Harm Reduction The Pain Management Mega Thread - for all your questions on dealing with chronic pain

[LightTrailz]

^^^^^^
why dont they have Opana in Canada? thats really a shame because it works great, it doesn't have "true 12 hour dosing" like they say, but it comes pretty damn close, unlike Oxycontin where i'm lucky to get 8 hours out of it....plus Opana doesn't make me as drowsy as Oxycontin but its analgesic effects are just as good if not better ime

I dont know why ... i really dont , it would be great if my doctor could call in prescriptions from the states because then i would have him put me on both opana and soma . instead of baclofen .. but hey , maybe when my benefit package starts up at this new job ill take a stroll over and see what hydromorph-contin is like . that shit is about 250.00 a month for the same equalanalgesic amount / dosage.

We used to have soma but it was discontinued in 2003.
we dont have fentora nor the fentanyl buccal swabs .
we dont have the other forms of oxycontin (15's 30s 60s etc)
we dont have roxicodone , the closest thing we have is oxyIR (5mg 10mg and 20mg tablets)

hydromorph contin is basically what palladone was in the states.

 

[Contemporarium]

Anyone know what could I get for my back? Tramadol isn't helping much and I'm still young (17). I know doctors don't like giving opiates out to kids but I really need something stronger. I'm not looking to get drugs I'm just asking the options.

Just give up. I'm your age too and my back hurts every day of my life. I'm prescribed norco 10 but only because my other doctor gave me three scripts of vicodin and he couldn't really just suddenly cut me off. I now have to go to this physical therapy class that is going to do more harm than good..but I don't know. I've tried EVERYTHING, and let me tell you that in the end you'll look like a drug seeker no matter what.

 

[TheMatador]

Anyone know what could I get for my back? Tramadol isn't helping much and I'm still young (17). I know doctors don't like giving opiates out to kids but I really need something stronger. I'm not looking to get drugs I'm just asking the options.

maybe try relying on just pills to help you with your back problems, as any chronic pain patient on here will tell you pain pills are only one part of the equation...maybe it's time for you to look into physical therapy, a chiropractor, acupuncture etc. etc...only after those are exhausted should you resort to pills imo/ime

 

[LightTrailz]

Not to mention any kid that age goes through whats called Growing pains . its part of life and every teenager goes through it till about 21 . unless youve had some form of damage that has caused some form of irreprable damage to any part of your body , i would seriously consider staying the hell away from any form of narcotic .

Not to mention any subsequent attempts you plan on making to get any form of narcotic is only going to make you look more and more like a drug seeker , my advice is get over any hope your going to get put on something stronger than OTC pain relievers , and believe me i had for 8 years ontop of a large amount of damage from 3 previous accidents . one skiing , one was a car accident and one was an atv accident (which compounded the damage already done by the 2 previous accidents) and just finally as october 2007 found a doctor willing to help me out after inconclusive xrays, mri's , phisiotherapy , a referral by my chiropractor , and countless other forms of otc crap and naproxen . I even got a ulcer from using too much tylenol 1 which is OTC up here as well in the form of 325mg asprin / 15mg caffeine /8mg codeine

being on pills isnt all its cracked up to be . and be happy you dont have to experience what its like.

 

[rath]

I've had xrays done it showed arthritis in my two lower vertebrae and 2 possible fractures. I've been doing pyschical therapy, chiorpractors,etc. they just made it worst.

 

[pixplzthx]

I dont know why ... i really dont , it would be great if my doctor could call in prescriptions from the states because then i would have him put me on both opana and soma . instead of baclofen .. but hey , maybe when my benefit package starts up at this new job ill take a stroll over and see what hydromorph-contin is like . that shit is about 250.00 a month for the same equalanalgesic amount / dosage.

We used to have soma but it was discontinued in 2003.
we dont have fentora nor the fentanyl buccal swabs .
we dont have the other forms of oxycontin (15's 30s 60s etc)
we dont have roxicodone , the closest thing we have is oxyIR (5mg 10mg and 20mg tablets)

hydromorph contin is basically what palladone was in the states.

