don't have any withdrawals from codine. I have not been more than a couple weeks with out percocet so not sure what it will be like when i give that up. When I went without the percocet I had Toradol injections and tablets. soooo your question why won't i take oxycontin? I battle with my self every single day for being "that" person taking percocet, I can't live with my self if I am taking oxycontin. I read something years ago that said if you need to take pain meds you should only take enough to just get you by, it's not a bad thing to feel your pain. I hate the idea of being "that" person taking narcotics at all. The hospital staff make you feel like such a bad person when you go in for refills or if you say "my back is very bad, I have not done anything but walk straight up slowly and lay on the sofa for 3 days." They change thier attitude a little when they take my blood pressure and it's 168/130. Your other question was what surgeries I have had. my problem started out with L2 and L3 bulging and leeking spinal fluid. My last MRI a few months ago show L4 is the same and L5 is starting to bulge. I can't tell you the technical words of what they called the surgical procedure but I understood them to go in and try to seal the leaks of L2 and L3. The last surgery was so horrible and I didn't gain anything from it I will not do any other surgery until technology has some sort of great break through with much higher odds of fixing my problem. I am unfamiliar with some of the other meds you suggested, I have never heard of them. I will do some research. After the horrible surgery my doctor appologized after he read my report and told me the nurses should have called him at home, I should not have had to endure pain like that for so long. He also believed I am one of the very few people that morphine does not work for, since my surgery my son had surgery and he is the same way, taking morphine is like taking nothing at all for pain. I am difficult as I have been told. It does me no good to take anything related to morphine. the only time i ever get a migraine(3 times) is when a doctor has tried to prescribe generic vicodin. I did take a pain med 9 years ago for oral surgery that took care of the pain and I had absolutely no side affects. Two years ago I brought it up to my new doctor at the time, the only thing i could remember was it was blue, oblong and had a "Lor" something for a name. At the time that Doc said he personally did not like codeine meds for oral surgery. I thought maybe that what ever strand or family that "lor" med came from may also work for my back. My doc at the time prescribed lortab but the pharmacist said he didn't carry lortab that generic vicodin was the same thing but the generic vicodin gave me another migraine. After trying to take it AGAIN....i questioned the pharmacist and he told me that it could possibly be the fillers in the meds that give me headaches. My doctors office makes it very difficult to discuss pain mgmt or to say something isn't working which was the result of me coming here to the internet. I have been researching for years but finally yesterday had the courage to post something on line with my name attached to the email. I appreciate any suggestions other people in my condition have to offer. Once again, thank you for your time and effort. Have a wonderful day....

[Cats Meow]

Morphine and Dilaudid never did a thing for me either, some people, a small percentage have a defective gene or an enzyme (or something) added or missing in their chromosomes, I seem to remember it's the CYP3A4 enzyme, anyway morphine has little to no effect on them, and they don't seem to suffer W/D symptoms. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl all worked great for me, but you might benefit seeing an Anesthesiologist for a pain mgmt consult, they're the experts. Consider a TENS Unit too for a non drug approach.

"That Person" doesn't mean anything, there is no "that person", there shouldn't be any social stigma attached, pain is a real thing that effects people from all walks of life, because you take a certain drug does not lump you into any category of persons, and who cares what others think? People think what they want, you can never change that, what someone thinks doesn't matter, what works matters, you shouldn't concern yourself with others, they can all go to hell. I know what you think about yourself matters, and it should, but you can't help that someone else's actions give a drug like Oxycontin a bad rap, it's not the drug, it's the idiots that abuse it, if it was called something else, I have the feeling you would consider it, you shouldn't feel any different about yourself from taking narcotics as you would an antibiotic, you have to do whatever it takes to make your quality of life better, period.

There's many different generics for Lortab, because one gave you bad side effects doesn't mean a different mfr's will too, sometimes people are sensitive to the inert ingredients, many pharms and their techs will swear up and down all generics are equal, but this is not always true, you can't fool someone who is completely stable on a drug then are forced to switch and notice a difference (this is a rant of mine if you haven't noticed), it's not psychological brand name loyalty or all in our heads, I know way too much about this, but anyhow.

