Question for All...........:) - Pain Management Message Board

schao · 04-14-2008, 09:55 AM

Hi:

I have been taking percocet 5/325 for a year now and it really helps my pain a lot. Anyways, since I've been on it for awhile I've tried a few nights here and there not taking it. My pain is at it's worst at night so on a night when I go to bed and don't feel too bad, I try not taking it, but when I wake up I'm in a crazy amount of pain.
My question is, would that mean that I really do need this medicine, or my body is so used to it that if I don't take it I will be in pain anyways? Does that make sense?

Thanks,
schao

cmpgirl · 04-14-2008, 11:10 AM

Hi Schao: I guess it depends on a few things. In general, when someone takes narcotic meds for an extended period, there is an issue of physical dependency. This means your body has become used to the medication and if you were to stop taking it say, cold turkey, you will experience symptoms of withdrawl. This does not mean that you are psychologically addicted or an addict. There is a difference.

What is the reason that you have been prescribed pain meds? How many of them do you generally take per day? The reason I ask, is that if you were injured and the injury has healed, you might not need them anymore. Even if the source of your pain has been alleviated, you should still be weaned off of the medication, because of the long term use. What you are feeling when you try to stop taking them could be withdrawl symptoms, as opposed to the origional pain issue.

I hope this makes sense and answers your question. If I didn't explain it well enough, please let me know. cmpgirl

AnnD · 04-14-2008, 11:21 AM

If it helps the pain take it ...if something like an over the counter pain med does not take the pain away then you need it. No the pain med will not cause more pain...but you seem worried...don't worry. If you are still in pain then your body is telling you to take what you need but getting the rest is more important don't you think.

schao · 04-14-2008, 01:53 PM

Thank you girls for you replies

The reason I take pain meds is for extreme low back/hip and leg pain...mainly at night. I've had every test done known to man and the diagnosis I currently have is Fibromylagia. The pain I have is so unreal. I put up with the pain for a year, b/c I didn't want to go to pain management and "mask" the pain with meds, I wanted to actually find out what is causing it and fix it ya know? However, no doctor has been able to, but at least I have a good pm doc who cares and would do anything to figure out what is causing my pain.
The percocet is really a god send--it took me awhile to actually take a narcotic b/c I didn't want to get addicted....but then I finally did and it took my pain away--which was great!
I take anywhere from 3-5 5/325 percocets a night. I don't take them during the day b/c I can't function on them. When I have really bad days, he gave me vicodin which helps some.

I'm not worried about it, I was just wondering. I've taken them for so long, I just wonder every once in awhile how I would feel if I didn't take them. And I guess I have my answer.......I feel terrible

schao

brianpain33 · 04-14-2008, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnnD

No the pain med will not cause more pain...

This is actually not true. There is something called narcotic hyperanelgesia I believe. There are people that actually start to experience more pain when they take narcotic pain medications and then when they go off of them, they find that the pain is not that bad. I don't know if this is happening to you or not. I would also suggest that you get on a LA(long acting) medication and it would make sense to go to Oxycontin(oxycodone SR) since you are already taking Percocet(oxycodone + acetaminophen). The problem with Percocet is that it is a SA(short acting) med and usually lasts 4 hours and even less the more time you are on it. You have the peaks (which usually is 1-2 hours after taking it) and then it starts to fall off and you experince the valley (4-5 hours after taking it). If you do have chronic pain then it makes sense to go on a LA med.

I would also suggest maybe adding another medication that actually treats fibromyalgia, like Lyrica. There are also other medications that specifically treat nerve pain and can be effective for fibro. You might also try Elavil(amitryptiline) or Pamelor(nortriptyline) which is usually taken at bedtime since it helps with sleep. Let us know how things work out.

brian