Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
I have been taking Percocet for a few weeks due to SEVERE pain and my swelling has been out of control since Jan 31st. Does Percocet help the swelling? I noticed since I have been on it maybe the swelling has gone down (well at least today it feels better). 1st day I have felt some relief. Has the medicine built up and helped with the swelling? I can't take NSAID'S because they make me sick, feels like someone has punched me a million time in the stomach and horrible nausea, and DON'T help at all. Steroids help but I am SICK of taking them and how they make me feel. So is the Percocet helping or is it just a better day? Any explanation/information would be greatly appreciated!
And also has anyone heard of Angiodema? Does anyone have it? I might have it too?
Bella
Last edited by tattoogirl; 03-06-2008 at 02:10 PM.
Reason: added question
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Hi, as far as I know Percocet would not help swelling as I dont think it has an anti-inflammatory in it. I thinks its usually combined with Tylenol, but this also is not really an anti-inflammatory.
I do get flares of angioedema, though it hasnt really happened that I remember since I've been on Plaquenil. My hives havent been as bad or last as long either since taking Plaquenil. Any time I've been on prednisone I've never had even a slight flare of either. It is similar to hives except it happens under the skin, not on top and looks like big lumps of swelling. Mine has only occured on my face: around my eyes, around my lips (looked like I had a huge fat lip), and even in my jaw line and a bit down my neck. When its in my jaw area, it looks like I have a tooth infection, really thick swollen area. It never hurt and it felt like it itched a little inside. It's usually caused by allergies or autoimmune disease, sometimes there is no explanation. I have possible lupus and my hives & angioedema almost always happened while in a flare. Steroids always help mine, but I always kept bottles of liquid Benadryl around (even at work) and would take a larger dose as my doctor told me when it happened. Like I said, it didnt hurt, but it was not pretty! Especially when it happened at work!
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Thanks for the response...
I just looked up Plaquenil and it said it is an anti-malaria medicine. Are you using it for that or for an off-label use? I have angiodema I believe. My father, whose a physician, thinks it is a possibility. My symptoms totally fit this problem. I started with severe Uticaria which lasted 4 months straight and then would come and go. Now I have it under the skin. The swelling gets quite bad and PAINFUL! What have you taken for it? I have had it since Feb. 4th and it hasn't gone away? I asked my Rheumy for prednisone but she told me to wait until after my blood tests and Bone Scan. Have you had a bone scan?
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Hi, Plaquenil is also used for various auto-immune diseases, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. I have possible lupus so taht is why I take plaquenil. For malaria, it is used short term. For my problem, it is used long term. I've been taking it now for about 3 years and it helps to keep my flares from being so bad. And it helps with rashes, it even seemed to stop my hair from falling out.
I am not taking any Percocet, though. I dont think a doc would ever prescribe percocet for hives or angioedeam, though. I have not really had angioedema since being Plaquenil, b/c for the most part the plaquenil is controlling my problems. I am pretty sure that my hives & anigo. were related to auto immune disease flares. When I did have it, I always took liquid Benadryl. I dont want to tell you about the dosing i was told to take, as you should discuss that sort of thing with your doctor. Every one is differeent regarding different medications. Any time i've taken any kind of steroid for flares or even for my spine problems, I rarely got hives & never got angioedema. So that makes me think mine is an inflammatory reaction.
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Thanks Baybreeze-
I will talk to my Rheumy. about that medication. It would be nice if I could find something to help with the swelling and my symptoms without having to be on longterm steroids since it affects my moods greatly. I also have been losing tons of hair and it is great if it would help with that too. Thank you, once again, for your help.
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Hi
Just wanted to mention that I had angiodema and have RA but my swelling was directly linked to food. I ate some honey which I have eaten all my life and I got a really fat lip. I was told to go to an allergist and also to carry an Epipen and benadryl. My rheumy just recently told me that my RA and food allergy were related and as a side note I developed Hashimoto's thyroiditis at the same time, so just a thought if you could relate the angiodema to any food you ingested. I carry the benadryl always and still have the epipen although I haven't had any angioedema since last June, though after the first episode I had about 5 more. just a thought. take care and good luck.
