The Pain Management Mega Thread v2.0

[doppelganga196]

^ Sort of. I have an epididymal cyst which is bloody painful, but it is fairly uncommon for it to be. A quick search online reveals others are in the same boat & get given vicodin & oxy.

 

[tricomb]

That's a shame. I take vitamin D supplements daily, but only two of them I'm not sure of the mg dosage offhand, I'll check later.

 

[macd610]

About a month ago I had a motorcycle accident and smashed my tibia, 2 major fractures below the knee and the top part inside the knee like a jigsaw puzzle, it was dislocated in the accident, I don't think I will ever forget it being put back in whilst I lay on the road

Whilst in Hospital I was given oral and IV Morphine, on release I have been prescribed APAP and MS Contin at 60mgs a day, I would have been given Tramadol but I've been on Venlafaxine for sometime and the 2 don't mix well.

Living in the UK it does seem that doctors are far more cautious with pain meds so whilst I don't have to rely on medical insurance, I'm already under pressure to reduce the MS Contin dose from my doctor despite being told by the doctor at the Hospital that I should prepare myself for long term pain due to the state of my knee.

I have a history of drug abuse which is known to my doctor, but no history with opiates. I'm always concious that I might be viewed as drug seeking.

I already have problems with the right knee and collapsed arches in my feet so it's a given I'm going to need some kind of pain relief for sometime, I need to speak to my doctor next week as my current script is almost out.

I'm not convinced the MS Contin is working very well for me as I'm still in pain quite a lot of the time, APAP has always been useless to me and I'm not keen on taking 4g a day for any period, I can't take any NSAIDs as I had a stomach bleed a while back.

Any views on what might be better options, currently my doctor wants me down to 20mgs of MS Contin before he steps me down to something else, I don't think this is practical

Im so sorry to hear that you're going through all this. I know it took me years to find an MD that I can really talk to and be honest with. I tried morphine early on in my pain management and it didn't work well for me. I'm now on oxycodone immediate release along with fentanyl patch. This combination has worked well for me, with a couple of bumps in the road.
BUT, I understand it may be difficult asking your dr about it, if you're already concerned about him lowering your dose of (ineffective at that)p ain medicine.
I realize there are many pain suffers who are not as lucky to be in the position I'm in now. but my doctor has never had a problem with me coming in and telling him what medicines I've researched and asking him what he thinks about them...
Good luck!!

 

[tricomb]

Yes it is so important to have a compassionate pain management doctor, I currently don't have one.

But you really need to have that trusting bond, I have one with my psychiatrist, but not my pain doctor so the difference between their prescribing factors are literally night and day.

 

[BiggDirty01]

^^^ Agreed. I've had 6 now in the last 4 1/2 years and they varied from asshole no meds and mean spirited, to overprescribing, to underprescribing, to performing unnecessary epidurals and such to my current PM doc, who is both a gentleman and truly caring. He really goes out of his way with me to speak to my surgeons and primary care docs and insists on seeing me every 2 weeks just to keep a close eye on me (in a good way)

People, you need to feel open and comfortable! Anything less is a waste of your time!

 

[tricomb]

Yeah when doctors continue to piss on me and tell me it's rain I'll kick their ass to the curb, no way will I have my money paying part of a bad doctors salary.

Fool me once....

 

[Allein]

I still can't really get my head round the US medical system, the UK is complicated enough8)

Unless someone here chooses to pay and use private medical services we all have access to the National Health Service which pretty much covers all medical issues and is paid for via taxation, not free as so many people seem to state, where do they think the money comes from

I can't say it's better or worse than the US system as I've not experienced it, I can change my GP (General Practitioner) if I'm not happy with the one I've got and have done so a few times in the past. My last GP retired which was a sham as I had built up a really god relationship, but I have got on with the replacement quite well, he's a good guy but you have to start all over again, it does get a bit much at times going over the same old ground again and again.