When was the last time you have hydrocodone? After being switched to oxycodone for a year, I asked my doctor to switch over to hydrocodone (so that I didn't have to drive in every month).

The hydrocodone was woefully ineffective. I might as well have been taking ibuprofen. So I called in and got an oxycodone script.

But the old adage does apply: Everyone is different.

 

[Desdenova]

I have a question that doesn't deserve its own thread:

I've heard people mentioning getting prescriptions from their PM docs to combat the somnolence and the lethargy that opiates induce in some people. Is this true?

The Duragesic patches are absolutely fantastic, but at times it'll be a struggle to keep my eyes open. I don't feel really high at these times, so I don't feel like I'm simply nodding. Comes on pretty suddenly too, it's not like I feel drowzy for awhile then drift off.

I'm gonna bring it up when I see them on Tuesday, but I was curious if others have had this or similar problems, and what their docs did/recommended

 

[TheMatador]

I've been doing pyschical therapy, chiorpractors,etc. they just made it worst.

thats hard to believe that physical therapy and chiropractors have made your pain worse, very hard to believe...i think your mind is really closed and you've convinced yourself that the only way your going to get relief is through narcotics, which is not true

Any subsequent attempts you plan on making to get any form of narcotic is only going to make you look more and more like a drug seeker , my advice is to get over any hope to get put on something stronger than OTC pain relievers.

being on pills isnt all its cracked up to be . and be happy you dont have to experience what its like.

believe both of us, were quite experienced chronic pain patients that have been through a lot and this is not the path you want to go down if you don't have to, it is a last resort move and your only 17 which pretty much guarantees you haven't tried everything yet...best of luck and keep trying those alternative therapies, they work just as well if not better at relieving pain than pain pills themselves in my experience

Peace

 

[Cane2theLeft]

I have a question that doesn't deserve its own thread:

I've heard people mentioning getting prescriptions from their PM docs to combat the somnolence and the lethargy that opiates induce in some people. Is this true?

The Duragesic patches are absolutely fantastic, but at times it'll be a struggle to keep my eyes open. I don't feel really high at these times, so I don't feel like I'm simply nodding. Comes on pretty suddenly too, it's not like I feel drowzy for awhile then drift off.

I'm gonna bring it up when I see them on Tuesday, but I was curious if others have had this or similar problems, and what their docs did/recommended

I don't have this issue but I have read about it and medically speaking its called opioid-induced sedation and its pretty common in patients requiring strong narcotic analgesics. Traditionally ADHD meds were used for this purpose but a lot of doctors are unwilling to prescribe tightly controlled uppers to their pain patients, instead they decrease the pain meds and undertreat the pain so be careful of how you approach it.

More recently, modafinil (provigil) has been used an equally effective and safer treatment for OIS and I would definitely recommend that as a first line treatment.

I've been doing pyschical therapy, chiorpractors,etc. they just made it worst.

thats hard to believe that physical therapy and chiropractors have made your pain worse, very hard to believe...i think your mind is really closed and you've convinced yourself that the only way your going to get relief is through narcotics, which is not true

@Rath- I think one of two things is happening: either what Matador says is true (which I think is pretty likely) or you are not getting appropriate physical therapy and chiropractic treatment. Also, what is etc? Have you tried biofeedback? Meditation? Accupuncture? Specifically what other therapies and nonnarcotic medications have you tried?

Are you currently experiencing psychiatric issues at all and/or are you on any psychiatric medications? Mental health can tremendously impact the perception of pain as well as your ability to effectively manage it.

Not knowing virtually anything about your situation, your life, your health, your failed and successful therapies, I'm not sure how I can give you any worthwhile advice... if you want to give some details about your situation, I'd be happy to give you some advice. I am pretty knowledgeable about chronic pain (causes, medication, alternative therapies and I am 3 years in I have learned how to live and cope with pain pretty well) and would really love to help.

