• Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Opioids Alternative to lortab

I agree, I felt that oxy and lortab have the same potential for addiction. And the lady probably just doesn't know what she is talking about in regards to her telling me they were C-2... I just didn't want to disagree with her and seem like I was "being a problem." Talking to her about it was what I attempted before suggesting the percocet. I said I know it is probably because I have been on the lortab for a while but it just seems a lot weaker than it did in regards to taking away my pain. She just nodded her head and wrote in her notebook and said nothing. I would try the vicoprofen but there are no generic forms yet and my insurance picks and chooses how much it wants to pay depending on how they feel at a particular time I think lol so no name brands for me unfortunately.

muvolution- That is pretty awesome that you fought the system and actually got something done, even if it was only temporary.

And no I haven't tried any OTCs because I live in the US and the only opiates you can buy over the counter are anti-diarrhea medicine and in some places a 4oz bottle of cheratussin cough syrup with a tiny bit of codeine. :(


there are generic forms of vicoprofen. I am prescribed it. manufactured by TEVA.
 
If she's not willing to give you appropriate meds for pain relief, then the problem lies with her. Give her the axe and find someone who's willing to work with you.
 
I have problems with the dose itself not being strong enough while it is in effect, and also problems with only 2 doses within a 24 hour period :(

It is not a PM doc, just a Primary. This particular doctor within my town is known for being on the more radical side of things and has a reputation for giving out meds when they are not even necessarily needed which is why I have been reluctant to switch doctors because I am worried I will end up in an even worse situation with less meds.

I had no idea there was a generic form of vicoprofen- Do you know if they carry it in the US? At regular pharmacies such as Rite Aid? If you don't mind me asking do you know how much the prescription is before insurance?
 
^price discussion is prohibited (including for pharmaceuticals) but if a drug is manufactured in the US, the pharmacy can at least order it for you if they do not carry it typically and you should be able to inquire about the cost to the pharmacy prior to purchasing.

Generally PCP's are only willing to treat pain to a point (sometimes a duration, sometimes a medication limit) in which case for most patients, it becomes necessary to talk to a pain doctor. They vary in prescribing practice and often require a more varied approach, but in my eyes this is optimal anyway and when completely necessary, are not bashful about prescribing opioids. There are exceptions of course, there are a lot of moving parts involved.
 
I don't know if this is a source - I don't think so, but you can snip it out if is, Cane.
There is a site called Epocrates which is also a free application for any smartphone and it can tell you the prescription price of almost everything in the PDR, with pictures, pill imprint, indications, cautions, Pharmacology, side-effects, contrindictions, Black Box Warnings, etc... It if free and really useful.
If I didn't have a PDR, I wouldn't use it as most everything you need is on there. It is awesome. If more people used it we wouldn't get stupid pill ID questions or can I take "X" with "Y" questions, or how does x drug work, etc... if is really great.

Although it can confuse doctors... I was in the ER the other day and they wanted to know what pain meds I wanted (for extreme pain) , so I did a little search for the formulary they had at this particular hospital and came up with either hydromorphone or fentanyl, HM is closest to oxymorphone which is what I usually take, but the doctor wanted to know why I wanted HM instead of OM and I told her it's because her formulary didn't carry numorphan or Opana IR, and Dilaudid was the closest thing, She checked with the pharmacy, came back, and i was right. It's like I blew her fucking mind.
 
Last edited:
^ha, that's awesome.

I have epocrates on my blackberry and I love it. I don't see that as sourcing at all... its a very good suggestion for anyone who wants to be informed about pharmaceuticals and letting people know where they can get prescription prices is a lot different than posting IOP's where they can order drugs!

Good suggestion.
 
^Stupidly enough, the Schedule II for Percocet is correct... APAP and ibuprofen formulations of hydrocodone and other opiates are Schedule III and I see no reason that a 7.5mg Percocet is more illegal than a 10mg hydrocodone, but I guess drug laws aren't meant to make sense... 8)

I recommend taking your opiates as prescribed if you're hoping to get long-term relief from them. Those times you are taking more to get high are making all of the other doses significantly weaker in effect.

Hmmm... that's interesting

I say that because Percocet isn't "controlled" in the pharmacy like roxicodone is.. I've spent a lot of time behind the counter in pharmacies and I've seen the perc lying about with the rest of the bunch. While other C2's are in the locked cabinet that only the Pharmacist can get too..

but that's besides the point.. I mean if you can't get 5mg of oxycodone with APAP or Aspirin or whateverthefuck I would change docs, because this one doesn't seem to be treating you properly
 
Sorry about the price inquiry. That completely slipped my mind. I hope they have that app for android. I'm about to go check on the marketplace now.

