looking for a little insight on pain meds - Pain Management Message Board

bren48 · 05-19-2008, 03:55 PM

I could use a little feedback on pain meds, hope those of you that have more experience can help me sort it out.

I have FMS and CMP, diagnosed roughly 10 yrs ago. I have been on garbapenten and percocet for most of that time. It has never really given me much relief but I have one of those drs. that dislikes prescribing narcotics.
Much of the time we have spent back and forth about the use of percs. I felt like I was jumping through hoops every visit. She told me repeatedly that it was only prescribed to patients dying of cancer.

In Jan. she gave some samples of Lyrica which I found much better then the garb. However the my provincial med. plan does not cover it. She talked to the drug rep about a compassionate program to enable me to get the drug but the best he could offer were sparatic visits and give her extra samples. I have been on a PM wait list for 3 yrs. I live in NFLD, Canada where we are experiencing a crisis with our drs.

My last visit we decided it was time to go to a longer lasting pain medication and she precribed Dilaudid. She gave me 60 1mg tablets, take 1/2 to 1 tab every 4 hours as needed. She cautioned that these pills were 5x stronger than Morphine. Well I've never been on morphine but I know I am getting NO relief from these tablets. The percs didn't work very well but they were better than what I have now.

We are to moniter how much I take in the run of a day so she can calculate how much I would need of the LA drug. I have also read od ppl taking LA meds with different meds for BT. She tells me if I take LA Dilaudid I have to take reg Dilaudid for BT. When I told her of others I know that take percs or something else, she says they are in the wrong, the same meds should be used for both.

It's been one week now and I am taking 2 tabs every 4 hours. Even waking through the night which I never had before. My next appt. is on the 4th.
The dr. is out of town for the next week, I'm afraid to take any more than 2 tabs. I do have a refill. I was taking HCL/ACETA 5/325 - 1 1/2 -2 tabs 3x a day.

I am not having any side effects, thank goodness. To be honest I have mixed feelings about being off the percs. I miss the feeling of the drug kicking in, I felt like I was being wrapped in fleecy blanket. I don't miss the nausea, and I feel like I have more energy now.

When I looked on the internet for info on Diladid I couldn't find anything on 1mg. tablets. They all started at 2 up to 8mg. Is my dr. being overly cautious? Can anyone tell me the difference in the strength of these meds?
Thank you

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aussiejono · 05-19-2008, 06:32 PM

1mg is a pretty low dose..... and it is a shorter acting med that oxycodone (4hrs vs 6 hrs)

Ask your doc about SA tramadol, 200mg twice a day

She will be happy, because it is a very low addictions risk, and you might well get good, long lasting releif from it.

cmpgirl · 05-19-2008, 09:51 PM

Bren, Are there any long acting opiate/opioid meds in Newfoundland, such as Oxycontin or MS Contin? In some cases, doctors who don't like prescribing short acting meds, such as the percocet in several doses a day, prefer a long acting med 2 or 3x/day with a small amount of short acting med for breakthrough pain.

If available, maybe you could talk to your doctor about something like that. I also have long term severe CMP, as well as several spinal issues, but I also take a muscle relaxer 3x/day....Soma (generic name is carisopradol). I find this to be one of the most necessary meds in my pain med arsenal. It helps considerably with the spasms. There are several other MR's as well, if Soma is not an option.

I hope you can find something that works out for you. I am sorry you have to wait so long. My brother-in -law was stationed there for 3 years, during the early 90's, while on loan to the Canadian Navy. I've heard how difficult it can be to get things that we in the states and in Canada sometimes take for granted. Good luck and take care, cmpgirl

bren48 · 05-25-2008, 11:34 PM

Thank you both for replying.
Oxycontin is a bad drug here, lots of abuse....I don't think I stand any chance of getting that prescribed.
I have written the others down and will talk to her next week about them. I think the MR are a good idea. I think I took them a few years ago......brain has turned to mush over the last few yrs

I am now up to 3 tabs every 4 or 5 hours but relief is just not there and although it says in the drug info that you should feel relief in about an hour after taking it, it seems more like 2 hours, and a little comfort for another hour then right back where I started.
It is very frustrating, So much I want to accomplish in the next couple of months, but it can't happen if I can't get off the couch for more than an hour at a time.
Thanks again

Executor · 05-26-2008, 08:43 AM

Welcome to Health Boards. Sorry to hear about your pain. Many here have lots of varied experiences and will be able to lend lots of support.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bren48

I have also read od ppl taking LA meds with different meds for BT. She tells me if I take LA Dilaudid I have to take reg Dilaudid for BT. When I told her of others I know that take percs or something else, she says they are in the wrong, the same meds should be used for both.

I hate to disagree, but this is simply not true. There is no definitive theory that says one must use the same active ingredient for both LA and SA. In fact, many in PM now think just the opposite....That one gets better relief when using different meds....Different meds target different receptors, thus, give you better pain coverage (vs saturation of one med and certain receptors).

Ex