Interesting msg.

I just wanted to add something that I find hard to understand.

I have tried Kadian, for me it did not work as well as Avinza. I also had blood tests done to see how long the two meds worked. Neither were 24 hours (as Avinza was advertising at the time I started it. I got roughly 12 hours before it was gone.)

Oxycodone. Aprial 10th I had oral surgery. I drank drano at 3 yr old and had false teeth shortly thereafter. I was told I would have gum and teeth problems as I got older. I am 62.

After they took the skin off the roof of my mouth and sewed it to my gums, I was in some pain. THEN I had many days with between 3 and 5 different "toothaches" (if singular can be written as plural while implying plural .... I took Oxycodone.
I talked to my Pain Med doctor's nurse, who has seen me for many months. She said fine, we can double your oxycodone dosage for a couple or three weeks. The teeth hurt pretty bad, and the other parts weren't any joy either. Around May 1st everyone seemed to feel I had another problem. They found I needed a root canal. May 9th they did the root canal, and by the way, your jaw is infected, along with the soft tissue. They put me on heavy antibiotics and within a week or so I felt much better.

THAT is the background. Around May 1st my Medic Alert dog alerted and I woke up, finding her licking my face. May 5th, I was still on 45-90mg of Oxycodone a day, depending on how much pain I was in. On May 5th my wife was alerted by my Medic Alert dog that I was not breathing or not breathing "right".
With a friend and my wife trying (he is a retired professional Life Guard), he told me to squeeze his hand and I did. I could not remember how to wake up. I knew they were there. Finally, he put my head back, checked for clear airways and they put me on my M9 oxygen bottle. Titrated at 2LPM. I did not respond. I was breathing so shallow I was not activating it. They changed it to continuous flow and I finally woke up. It took them 30 minutes to wake me. Fast forward about a week and my Medic Alert Dog alerted again. My Ventilator hose, with oxygen inputs, had broken in two. My wife found me, checked the print outs and I was off the ventilator and oxygen for over an hour. I could not wake up again. I had NOT taken Oxycodone in a few days, but they are thinking the residual from taking so much over 30 days may have contributed.

I normally don't use it every day. And when I do it is 30mg a day maximum. OK, 45mg once or twice.

Two nights ago, Restless Legs Syndrome struck with a vengence.
I had tried cutting back on the 900mg of Neurontin I take each day. I am trying to find a maint. level. I had friends in from out of state and I was supposed to take them sight seeing the next day. I took 7.5 mg of Oxycodone to nail the RLS and it did it again. When I checked my print out the next day, I was in solid apnea for about 30-40 minutes when I got back on the Ventilator. The machine initiated a lot of the breaths, most I guess.

7.5mg of Oxycodone did that. BTW, I have CCHS, since birth.
My CNS does not tell me to breathe all the time. I was on my right side when my wife and Medic Alert dog found me in bed.
I was not responsive, so she reconnected the machine (and oxygen) to me and I soon came around. Two years ago I did not have this problem. A year ago I did not have this problem with Oxycodone. 6 months ago I did not have it, but I used quite a bit (for me) for a month and this started happening.

I am a bit confused because I was told you can take Oxycodone 4 times a day (total of 60mg a day for me). I thought I understood it was good for about 4-6 hours.

I wonder what the chances are I have accumulated Oxycodone in my system? I understand every single body is different. BTW, my Avinza is down from 180mg a day to 30-60mg a day. I want the lowest possible dosage I can take. My memory ... is a memory. Pretty bad. Short term is not there at all. I can be talking to you and if a person walks by, I look at them and turn back to you, I won't know what we were talking about.

I saw one of the best Neurologist's in our area this morning, expecting a miracle, and did not get it. He locked in on RLS but tested me for several things in the office, then told me if the Neurontin is working in such small doses, take it. The whole 900mg a day. THAT IS a small dosage. CCHS is a Pulmonary problem. WHAT??????????????????????????????

My Pulmonologist is aggressively attacking CCHS and some other problems, but CCHS is the brain and CNS. Go figure.

SO -- Does Oxycodone accumulate? I read it is 3 to 4 times stronger (oral) than Morphine. I guess I will be VERY careful with the Oxycodone. YOU watch your intakes too.