I have had several heart attacks and have 2 stents in my heart. i also have stents in both legs. this is due to vascular disease. i have chronic back pain and have been on lortab 10 for a couple of years - 2x a day. they don't seem to help anymore. i also take plavix,asprin,and a number of other meds. any ideas on what i should ask my Dr. for to help with the pain?
What is the strongest pain medication I can take for chronic back pain?
Question posted by fortunate on 7 Oct 2009
Last updated on 10 May 2024
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
101 Answers Page 4
neison71
22 Oct 2010
Normally I would say less is more, but in your case, having had vascular parin-
lost one leg to artery disease- and chronic back pain, I would ask for the lowest doese duragesic patch, with the lortabs at the same dose for breakthrough pain.
I'm going to mark you as a friend, please feel free to write me.
( :
neison
sasher
20 Oct 2010
You should always go for the minimum drug/dosage that will take care of your pain, because you want to save the really big guns for when you need them later. . Have you tried taking 2 10mg lortab at a time 2-3x day? That's about as many as I've heard of people taking, partly because of the Tylenol in them, I guess.
If more Lortab doesn't work for you then you've probably done all you can with hydrocodone..(the active ingredient in Lortab)
I would ask for oxycodone next, though you should be aware that because of all the press about oxycontin addiction, your doctor may be reluctant to prescribe oxycodone. Unfortunately, the time release version, (which *is* oxycontin - the 'contin' means 'continuous' i.e. time release form), is by far the best choice, providing the best pain management with the smoothest delivery.
That is, because it's a time-release medication you don't get the drop in effectiveness that comes between doses.
(It's been my observation that drug companies will claim a longer effective period for their drugs than the patient usually gets. So if the medication says it lasts 12 hours, you can bet that after about 10 hours you're going to feel like you need another dose. How long it actually lasts, of course, depends both on which med it is and on your individual metabolism.)
If you can't get oxycodone, you have a lot of other choices - morphine, methadone and fentanyl are all pain meds, So is something called Ultram, though I'm not sure what that is exactly. Morphine is very sedating - you may find you sleep a lot. Some doctors will prescribe ritalin to counteract that, but that's up to your doc - not sure about ritalin and heart problems...
Methadone is not just for treating heroin addiction - it's a legitimate pain med as well. I don't take it because is seems to interact with another medication I take, but it can be very effective, I gather.
Fentanyl is very strong stuff and usually given in a patch - for back pain, it's either very effective or not effective at all - at least that's what I hear from friends who've tried it. If it works for you, it's probably something you should put off for later... It's mostly used for cancer patients.
There's also something called Lyrica that is used for nerve pain like sciatica. It isn't a narcotic. It doesn't seem to work well for me, but I have a friend with severe sciatica who calls it his 'magic pill' and does really well on it.
The most important thing is a good relationship with the doctor providing the pain management. If they trust you, you'll have far fewer issues - and if you can't seem to establish that level of trust you might want to look for a more compatible doc...
Good luck!
kicker20
15 Oct 2010
The strongest pain medication you can take for chronic pain is a fentanyl patch. For acute or breakthrough pain, you can take a fentanyl lollypop called Actiq. Also their is a fentanyl losenge call Fentora. These meds are much safer than pill for abuse reasons and for your liver. Good Luck
curlytop1234
3 Aug 2013
I think the strongest medication is opana er.
Outeastmike1993
26 Aug 2010
Yeh whoever just said lorcet was slightly stronger than percocet is slightly retarted. Percocet is oxycodone /acet. And lorcet is hydrocodone /acet. . Oxycodone makes hydrocodone feel lik 200mg ibuprofen. And i know exactly how you feel being on the lorcet for 2 years and them not working the same anymore. In my case I was on lorcet 10/650 for abput a year and a half and i was still having the same pain in my lower back(chronic lower back pain) my uncle had some 10/650 percocet and gave me a few to get by to my next doc appt. Well the percocet worked just fine but at my appt. My pain management doc completely ignored the percocet idea and prescribed me 150 30mg roxicodones 90 xanax bars and 90 10/650 percocets . And i was a zombie for about 3 weeks lol.
But anyways to answer your question for the strongest painkiller in my opinion would either be - a 200mg morphine pill - 80mg oxycontin - 40mg opana(oxymorphone)= oxycodone & morphine like dilaudid is hydromorphone opana is oxymorphone . Im aspiring to be a pharmacist and ever since i was 13 i could debate with my familys pillhead about drug information and facts and i was always right . I go by facts about everything if its my opinion i will state before stating the opinipn.
dmfdjttor57
5 Nov 2010
Believe it or not, occasionally people make mistakes on this site. I wonder how many, over the time it's been available? Calling people "retarded" is not the way we usually respond to other's mistakes. A better response might have been "the person who said Lortab was slightly stronger than percocet was mistaken. Actually, the perocet is stronger." There was once a drug available called Lorecet that came in the 750 dosage and WAS stronger than regular percocet. That drug no longer is made. I made the mistake of thinking of Lorocet rather than Lortab and apologized to my fellow "friends" for that incorrect statement. I would like to tell you that 30 mg. roxicodone
is 30 mg. oxycodone, made by a different drug company. I don't think you are retarded for not knowing that, after all, you are an aspiring pharmacist but we sometimes make mistakes, don't we? Kindness goes much farther on this site and with people who are having problems, than name calling and I hope that is something that you are able to learn prior to getting behind the
pharmacy counter. Good luck to you in your endeavors.
