How quickly can a person become physically dependent on ms contin? My dad has had it 4 days in the hospital setting...he no longer has pain but is having a hard time now that we stopped it....very restless, insomnia, etc. Could this be withdrawal? If so, how long will it go on?
I answered your other post you just wrote about him today...
I thought you said he is taking the MSContin 15mg at home and he was very loopy....so you were asking to switch this to the every 12 hours...
How do you know his pain is all gone? Is he just saying this to be 'strong'?
If his Dr. prescribed him MSContin every 8 hours and Lortab for breakthrough....then I'm thinking the Dr. would think he has and is going to have some serious pain after leaving the hosptial...
Keep in mind that a physical dependence...is not the same as 'addicted'....just like coffee...if stopped abruptly....the body will react and get a headache...fatigue...
So if he's been using it for 4 days...depending on the dosage in the hospital...yes...he will have a few physical withdrawals...just like you are stating...insomnia...restless legs..
What was in the hospital for in regards to needing pain medicine?
If the Dr. prescribed him pain meds to take at home then if he still has pain...he should follow the Dr.s orders...
That's why I am confused by your other post...I just don't want to think of someone actually having pain and a relative not giving them the medicine because you have the wrong idea about addiction/dependence...
Look it up online the difference...
Addiction is someone who buys/sells/steals medicine on the street....Addiction is someone who takes more than prescribed of their medicine to get high....not for pain....Addiction is a mental issue....not a physical....
Last edited by Ilovemycutedog; 05-30-2011 at 04:34 PM.
He has been treated by a urologist for bladder pain. He had chem directly to the bladder 6 months ago and the bladder has been horribly irritable.
He has had no pain at all since getting home from the hospital -- our internist said to get him off the 15mg of MS Contin as he is complaining of no pain. In the past he has tolerated lortab very well (and we have it here at home at 7.5mg) They put him on the MS contin thinking that a long acting drug would be better, yet he can not function at all. This is happening to a man who prior to al of this was very sharp, clear headed.
He had his last MS contin dose over 24 hours ago and has not asked for any pain medication. He has not been able to sleep, mixed with the need to urinate so frequently from the bladder situation. In the last two hours he has actually been able to sleep for more than 5-10 minutes -- he has been asleep for 45 minutes so far.
He is more clear headed, but still comes and goes -- and basically passes out as soon as he lies down - although for only a few moments.
Does this sound like withdrawal? If so, should I expect it to get better or worse over the next 24 hours. Believe me I will not let my dad be in pain. Do you think I should give him lortab tonight just in case...and may it help him sleep better?
he is probably no longer having pain.........because of the ms contin. this is not a medicine to stopped abruptly. contact the dr before you change anything, if you feel it needs to be addressed now then call the dr's service and speak to him directly, if not contact the office first thing in am. if you decide on your own to stop the ms contin-he is going to experience some sorta unpleasantness and pain may return two-fold-his body will and prob has developed dependancy to some degree and this is normal-do not confuse this with adicction as mentioned by prior poster =addiction is totally different-do some rersearch for your own understanding
I did speak with the internist....he was the one who suggested to stop it. I am really just looking for some input on how long these withdrawal symptoms could last. Thanks
As I stated in my post above...there is a huge difference with addiction/dependence..
Just follow the Dr.s orders for everything that he gives tomorrow and hope that will help your Dad...at least he will have the Lortab on hand if he has some slight pain in the future...that is easy to take one in a day and none the next days....because it's a low dosage....Morphine is much stronger than the Lortab...so that's why he is having physical withdrawals which aren't comfortable at all...that happens to anyone taking medicine for a period of time..
Last edited by Administrator; 06-03-2011 at 10:51 PM.
Reason: removed med recommendation: don't recommend dosages
I love my cute dog,
Thank you! I have seen him gradually come back mentally...would you think I will see this continue or could it go backwards? I am planning on giving him a lortab as late as possible tonight in hopes of him getting some sleep. The last few hours he has actually started to get some rest. Last night was insane with the restlessness and just doing strange things over and over again (which seems to be gone.)
holly
I would think he should be through any withdrawals in the next day or two since he wasn't on for that long...again...depending on what the Dr. says on how to properly taper him...
I can't imagine it would go backwards for any reason...
I hope he is doing ok and just make sure that he is always being truly honest with you all about his pain...Lots of men...especially the older generation....will try to be 'brave' and not want to tell people when they really are hurting....they think they can 'do it on their own'....
that's why I hope he has a good relationship with you...as well as his Dr. to do whatever is best....being off the medicine...or taking it when needed...
Sorry that you and your father are having such a hard go of it. Dropping all pain meds, after you've been on them for a while is never a good idea. And any dr. worth his salt should not have advised you to do so. Yes your father is most likely have some mild withdrawal symptoms....he's most likely been through the worst of it.
If you think he needs something to help him sleep, then give him some benadryl, or an over the counter sleep aid, which are basically benadryl. If he's not in pain don't give him narcotics just so he can rest, that's not what these meds are for.
Good luck with your doc tomorrow, hopefully he'll give you some better advice this time.
Take care,
kat
Last edited by Administrator; 06-03-2011 at 10:53 PM.
Thank you all. He has been on lortab for years from old sports injuries, so I am comfortable with it as he is. The doctor in the hospital really over medicated him (as our internist believes as well.)
I am hoping that the worst is over as he is finally getting a little sleep and is a little more clear conversational.
How quickly can a person become physically dependent on ms contin? My dad has had it 4 days in the hospital setting...he no longer has pain but is having a hard time now that we stopped it....very restless, insomnia, etc. Could this be withdrawal? If so, how long will it go on?
Is your dad experiencing these difficulties *after* leaving hospital?
I ask because I experienced something very similar when I had my back operation. I had morphine for maybe only a day or two. I am almost certain I had not built up any dependence, and therefore I don't believe what I experienced was withdrawal. But I still felt lousy nonetheless.
My theory is that I felt bad precisely because I'd gone from this intensive care (not literally -- I wasn't in an ICU) environment, where I was the center of attention and pretty nurses looked after me, back to plain old home where, well, yes people were nice but it wasn't the same.
Honestly I think maybe it was some kind of Munchausen-ish precursor -- commonly known as feeling sorry for myself. It lasted a day or two and then I was as right as rain.
Surgery post-op effects can last for a while. So it can be the MS Contin or it can just be his body is overall in the midst of recovering and his sleep cycle is off. I found sometimes after surgery my sleep cycle would get off kilter and it just took time to get back to normal.
