maxed out

[meatyman62]

I am currently on just possibly the strongest opiates you can get besides being terminal but I have been on some form of pain medicine since 1994 when I blew out my knee!,since then I have blown out another knee then went through two total knee replacements , then in 06 I had a major accident at work when a piece of heavy equipment fell on me and really screwwed up my back! I had 6 blown disc's two collapsed vertabra at l-1 & l-2 and L-4 & L-5 and had many surguries to try to fix me! I've had a triple fusion and now in two weeks I go for another double fusion with spacers! So what I need is somebody to help me with my pain level on account of what I am on just dont cut it anymore! And believe me I am very well medicated! , I'm prescribed as of now and have been for about 16 months is 180 oxycodone IM per month for breakthrough and 100/mcg fentynal patch 1everyday (i change the older patch daily) for a total of 30 per month! But like I said ,they are not as effective anymore and would like to know if there is anything else that I can do for relief !! I NEED IT PLEASE !! also I get 60 valium per month for spasms!

 

[pharm_friendly]

Hey there meatyman... sounds like a lot of heavy shit bad luck you've had! In relation to your question, no doubt you would have built up a hefty tolerance to the pain meds you're on - and they're not you're average asprin either!

I'd hope to think you're seeing an actual pain management specialist with what you've gone through and the pain meds you need. Have you discussed it with your doctor/specialist? Even though other opioid medications are in the same class, sometimes changing to something else can trick the brain therefore giving you better relief. Are you only taking the meds as therapy for pain relief? I'm just wondering if you have tried alternative therapies in conjunction with what your doc/specialists treatment plan is. If not, and try not to laugh too hard, but I know a few people that were pretty much wheelchair-bound for years, very immobile and like yourself having to take large amounts of pain meds. 2 out of the 3 had (this is the no laughing part ) acupuncture done over about 18 months and no longer take daily pain meds and only need a walking stick now!

Something to consider?

 

[qwe]

there are medicines that can potentiate the effects of opiates (eg antihistamines), as well as meds that can reduce the accumulation of tolerance (eg nmda antagonists in small amounts, naloxone in micro amounts). this is one avenue you might want to look into.

 

[ErgicMergic]

The Valium you take is increasing your levels of pain, as benzos tend to cause more pain in those with pain issues, and are contraindicated in patients with chronic pain. They certainly dull the analgesic effects of opiates through GABA modulation, as GABA acts as a sort of global inhibitor of dopamine, which plays a significant part of the pain relief obtained from opiates.

Do you absolutely need 60 Valium (300-600mg) a month? Have you tried alternatives for spasms, such as chelated Magnesium or Potassium supplements?

 

[Alex000]

Firstly, I do not know what you mean when you say "IM" in reference to the oxycodone? Surely not intramuscular as IM usually denotes. You also did not specify the dose of the oxycodone, and how much and how frequently you use it, or the Valium for that matter. Back pain, pain w/ spasms usually responds well to Soma (carisoprodol), which is a GABAergic muscle relaxant that has synergistic effects with opiates. Taking that along with opioids and a benzo (Valium) might be a bit much, but again I do not know how much/how frequently you use the Valium, and your tolerance. Still, though, Soma is a pretty good adjunct w/ opiates for analgesia. You could look into Neurontin (gabapentin) or Lyrica (pregabalin), which are often prescribed for chronic pain management. However, I do not know if that would be too much with the Valium, as you have left the doses unspecified, and frankly CNS depressant cocktails are just rather dangerous, on the whole, though prescribed where indicated. Some of the NSAID's, both OTC and rx can be helpful, too, depending on the pain. As for the opioids, I am not fond of fentanyl for chronic pain management because it jacks the opioid tolerance up too much, and has a high side-effect profile, though some do benefit from it. I don't know if you could but I think switching over to the proper dose of good old morphine might be the best for round-the-clock analgesia. It is often underrated, but rather effective in many cases.