Hope this helps some, and welcome to the site.
Cats

[alexia71]

I sympathise with u.I have broken my back twice , firt time when I was 17, second time when I was 29. I crushed fractured t-10 and my t-11. I also had Osteoporosis and I had no idea the weakest parts of my body are first my spine, then my hips. I was 30 when I found all this out and I was devastated! I am now 38 and went to see my dr yesterday and oh boy was I in a foul mood! I told him I was furious he wasnt helping me, I cant work, im cranky all the time and i scream in the shops at total strangers who make a silly mistake. I cant control my temper and my back pain isnt getting better, infact, its worse!
I have been on ms contin and other forms on morphine for 8 yrs...and the medication takes the edge off the pain.
I demanded my doctor prescribe morphine patches for me..fentalyn..I think. and he was too afraid to NOT do what I demanded of him! I tried them out for the first time yesterday afternoon....and this morning was the first time i woke up without being in that twisted pain way. I am stoked! However, every now and then I get drowsy...dizzy and confused. It has also started to itch me. Ive put the patch on my belly. I think i will put it on my arm when its time to change it. I have thought i was strange for not seezing but i read here that sneezing is the bodys way of letting u know the morphine has or is running out. Isnt that interesting! IM NOT STRANGE AFTERALL!!! Im normal!

I dont have children and i doubt i could after being on morphine for so long and still having to be on morphine even if i did ever get pregnant. I wonder what the side effects would be for the baby?
Alex

[monica_brad]

this is the first day i have attempted posting any questions myself. my post may end up in the wrong place sorry for the ignorance.

my question is......what are the most effective meds for lower back pain? what do other people who live with lower back pain daily use for meds? I have had lower back pain for many years. My 4th pregnancy put me over the edge. After #4 was born i could not deal with the pain on my own. My youngest is 6 and I have been on some sort of pain meds for over 5 years now. After trying many muscle relaxers i have learned i am allergic to muscle relaxers. I had terrible hallucinations from nurontin(sp). lyrica didn't work either. After trials of many meds, a dr prescibed Tylenol3 8x day with 50mg tramadol 4 times a day. I went to a pain management specialist and recieved several injections over the course of the first year and 2 surgeries the following year. my pain mgmt dr tried many meds not limited to. lidoderm patch, fentinol patch, vicodin etc. in the end I agreed to live on a daily basis with a pain level between 3-5 while taking 8-50mg tramadol and 4- tylenol #3 per day. pain mgmt specialist sent me back to my primary care manager with recommendations of what i agreed to. For 10 months now I am back trying meds because the T3's and tramadol were not working. I am currently taking the lowest dose percocet (5/325 i think) with the 50mg tramadol (2 tabs, 4 times a day) but i am living with a pain level of 5-6 daily. IF i try to do any gardening or bending over/lifting i know i will have 2-3 days of increased pain after that. I love my husband very much but I have not been able to sleep in our bed all night for over 3 years. I sleep on the sofa with tons of pillows placed in specific areas.

I hate the idea of being "that" person who takes percocet. when the docs have suggested oxycontin I will not entertain that idea even for a moment. I have accepted my dependancy on help from meds to get through my day but I am scared to death of becoming addicted to a certain drug that i can't stop taking for other reasons than back pain. I have children i need to take care of. I am too young to be living this life. until they come up with a better surgery with better odds i have accepted i will need to take something to help me through my day. I wonder if other people are taking meds or combo of meds that i have not tried yet that could help me.

thank you for any suggestions. I truly appreciate your time/effort.

Sorry to here that you will not even entertain the idea of trying oxycontin. For someone who says that pain is an everyday part of your life, (and you have tried surgeries), then why not try the oipieds. They are far less invasive on your liver than the narcotics with acetopmeiphine in them, (i.e.: vicodine). I am on a pain management with morphine and/or oxycontin as a daily part to myself being able to have a somewhat normal life. Pain is not something you can deal with on your own. The opiate medication helps decieve the brain, and lets you live your life.. (not from a chair or window, because you can't do that, because it'll hurt). Please don't think bad of these medications or the people who take them. Yes, the are addicting, but I would say needed. I am not an addict, I never feel a high, because I am on a constant level. If taken for the correct reasons, and as they are prescribed, they help.

