MS Contin 15mg? - Pain Management Message Board

avogadro · 08-23-2003, 08:51 PM

Hi, I am new here but someone suggested posting my question to this site. I have chronic pain from a severe back injury. I've been through physical therapy 3 times, steroid injections, now they are talking about surgery. This has been over a year long process following a bad car accident. I have two disks in my lower back that are basically torn, bulging, and the joints are rubbing together now and causing arthritis type symptoms on top of everything else. So.. my question is this... my doctor recently switched me from 5.0mg Vicodin to MS Contin 15mg. I started taking it yesterday and can not tell that it does ANYTHING. Why? From everything I have read, it is a fairly strong medication. I might as well be eating tic-tacs for all the good it is doing. I wish I had the Vicodin as it has been a miserable weekend. Any idea why it does not work for me?

Autumn Angel · 08-23-2003, 09:12 PM

Hi and welcome...I havent a clue why MS contin is not working for you. I know the long acting meds take about an hour to kick in instead of the 10 to 15 mins of the instant release meds. But also if you started taking them yesterday they should have kicked in by now.
Did he give you any breakthrough meds? Like Vicoden or Morphine Ir?
The only thing besides percocet that worked for me was oxycontin which is the same med as percocet except 12 hour time release. They take about an hour to kick in and I found there is no way these meds last 12 hours 6 to 8 maybe..thats why most docs give breakthrough meds to get you through till the next dose of the contin kicks in. Hope this has helped you some. Take care.
Autumn.

avogadro · 08-23-2003, 09:17 PM

Thank you. I think I have an idea - which I talked to my doctor about when he gave me the Rx. A few years back, I had gastric bypass surgery to lose weight (I've lost over 200 pounds). If you don't know much about the surgery, I do not have a "stomach" anymore. I think the time release may not work as well for me since my intestional system is different and I do not absorb food or I would assume, medication, the same as a "normal" person. He did not think it would be a problem but did say that if it didn't work, he would give me a patch. He does not like using the immediate release meds so I don't have anything else. It has been a BAD weekend. I have thought about crushing it up to take it, knowing it would go into my system immediatley but I have been told not to do that either. I don't want to take another one either since I'm not sure what is going on. But, I hate this pain!!

Autumn Angel · 08-23-2003, 09:42 PM

No No never crush or break a time released med. You would get all 15mg at once which could be very dangerous depending on your tolerance.
I meant to ask you how many vicoden 5mg were you taking a day? This could have an eefect on whether the ms contin is working or not.
For example when I was on oxycontin for awhile I was taking percocet (same as oxy but in instant release form) I was taking 6 5mg percs a day which equals 30mg and that wasnt working too well at the time so he perscribed oxycontin 20mg twice a day equaling 40mg a day. So whatever your daily intake of vicodin was he should have ajusted your ms contin to equal or exceed that a bit depending on if it was working for you.
You could be right about not having a stomach too I am not sure how it is absorbed try doing a search on ms contin on the web it might help you some. Take care.
Autumn.

avogadro · 08-23-2003, 09:45 PM

I was taking about 30-40mg of Vicodin a day. I do not know how that would correlate to the MS Contin in dosage. That is 15mg twice a day.