ph.Rasoul
25 Aug 2010
there is many types of the pain killer but the problem begin when u will use it chronicly,,its side effects will be so danger as if u use nsaid or cortisone or opiods
becoz od that i advise to use "danzen"
its active ingrediant safe 100% coz it enzyme and would not cause any advesre effect with moderate analgesic and anti inflammatory effects
melinda sue
25 May 2010
Well i had a stroke about 2 months ago but i have been taking suboxone not only to treat my chronic pain but to manage my opiate addiction and it has really been a life saver ity helps my pain more than anything iv'e ever tried and it keeps the addiction under control.
momnmeno1
12 May 2010
I don't know if you've ever tried oxycontin or any heavy opiate drugs, But I would try anything before I went that route. Unless you can get your doctor to keep you on them the rest of your life & keep uping your dose as you build a tolerance, which is not something you want to do. Oxy & other opiates (especially Oxy) will ruin your life. When you try to get off of it you won't be able to because the withdrawal symptoms are so bad you would wish you had never started. I know this from experience. Have you tried tens or other therepy? I would research more unless you want to be hooked on a drug as bad & comparible as Heroin.
zombie78113
11 May 2010
Hello,to answer your question about the strongest pain med you can take,well since you had several heart attacks,it's gonna be hard,because you are gonna have to stay away from the ones that slow your breathing and blood pressure down,witch will include oxycontin,mscontin,now not to sure about vicodin,lortab or norco,theonly thing I have learned about them is they do not last long,I have been on them for about 5 years and ther are wearing off now,doctors are idiots,they really do not want to help,they just wanna give a script and send you on your way,you can ask your doctor about dilaudid whish is also hydromorphone,that one helped me a short while when 6 lortabs didn't help me,but it wears off to,now I see you were taking 2 lortabs a day,the thing with hydrocodone is,the tylenol level,as long as you do not exceed 4000 miligram tylenol level in the pill,wich means you can ask for norco which is hydrocodone 10/325,a doctor will prescribe you to take at the most 10 ...
hydrocodones 10/325 a day and generic for norco is the cheapest vicodin,the strengths it comes in is 7.5/325 and 10/325 for chronic pain,good luck to you,and one thing,do not ever start chewing them,I have seen alot of people get hooked on them,sure they fill you full of energy and help you move around good,but it's really not woth it.
katforbes1
1 May 2010
I don't know if you are still looking for an answer but, pers and lortaps are not going to continue to give you pain relief. I think you should talk to your doctor about methadone. it is no longer for drug addiction only! It is often used for pain man. alot! I take it for back pain and i am very happy. No one can tell i take it. But to get to tht point you do have to try differnt mgs. you will find that once you come off then you can slowly bring your dose down and thats it.
jackson222
24 April 2010
I Think that you should really talk to your doctor, because you have to be very careful of what you take by you having attacks.take care of yourself.
Robbibird3
24 April 2010
I would suggest the pill form of morphine. my version is called MS Contin and I take 60 mg. twice a day for osteoarthritis pain in my knees. I also used Kadian which is also a form of morphine. Oxy Contin is the strongest form I know of but I don't trust it because a friend had been taking it for a short time before committing suicide and I hold that medication responsible.
Inactive
19 April 2010
Fortunate indeed!!! Wow you have been through alot. I have been through a series of alot of different pain meds due to my lower back pain. I would suggest since you are already taking short acting pain medicine to stick with that or get into pain management. There is a difference between long acting and short acting pain meds lortab,vicodin,norco etc... all consist of tylenol(acetaminophen). Pain management has specialist physicians that took classes specifically about pain and regular physicians can only do so much the higher drugs like morphine,methadone etc... are considered class 3 drugs that regular physicians do not like ditributing. Pain management can also write prescriptions for 15mg norco that are pharmacitacully compounded at a special pharmacy and can mix them with whatever aspirin tylenol,motrin whatever helps you with the mixture of pain meds you take so you will only be taking one pill that has the norco and aspirin that you prefer.
These are capsules not tablets. I really would if I were you move on to bigger and better things either get yourself into pain management or ask your physician to refer you if you have insurance more than likely you will need a referral if you are doing self pay you make up your own rules. GOOD LUCK!!!
Insomnia
6 April 2010
I deal with pain in my neck due to degenerative disc disease. Severe pain for years. 2 pain meds that I am using at present are tramadol and Gabapentin. Good luck. Ask your doc
Farrah10
20 March 2010
You must learn to bear pain within itself. You stated that you have taken several drugs. you may have a drug de pend ancy problem and adding more meds with lortab may not be the best route to take.I would suggest respectly that you speak with your Dr. or ask for a specialist.