[monica_brad]

I sympathise with u.I have broken my back twice , firt time when I was 17, second time when I was 29. I crushed fractured t-10 and my t-11. I also had Osteoporosis and I had no idea the weakest parts of my body are first my spine, then my hips. I was 30 when I found all this out and I was devastated! I am now 38 and went to see my dr yesterday and oh boy was I in a foul mood! I told him I was furious he wasnt helping me, I cant work, im cranky all the time and i scream in the shops at total strangers who make a silly mistake. I cant control my temper and my back pain isnt getting better, infact, its worse!
I have been on ms contin and other forms on morphine for 8 yrs...and the medication takes the edge off the pain.
I demanded my doctor prescribe morphine patches for me..fentalyn..I think. and he was too afraid to NOT do what I demanded of him! I tried them out for the first time yesterday afternoon....and this morning was the first time i woke up without being in that twisted pain way. I am stoked! However, every now and then I get drowsy...dizzy and confused. It has also started to itch me. Ive put the patch on my belly. I think i will put it on my arm when its time to change it. I have thought i was strange for not seezing but i read here that sneezing is the bodys way of letting u know the morphine has or is running out. Isnt that interesting! IM NOT STRANGE AFTERALL!!! Im normal!

I dont have children and i doubt i could after being on morphine for so long and still having to be on morphine even if i did ever get pregnant. I wonder what the side effects would be for the baby?
Alex

So are you saying that the patch is working? I've been on morphine and oxycontin for over 2 years, and still have pain, daily. But, mostly my question is about the patch. Wasn't it recalled for something? I thought I saw a huge lawsuit adverstisement on TV about a pain management patch. Please check it out, for you saftey. But otherwise, I hope it works out, and don't have to take the breakthrough medication any more.

[marine mrs]

Morphine and Dilaudid never did a thing for me either, some people, a small percentage have a defective gene or an enzyme (or something) added or missing in their chromosomes, I seem to remember it's the CYP3A4 enzyme, anyway morphine has little to no effect on them, and they don't seem to suffer W/D symptoms. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl all worked great for me, but you might benefit seeing an Anesthesiologist for a pain mgmt consult, they're the experts. Consider a TENS Unit too for a non drug approach.

"That Person" doesn't mean anything, there is no "that person", there shouldn't be any social stigma attached, pain is a real thing that effects people from all walks of life, because you take a certain drug does not lump you into any category of persons, and who cares what others think? People think what they want, you can never change that, what someone thinks doesn't matter, what works matters, you shouldn't concern yourself with others, they can all go to hell. I know what you think about yourself matters, and it should, but you can't help that someone else's actions give a drug like Oxycontin a bad rap, it's not the drug, it's the idiots that abuse it, if it was called something else, I have the feeling you would consider it, you shouldn't feel any different about yourself from taking narcotics as you would an antibiotic, you have to do whatever it takes to make your quality of life better, period.

There's many different generics for Lortab, because one gave you bad side effects doesn't mean a different mfr's will too, sometimes people are sensitive to the inert ingredients, many pharms and their techs will swear up and down all generics are equal, but this is not always true, you can't fool someone who is completely stable on a drug then are forced to switch and notice a difference (this is a rant of mine if you haven't noticed), it's not psychological brand name loyalty or all in our heads, I know way too much about this, but anyhow.

Hope this helps some, and welcome to the site.
Cats

Thanks again for your seemingly educated info. Are you a Doctor? You seem pretty objective. So yes, my tens unit(s), let me just tell you how much I love those little things. I've been through two units and as of two days ago need to go pick up a new one my insurance authorized. On bad days I use it every couple of hours. The lower back pain seems to make my entire body tense at times and my shoulders and neck become extremely tensed and balled up.

