[balmygirl3]

I was just wondering how much oxycodone is in a 20 mg oxycontin er pill? The literature says it is like taking several oxycodones in the oxy er pills so never to crush them up. So anyway I was just wondering how much is in 20 mg. I take them every 12 hours..but they dont seem to work the whole 12 hours.

[Koala77]

Originally Posted by balmygirl3

I was just wondering how much oxycodone is in a 20 mg oxycontin er pill? The literature says it is like taking several oxycodones in the oxy er pills so never to crush them up. So anyway I was just wondering how much is in 20 mg. I take them every 12 hours..but they dont seem to work the whole 12 hours.

Oxycontin ER or SR are designed to release a set dose of the medication gradually over each hour of the day. The "contin" at the end of the name is short for continuous (as in continuous release).

The reason you should never crush them is that they have an enteric covering that dissolves slowly in the gut, gradually releasing the drug over the 12 hour period. Should you crush that covering, the entire 20mgs would be released into your blood stream, possibly having dire effects.

As you're on 20mgs of Oxycontin every 12 hours, you just divide that dose by the 12 hours, which then gives you a release rate of approximately 1.6mgs of Oxycontin every hour.

If that dose is no longer giving sufficient pain relief, you probably need to have the dose increased. 20mgs twice daily (or 1.6mgs per hour) is a very tiny dose, and the idea of putting people on medications like this one, is because (a) it's a very effective drug, and (b) it's easy to manipulate the dose to maintain optimum pain relief.

If you don't have pain every day, then maybe a short acting drug like it's sister "Oxycodone" could be ordered for those occassions when the twice daily dose isn't quite enough. Have a talk to your doctor. No-one should have to suffer in pain these days considering the wide range of medications available for this purpose.

Although 1.6mgs per hour doesn't sound very much, remember the key to good pain control is to find the right dose that can be delivered each hour to keep a person pain free, and even in the area palliative care, often these hourly doses can be quite small.

I hope you get some relief soon.

[balmygirl3]

Thanks for the info ..the med works good for me for about 6 to 7 hours but then I start hurting agin. I need to ask my dr about this but I have heard he DOES NOT give break thru meds. If this is the case what are my options?

[Koala77]

Originally Posted by balmygirl3

Thanks for the info ..the med works good for me for about 6 to 7 hours but then I start hurting agin. I need to ask my dr about this but I have heard he DOES NOT give break thru meds. If this is the case what are my options?

6-7 hours pain relief is not sufficient analgesia for this type of medication. If the dose you're on isn't holding your pain for 12 hours, then the dose obviously is not high enough for you. There is virtually no upper limit to the dose of Oxycontin that a doctor can order . Rarely will they go over 100mgs twice daily for pain not connected with cancer for some reason, but at 20mgs you certainly have a lot of leeway yet.

I've been on 15mgs twice daily for about a year now, and my doctor told me to try different doses to try and regulate my own pain control. He suggested dropping to10mgs if I had days where there wasn't much pain, but increasing up to 20mgs with bad days. I rarely have to do that as 15mgs seems to be just right for me at the moment, but then I do have the added benefit of quick release Oxycodone for those occassional rotten days.

I'd like to offer you more, but I think all you can do is ask the doctor why you're only getting a few hours pain relief from a medication that is meant to last 12 hours, and suss him out whether or not he's willing to increase the dose.

I don't believe (in your case) your doctor is prescribing the medication as it's meant to be used, and by that I mean to gradually increase the dose until you're happy with the pain management that's achieved.

[dllfo]

My Avinza is supposed to be good for 24 hours. My Pain Med dr. watched my behavior in his office one day and sent me directly to the clinic next door, where they drew blood and tested me for how much Morphine I had in me. Zero. That was approximately 12-15 hours after I had taken my last one the night before. I was on 180 mg of Avinza a day.

Your dr. can have a blood test done if they want "proof" the meds aren't working a full 12 hours.

