Re: can anyone help me figure this out?

Zephyr_Davis wrote:

I was prescribed 2 x 80mg per day
after a month I was toxic, but I didn't know it.

What on EARTH do you mean by 'toxic'? And who told you that? If you were toxic, how could you not know it? Toxic usually implies something deadly, or at least dangerous, and I cannot understand how you can go six mos. like that and not have major problems. It sounds more like a doc using some real melodrama to describe things.

When yer "toxic" believe me, you know it.

After 6 mos, I wanted to die.

Why? What symptoms developed over those 6 mos. and did they develop slowly? Why did you let it go 6 mos instead of going to yer doc and talking to em?

I cut the dose to 2 x 40mg.
It blocks the pain well and I have my life back!!!!!

Thats great, but it in no way means you were toxic! It means you were taking more then you needed to control yer pain, but if you were taking it for 6 mos, toxic wasnt even in the picture. Ive had meds rx'ed more then I needed, and all I did was sleep more then normal. BFD. I talked to my doc and we slowly tapered em back. No suffering, no withdrawls, no toxicity and no problems at all.

And you shouldnt be directing yer own med changes. Its dangerous.

Great stuff but use sparingly with caution.

Ppl should use their meds as directed by their docs,, not the way ppl online who theyve never seen suggest they use them. Oxycontin isnt made to be used "sparingly"! Its to be used *as prescribed*, so there is a level amt. of medication in the persons system at all times. Meds to be used sparingly are the breakthru meds, not the long acting daily meds. Please be careful about the advice and terms you use here! You can scare ppl unnecessarily or lead them into using their meds improperly!

Coming off of it makes me want to jump from buildings
to get rid of it's wretched grip on my soul.

Its made to be TAPERED SLOWLY, not cold turkeyed, and if youd gone to yer doc and let them help you, that woulda been avoided. Its not the way it has to be.

It's like coming off heroin. Go spend some time around
addicts and you'll know you don't want to go there.

Thats ABSURD! We arent on heroin and we dont need to suffer that way to reduce or remove these meds from our system. If yer being rx'ed these meds, then a doc is gonna taper you off to avoid that! Please stop posting these kinda scare tactics!





On Apr 23, 3:38 pm, "OldGoat" <oldgoatm...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Dear Liss,

Would you be afraid to bitch out a mechanic that ruined your car, or took in
for a tune up and now it wont run? They're glorified people mechanics and
too many people forget that you are the employer the doctor is the employee.
You hire them to do a job. If they can't or won't, it's time to find someone
who can get you running again.
The problem is not in the medications, though you never know you may have
better luck with another drug. Oxy contin is a great painkiller but a lousy
choice for a 12 hour medication. 3 times a day is what most people go to.
Methadone and OpanaER while not quite as strong (MY OPINION ONLY) they do go
the distance, 12 hours or better once the dose gets settled. Hitting that
effective level of dosing is another fight all together.
Don't sweat the doctor. He does his job or he's fired. 60mgs ofOxyContin3
x a day isn't outrageous, particularly for a medication that even says in
the prescribing instructions that there's no ceiling on dose. You're being
jerked around but we all have been at one time or another. Blame the no
ceiling knowledge on me/us or a pharmacist you consulted someplace, who told
you no limit.
You need to be able to print an Adobe Acrobat document, but it's on page 3,
the first two paragraphs or so:http://www.pharma.com/PI/Prescription/Oxycontin.pdf

and I can never remember the site, but if you type in to Yahoo's search
engine "oxycontinmax daily dose" it's the first hit you get. and second.
and 3rd. and 4th.....
The entire document (they probably repeat it again somewhere but the top of
page the is the first place you'll find the no ceiling statement) is 29
pages, so if you want to save paper and/or ink, the first 3 pages should do
you.
Now show them to your employee and ask him for some better work or you may
have to terminate him.

Once you fire the first one, it only gets easier--og

"painfully aware" <movetoh...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:1177298583.455802.304540@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Hello. I suppose I should have posted this earlier, as my doctor's
appointment is tomorrow, but here goes..

I was looking at my records tonight, and it seems like I have major
degenerative joint disease in both of my knees, along with bone
spurs..... and major degenerative disc disease in my spine.
I know one of these means arthritis but I can't remember which at the
moment. I know I have arthritis (and bulging disc/s) in my spine and
knees, and probably my hands/thumbs/wrists. I also have carpal tunnel
but it's a "mild" case, and I have excrutiating pain and loss of
strength that seems to go beyond normal carpal tunnel syndrome pain.
Throw in the fibromyalgia, too..

ok.. in January, he started me on 5 mg oxycodone hcl 4 times daily
"as needed".. doc never discussed how to properly take them at a
scheduled time.. had no relief from them.. he upped it to 15 mg 4
times daily as needed, again never telling me exactly when to take
them.. I found on my own that it takes 60 mg within 3-4 hours to get
my pain down from a 9 to a 6, although my lower back pain pretty much
stays at a 7-8 (after taking 60 mg). Doc was concerned that I was
having opioid-related (rebound) headaches and sent me to a
Neurologist. In the notes it says that he's "reluctant to consider
any increase in the dose pending neurology consultation. In the long
run, the opioids she is on will not serve her well, at any rate."