I hear and appreciate what you are saying that it does not matter what anyone else thinks. Typically I am a person to walk to my own beat of the drum however, what I have learned is that it does matter what the people think that stand between me and the help I need from the medical world. It's the uneducated staff sitting behind the desk answering the phones diagnosing my condition and deciding if I should see my doctor before my meds run out or if my condition can wait a few more weeks for an appointment. I also have issues with the people somewhat educated in the medical field that document my weight and blood pressure. They are the ones that have access to just enough info to judge whether or not a patient is selling or misusing. They look at my info and see I was prescribed 120 tablets of a narcotic 3+ weeks ago. They question how a person could possibly be running out of meds in a few days. THOSE are the people that matter. THEY decide how much time I spend trying to get refills or see my doctor. THIS as you can tell gets under my skin as you read through my ranting......sorry
I desperately need to find a solution that works for me. I am bitter because of the things I can no longer do and the amount of time I put into dr appointments and phone calls and even this……on the pc trying to research and educate myself. RE: oxycontin, I think you may be right. I can’t tell you how happy I would be if the FDA released a new pain medicine tomorrow that worked for me. If it took 3 years for that medicine to make headlines because of abuse on the streets I would probably be grateful for the three years I was able to take it without the judgments and then I would probably ask for a change in medicine because of the comments and questions of the staff at my doctor’s office.
Considering all the babble you have waded through in my posts and the info I have provided about my condition as well as what meds I have tried to take and what has worked at least without side effects, what meds would you choose to ask your doctor about if you were me? My doctor has referred me back to my physical therapists with as many appointments as I want and I feel my doctor would authorize any kind of mechanism out there like my tens unit. What would you suggest as a weekly/daily regimen for me and my condition? You seem to have a history yourself or vast knowledge in this area.
Thank you again for your help. you have provided a ton of info and great points interest for me to consider. I appreciate any further thoughts or recommendations. I feel fortunate you read my original post
Have a great day!

[rapidrobert]

this is the first day i have attempted posting any questions myself. my post may end up in the wrong place sorry for the ignorance.

my question is......what are the most effective meds for lower back pain? what do other people who live with lower back pain daily use for meds? I have had lower back pain for many years. My 4th pregnancy put me over the edge. After #4 was born i could not deal with the pain on my own. My youngest is 6 and I have been on some sort of pain meds for over 5 years now. After trying many muscle relaxers i have learned i am allergic to muscle relaxers. I had terrible hallucinations from nurontin(sp). lyrica didn't work either. After trials of many meds, a dr prescibed Tylenol3 8x day with 50mg tramadol 4 times a day. I went to a pain management specialist and recieved several injections over the course of the first year and 2 surgeries the following year. my pain mgmt dr tried many meds not limited to. lidoderm patch, fentinol patch, vicodin etc. in the end I agreed to live on a daily basis with a pain level between 3-5 while taking 8-50mg tramadol and 4- tylenol #3 per day. pain mgmt specialist sent me back to my primary care manager with recommendations of what i agreed to. For 10 months now I am back trying meds because the T3's and tramadol were not working. I am currently taking the lowest dose percocet (5/325 i think) with the 50mg tramadol (2 tabs, 4 times a day) but i am living with a pain level of 5-6 daily. IF i try to do any gardening or bending over/lifting i know i will have 2-3 days of increased pain after that. I love my husband very much but I have not been able to sleep in our bed all night for over 3 years. I sleep on the sofa with tons of pillows placed in specific areas.

I hate the idea of being "that" person who takes percocet. when the docs have suggested oxycontin I will not entertain that idea even for a moment. I have accepted my dependancy on help from meds to get through my day but I am scared to death of becoming addicted to a certain drug that i can't stop taking for other reasons than back pain. I have children i need to take care of. I am too young to be living this life. until they come up with a better surgery with better odds i have accepted i will need to take something to help me through my day. I wonder if other people are taking meds or combo of meds that i have not tried yet that could help me.

thank you for any suggestions. I truly appreciate your time/effort.