I heard from Ligand about my situation. They told us 24 hours and were concerned that it was out of my system that fast. Main thing is to let your doctor know.

I also looked up pain scales on the internet so I could give the dr. an intelligent answer to how much pain I was in. I used the McGill Pain Scale. The EMTs out here use that scale too.

If you have not heard of the "Vial of Life", you might want to ask your doctor if they have them available. They are free. Put a sticker on your front door and the EMTs know to look in your freezer or refrigerator, depending on which door you put the other sticker on. I listed all my meds and the EMT promptly forgot them. Gave me so much Nitrolingual my heart rate was in the 30s all day. Forced the hospital to put a nurse at the foot of my bed to watch me. I do recommend the Vial of Life program in spite of my experiences.

Best wishes getting it straightened out.

[Koala77]

Originally Posted by dllfo

....If you have not heard of the "Vial of Life", you might want to ask your doctor if they have them available. They are free. Put a sticker on your front door and the EMTs know to look in your freezer or refrigerator, depending on which door you put the other sticker on. I listed all my meds and the EMT promptly forgot them. Gave me so much Nitrolingual my heart rate was in the 30s all day. Forced the hospital to put a nurse at the foot of my bed to watch me. I do recommend the Vial of Life program in spite of my experiences........

dllfo, would you please explain to me what the "Vial of Life" is all about, and why you need stickers to allert EMTs about your medication. Living in another country I have no idea what EMTs are either, or why you need to allert anybody at all. Would this be incase of risk with overdose, or what? Sorry, but it's all so confusing to me.

[dllfo]

My apologies, I did not realize you were not in the USA and I probably did not say it correctly. Sometimes I get in a hurry.

The "Vial of Life" is a red cross on a white background. You can stick it to wooden doors or glass so the ambulance people can find emergency medical information if they arrive and you are alone and unconscious. THAT is the reason for it. And yes, a drug overdose is certainly one example. I hope that helps.

We have two of these "red cross" stickers, one on our front door and one on our freezer door. THIS tells the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) that the person living at this house or apartment has severe medical problems and the EMT needs to go look for it.

I typed all my medications on a sheet in about #8 font, then listed my Primary Doctor's phone name and phone number. I listed my most severe (life threatening) problems, then rolled the paper up and put it inside two prescription bottles. I am not sure what is done world wide, but in the USA many of our prescription bottles a -- uh -- dark brown plastic. So the sunlight will not get to the medications. I took two plastic medication bottles, put the paper inside, then used scotch tape to hold the two bottles together.

If you want to PM me with your email address, I will take a picture of these items and send it to you. This is a great way for the ambulance people to know what your main problems are so they do not accidently give you or I the wrong medication.

I have Vocal Cord Dysfunction, so when my vocal cords sense GERD (acid reflux) coming up into my Esophagus, my vocal cords will slam shut, allowing no air in. I pass out. When I pass out, the part of my brain that tells me to breathe does not work. If I go to sleep or pass out without medical attention, I will probably die. When we sleep a part of our brain tells us to breathe, tells our heart to beat....etc. My heart is still beating, but for some reason it has been proven I probably will not start breathing on my on. EMT need to know this stuff.

[Curious]

here is the website for Vial of Life Project.

http://www.vialoflife.com/

[dllfo]

thank you for posting that. I went in to look at mine and the colors are just the opposite, but the concept should be the same.

[Koala77]

Originally Posted by dllfo

.....................We have two of these "red cross" stickers, one on our front door and one on our freezer door. THIS tells the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) that the person living at this house or apartment has severe medical problems and the EMT needs to go look for it......

What an excellent idea! What we have here is "Medi Alert". That comes in bracelet or pendant form and both have a locket type attachment in which you list any life threatening illnesses, allergies, special mdications etc.

I daresay these do the same job as your stickers, as all our medical staff and paramedics are trained to look for them.

Thank you both for the information though. I found your way very interesting.