Anyhow he has written me up another MST script on phone request and I'm making arrangements to wheel myself in to see him to discuss the long term PM properly, I know he will have concerns about dependency so I'd rather address this face to face. Personally I can't see much recreational value in MS Continus, used as directed, I'd be fine to discuss switching to something else but he's going to have to get his head round the fact that I can't just reduce the MST without something else to take up the slack

 

[Doomed2pain]

hey all you cpp

was just wondering how long most people start feeling complete tolerance to their medication to the point where it does little to nothing for their pain? Also wondering if I changed from a semi synthetic opoid to a fully synthetic, would I get more relief without having to raise my dose. Just curious if others have done this with success, I would like to stay on as low a dose for as long as I possibly can, but my meds seem to do nothing now and I cannot cope with being at a 9 on a good day for much longer.

I would like various opinions if possible.

thanks in advance and gentle hugs to all you guys in agony

 

[Coraline]

Im sorry to hear about your pain. I am pretty much in the same boat as you. I wake up at a 10 go to bed at 6-9 every freaken day. I am cutting back on my meds. I take 1/2 tabs of norco 10/325mg 4 times a day right now and divide up the some in 1/2 to bring down my tolerance. I am prescribed 4 norco a day and 2 soma,and it is not doing anything for my pain. I'm on day 4 of doing this and I it is killing me. I am watching the clock for my next dose that dosent do much. I feel relief for 2 hours and that's about it. Today it is really bad. I'm waiting for the reward soon, lower tolerance and more pain relief.

I have had the same script for 2 years. At first I really did not take it. It worked great. I only needed 10mg a day for relief. Yay!!!! My condition has gotten worst and I fell at work so I increased it to my total daily allowance. The pain is bad.

It took me 1 year to get to 40mg a day with little relief. Somas don't do much any more. I take 2 a day.

I wonder how long it will take to bring it low enough to get more relief from a normal dose?

 

[Doomed2pain]

i dont know zoey, last summer I cold turkeyed from 100mcg ph fent and 60mg ir oxy a day and abstained for 3-4 months from all opoid medication. Then my condition spread yet again in Dec so I went on morphine, I have a naturally high tolerance to pain and medication (my dads fault lol his family are the same) but the break did nothing to help. I am usually bed bound. On a good week I can spend 2 days max in my wheelchair. long story short im allergic to the glue used on the patches, our govt wont let drs rx oral fent due to cost so I cannot use the medication I found the most helpful for my pain, it got me to a 7 on a good day.

i am on 140mg oxy per day (50mg er x2 10mg ir x4) 2mg x 2 diazepam for muscle seizures, 2000mg naproxen, 4 g apap, a plethora of stomach meds, pain relieving cream, lidocaine patches, sertraline, mirtazapine and olanzapine for my mental health and i smoke weed when i can access it. I am already dreading winter as my condition will claim my remaining pain free limb.

would you like to pm to chat with me? support from other pain patients is so important to me

 

[BiggDirty01]

Im sorry to hear about your pain. I am pretty much in the same boat as you. I wake up at a 10 go to bed at 6-9 every freaken day. I am cutting back on my meds. I take 1/2 tabs of norco 10/325mg 4 times a day right now and divide up the some in 1/2 to bring down my tolerance. I am prescribed 4 norco a day and 2 soma,and it is not doing anything for my pain. I'm on day 4 of doing this and I it is killing me. I am watching the clock for my next dose that dosent do much. I feel relief for 2 hours and that's about it. Today it is really bad. I'm waiting for the reward soon, lower tolerance and more pain relief.

I have had the same script for 2 years. At first I really did not take it. It worked great. I only needed 10mg a day for relief. Yay!!!! My condition has gotten worst and I fell at work so I increased it to my total daily allowance. The pain is bad.

It took me 1 year to get to 40mg a day with little relief. Somas don't do much any more. I take 2 a day.

I wonder how long it will take to bring it low enough to get more relief from a normal dose?