Don't worry about becoming adicted. If your paiinis trueu the drugs will go to the pain and you will receive no "high" as when used recreationally. Use duragesic and morphiine combination in a dose you can tolerate. I have been taking 200mcg duragesic q2 days and 15mg morphine (msir) prn for brak thru pain. NO one should have to live with pain. Rob

[Cats Meow]

Hi Marine, no, I'm not a doctor, just someone who's been there, done that, and learned a few things along the way.
Opana ER is the newest controlled release drug that's on the market, it doesn't have as much of the abuse potential as Oxycontin does, it's very expensive, and most agree it's not as good as Oxycontin.
For a person in severe pain, there really isn't anything better in my opinion (and most everybodies) then Oxycontin. Duragesic is the next step up or equal and also has less abuse potential, however it doesn't usually last the full 72 hours as indicated, and it too is very expensive.
Since stigma and prejudgment is so important to you (and you're really not going to be able to get away from it no matter what), I guess you should consider going with Duragesic (Fentanyl) patches, and you might need a break thru (BT) med with it, typically it would be a Vicodin or Percocet or oxy IR pill.
But like I've said, Oxycontin is excellent with a BT med if needed.
Opana ER should be considered as well.
People find taking Soma with one of these drugs helps a lot, it's a great muscle relaxer, as is Flexeril.

[marine mrs]

Sorry to here that you will not even entertain the idea of trying oxycontin. For someone who says that pain is an everyday part of your life, (and you have tried surgeries), then why not try the oipieds. They are far less invasive on your liver than the narcotics with acetopmeiphine in them, (i.e.: vicodine). I am on a pain management with morphine and/or oxycontin as a daily part to myself being able to have a somewhat normal life. Pain is not something you can deal with on your own. The opiate medication helps decieve the brain, and lets you live your life.. (not from a chair or window, because you can't do that, because it'll hurt). Please don't think bad of these medications or the people who take them. Yes, the are addicting, but I would say needed. I am not an addict, I never feel a high, because I am on a constant level. If taken for the correct reasons, and as they are prescribed, they help.

I certainly don't think bad of the people who take pain meds- pain or entertainment. The first time my doctors prescibed meds for my blood pressure I didn't take them either until I had a mild stroke. I still don't take my anxiety meds the way I am suppose to. I was raised on an Island, I know now I grew up in a very naive culture. Unless you had broken bones sticking out of your skin you dealt with it. I guess I just have a problem getting old and depending on drugs to get through my day. As for the people who use narcotics etc for entertainment reasons........I graduated high school in the 80's. "Sex n drugs n Rock n roll" on this island no less! I am in no position to judge. I never got into the pills but I played with other chemicals. The people that do make the judgements I have a problem with. A doctor has the education and hopefully the patients history, in my opinion they are the only ones to make that judgment of what drugs a patient should be taking. This web interraction thing I am new to but it has made me think and realize a few things about my issues and self. I hate needing the help but I hate not being able to live my life more so I am reconsidering any drugs on the market my doctor thinks may help my situation. The threads to my post have made me realize I have definate hang-ups about certain drugs. I've never been truly addicted to anything other than coffee. I have only had side affects, withdrawals I guess to paxil. (very disoriented and fuzzy head). Years ago before I learned the full extent of my problems I was on/off several different narcotics, pain meds, muscle relaxers etc. DAys, weeks after stopping the only thing I felt was excrutiating pain. I will look into the oxycontin drug as well as another drug another thread suggested. My doctor suggested oxycontin June 2008. I still am fearful of becoming addicted to something and needing it for yet another reason other than pain. I appreciate your response and thank you for giving me another reason to reconsider drugs with various reputations. I wish you the best with your current condition as well. Have a great day! - Marine mrs.

[marine mrs]

Don't worry about becoming adicted. If your paiinis trueu the drugs will go to the pain and you will receive no "high" as when used recreationally. Use duragesic and morphiine combination in a dose you can tolerate. I have been taking 200mcg duragesic q2 days and 15mg morphine (msir) prn for brak thru pain. NO one should have to live with pain. Rob

Rob, thank you for your reply to my post. Unfortunately the duragesic patch and morphine has no affect at all. After my second surgery the surgeon left word for nurses to give as much morphine as needed to keep patient(me) comfortable. They injected maximum dosing every 35 minutes and I just wanted to die whenever I wasn't blacking out from the pain. I don't know how everyone else with my problem deals with it. I'm only 42 yo and my 60 some parents can do more than I can on a daily basis. I am just simply angry and frustrated! Thanks again.- Marine mrs.