NeedsAbackiotomy
13 March 2010
You should maybe ask your DOCTOR not people on the INTERNET. For Christ sake... you might as well go get some damn heroin if you think people on HERE can give you medical advice that a doctor couldn't. You sound absolutly foolish, CALL A DOCTOR... YOU SHOULD HAVE ONE I ASSUME WITH ALL YOUR HEALTH PROBLEMS AND GET OFF YOUR COMPUTER MORON! Doctors are people who go to school for a long time to learn about how to help sick people... people on websites have nothing better to do, think they know it all, are looking to pass a drug test or have no lives and act like they know something about drugs. WAKE UP DUDE!
heckmuck
16 Jan 2011
NeedsAbackiotomy- Why so cruel? I don't think the question was meant to take the place of a dr., but to seek others opinions and experiences who are going through the same things. I think this site is great for those of us in pain to vent our frustrations and speak with others who understand us. It seems that you are a very angry and bitter person, for whatever reason, who has nothing better to do than to make people feel bad about themselves for asking an innocent question. I don't see the point in attacking this person who asked a very simple question and is looking for some input to maybe ask their doc about other medications that may help with the pain they experience daily. I hardly think that the majority of the people on this site are drug seekers in any way. We are all here to help others with their questions and offer our own experiences. It's not like we can actually write the prescriptions for one another anyway.
There is no harm in asking questions to help us learn about possible alternate medications and or treatments. Knowledge is power, my dear. I hope you find whatever it is you are looking for somewhere, but I do not believe this site is the proper avenue for you to vent your frustrations on these poor people. God Bless you, and may you find peace...
FibroAlpha
26 May 2011
Doctors like many things come in several varieties, IMO with the exception of surgeons which are like no other and require real talent and ability. "Modern Medicine" in the last century, begins with Paul Erlich, inventor of "Dr Erlich's Magic bullet", who coined several words still used today, possibly most significant is "Chemotherapy".
Medicine was and is first and foremost , a business, a way to earn a living, a job.
Surgery traces its beginnings to war and warfare, there and there alone were men allowed to "cut open" and learn what lay inside and how to deal with insult. (often Barbers or Butchers because of the knives, saws, razors and such), 'JOB'
Medicine traces it's beginnings to the Alchemists (an often whacked out [on their own brews] bunch of 'poisoners' where you could get a dram of "the good stuff" for a few sheckles, to wipe out your enemies [if it worked]), most often involved in the search to find a way to turn lead into gold, hmmm, (money makers).
Each (highly successful) doctor had a "secret" remedy for something, a "specialist", blood letting was quite popular, Abraham Lincoln was "blood let to death" (not that the hole in his head didn't cause enough damage).
Bottom line is this, the MD's are by license and sufferance of "we the people"
and by education alone (Hazing), keepers of the keys to the prescription medicine chest.
The MD's are utterly helpless to cure or help anything. All they can do is allow you to have selective poisons which might or might not help your body recover from whatever ails it. The only truly beneficial use for the MD's is pain control, so that you may be more comfortable or productive than you might otherwise have been while you do or do not, die.
The collective education and intellect of the internet, far exceeds any doctor or team of doctors , "specialists", "MD's", whatever. However, when a team of us netizens start with Surgery, I pass.
FibroAlpha
13 June 2011
Doctors like many things come in several varieties, IMO with the exception of surgeons which are like no other and require real talent and ability. "Modern Medicine" in the last century, begins with Paul Ehrlich, inventor of "Dr Ehrlich's Magic bullet", who coined several words still used today, possibly most significant is "Chemotherapy".
Medicine was and is first and foremost , a business, a way to earn a living, a job.
Surgery traces its beginnings to war and warfare, there and there alone were men allowed to "cut open" and learn what lay inside and how to deal with insult. (often Barbers or Butchers because of the knives, saws, razors and such), 'JOB'
Medicine traces it's beginnings to the Alchemists (an often whacked out [on their own brews] bunch of 'poisoners' where you could get a dram of "the good stuff" for a few sheckles, to wipe out your enemies [if it worked]), most often involved in the search to find a way to turn lead into gold, hmmm, (money makers).
Each (highly successful) doctor had a "secret" remedy for something, a "specialist", blood letting was quite popular, Abraham Lincoln was "blood let to death" (not that the hole in his head didn't cause enough damage).
Bottom line is this, the MD's are by license and sufferance of "we the people"
and by education alone (Hazing), keepers of the keys to the prescription medicine chest.
The MD's are utterly helpless to cure or help anything. All they can do is allow you to have selective poisons which might or might not help your body recover from whatever ails it. The only truly beneficial use for the MD's is pain control, so that you may be more comfortable or productive than you might otherwise have been while you do or do not, die.
The collective education and intellect of the internet, far exceeds any doctor or team of doctors , "specialists", "MD's", whatever. However, when a team of us netizens start with Surgery, I pass.
Related topics
lortab, heart attack, heart disease, pain, back pain
Further information
- Lortab uses and safety info
- Lortab prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lortab (detailed)
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