I am curious as to both your condition and why your PM doc would not consider moving you up to a Percocet type combination-opioid? If your pain is staying the same or getting worse as you say, you shouldn't have to bend over backwards for your PM Doctor's wishes if he wont treat your worsening pain.

Remember people, in the U.S. we are consumers purchasing a service and if we don't like the service from Doctor A we have every right to find a Doctor B who will treat you better.

 

[eldub v7.0]

have any of you had the chance to trial the morphine patches that are available?

i'm currently taking oxycontin and looking to switch up again soon to keep the rotation going and am looking to settle back on morphine, the gold standard and all.

any comparison to fentanyl or bupe patches in term of analgesia?

 

[Doomed2pain]

Never heard anything about morphine patches, but I wont be trying them as morphine does jack shit for my pain lol.

 

[Coraline]

I am curious as to both your condition and why your PM doc would not consider moving you up to a Percocet type combination-opioid? If your pain is staying the same or getting worse as you say, you shouldn't have to bend over backwards for your PM Doctor's wishes if he wont treat your worsening pain.

Remember people, in the U.S. we are consumers purchasing a service and if we don't like the service from Doctor A we have every right to find a Doctor B who will treat you better.

My dr won't give anything else beside 10mg hydrocodone/ Xmg of APAP, soma ( he doesn't give out to new patients after 1/01/2012),or Xanax. He only will give 2 out of 3. Not all three.

A few months ago I asked for Percocet and they said they don't do schedule 2 drugs any more.

I'm trying to get my chart sent over to a new dr who does shot and procedures and will give stronger pain medications hopefully.

I have 2 pinched nerves one lumbar and cervical with net er root compression. I also have arthritis, DDD, and something else I forget. I have arthritis is all my joints. I have bone or nerve pain through out my body. I have migraines. Spasms. I can literally see my leg muscles cramp up or twitch. Lastly I have anxiety. I am in constant pain 24* a day. It effin sucks. I tried to mow our grass the other day and it took 3 breaks and 1 1/2 hrs to complete the front yard. Mind you it's very small. It takes my husband 20 min to do the back yard and it's 2 or 3 times bigger. The mower is self propelled.

 

[Coraline]

i dont know zoey, last summer I cold turkeyed from 100mcg ph fent and 60mg ir oxy a day and abstained for 3-4 months from all opoid medication. Then my condition spread yet again in Dec so I went on morphine, I have a naturally high tolerance to pain and medication (my dads fault lol his family are the same) but the break did nothing to help. I am usually bed bound. On a good week I can spend 2 days max in my wheelchair. long story short im allergic to the glue used on the patches, our govt wont let drs rx oral fent due to cost so I cannot use the medication I found the most helpful for my pain, it got me to a 7 on a good day.

i am on 140mg oxy per day (50mg er x2 10mg ir x4) 2mg x 2 diazepam for muscle seizures, 2000mg naproxen, 4 g apap, a plethora of stomach meds, pain relieving cream, lidocaine patches, sertraline, mirtazapine and olanzapine for my mental health and i smoke weed when i can access it. I am already dreading winter as my condition will claim my remaining pain free limb.

would you like to pm to chat with me? support from other pain patients is so important to me

Message me anytime

 

[Doomed2pain]

I feel your pain zoey, I cannot actually remember what it feels like to not be in pain. my condition affects my entire sympathetic nervous system so not only do I feel as though my body is immersed in flames, liquid nitrogen, frost bite, acid, with muscle seizures so painful and severe it looks like im having a seizure, lightning bolts of pain from my toes to every part of my brain, hyper analgesia so severe the slightest touch on my body sets off hours of svreaming in agony...but it also makes my body over produce adrenaline to the point where my heart feels like it will explode, i cannot digest food properly so it rots in my stomsch for days, i have lost huge patches of hair, muscles have atrophy and my bones are starting to warp and deform, i get sensitive to noise and light. every automatic response in my body is affected. my limbs are usually purple mottled ice cold and swollen.

and the mental health problems that go with it, well that is another saga unto itself.

so sweety i really do feel your pain. you need a real pm dr that empathises, i had the struggle of finding one and spent the first 19 months on codeine and apap 30/500 x 8 per day and trying every non narcotic that was thrown at me, nerve blocks that worsened it, ordeals in themselves. I wish we genuine patients weren't denied and judged like we are.

end of rant lol.