what the hell is he talking about?? Does anyone have a clue as to
what he means by this statement? I am scared to ask him tomorrow,
because I want to discuss what, if any, options I have with changing
meds or increasing the dosage of Oxycodone, since I do believe that
I've finally figured out the proper way to take them. It's obviously
not enough daily if it takes the whole 60 mg to even make a dent in my
pain, and I wanted to suggest trying the 30 mg Oxycodone, OR switching
toOxycontin, OR something else that would be a longer-acting and more
potent medication.. I have tried researching online about the various
opioids and their strengths, but I can't seem to find what it is that
I'm looking for exactly. I realize different meds affect people
differently, and I'm really trying to just get the right pain relief
so I can live my life and exercise and so forth. Right now it's very
difficult to do much of anything at all.. I even started doing yoga
and unless I'm in less pain, it's just impossible, and it hurts a LOT.

I'm not used to having a good rapport with any doctor, and I feel like
I've been kind of difficult with this particular "pain" doctor, so I'm
trying to be really careful with how I communicate. I also have been
treated MANY times like a drug-seeker, so I'm very sensitive to that.
I've already gotten the lecture about how these opioids are not long-
term and that I have to have goals and so forth, so that I'm not
looking at having to be on them for the rest of my life. I honestly
don't understand how bulging disc/s and arthritis are ever going to
get better or lessen so that I won't have to be on pain meds, but I'm
sure that's what the doctors have to say to patients. He says surgery
isn't an option.. but I want to get to a point where I can do more
than just swim for exercise, and right now that's about all my body
can handle without being in absolute agony.

My appointment is tomorrow afternoon and I really don't want to go in
there suggesting what drug he switch me to, although I honestly don't
see why that is so threatening to doctors! I would think an informed,
intelligent patient would be preferable to them, but I guess it makes
them uncomfortable. I just really don't understand why he'd say "the
opioids she is on will not serve her well, at any rate." Maybe if he
would give me an adequate dose that works to lessen my pain, they
WOULD be serving me well..... just a thought..

I hate that I fear going in there and upsetting this doctor, as he has
the power to give me what I need. It should not be this difficult.
The Neurologist has said that he doesn't think my headaches are
related to the opioids, so I know that at least isn't an issue. If
anyone has any suggestions before I go tomorrow, I'd be truly
appreciative. If anyone knows what he meant by that statement, I'd
love to get some insight, because I'm completely lost. It has felt
like this doctor has tried to push me off and seems like he's
discouraging my treatment. If anything, he should have told me I'd be
getting more relief by taking 60 mg within 3-4 hours. I have no idea
why they just write "as needed" on the bottle, when a scheduled dosing
time is much more effective. Personally, I'd like to be on something
that works without me having to take 4 pills, and something that'll
last longer than 4 hours. I need pain relief during the day so I can
get out and walk and DO stuff.. I'm much more motivated to go for a
walk if I'm not in a fetal position in bed, miserable. As it is now,
I usually take the whole 60 mg before 7 p.m., so naturally, the pain
is waking me up several times a night. I'm planning on telling him
that, and also that I am getting at least SOME relief from the
oxycodone, but that I just don't think it's adequate and I don't think
we've found the right strength and/or medication. I've only seen this
guy 3 times since January, if that matters.

Thank you all.. I can't tell you how nice it is to have found this
group and to know that no one is going to judge me or tell me I'm
complaining too much or what-not.. I appreciate everyone here so much
and it's nice to feel like I'm not suffering alone anymore.
Much Peace,
-Melissa



.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: my experience with a "patient advocate"
    ... i have meds for a month, ... center, so that should be good, since the pain is mostly in my spine. ... your own scale in w/you to your appt., ... about my "pain management doctor". ...
    (alt.support.chronic-pain)
  • Re: Pain Management Agreement - DEA required?
    ... pain meds at all for my condition. ... Pain on an x-ray, MRI, MRA, or CT scan. ... do right now to get the meds I need, until I can find a doctor who ... right of the chronic pain patient to obtain relief in a non-biased ...
    (alt.support.chronic-pain)
  • Re: I never thought it would happen to me
    ... I've been lucky enough to take less than all my meds in the allotted ... It's strange to me that doctors have not realized that "drug seeking ... opiate treatment for chronic pain carries a lot of dangers, ... No doctor would treat me with that high of ...
    (alt.support.chronic-pain)
  • Re: About me!
    ... years ago cos the crohns kept me in and out of the hospital....u could ... trying to get out of doing things, imagining the pain etc...i have had ... So I go to my doctor, ... So on with the meds ...
    (alt.med.fibromyalgia)
  • Re: Latest News From My Doctor (Who Wants to Cut Down My Pain Meds)
    ... doctor wanted to cut down my morphine, when I feel it's barely enough ... taking 4 15 mg pills ever 12 hours. ... They cant prove where my pain come ... I hope my doc does NOT reduce my pain meds. ...
    (alt.support.chronic-pain)