Donna70
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
i have angio edema the required type non hereditary. its more common in women than men. same symptoms for both but c1 protein different with the hereditary type. i also suffer from muscle pain, mood swings extreme tiredness.took 4 years to be diagnosed as drs dont know 2 much about it. i have an attack at least once a month. i do not smoke or drink and now my attacks are so bad i cannot work.i used to have a very stressful lifestyle and changed my job to a non stressful one and this is when i got ill. body was used to being hyper and now fights against itself. i would advise against longtime steroids. i was on them for 2 years as i could not walk and was hospitalised for 2 months with cushings syndrome caused by overuse of cortizone. i am still 20kg overweight and i have been weaned off the cortizone 16 months. my weight wont move. i now have low cortisol levels. all the steroids have played havoc with my body. i was better when i was just on anthistamine. the steroids have changed my personality as well as my body. good luck to everyone and thank god for these forums or we would all go madx
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
hi tatto...i have had several bone scans over the yrs. i got an injection of dye, then had to go back for scan about 1 hr later. scan is pain free, it does'nt even touch your body, it scans over it. it takes about 45 min. from beginning to end. the hardest part is lying still for that amount of time....it got my usual areas of pain to act up by the time i was done (i also have fibromyalgia).....hope you will be feeling better soon......bevann
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Quote:
Originally Posted by donna70
Hi
Just wanted to mention that I had angiodema and have RA but my swelling was directly linked to food. I ate some honey which I have eaten all my life and I got a really fat lip. I was told to go to an allergist and also to carry an Epipen and benadryl. My rheumy just recently told me that my RA and food allergy were related and as a side note I developed Hashimoto's thyroiditis at the same time, so just a thought if you could relate the angiodema to any food you ingested. I carry the benadryl always and still have the epipen although I haven't had any angioedema since last June, though after the first episode I had about 5 more. just a thought. take care and good luck.
Donna70
I think I will go to an allergist too. Actually I thought it might be food related too. I once woke up in the morning with a fat upper lip for no reason. I used to have an epi pen years ago and forget why. I also get Uticaria and itch like crazy!
I was just finally DX'ed...I have Streptoccocal Arthritis, Low DHEA (Adrenal Fatigue), Angiodema (she said related to the Arthritis) and low Vit D. Thanks!
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Quote:
Originally Posted by lizspain
i have angio edema the required type non hereditary. its more common in women than men. same symptoms for both but c1 protein different with the hereditary type. i also suffer from muscle pain, mood swings extreme tiredness.took 4 years to be diagnosed as drs dont know 2 much about it. i have an attack at least once a month. i do not smoke or drink and now my attacks are so bad i cannot work.i used to have a very stressful lifestyle and changed my job to a non stressful one and this is when i got ill. body was used to being hyper and now fights against itself. i would advise against longtime steroids. i was on them for 2 years as i could not walk and was hospitalised for 2 months with cushings syndrome caused by overuse of cortizone. i am still 20kg overweight and i have been weaned off the cortizone 16 months. my weight wont move. i now have low cortisol levels. all the steroids have played havoc with my body. i was better when i was just on anthistamine. the steroids have changed my personality as well as my body. good luck to everyone and thank god for these forums or we would all go madx
I hate the steroid thing. But they ALWAYS want to give me it. It makes me feel really bad, terrible agitation and mood swings too, the weight thing is def. not fun! I stopped drinking last month because the swelling would get worse. I do smoke again. I really should quit though. i will in time. I had just been so stressed I picked up the habit again.
I TOTALLY agree these forums save me some days. Thanks for you input.
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Quote:
Originally Posted by bevann26
hi tatto...i have had several bone scans over the yrs. i got an injection of dye, then had to go back for scan about 1 hr later. scan is pain free, it does'nt even touch your body, it scans over it. it takes about 45 min. from beginning to end. the hardest part is lying still for that amount of time....it got my usual areas of pain to act up by the time i was done (i also have fibromyalgia).....hope you will be feeling better soon......bevann
Doesn't sound too bad. Just was a little worried about the injection just because I have had reactions to certain Dyes in the past. I will let you guys know how it goes. Thanks again.