 

[LightTrailz]

When was the last time you have hydrocodone? After being switched to oxycodone for a year, I asked my doctor to switch over to hydrocodone (so that I didn't have to drive in every month).

The hydrocodone was woefully ineffective. I might as well have been taking ibuprofen. So I called in and got an oxycodone script.

But the old adage does apply: Everyone is different.

We dont have hydrocodone in canada either , the only formulation here that has hydrocodone in it is a cough suppressant and hycodan tablets , its not prescribed for pain in the form of vicodin or norco like it is in the states. my doctor put me right on to oxycodone. its usually a first line medication around here for any moderate amount of pain

 

[AphexAcid93]

Wtf?
.......My doc will not give me MS-Contin[morphine- 30mg] because i'll be too "sleepy" so i'm stuck on LORCET. :-/


asshole, Morphine is the ONLY opioid that ~truely~ works for me. :-(

 

[cubbie]

You may have already had this but I was in a car accident in Feb fractured c-5,6,7 and shattered 2 discs so Ive got the titanium plates in my neck also I have a difficult time with pain meds due to the nausea the 1 thing i've found that works othr than the dilaudid which ive found difficult to get outside the hospital is Mepergan its basically demerol and phenergan works great for me. Hope this helps.

 

[AphexAcid93]

demerol is indeed great, especially IV'ed Cubbie.

 

[Ungoliath]

I know we all react differently but for 200 mgs of OC a day your constipation seems pretty extreme. A couple of suggustions:
1. Up your water intake as high as you can, try and get to a gallon over the whole day.
2. Look over your diet and up the fiber intake as best as you can. stay away from foods that are naturally constipating.
3. you need to be taking senecot 2-3 times a day, maybe 2 at a time. There are some prescription laxatives that are liquid, look into them.
4. Try and cut back on your opiate intake.
5. I would see a specalist about your bowels. Maybe there is a medical issue?

You say your pain level is "liveable" so get that daily opiate intake lower.

Thanks for the info i'll look into that when im up and running, and by liveable I mean I don't feel that much , I can still feel it vaguely, but i've been going down 20mg a day per month trying to find the lowest possible dose I can live on, i'd rather kick this habit...


Question
Second thing, I had something typed up, but it got erased cause i hit the wrong button, but long story short

I was in a pretty bad car accident sunday morning (The driver swore up and down she didnt drink, i checked her eyes, they looked normal., asked if she took anything, she said no.......She was on 5 hits of speed tabs and hallucinating hardcore I found out in the end)

Anyhow, long story short shes driving down a road and it takes a sharp right turn, she's going 100km/h and I notice shes not turning, so I fucking hollar turn, Well, Lucky me, instead of her getting killed by driving into a tree, she turned, skidded on the ice and frozen ass tires (-26celc) and slammed sideways into a tree, it hit the back right hand seat and smashed it all to hell, if someone was there they'da died, but i was in the front passenger, so I got pretty banged up, like really fucking bad

Anyhow, It hurts to type so I think you all have a good idea what happened to me (whiplash, concussion, glass shards in face, slammed my OLD chest injury against the door, but im still fucking glad im alive)

I fucking was like blacking out, the whole accident was like slo-mo, and I was having hardcore trouble breathing....im just going to stop the story here

Anyhow thats all I remember that I can mention on bluelight, I Woke up about 6 hours ago in the hospital and this happend sunday morning at 2am

Im in rough shape right, so i ask the doctors when I can go, there like your free to go after we have a talk, they talked to me, i had them call my pharmacy to verify i had legit perscriptions (They gave me a blood test to see if I was high) and because I had oxy in my system and they didnt fucking check with my family doctor (info's on my medicare card) I have a bad feeling they assumed i was a pill addict and flagged me because of the amount of oxy im perscribed on a daily basis

Long Story Short Bad car accident, a bunch of new injurys, stuck in bed and too sore to move now, and they refuse to give me anything because im perscribed oxys for a previous injury.Doctors initially assumed I was a junkie because of the amount they found in my system, I had my evening dose in my wallet and the cops were there when I woke up