[marine mrs]

Hi Marine, no, I'm not a doctor, just someone who's been there, done that, and learned a few things along the way.
Opana ER is the newest controlled release drug that's on the market, it doesn't have as much of the abuse potential as Oxycontin does, it's very expensive, and most agree it's not as good as Oxycontin.
For a person in severe pain, there really isn't anything better in my opinion (and most everybodies) then Oxycontin. Duragesic is the next step up or equal and also has less abuse potential, however it doesn't usually last the full 72 hours as indicated, and it too is very expensive.
Since stigma and prejudgment is so important to you (and you're really not going to be able to get away from it no matter what), I guess you should consider going with Duragesic (Fentanyl) patches, and you might need a break thru (BT) med with it, typically it would be a Vicodin or Percocet or oxy IR pill.
But like I've said, Oxycontin is excellent with a BT med if needed.
Opana ER should be considered as well.
People find taking Soma with one of these drugs helps a lot, it's a great muscle relaxer, as is Flexeril.

Good Day Cat's... I have left word with my dr office to contact me asap. I dropped a note at his office re: the drugs you thought may be worth considering. As soon as I finish here I will type another note to him requesting consideration of Opana ER. I have reconsidered my attitude towards drugs in general. I will tell my doc I will now try anythign his professional opinion suggests. in view of the small list of strands of drugs I can take in comparison to the list of drugs I can’t take I am at the mercy of what will work. I need to suck up my pride and surrender to anything that works that can give me back a normal life of a 42 year old mother of 4.

I can't use the duragesic patch. Tried it 3 years ago. I guess my next step is to try to find out more about Oxycontin and Opana. For myself.....learn what makes people addicted for other reasons than what they were originally prescibed the med for. Maybe I can find what other's like myself have done that makes them addicted to these drugs for "other reasons." Maybe, if I am smart, I can learn from the difficulties of other back problem patients. I may feel even more comfortable about taking the drugs once I educate myself further. Because of my closed minded attitude, I have not even tried to find info about oxycontin and how it could be applied to my current situation.

I wish I had taken this step years ago, posted my questions for the world to read. Asked for help from others like myself. I have learned a great deal about this problem I have that others share. YOU, especially have made me question my thoughts, theories and opinions of several ideas in my mind. I can't thank you enough! Enjoy your day!

[cess06]

K guys ima break it down for this person in a couple ez words


If your really in pain prep yourself to become addicted to pain meds no matter what way you look at it if you want relief you will be taking strong meds

im not going to write some huge paragraph talking about when my balls droped or nothing but the first thing he'll give you is Hydrocodone then work your immune system up to Oxycodone 10mg/325mg then Roxicodone15mg then Roxicodone 30mg then your going to be where the Oxycontins come in wich are time released so enjoy if your ready!

That's a good idea, consult a doctor and ask what's the best thing to do. Just take your medicine in a proper way because it will harm you if you won't follow procedures.

[Cats Meow]

A discussion of pain mgmt isn't complete without mentioning (and I am hesitant to even mention it for obvious reasons) and that is Methadone. It is probably the cheapest, best, pain med for people in severe pain who have run the gamut, and expect long term chronic pain indefinitely, but it does have it's downsides. I firmly believe it should only be used as the last option. I'm sure you won't give it a second thought, any consideration, and you shouldn't at this time, but it does have it's place.
Again, I think you should consider an Anesthesiologist consult, they have several non-mainstream drugs (like Levorphanol and Nalbuphine for example), and your DX/HX is peculiar (your unusual response to morphine), so I think you may benefit from their expertise.
I'm glad I've been some help to you, you're most welcome.
Cats

[Brooklyndave]

I must say I feel for you, as I know the pain and frustration you must be going through. I have had back pain now for over 30 years, at first my doctors were giving pills like Advil never help, then they tried other anti-inflamatory meds still no help. I am now on 50 mg. Tramadol 2 tabs, and
Hydrocodone 10MG/APAP 650MG 1 tab I take these approx. every 8 hours
and it has kept the pain under control.

People will tell you that you will become addicted in over 10 years I have not had any addictions or withdrawals. I am a veteran so I get my meds. from the VA they also told me that pain management would not be any help to me.
I am 63 years old and still work full time in the retail sector, and am on my feet over 8 hours a day and sometimes have to put heavy cartons away.
try the Vicodene with the Tramadol. Good Luck::