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
I have tried to see if mine was linked to food or something else I use, but had no luck with it. I basically eat the same types of foods and i've had times where I hadnt eaten anything and got it. Sometimes I would think maybe I was allergic to one thing, but tried eating it again and nothing would happen. I always use the same detergents and soaps as well. My rheumy did say hives are common in lupus, which was suspected. Since ive gotten my med records I now see he did diagnose me with it. I always have benadryl handy , though, as it seems to help even with the angioedema. When I went to the ER once, they told me I could double the dose instead of OTC instead of payming more money for a script. SO i always had liquid benadryl around (the liquid would absorb quicker than pills) and had a bunch stocked in my desk at work.
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
I didn't know Benadryl came in liquid. Maybe I will have to get some. Is it just called Benadryl or is like a cold medicine that has Benadryl in it? Sorry if that is a stupid question. The over-the-counter meds and even prescription meds hasn't helped very much for my itching/uticaria. Maybe the liquid might be helpful. I did the same thing...thinking it was a certain food causing a problem and the next time I would have it I would be fine. No rhyme or reason. Our bodies sure can be wacky.
Did you test positive on a blood test for lupus or did he make a DX due to symptoms?
Bella
Last edited by tattoogirl; 03-15-2008 at 06:33 PM.
Reason: added question
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Tatoo, it's Children's Benadryl that comes in liquid form. Sorry about that, it's not a stupid question, I should have mentioned it.
As for testing, I did have a high ANA titer many many yrs ago when I went to a dermatologist for a facial rash. He suspected it, but I already had to borrow money to see this doc and get a few tests, I could not afford getting it biopsied. Hes the one who sat down w/ me and asked about all my other symptoms. However, there is no one single test than without a doubt say if one has lupus, so it can difficult to diagnose and for many people, it takes many many yrs to get diagnosed. Several yrs ago I got insurance and I went to a rheumy, but I have no clue what all of my myriads of tests results ever came out as. He never tells me that and I don't have copies of any lab reports. I did give him a list of symptoms over the years, though...so maybe it's that plus what he's seen for himself or a combo of that and maybe some test results?
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Hello! I am hoping to find Tattoos by posting this reply
I have been searching for this answer for years. I've looked online, I've asked doctors etc. No one can help me and all seem to think that I am half nuts by asking the question! Opiate based medications are THE ONLY thing that seems to take down my swelling
I have been suffering from swelling for years. Unfortunately I have no insurance and am very bad off financially. I cannot afford the endless tests it would seem to take to try to diagnose my strange symptoms (aches, swelling, depression, migraines, fatigue etc) Years back a dr thought it was Fibromyalgia (sp?)
Anyway, every single day the area around my eyes is so swollen that I don't even look like myself. It is embarrassing and uncomfortable. I also have very dark circles because of it. I have tried everything. Vitamins, all kinds of antihistamines, thyroid medication.
The one thing that helps is, again, a narcotic based med. Within a half hour of taking it my face shrinks to normal! I look 10 years younger. Instead of having bags that hang over my eyes that keep them looking half closed, my lids reappear!! The crease above my eye is again defined and my eyes look beautiful and a tad sunken in....like they are supposed to look. Like they once did back about 20 years ago before all my strange symptoms started
Why is this?!?! Could the fact that opiates help point to the health issue that is causing the swelling? After all these years, still no one can tell me whats causing it other than the general diagnosis of 'allergies'
Just to note, it is not some other medication in the pill that is helping, like aspirin or tylenol etc. That has been ruled out.
Tattoos, if you are still here on the message board I'd love your input. Did you ever find out if there is a correlation and if so, why?
And I'd welcome anybodys feedback here. I am at the end of my rope.
