katkat
08-23-2005, 12:45 AM
I started on 20, then 30, I used 30 longer than the 20 because I knew that it eventually wouldn't work no matter how high up I went. So when I went to 40 every 12 hours it didn't hardly work at all. How high does Morphine go? What happens when I get to the highest amount and it doesn't work anymore? I hate taking this crap but cannot walk without it. Last February I decided I'd go off of it for a few months, then maybe it would work better, but guess what? I couldn't go off it, omg it makes me so sick. I guess I thought my body would not become addicted to it since I don't have that addictive type personality. Boy was I wrong. This all sucks. I hate the side effects, it tears up my stomach, not to mention what it does or should I say doesn't let me do normally. When I first took Kadian, the time released morphine I was tickled to death because it worked so good, now it is working less and less and I still am addicted. If I tell my doc to get me off this crap how long will all the symptoms last? Will it be terribly awful.......I know it will. I am such a whimp too.
thanks for allowing me to vent, like you had a choice eh? lol
Kat
thanks for allowing me to vent, like you had a choice eh? lol
Kat
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friendly_one
08-23-2005, 07:24 AM
Hi Kat,
I'm new here and it's nice to meet all of you. :wave: You are not addicted (your body became dependent on the medication -addiction is a psychological disorder). Everybody who takes long term medications will become dependent at some point. Your meds are working less for you because you are becoming tolerant to them as well. The dosages will have to be increased in order to control your pain. By the way, there are no limits to how high a medication can go (if they are pure agoinsts meds - morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, oxycodone, etc.).
If you cannot live in pain (which the majority of us cannot) then you need to talk to your doc about increasing your meds, or maybe trying a new med. If you want to totally come off all your meds, your doctor should be able to help you taper down the med (narc) and use a variety of other meds (clonidine, Klonopin, etc. ) so you feel little/if no withdrawal.
Good Luck Kat & God Bless
I'm new here and it's nice to meet all of you. :wave: You are not addicted (your body became dependent on the medication -addiction is a psychological disorder). Everybody who takes long term medications will become dependent at some point. Your meds are working less for you because you are becoming tolerant to them as well. The dosages will have to be increased in order to control your pain. By the way, there are no limits to how high a medication can go (if they are pure agoinsts meds - morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, oxycodone, etc.).
If you cannot live in pain (which the majority of us cannot) then you need to talk to your doc about increasing your meds, or maybe trying a new med. If you want to totally come off all your meds, your doctor should be able to help you taper down the med (narc) and use a variety of other meds (clonidine, Klonopin, etc. ) so you feel little/if no withdrawal.
Good Luck Kat & God Bless
katkat
08-23-2005, 02:17 PM
Oh thank God, yes now I see the difference between addicted and my body being dependent on it. I still don't like it though.
I don't understand what you are saying there are no limits on how high a med can go.....I know that 20 mg of Kadian is the lowest they make, there has to be pill that is the highest that they make .......right? Ok I just went up to 40 in May and here it is only August and it doesn't work nearly as well. I hate increasing it because it increases the sypmtoms also. But I guess it is better than having no life.
Thanks for the info, I appreciate you taking the time to answer my post. What exactly are Clonidine and Klonopin? Are they pain killers too?
Kat
I don't understand what you are saying there are no limits on how high a med can go.....I know that 20 mg of Kadian is the lowest they make, there has to be pill that is the highest that they make .......right? Ok I just went up to 40 in May and here it is only August and it doesn't work nearly as well. I hate increasing it because it increases the sypmtoms also. But I guess it is better than having no life.
Thanks for the info, I appreciate you taking the time to answer my post. What exactly are Clonidine and Klonopin? Are they pain killers too?
Kat
dckatz2001
08-23-2005, 03:02 PM
It looks like the largest dosage pill they make is 100mg but I could be wrong. But just because 100mg is the highest mg pill they make it doesn't mean that's the highest dose you can take. You could take two 100mg pills at the same time making your total dose 200mg. The only limit on pure opiates is really when the side effects start getting worse than the pain you are taking the medication for.
katkat
08-23-2005, 03:41 PM
Dang, wouldn't that kill somene?
Chaswick
08-23-2005, 04:13 PM
It could kill someone who wasn't taking morphine and his first dose was 200mgs., but no Dr. would Rx that to someone new to opioids. Sort of like the Duragesic patches. Even the 25mcg is not to be Rx'd to someone who is not used to opioids.
The tolerance you have built up taking morphine as you do is why you need more of it to work for your pain. Many Dr.'s feel that once you have reached a level where you are getting really good pain coverage you should be able to stay at that level for a long time. What other pain meds. have you tried.
No Clonodine and Klonopin are not pain medications. Klonopin is more of a seizure and anxiety medication. Shouldn't be taken for long periods of time. From what I have heard it is extremely dificult to taper off of.
Clonodine is an antihypertensive and is Rx'd for high blood pressure.
Both of these meds. are Rx'd for many other conditions. Clonodine is also given to people who are withdrawing from opioid medication as it eases their symptoms. Also, both meds. can work with the morphine that you are taking and can give it more 'punch'.
As was mentioned, morphine does not have a 'ceiling' (that means that the more that is taken the more it will do). Meds. like tylenol "does" have a ceiling. So if the ceiling for tylenol was 1200mgs. and one person took 1200 mgs. and another took 2400 mgs. they would both get the same relief. With morphine if one person took 100mgs. and another took 200mgs. the second one would have twice as much pain relief as the first one.
Cheers//Chaz
The tolerance you have built up taking morphine as you do is why you need more of it to work for your pain. Many Dr.'s feel that once you have reached a level where you are getting really good pain coverage you should be able to stay at that level for a long time. What other pain meds. have you tried.
No Clonodine and Klonopin are not pain medications. Klonopin is more of a seizure and anxiety medication. Shouldn't be taken for long periods of time. From what I have heard it is extremely dificult to taper off of.
Clonodine is an antihypertensive and is Rx'd for high blood pressure.
Both of these meds. are Rx'd for many other conditions. Clonodine is also given to people who are withdrawing from opioid medication as it eases their symptoms. Also, both meds. can work with the morphine that you are taking and can give it more 'punch'.
As was mentioned, morphine does not have a 'ceiling' (that means that the more that is taken the more it will do). Meds. like tylenol "does" have a ceiling. So if the ceiling for tylenol was 1200mgs. and one person took 1200 mgs. and another took 2400 mgs. they would both get the same relief. With morphine if one person took 100mgs. and another took 200mgs. the second one would have twice as much pain relief as the first one.
Cheers//Chaz
Otter66
08-24-2005, 02:10 PM
:) I have been taking 200mg/ 3x per day for about two years. As far as I know, I'm not dead :eek: hahahaha
It's all about tolerance and how your individual body uses/converts opiates. My whole family has an extremely high "tolerance" for opioids. A dosage that barely fazes me could be an overdose to someone else. And, of course, I didn't start out taking that dosage. I started at 20mg just like most people.
Otter66
It's all about tolerance and how your individual body uses/converts opiates. My whole family has an extremely high "tolerance" for opioids. A dosage that barely fazes me could be an overdose to someone else. And, of course, I didn't start out taking that dosage. I started at 20mg just like most people.
Otter66