I'll tell you what I take

I am on the fentanyl patch, 75 mcg/hr and I change it every 2 days rather than every 3; 10/325 percocet every 8 hrs for breakthru pain; I take effexor 300 mg daily (2 in the am and 2 in the afternoon after lunch cuz I can't stomach all of it at once); topamax 100 mg at bedtime; and magnesium 750 mg's at bedtime (for spasms and restless legs and cramping of the muscles in the hands and arms)

I don't thinkthe T3's work that well. Percocet worked better for me - the vicoprofen I originally took for breakthru pain "as needed" and "no more than two per day" was more like taking aspirin - so they changed me to the percocet every 8 hrs as a "maintenance" medication rather than an "as needed" med in addition to the fentanyl patch.

Keep in mind that these that you take evrey 4 hours are SHORT TERM med's, which means you take them every 4 hrs, so 6 times a day. You may want to ask for something that's longer lasting. If he will give you a duragesic, that's proabbly better. If you DON'T take the meds faithfully every 4 hours, then you "lose" the medication that is built up in your system cuz the "half life" is gone. You will have a lapse in the effectiveness if you miss or are late on a dose.

When is your surgery?

Hugs
LisaM