I was once a beautiful young woman but the past couple of years I look old and unhealthy because of this unexplained edema. It is depressing beyond words
Thank you all for reading! And sorry if I was rambling *lol* I'm just excited to have found this topic being discussed
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
I'm not weighing in on what causes swelling to go down and what doesn't because I don't swell when I should. I have trouble getting docs to believe me because I don't have swelling.
But a note on Percocet. It is made up of 2 drugs...acetaminophen(the active drug in Tylenol) and oxycodone, a synthetic opiate. It is not a real opiate but one that is man made. So it's not necessarily an opiate that does it for you. If it's only Percocet, then a real opiate may not do it.
Want to know what the Hollywood girls used for years for puffy eyes....Preparation H....the hemorrhoid cream. It has a form of epinephrine in it to shrink blood vessels and skin. Can raise your blood pressure though so don't use if you have high blood pressure. But I have tried it and it does work...not addictive either.
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennybyc
But a note on Percocet. It is made up of 2 drugs...acetaminophen(the active drug in Tylenol) and oxycodone, a synthetic opiate. It is not a real opiate but one that is man made. So it's not necessarily an opiate that does it for you. If it's only Percocet, then a real opiate may not do it.
Thanks for the imput jennybyc
That is not the case here though. I have had all sorts of narcotic based medications over the years to treat intense migraines as well as the Fibro
The shrinking is not limited to Percocet. I had the same results with Methadone and MsContin, roxicodone, darvocet and what I believe was a Morphine shot in the ER
Many of these meds had no additional ingredients like Tylenol, ibuprofen or Aspirin
The common denominator was the narcotic
Thats why this is such a mystery. No one can tell me the reason why it has this effect, since I guess, it shouldn't
I'm wondering if the effect it has on the brain actually stops some other kind of reaction in my system which is responsible of the edema. It's maddening
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Now that you mention that it's happened with all pain meds, I am aware that morphine in particular is given to help stop diarrhea in the elderly. So it must have an effect on the passage of water through the mucous membranes of the bowel and therefore, would have a similar effect on the face.So it may be an effect that is specific to areas of the body where there are mucus type membranes such as the mouth, the eyes(and lids) and the interior of the nose and sinuses. If it can stop the passage of fluids into those sensitive membranes of the colon then it would make some sort of sense that it would similarly affect passage of fluids into those areas of the face as well.
I'm not a doc but it just kinda makes sense now that I look at it from the aspect of it stopping diarrhea. Maybe that's why. All those pain killers you mentioned have a side effect of causing constipation so they must pull fluid away from the bowel and perhaps the face as well. Do you find you are constipated with the pain meds?
But I'd still be very careful using pain meds for that purpose. Do you have arthritis as well(since this is the Arthritis board)? Swelling of the face is diagnostic of some inflammatory diseases and kidney problems. My face swells from RA but my biologic med takes that away....was the first thing I noticed. So to monitor for possible kidney problems, my doc does regular blood work since that cardinal sign of a swollen face won't be there to tell him. And I have used the old Prep H idea when I wanted to look good but the swelling was there(before the days of biologics).
But I bet you the constipating effect of pain meds is what is causing your face to lose it's puffiness. Pulls water from everywhere. Interesting.
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Yes! That makes sense! I wonder if there is another type of drug that does the same thing? Thank you for putting the thought into this
And no worries about me treating this with pain meds. I rarely have them. I only get prescribed 30 pills every 6 months for my migraines. Which isn't really enough but that's a totally different topic for another day
I don't have RA. One one really knows what I have. I have no isurance which means no doctors visits unless I'm bleeding to death or something. It seems likely I have Hashi's (thyroid disease) since everyone in my family has it. I was on synthroid for a little while, but stopped. I couldnt afford to keep going in for testing etc
Re: Percocet helping swelling? and another Question Angiodema
Hmmm, does that Prep-H thing really help??? Besides getting angioedema now and then, I also get bad swelling over my eyes (my whole eyelids have gotten so swollen that my eyes were almost shut). I've tried cold compresses, cucumbers, all sorts of things, but nothing helps this swelling until it just goes away on it's own. I've no idea what causes my eyelids to swell, though, but I do have lupus...maybe that has something to do with it.
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