Anyone else have reactions to narcotics?

I have severe pain (some days are better then others) many different issues.

Anyways I cant take any narcotics while at home due to breaking out with Hives, Itching, Unable to sleep and Unable to Urinate.

When I have had surgeries in the past they have to cath me and give me flomax via IV, but at home in pill form nothing helps.

The only thing I could take daily was darvocet but they took it off the market.

I have tried everything from Pills to Patches.

When I met with the Pain Dr, he said I was a unique patient.

Anyone else have these issues, the pain is one thing but when it is really bad it does more then just hurt it gets me all irritated and then I have a short fuse and that doesn't help

Rich

Yes, yes, yes !! Especially the difficulty urinating. Morphine, I itch till I bleed.

Pain specialist at the hospital said last week I was severely reactive to any side effects.

Anyone else have these issues, the pain is one thing but when it is really bad it does more then just hurt it gets me all irritated and then I have a short fuse and that doesn't help

Rich[/QUOTE]

I have been having spinal surgeries since I was 12 - I am now 48.

During that time I have tried all forms of pain meds and was reactive and allergic to even fentanyl (which is hard to pull off I am told).

I was told that the hives, itching, difficulty urinating etc are more allergic reactions and that vomiting, diarrhea and other side effects are just considered bad side effects.

At some point I could not function at home or work - like you - short fuse and having to try so hard to stay focused because sitting or standing or walking was such a huge issue in terms of pain....you know what I mean.

Also, when your livelihood is at stake - you try anything to stay afloat - the faster the results the better so you can keep your job - or whatever - seems that survival instinct kicks in.

I realized I had to do something. I have spent over 20 years approaching pain and disabililty through natural techniques - exercise, relaxation/meditation, accupuncture, physical therapy, massage therapy, water therapy, pain psychology, pain hypnosis (was not a candidate but can work wonders for some patients.....)

Also tried all known procedures to man - epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks/ablations, trigger point injections, discograms, 3 pain pumps surgically installed and removed - now removed since April 2011 - spinal stimulators etc etc...and I tried these techniques time and time again, over and over and any new thing on the market I tried no matter how crazy it sounded.

I kept a journal and it looked like the only narcotic that worked for my pain was oxycontin and oxycodone - one is controlled release and one is immediate release but same drug essentially.

At first I would itch and have hives so bad that I would have bruising all over my body to the point that my doctor sent me to ER thinking I had a bleeding disorder.

Eventually the itching subsided and the hives etc but it took a long time of being miserable from side effects although I was getting some pain relief. In fact I wrote in my journal that it was a miracle that I could take a pill and be able to walk and think like normal within 15-30 mins - not considering side effects.

I had to switch jobs and work as an independant contractor for a while - while I tried to get used to the only pain med that worked for me - the oxycontin/oxycodone.

I must be honest - my career suffered greatly because of my body - but in retrospect I currently have my own business, work out of my home doing research - so truly this would never have happened had I not been forced to be creative about my disability.

I started narcotic therapy in 1998 and I was never able to take more than 50 mg per day of Oxycontin without developing seizures - yes siree. So I had to rely on immediate release oxycodone.....

AT this point I can only take about 30 mg Oxycontin and same amount of oxycodone - and since I do not get a lot of relief I have decided to detox off them completely - and then only take the immediate release if totally necessary.....

If I could - I would take as much of the narcotics or whatever pain meds worked - to be able to be working full time - however for a very few of us that is not possible.

I look back at the past 20 years and believe it is a blessing that my body was never able to process narcotics and that I did not go up and up and up like most must do who have long term issues with disease and related pain/chronic pain syndromes as they currently call it.

I can tell you that if narcotics are your last resort and you have allergic reactions - the side effects you mentioned went away for me - you have to take the drugs as prescribed for about one month and at about the 2 week point you will notice a change for the better....

narcotics save me on many days so Idon't want them out of my life - I pray that you will find a way to make something work - be it narcotics, exercise, meditation whatever....

Try it all even if it sounds crazy - and then in a couple of years try it all again....just because something doesn't work when you are 30 years old doesn't mean that it won't work at age 40 - keep trying.

Kelli

Some people have what's called a pseudoallergy. Histamines are released producing allergy symptoms.

There's quite a bit of information to be found googling: opioid allergy alternative

You might bring your pharmacist in on the discussion (or have one with her/him).

There are still some alternatives for pain control (and hope).

Doc

Well I have working with oxycotin 40mg extended release and as needed 15mg oxycotin instant release, and yes the the meds have helped but the side effects are "killing me" so I have started tapering off both of them.

With these drugs is was a respiratory reaction, shallowed breathing.

I am a loss I have been to the PM, and nothing is helping and the only time I get relief is when I on a IV and get diluted(sp)


Just some relief would be great, I dont expect to be pain free

I couldn't handle morphine. I knew they weren't there; but it was like bugs on the ceiling. Hallucinating; but aware of this and knew they didn't exist. No way can handle Morphine.

I guess I am fortunate to be able to take Oxycontin. I also take Oxycodone for breakthru pain. Of course, not pain free; but at least able to get thru the day. My only problem, like everyone using narcotics, is constipation.

Saffy; have you tried a different narcotic other than Morphine?

Gerry

Do you have the same kinds of reactions to opioid agonists used for chronic pain, like low- or ultra-low dose naltrexone, buprenorphine, or proglumide?

Doc

I have not tried any of these but I will speak with my Dr.

It is tuff, because it seems every dr i go to has a different opinion.

The Dr I trust the most is my neurologist, but I go to my primary Dr and she just tells me to listen to the Neurologist, we he sent me to a Pain Management dr that is in his practice and he is the one that told me I am a rare case.

I am so confused, I just want some relief from the pain and the Oxycontin seems to help but the constipation is awful. I have been taking laxatives once a week and when I do take them they literally take everything out of me including ENERGY and I am so tired and week for the next day or 2, but if I dont take them I cant go to the bathroom?

I am so lost

You mentioned IV Dilaudid, did you ask your doctor about an oral form? It looks like there is a syrup. My dad was allergic to morphine but was able to tolerate Dilaudid IV, he was too ill for the syrup so don't know how that would have gone.

judi

Sorry to just jump in on your posts.....just wondering...has anyone ever had severe pain from their groin thru their thigh while taking fentanyl? I seem to remember having this before while I was on Percocet. Just recently got switched from morphine to Fentanyl and the leg pain is excrutiating. Today I did not replace the patch and took a morphine I had left over and Voila! No leg pain! Can this be that I am allergic?