Hi my name is Cathy and I just signed up today, so forgive me if I write any thing wrong. Dani: 20 MG of Oxycontin, is alot of pain meds to take at once, I have no clue how your stomach could handle it. Yes, It could cause that reaction. I do not know what Opana is, but if it worked in the passed I would talk to your Doctor as soon as you can. (If its not broke, don't fix it) I totally can relate to your situation. I wish you all the best.

Hi Cathy,

You haven't written anything wrong; we all learn together here.

When dealing with opioids and chronic or intractable pain, dosages are relative. Oxycontin is a controlled-release (long-lasting) medication. For an opioid-naive patient, 20 mg of oxycontin may be a lot; it's equavalent to 10 mg of oxycodone every six hours, or two 5/325 percocets every six hours. To an opioid-tolerant patient in a lot of pain, it may be sufficient or not even close. Opana is an opioid, so Dani is likely somewhat tolerant, and RSD is one of the most painful conditions I know of. Also, with opioids, there is no upper dosage limit; someone in intractable pain for 10 or 20 years may be on many times that dosage. Dosage decisions are up to patients' doctors, who are familiar with their histories.

Here is some information on Opana and RSD:

Oxymorphone (active ingredient in Opana)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004942/

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004456/

Doc

I have PN and am up to 60mg Oxycotin ER ever 6 hrs. amounting to 240mg's of Oxycotin ER daily. Also take Oxycodone (percocet) 7.5-323 up to 4 times a day for breakthru. I do take a 5 mg. two times a day with the Oxycodone. I am hyper, but not sure because so many things do that to me, including pain. I at first blamed the Oxycotin; but I notice as my pain increases; I get even more hyper and can't seem to stop talking. I even had that reaction to the R-lipoic acid.

I tried Opana a while back and it didn't do much for my pain and went back to the Oxycotin ER.

Oxycodone and the liquid oxynorm (for breakthrough pain) ... God where do I start ? I was on 12 hour release 40mg OxyContin and I missed a dose. Within a couple of hours I was going through withdrawal.

The withdrawal frightened me so much that I decided to stop. I sent all tablets back to the chemist and at midnight on a Wednesday I took a 5ml dose of oxynorm.

I went to hell and back .. Serious sweats and chills .. I had to take about six baths a day to warm me and settle me. My legs and arms were jerking about and I could not shut my eyes no matter how tired I was. I had no appetite whatsoever .. Very unlike me, but I forced myself to drink smoothies and eat plain toast because I knew I had to keep my strength up. I had no strength .. My daughter had to wash my hair for me as I had no energy.

It seems so long ago now ... march last year, but I still get anxious when I think about it .. And it has left me with panic attacks, which I never used to get.

On the Saturday of that week, I looked at the bottle of oxynorm on the table and thought, one teaspoon of that and I will feel ok .. And that's when I thought, Jesus, you sound like an addict.

I emptied the bottle I the garden. .. No, the plants didn't die! And sat it out .. It took a good two weeks before I felt able to think normally.

I had surgery last week and the pain specialist came and asked if I would like to try OxyContin .. You can imaginenwhatnimsaid.

The funny thing is, I said I felt I had been addicted to it .. He said, when you have chronic pain there is no such thing as addiction, just dependency. I thought they sounded both the same ..

I have issues with this as well. I have been weened down on morphine, with all the side effects you described. I am a pain patient. I don't quite know the difference between addiction and this situation either. I was told I would not become addicted because I don't over use it, and take according todirectins at all time. My dr. just increased medications as I really do have a joint that needs to be replaced, and I am afraid to take them, because after the surgery, I will be taken off them with the whole terrible experience. I am afaid to up medication even though my pain has gone way up. I am always afraid he will begin to ween me down again. I feel like I am on a roller coaster with this. I know I need the mediation, but scared to take it, not knowing what my doctor will do. So instead I am shopping for a wheel chair. It seems i really do not have a good option. My ability to walk is compromised all together if I do not take these medications. The doctor only gave me enough of this new one percocet until I get the surgery, which I don't want to begin with. I am stuck not knowing what I should do. I know I am venting here, I am just plain scared, and can't seem to make any decision at all. ginnie

How often we are told, we are not addicted; but dependent on the narcotics to get thru each day of pain.

