Now what? - Pain Management Message Board

Josie115 · 12-30-2003, 01:56 PM

I've been on hydrocodone for about 4 years. I consider it a pretty low dose, 2 5/500 in the morning and the same again in the afternoon. Recently my doctor said we needed to try something different and suggested the Avinza. The 30 mg. once a day dose didn't do a thing. The 60 mg. was fantastic for pain for about 10 days. I had alot of nasuea for most of that 10 days (vomited a couple of times) and then, wham.. it stopped working. In fact, the pains been worse. I took the lortabs for BT pain sometimes and it helped a bit, but it also made me somewhat sick to my stomach. Now, I don't know what to do next. My doctor will be back next week and I'm hoping we can do something. Why did it only last 10 days? and what can I do to increase something to get better pain control?? Any ideas or comments???

Josie115 · 12-31-2003, 06:47 AM

Oh, I think I may not have made my self clear on the initial post. I have been taking vic's (2 5/500 in the morning and 2 5/500 in the early afternoon) for approximately 4 years. so, a total of 20mg. a day. When my doctor switched me to the avinza, she started me on the 30mg. a day dose.. no vicodans. That wasn't working. It was a 10 day trial to see if we needed to go higher. Her reasoning was that it was easier to take one pill a day then to have to take more. I was fine about it, and hoped it would work. After 10 days, she upped the avinza to the next highest dose, 60 mg. a day. For the first 10 days, it took care of the pain and I never took a vicodan at all. It made me very sick to my stomach, but that slowly got better. Then, all of a sudden, the avinza stopped working. For the past week and a half, I didn't have any vicodans to take to help at all and it was horrible. I just got a script for 30 7.5 vic's and I've stopped the avinza and now am just back to the old dose and it's improved the pain control. I don't get any kind of buzz or high or anything off of either. The avinza just made the pain better for those 10 days..a bit sleepy, but otherwise, no warm fuzzies or anything. I'm looking for relief, not a buzz. I didn't think that 20 mg. of vicodans a day was that much and I didn't think exchanging that for 60 mg. of long lasting morphine was a high dose. I guess I'm confused about your comments. I had major surgery last spring and the surgeon was concerned about good pain control and put me on morphine which at the time did NOTHING for the pain and it was horrible. I just realized that and should have mentioned it when the doc suggested avinza. I guess I hoped it would work. Could I be simply tolerant to morphine??

carol632 · 12-31-2003, 03:35 PM

It is possible that the morphine just isn't right for you. Doctor may want to try a different long acting med. Perhaps oxycontin would work for you, or if you have nerve pain, you might talk with him about methadone. Good luck and let us know, will you?
Carol

Josie115 · 01-01-2004, 07:33 AM

Thank you... I will let you know what we do next. I must say stopping the Avinza was a bit hard. I felt awful and didn't realize that it could be some withdrawal. Hopefully I'm past it now. I wish I knew what this awful pain is under my rib cage on the left side. Feels like a big cantelope that is burning... hopefully everyone here will have a better 2004... less pain and more joy!

Kimberbella · 01-01-2004, 01:38 PM

Hi Josie,

I was reading your post-- and you mentioned that you had a burning feeling under your left rib, have you had a hida scan? I ask that only because I know that sometimes thats not always preformed and it can detect a lot of problems with the gallbladder thats not always visable with the ultra sound and whatnot.

I just thought that Id throw that in, as the gallbladder can cause rebound pain and often times that can be a problem-- Ive had to have mine out before and they did preform the hida scan so I just thought that I would perhaps see if that helps you in anyway, or at least gives you another place to look?

Then again, maybe you've already had your gallbladder out!

Love and Prayers,

Kim