I can now tell why they normally start at 20mg Oxycontin because 10mg has done nothing for me. I had to take 2 tonight along with an endone, valium, 2 endep, and 2 panadol. I was going nuts so I don't know what I will do? Go back to the Doctor tomorrow and tell her 2 of them is hardly cutting through the pain with the other as well. May be I should go back to the 2x 50mic/grm/hr patch every 3 days like I was. I just don't know. When the doctor starts asking me what I want to do it's time to look for a proper PM specialist I think, but where. I am not coping very well anymore. I really am worried about what to do. What if the surgeon turns me away again? I think I will loose it. I am so confused and I am not handling things at all. My whole life is on hold at the moment, I can hardly get out of bed in the morning, how am I going to be any use to anyone else?
I'm concerned that if I start the patch again the nausea will return again. That would be good for loosing weight again. But not a very nice way to live. Or just use up the endone and oxycontin and go looking for help again then. No wonder people with chronic pain don't live long lives.
Allan
I can now tell why they normally start at 20mg Oxycontin because 10mg has done nothing for me. I had to take 2 tonight along with an endone, valium, 2 endep, and 2 panadol. I was going nuts so I don't know what I will do? Go back to the Doctor tomorrow and tell her 2 of them is hardly cutting through the pain with the other as well. May be I should go back to the 2x 50mic/grm/hr patch every 3 days like I was. I just don't know. When the doctor starts asking me what I want to do it's time to look for a proper PM specialist I think, but where. I am not coping very well anymore. I really am worried about what to do. What if the surgeon turns me away again? I think I will loose it. I am so confused and I am not handling things at all. My whole life is on hold at the moment, I can hardly get out of bed in the morning, how am I going to be any use to anyone else?
I'm concerned that if I start the patch again the nausea will return again. That would be good for loosing weight again. But not a very nice way to live. Or just use up the endone and oxycontin and go looking for help again then. No wonder people with chronic pain don't live long lives.
Allan
Hi Allan, It's not easy. I feel the same way sometimes. I'm 44 years old and I don't know how I am going to spend the rest of my life with the this pain. Who knows what a lifetime of taking pain meds can do to a person too.
I agree the Tramadol is no where the same as Oxycotin. Neither did anything for me. I have taken Neurontin and Lyrica for nerve pain too. They may have helped a tiny bit but both caused me to retain alot of water. So eventually I was having horrible swelling and joint pain. So the Dr. put me on Topamax. That was excellent. I did not get any side effects. I eventually had to stop taking it because it was interacting with my bladder meds. I needed them just as bad or maybe more. I had about 9 epidural shots from 2007-2008. Now I started the epidural shots again. Had about 4 since May. The last one may have took the edge off a tiny but but nothing exciting.
I was talking to my Dr. about the pain. I take 10mg of Oxycodone/Tylenol (Percocet) and 50mg Fentanyl Patch. I asked what was the purpose of the pain meds. Is it to rid me of pain or just take the edge off. He said take the edge off. I told him it the pain has been pretty much unbearable. He said if he increases it now that evenutally there will be nothing left to give me because I will have reached the max. I asked what is the next step and he said implanting the pain pump. I don't think I would ever do that but with the pain it may come to that.
My pain is at the lower back on each side of the scar into the hips. I have electric shocks in the groin area. I have pain down the back of both legs. It feels like someone took an hammer to them. I have a numbing sensation in my toes. My right foot hurts. Electric shocks down my right leg and sometimes the left. Both hips feel like a hammer hit them. Both knees hurt but having surgery Monday for one of them. In Sept. 2006 had a double fusion with instrumentation, Laminectomy and Discectomy. Now called Failed Back Surgery Syndrome. I also have 3 herniated discs in my neck. They don't hurt all the time but when they flare up it's bad.
Everything I have should be able to be helped with pain meds. I don't understand what the problem is. Why doesn't anything work for us?
