Opioids Taking Jurnista and Targin together - is it safe? In pain and need advice ASAP!

[ChronicPainE89]

Hey guys I'm new to this page but I've seen so many helpful posts. I have severe chronic pain (lumbar disectomy surgery in January 2016) I still have severe sciatica in my right leg and now I'm bed ridden, in a lot of pain and due for two more surgeries. I was recently changed to JurnistaSR (16mg morning & 8mg at night) from Targin 40mg 2x a day & OxyContin 10mg 2x a day under the aid of my pain management doctor. We did this as my pain was through the roof and we needed my pain managed prior to surgery. I've been taking Jurnista for 4 weeks now and have recently noticed it isn't helping much anymore and I can't stand the pain! I have 40mg Targin left, would it be okay to take Targin 40mg with my Jurnista dosage? Please any advice would be appreciated. (I also have an extremely high tolerance as I take Endone for breakthrough pain).

 

[shartito]

Hey guys I'm new to this page but I've seen so many helpful posts. I have severe chronic pain (lumbar disectomy surgery in January 2016) I still have severe sciatica in my right leg and now I'm bed ridden, in a lot of pain and due for two more surgeries. I was recently changed to JurnistaSR (16mg morning & 8mg at night) from Targin 40mg 2x a day & OxyContin 10mg 2x a day under the aid of my pain management doctor. We did this as my pain was through the roof and we needed my pain managed prior to surgery. I've been taking Jurnista for 4 weeks now and have recently noticed it isn't helping much anymore and I can't stand the pain! I have 40mg Targin left, would it be okay to take Targin 40mg with my Jurnista dosage? Please any advice would be appreciated. (I also have an extremely high tolerance as I take Endone for breakthrough pain).

Have you told your doctor the hydromorphone (Jurnista) isn't working? That's much stronger than your oxy (Targin) so maybe you should have that conversation.

The Jurnista (I had to look these meds up, I'm not familiar with these brand names) is stronger stuff than I've ever taken, so I wouldn't feel comfortable saying it's okay to take oxy on top of it. But it looks to be Extended Release, so it's probably not going to kill you. Your tolerance is definitely pretty fucking high.

That being said, I would contact your pain mgmt doc before combining 2 such strong opiates.

I'm new to this forum but harm reduction seems to be the theme. So I wouldn't tell you it's safe.

 

[keeping]

i would suggest speaking to your doctor before you start combing hydromorphone with other opiates/oids

 

[Etterwonde]

Don't forget: Targin does not only contain Oxycodone; it also contains Naloxone, which is an antagonist. This might be te reason the Targin isn't working as it should.

 

[Captain Snorz]

Don't forget: Targin does not only contain Oxycodone; it also contains Naloxone, which is an antagonist. This might be te reason the Targin isn't working as it should.

Yes. Nalaxone reverses and ruins the high bigtime. And it makes you feel like shit the more you take.

 

[fastandbulbous]

Naloxone is virtually inactive orally. It's in there to prevent the tablets being crushed & snorted or injected.
Your best bet, is to have a word with your pain management doc about getting a ketamine transdermal patch. This is because your pain is neuropathic in origin and classic opiates do next to fuck all for that pain. I would have suggested pregabalin (what my wife gets, with morphine, for a very similar spinal condition, but it seems you're way beyond that). Don't combine the two opiates, as tolerance to respiratory depression develops a lot slower than tolerance to analgesic effect, so it's easy to end up with respiratory arrest (& probable death).
Ketamine doesn't depress respiration (in fact it increases respiratory rate), so is probably the best I can suggest; the combination of the two is used to control pain in severe burn victims, as nothing else works.
Of course, getting a doctor to understand that (other than anaesthesiologists), can be a thankless task, as in my opinion, most doctors understanding of pharmacology leaves a lot to be desired...