I am scared as well, because I see no end to this. The Oxycontin has caused some anxiety in me as well. When I had my spine fusion/lamnectomy about 5 years ago, I was given Vallium, along with the Oxycodone and was told that these two together help with the pain. I have been using these two together for the past few years for breakthru pain. I also use the Oxycontin every 6 hrs for continuous relief and the Oxycodone 7mg-325 (tylenol), along with the Vallium for breakthru pain.

The thought of going into withdrawal is frightening. Often, the 6hrs before taking the Oxycontin 60mgs, I reach my "end of dose" as the doctor put it too soon. This mean the dose is not enough to see me thru 6 hrs. and if it sometime am an hour or so late, I do begin feeling some withdrawal. Also, while in the hospital, about 3 years ago, for bladder surgery, the nurses only gave me the meds for that type of surgery and not in addition to my usual....WOW..... did I go into withdrawal. My Pain Specialist is on staff at the same hospital and immediately had them give me the proper dose to stop the withdrawal and to continue with the necessary meds.

Withdrawal is awful. I don't like being on these meds; but unable to be without them. Scarey indeed.

(Ger)

I had the same problem in the hospital after my spinal fusion. I was not getting enough to cut the pain as I was not receiving my usual amount to begin with. I wound up shaking, shivering, sweating, sick, the works. My surgeons nurse walks in and trys to tell me I am doing this to myself. I was too much in pain to respond to her much at all, I was furious! I thought hospitals had an obglitaion to make sure their patients are at least comfortable?. That night, I cried to my night nurse, a nice male nurse, He looked at my records and came in and said he understood why I was having so much trouble, that I had been on this medication for years. He gave me a shot of morphine, that allowed me relief, and I also watched the picture in front of me dance! He was the only who had mercy on me. It taught me a real lesson, that I need to address this with any physician before I submit to more surgery! The whole thing made me very angry. My pain was not controlled very well other than this night nurse. I now don't trust the hospitals to do the right thing by me. ginnie

They are not.
To say it more succinctly, pain patients don't want to take their meds - they have to for a medically therapeutic reason. Addicts want to take/abuse a drug for its effects without a medical reason, and can't wait for the next/higher dose.

Everyone must make their own decision whether to take/continue with a medication, but there are better/easier/safer ways of discontinuing dependence-producing meds. Our doctors can/will help us with this too, without going through that hell.

Doc

I go to the pain specialist this thursday. What other meds could I possibly be put on that would help with my cronic pain?. I take morphine 30mg. twice a day, and it is not enough. I am close to not being able to walk. I also got percocet that as you know I have not been taking because I don't want another medication to reduce from. Is there anything that does not have an dependant nature to it? I hate to be on this stuff all my life. At this point I really don't know what to do. ginnie

Ginnie,

Morphine is the "gold standard" for long-term chronic pain, and has been for over 200 years. Because it's been around for so long, morphine is probably the best-studied pain medication, and relatively inexpensive compared to most others. Most other opioids are based on or derived from it. All opioids cause dependency when used long-term; that's one of the trade-offs for pain control/relief and having some quality of life.

I don't know of any long-term pain medications that do not produce dependency (though some less than others, e.g. cannabis/derivatives, but that's not yet legal where you are), and/so I don't understand your thinking with regard to not taking the percocet prescribed for breakthrough pain. If you're dependent, you're dependent; it's not additive that I'm aware of. I think your fear is really fear of the unknown and what might happen (not what is or is likely to happen), and the best weapon against that is knowledge.

Google: talk doctor pain, review a few articles, and be candid with your doctor about your concerns/fears; I know you have confidence in him. He may want you to try the percocet before making any changes/increases, but ultimately that may be what happens, and medically in order (in the doctor's judgment - not mine ).

These are just the facts of chronic pain treatment. Nobody likes it, but in those 200 years, nobody has been able to find a safe & effective pain medication that isn't dependency & tolerance producing (not that they haven't tried).

Doc