I am fortunate that my Rheumy has an open mind and prescribes pain meds. Along with SFN, I have spondylarthropathy and FMS - all painful conditions that affect me every day and night...

Along the road, I have tried Fentanyl, methadone, Ultracet, Lortab and morphine. The Fentanyl and methadone had se that were pretty bad. The ultracet did nothing for my pain. When taking methadone, I would find myself constantly nodding off, and with Fentanyl, a couple of people told me I was slurring words (I required a dosage of 100 mcg).

Well, I have found that the best combination for me is Lortab (up to 4 max) during the day, and before bed, I take the lowest dosage 15-30 mg of MS contin to keep me pain-free throughout the night. If I don't take the MS-contin, I wake up with severe back/sacroiliac pain, despite having a Temperpedic mattress.

I don't think I would ever go back on the Fentanyl patch or methadone. But am fortunate I have a doctor that gave me the opportunity to try them. I think that is key. Finding a doctor that listens to you and is not too reluctant to prescribe medications.

I have been on the Lortab and MS-Contin (at night) for years now. I do see the Rheumy every 3 months and he reviews my drug history each time. It has taken many years to build the trust factor with him, however, I have never abused anything he has prescribed. I have been on the same dosage of these meds for years.

He also checks my liver enzymes routinely - had a problem with elevated enzymes for a long time after taking methotrexate and I do have fatty liver for some reason. (I am not a big drinker of alcohol). The test did come back clear last time. First time, in a long time.

Mere