Does anyone here have a Tarlov Cyst? Not much is known about them. Mine is 1.5 cm. It is at the base of the tailbone. It shows up on MRI's. Doctors don't even tell patients they have them. I saw it in my report and looked it up. All the symptons I have can be caused or made worse by the cyst. I have bad bladder problems which can also be caused by it. I think it presses on the nerves and you get the sensations and pains in the legs etc. My Dr. said "oh it's small and nothing to worry about". They are filled with cerebal spinal fluid. I'm just throwing that out there. Something to think about.
Allan, I hope you feel better. You are right that you may need another pain management Dr. I know I want them to come up with a plan and not the other way around.
I have had that many injections in my back that I don't even flinch anymore. The facet joint ones just don't do enough to make them worth while.The last 2 where to the nerve roots at S1 and they did seem to take away about 1/2 the stabbing, shooting pain I have been getting the past 6 months, so as far as the surgeon is concerned I am hoping that means something, but that is only part of my problems.
I have to get the chronic pain under control before I can feel good about what the injection results mean. So I am just having to take as much oxycodone as I need to be able to cope until I run out then I'll need the doctor to increase the dose. Maybe a lower dose patch, 50 maybe with the oxy would help me.
Then I will have to deal with what I am going to tell the surgeon. I am going to have to impress on him that the spasms, shooting pain and lightning like pain up my spine (neuropathy) and leg pain needs his attention and I won't leave until he can help me with that in some way. My muscular skeletal specialist seems to think that the symptoms I am now experiencing can be treated surgically. I only have to get the surgeon to agree and offer me a procedure of some sort to stop any more nerve damage, before that is to late as well. Like my chronic localised lower back pain, that I have had for nearly 10 years now.
I'll just keep fighting until someone helps me. I just can't give up my family need me and I want to have some quality of life.
Allan
I take tramadol 200mg SR twice a day, Celebrex 200 twice a day, and love it..... pain goes, and no side effects..... guess everybody realy is different.
Allan, it's not living what you are going through. Sounds like it's pretty hard to find a good pain management in a australia. I wonder how long you could go on like that. Don't you just want to shout?
Somebody in our forum is taking those meds for pain, THis combination might help you.
sounds like oxycontin in itself is not enough for you.
Ask for this combination: Oxycontin, Neurontin, Tramadol, Robaxin, Cymbalta and Trazadone.
You can check over on the internet and just PRINT it to the doctor over there in Australia and tell him that's what they give in united states and you really suffer and you want to take what they take, just be really adamant about it, ok?.
sounds like you need the right combination and this might be the right combination for your pain.
Cymbalta and neurontin are both for nerve pain. robaxin is a muscle relaxant(not sure if they have this in australia but ask your doctor, anytime there is nerve pain it involves muscles and trazadone is a sleeping pill.
So then you don't need to go back to the patch if this combination works.
print it out and show it to your next pain management doctor. I hope you get better.
No wonder people with chronic pain don't live long lives.
Allan
I really never knew people with chronic pain don't live long lives. I know chronic pain dampen your immune system, I believe it can also cause diabetic, insomnia and of course to some people depression(if left untreated).
I forget where I read about chronic pain shortening your life but I'm sure it was factual medical information.
I really hurt my back today as I left a shop, I bumped into a lady entering and I arched my back as I bumped her. It was very painful and I am still suffering. I get a very sharp shooting pain when this happens and I could suffer for a couple of days afterwards.
I will note down the medications Nochange advised me, and talk to the doctor on Thursday when my meds run out. She may add some of these things slowly if she believes that they will help. I am sure I need something for nerve pain as this is probably what I am feeling now.
I was so happy for my parents as I found them a new home today. They just had their offer accepted, then I hurt my back within minutes. First up then down. It stinks.
Oh well see the surgeon Friday. So I have to stay confident.
Thanks Guy's.
Allan.
Years ago I was on Oxycontin for chronic ureter cholic (I pass 10-12 stones a year) and for a short while I switched to MScontin. The pain reduction was great but I got headaches.
