Hydromorphone-contin - Pain Management Message Board

momofsix · 05-25-2005, 08:09 AM

I have been taking hydromorphone 8mg every 4 hours during the day (so that's 3) and 3 or 4 percocet (5/325) at bedtime. Things have been pretty stable, although the pain is worse late afternoon and evening. I didn't find the hydromorphone that great. However, undesirable side effects haven't really been noticeable.

Now I've been switched to hydromorphone-contin 24mg twice a day. What side effect problems can I expect? I'm worried particularly about drowsiness and anxiety. Are they a problem with this medication? I have been experiencing really bad anxiety but have been assuming it's from the manerix (moclobomide) I take in the morning for depression. Could it actually be the hydromorphone?

Linda

Shoreline · 05-25-2005, 10:10 AM

Hi Linda, All he's done is convet you from taking short acting 8 mg tabs of hydromorphone every 4 hours to 24 mgs of purdus 12 hour ime release version. You should actually do better at night, please let us know if lasts 12 hours? Others have asked and we don't have that many canadian posters.

I can give you Pudues canadian site where you can read the patient info on HMC.
Take care, Dave

http://www.purdue.ca/products/products.asp

Hey linda, They swithed the med in my pump from morphine to hydromorphone for a couple reasons a moth ago, It took a couple of adjustments but it's now working very well. Because it's stronger mg:mg I can go 85 days beteen refills rather than 28. It doesn't seem to have near the side effects of morphine other than constipation, I made Yakima fruit paste and I haven't needed any OTC or prescription meds for that any longer. The anxiety is likely from a hystamine release, In the US they use one of the antihytamines that also help with nausea, itching and anxiety, Visterill or Phenergan.

With less side effects, I've goten better pain relief from HM just the little problem with BT meds

momofsix · 05-25-2005, 10:58 AM

Thanks. That's encouraging.

What's Yakima fruit paste?

Could you explain a bit more what this hystamine release is?

What break through meds. do you find best?

Linda

Shoreline · 05-25-2005, 12:31 PM

Hey Linda, Most optes case a hystamne release, just lie if you havebeen exposed to an alergic. It can cause tuufed or runny nose, anxiert, ithcing pa, particluarly the fase. It's jts on of those internal chemical reposnses to opiates. Upu may have bnetter luck finding info on using the chemical name Visterill "hydroxyzine pamoate" or
Phenergan "promethazine"

I have always preferred oxycodone for BT, It has less side effetcs for me and works well as a BT but I never got relief from the LA version. Dosing problem, doc was stuck on BID dosing and then I had to DC OxyC as I only had a 1500 anuual benefit on scripts and OxyC was burning it up quick. Oxy also las the longest half life of morphine and dilaudid and they don't make a hydrocdone product strong enough to be effective. So it really doesn'tlelave much as far as BT. I don't like the idea of using meth as a BT becuase it hangs with you so long and onset is slow although I do know folk that use it, and there are some good arguments for it's use. I didn't like the way it seemed to take the color out of life.

Yakima frut paste is something they use in hopice to manage constipation n high dse sedentary patients. It works very weel, I'm impressed with it and it's much cheapr than buying bottl after bottle of stuf or prescription stuff for the problem. It hgets it's kick frm the very potent senna tea that is the liquid base. 4 oz of tea leves in a little more than a liter of water eqates to 60 tea bags if you can't find senna leaves to purchase by the ounce or bulk. There have been tiimes I thought I would do an Elvis and die in the bathroom but this stuff works and is a good replacement for jelly when using peanut butter.

Yakima Fruit Paste
used in hospice care for terminal high dose patients

DOSE: 1-2 tablespoons per day

1 pound prunes, I also added a lb of plums
1 pound raisins-pitted
1 pound figs
4 oz senna tea (look in your health food store, it looks like a bunch of leaves)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup lemon juice

1. Prepare tea-use about 2 1/2 cups boiled water added to tea and steep 5 minutes.
2. Strain tea to remove tea leaves and add only 1 pint tea to a large pot, then add fruit.
3. Boil fruit and tea for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add sugar & lemon juice. Allow to cool.
5. Use hand mixer or food processor to blend fruit mixture into smooth paste.
6. Place in plastic container and place in freezer. (Paste will not freeze but will keep forever in freezer).
7. Spoon out what you require each day.

Enjoy eating it straight off the spoon.
Spread it on toast or add hot water and make a drink.

* If the fruit paste is not working (you are not having bowel movements) then you need to increase the amount of fruit paste you are taking.

* If the fruit paste makes you have very loose stools then you need to cut down on the amount of fruit paste you are taking. Perhaps even taking it every other day in some cases.