Anyhow, the kicker is after me in a daze from my concussion called my familly doctor, called my pharmacyc, They just acted like giant fucking dicks like it was my fault and they say Mr UnGoliath, We see your already perscribed 200mg of oxy daily, so you'll be fine.....Have a good day, we need that bed could you wait in the lobby? (They even hid my fucking wallet out of my pants instead of putting it in the drawer of my room im assuming so I couldnt run away)

Right now I can barely move in my bed and have to have my girlfriend working as my wet nurse, so obviously the pains not under control, and I think they were so eager to assume I was an addict and bust me for my perscription when I proved them wrong, They just were so shocked and visably pissed that I wasnt an addict with illegal pills in my pocket to lock up, that they were too stupified to auctually treat my pain, they didnt even give me anything for when I first woke up, I had to fight for an hour pillsick after being passed out for like 24 hours to get my morning 80 from my wallet they hid.....


Should I go back to the hospital or see my family doctor, My girlfriened showed up at the hospital and she said they didnt hardly treat me, they just put band aids on me and HANDCUFFED me to the bed


I know i repeted myself a bunch of times and dshit im sorry but im right dazed still

 

[LightTrailz]

Fucking right go back when your feeling better and do something , where the fuck do they get off being able to treat you like that ? and didnt you say you were the passenger ? if you werent driving it obviously wasnt your fault ... that is goddamn ubelieveable ...

Do you live in the States ? or was this treatment somewhere else ? i would have a sit down with you family doctor considering hes obviously more understanding to your medical condition and may help you file against the treatment you had at the hospital .

This is the one thing i ever fear if i am in an accident (especially one that is not my fault) because i always have a prescription bottle with a label on it of course with both a small amount of baclofen and a small amount of percocet in it for when i need it for Breakthrough pain , and i any time i nearly get in an accident that whole thought just keeps playing through my mind .. its so fucked where some doctors think they get off doing shit like this.

 

[sweetbeatlvr]

LT... question about baclofen... i am prescribed baclofen for the severe muscle tension i get from Fibromyalgia. I am prescribed 20mg every 6 hours.

i have taken it a couple times and have not noticed any difference in the level of tension, so have not taken it anymore.

is it a med that needs to get in your system before it starts working efficiently? or do you think the dose is too low?

i'd appreciate any info or insight you have on this med.

 

[TheMatador]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
baclofen is not a med that needs to build up in your system to start working, but if it is built up in your system in can help it work better than if taken sporadically

 

[LightTrailz]

LT... question about baclofen... i am prescribed baclofen for the severe muscle tension i get from Fibromyalgia. I am prescribed 20mg every 6 hours.

i have taken it a couple times and have not noticed any difference in the level of tension, so have not taken it anymore.

is it a med that needs to get in your system before it starts working efficiently? or do you think the dose is too low?

i'd appreciate any info or insight you have on this med.

Yes , to get the full effects of baclofen it does take a little while for me it took roughly 2 1/2 weeks or so for me to start noticing what it was doing for my tension up the right side of my body and my lower back . it took me about a week or so just to get over how wonky it made me feel combined with my pain medication.

apparently you can use this stuff for quite a while without any substantial tolerance building quickly like other benzo muscle relaxants . however once you get over 80mg a day your not getting any more beneficial effects from the medication which sucks because on a bad day i can take that and get only slight alleviation from muscle tension.

 

[TheMatador]

^^^^^^^^
i was on baclofen for awhile but decided to switch to soma because it was longer acting...i preferred the soma...

is there anyone out there that has tried both, and what did you think of them comparatively?

 

[AphexAcid93]

^^^^^^^^
i was on baclofen for awhile but decided to switch to soma because it was longer acting...i preferred the soma...

is there anyone out there that has tried both, and what did you think of them comparatively?

I was on them both, and due to the reasons you've already stated - I chose Soma.