 

[Coraline]

I feel your pain zoey, I cannot actually remember what it feels like to not be in pain. my condition affects my entire sympathetic nervous system so not only do I feel as though my body is immersed in flames, liquid nitrogen, frost bite, acid, with muscle seizures so painful and severe it looks like im having a seizure, lightning bolts of pain from my toes to every part of my brain, hyper analgesia so severe the slightest touch on my body sets off hours of svreaming in agony...but it also makes my body over produce adrenaline to the point where my heart feels like it will explode, i cannot digest food properly so it rots in my stomsch for days, i have lost huge patches of hair, muscles have atrophy and my bones are starting to warp and deform, i get sensitive to noise and light. every automatic response in my body is affected. my limbs are usually purple mottled ice cold and swollen.

and the mental health problems that go with it, well that is another saga unto itself.

so sweety i really do feel your pain. you need a real pm dr that empathises, i had the struggle of finding one and spent the first 19 months on codeine and apap 30/500 x 8 per day and trying every non narcotic that was thrown at me, nerve blocks that worsened it, ordeals in themselves. I wish we genuine patients weren't denied and judged like we are.

end of rant lol.

Dang. My issues are like scrapped knee compare to your. I have taken care of patients that had most of those conditions but not all on one. I'm really sorry to hear your going through all that.

Do you ever get out of the house? What's your function level like?

 

[Doomed2pain]

I rarely get out, either my pain, mental health or both stop me. Also I have to spend most of my time in bed on a special anti pressure mattress, so yeh I barely function as a human being anymore. I try my best to learn as much as I can by reading but some days I cant even focus on a 5 minutr cartoon let alone anything else. CRPS is sucky.

as for you comparing our pain, pain is still pain sweety

 

[muvolution]

Zoeylynn,

I get immensely better relief with a lower dose of meds. It is the law of diminishing returns... you can't beat it. I have gone from like 120mg of Opana a day to one 12.5mcg fentanyl patch over the course of a year, and it is 100x better. Granted, you also have to take care of yourself and decrease your pain in other ways, but it is so worth it.

sorry, I am working on replying to your pm.

 

[macd610]

Im sorry to hear about your pain. I am pretty much in the same boat as you. I wake up at a 10 go to bed at 6-9 every freaken day. I am cutting back on my meds. I take 1/2 tabs of norco 10/325mg 4 times a day right now and divide up the some in 1/2 to bring down my tolerance. I am prescribed 4 norco a day and 2 soma,and it is not doing anything for my pain. I'm on day 4 of doing this and I it is killing me. I am watching the clock for my next dose that dosent do much. I feel relief for 2 hours and that's about it. Today it is really bad. I'm waiting for the reward soon, lower tolerance and more pain relief.

I have had the same script for 2 years. At first I really did not take it. It worked great. I only needed 10mg a day for relief. Yay!!!! My condition has gotten worst and I fell at work so I increased it to my total daily allowance. The pain is bad.

It took me 1 year to get to 40mg a day with little relief. Somas don't do much any more. I take 2 a day.

I wonder how long it will take to bring it low enough to get more relief from a normal dose?

Hi Z!
I'm sorry to here you are doing so badly. I did not realize....
anyway, I am glad you are trying to get a new doctor. Honestly the doses of the meds you are taking are not unreasonably high... especially if your condition is worsening. It is normal to need something stronger after a period of time. I hate the idea of you trying to suffer through this and feeling like you are doing something wrong, in feeling like you need something stronger. I am absolutely not advising you to overdo your meds, or to not follow the prescription....
but to me it seems like it is definitely time for you to move on.