Are you still on the MScontin? If so are the results better than Oxy?
allan, there is another type of med called: bromazapam(marketed under the name lexotam, lectopam? in australia?) it's a benzo type of drug but what is "good" about it is that it binds to the gaba receptor, ie, I believe it will help your pain and has SKELETAL RELAXANT PROPERTIES(so that will help your pain and will help you sleep soundly).
It said there it's for anxiety also, it's all right. we all here suffer from chronic pain and not anxiety, enough with all those doctors telling us what we have. But I really believe you should give this med a try.
I think you should try everything before you use ms contin. I'm not sure, but that's what I think. got to run now. go and ask your doctor perhaps you can add this to all the medication I told you to take before. good day.
so glad your surgeon's appointment is on Friday, I'll be thinking of you.
I think you probably do need a nerve med and the good thing about something like neurontin is that it potentiates your narcotics - meaning that it makes them a bit stronger. I'd be careful about throwing a whole lot of benzo ideas at her though because of our laws changing in Aus and the Benzo thing. The benzo I take (and the government is ok with this) is clonazapam and it's been really helpful, if you think you need one, this is the one I'd ask about. It's a muscle relaxant that helps you sleep.
Are you going to ask her to up the OC? 10mg is so low. I'd perhaps say something like, I'm in soooo much pain compared to when I was on Fentanyl (as a reminder that you were taking a much stronger med) and I can't do anything. Remind her that you need to keep active to keep your pain under control. I've got a meet with my PM tomorrow so I know how you feel.
I really hope you get some answers on Friday but I'd really like to see you stabilised on OC as soon as possible (or MS Contin but as she has you on OC, I wouldn't be asking for a change) and a good nerve med. You've been through so much. Please keep in touch,
I am out of Oxycontin now so I have to see the doc in the morning. I might just ask about Neurontin as I have to get her to up the oxy, get a script for endone and I am also out of Valium. So I don't want to ask for too much at once, as this will be a challenge as it is.
Seeing the Surgeon on Friday morning so I have to drive into Brisbane city in peak hour and that is daunting for me. I have a hand held GPS so it will be with me to give me directions. Just nervous about traffic, driving, pain and how to talk to the doctor so it will be a challenging morning and I will probably suffer for it later that arvo. I will be stressed so the pain will be up, but that is probably good for when I see him, as I really will be in extra pain. He might see some of how I am effected.
I have my old MRI, my new MRI, some notes I have been taking down. And a list of med's I have tried, and what I take now.
Thanks guys.
Allan
I have had pretty good results on Nucynta. My pharmacist described it as part Cymbalta-like and part "super-charged Tramadol". It has helped me, while plain old Tramadol did not do a thing for the pain I have. I don't know if this is available yet where you live, but I get the sense that, at least my PM doctor is more willing to give it than a standard opiod, like Morphone or Oxycotin. Will it be a fantastic drug for the severity of your pain? I doubt it. Will it be better than Tramadol? I would think so. Best of luck to you. Lisa.
My doctor Gave me 40mg Oxycontin and the endone and Valium I was out of. She said that I would have to ask my specialist to get Neurontin or similar. So I will have to wait until next week. The oxycontin should actually give me some relief from pain so I am very happy about that,
I am off to the surgeon tomorrow so I will start a new thread when I get home and fill in all my friends here on how things go.
Again I thank you all. Allan
Good luck, Allan, I hope it goes well for you. I'm so glad she upped your OC - you should definitely notice some relief from the 40mgs. Did she just give you the standard 20 Endone? Well, if she did, hopefully you won't be needing them so much now that you've upped your OC to 80mg per day.
Wishing you the best of luck - try not to stress the driving, it tends to make the pain worse. I'm seeing my PM in an hour and having a really bad day - I haven't even had a shower yet and it's 315pm. Just one of those days, I guess.
Re: Back to Tramadol not so good 