And yeah I almost feel like I know more about the drugs than this lady does- I think she is just scared of the prefix "oxy" and that's why she won't switch me.. I could understand if I was asking for roxy 30s twice daily, but I don't think that switching from tab 10s to perc 10s is a horrible request.
 
I don't know if this is a source - I don't think so, but you can snip it out if is, Cane.
There is a site called Epocrates which is also a free application for any smartphone and it can tell you the prescription price of almost everything in the PDR, with pictures, pill imprint, indications, cautions, Pharmacology, side-effects, contrindictions, Black Box Warnings, etc... It if free and really useful.
If I didn't have a PDR, I wouldn't use it as most everything you need is on there. It is awesome. If more people used it we wouldn't get stupid pill ID questions or can I take "X" with "Y" questions, or how does x drug work, etc... if is really great.

Although it can confuse doctors... I was in the ER the other day and they wanted to know what pain meds I wanted (for extreme pain) , so I did a little search for the formulary they had at this particular hospital and came up with either hydromorphone or fentanyl, HM is closest to oxymorphone which is what I usually take, but the doctor wanted to know why I wanted HM instead of OM and I told her it's because her formulary didn't carry numorphan or Opana IR, and Dilaudid was the closest thing, She checked with the pharmacy, came back, and i was right. It's like I blew her fucking mind.

This is an excellent program, I use it all the time!! I love the tools and calculators as well, great time savers.
 
Well, perhaps another NSAID would be easier on your stomach than naproxen, maybe just ibuprofen could help some. Also, tell your doctor about your pain, tell her that it is just too bad, and the 2 10/325's aren't cutting it. I don't see why she would absolutely say no to Percocet, because hydrocodone and oxycodone are pretty much equally addictive, oxy just has a bad rap due to all of the abuse that has been shown in the media. Percocet is C-II, but still if you are in real pain, and already scripted opiates don't see any reason not to use it if the hydro isn't working. Tell your doctor your pain is too bad, and seems to be getting worse. Tolerance is something doctors have to take into consideration.
 
I would recommend going to see a PM doc. I have degenerative disc disease, and for years have been taking Norco(hydrocodone 10/325) for pain. Within the past few months my back doctor referred me to a pain management doc, thinking he would be able to come up with a better combo to fight the pain. The new doc put me on Opana ER 20 mg daily, as well as the Norco for breakthrough pain. This combo has been much more effective at controlling the pain than just the hydro alone, so I would recommend giving it a shot if your able to find a doc that will work with you. Good luck.
 
I agree that might be the best bet at this point.. I almost want to just go cold turkey on my meds and see how bad the pain is.. it can't be much worse than it already is. I need to just go ahead and schedule a hip replacement as soon as I get out for summer break.
 
It is kind of ridiculous, does she want you to use them as needed or what? If not how does she want you to take them? You get 2 10/325's per day, but that wouldn't be enough to carry you through a full day. Your doctor sounds opiophobic and because of that isn't treating you properly, but a lot are. A pain management doc might not fuck around so much, especially one that understands your pain.
 
funny thing is my sister goes to the same doctor and has degenerative disc disease and she is stuck with basically the same meds. lortab 10/500 twice daily... ridic.
 
Yeah, any doctor should realize that two hydrocodone doses per day won't cover the entire day. I agree that your doctor sounds like she doesn't like to prescribe opiates. In your situation, it is obvious that you need 24 hour releif, and Lortab is not meant to last 12 hours per dose... Again, she must know this, and her reasoning for only giving you two doses does not make sense. I'm not saying she is without reason because I obviously don't know, but I'd say she really should have a good reason to only give 2x 10mg per day to someone awaiting a hip replacement, and I haven't seen any reason presented in this thread...

Edit- I see your post about your sister now... I vote new doc... In the worst case, you'll at least have another opinion!
 
You definitely need to schedule an appointment with a different doctor, preferably a pain doctor. Period. Nazi docs suck. They let all of us junkies affect the ones who actually need the medicine.
 
Some docs are just so stuck to their drugs, their ways, their bullshit, that they often don't see patients as individuals with individual needs. She may feel that scripting Lortab 10's twice daily is enough for patients with pain, and anyone with that script should just shut up and be happy. She may have fear of the infamous schedule 2 OXYCODONE, so that may explain her opposition to the perocet, but that dosing just doesn't make sense. It is like she is reasoning you will be getting some relief, but still be in pain, and somehow that is better than providing consistent relief. Sometimes doctors are just ignorant, some are lazy, some are stubborn, some are all of the above. A pain management doctor would likely be better as pain would be the area of expertise, and discussing opiates isn't so taboo in that setting. What do you think would be a decent script to manage your pain, out of curiousity? What would you be satisfied with?
 
Top