Pain Pill suggestins

What would you suggest be the next thing for me to try with my back pain? I am not wanting to have a fusion at this time. I have been on muscle relaxers, NSAIDS, Percocets and Vicodin.

It sounds like you need an extended release formulation so you don't get the pain up-and-down roller coaster. You could/would still use Percocet or something else for breakthrough pain. I have not taken OxyContin (extended release oxycodone) because I am allergic to oxycodone, but I have read from others it works well. I have also heard methadone does great. From hydrocodone once I was taking the maximum dose without it working well enough, my doctor put me on extended release morphine. Those are just a few options for you.

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Mochiah/a.k.a. Sue

Sorry, I forgot to say welcome to Healing Well before jumping right into answers!!!

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Mochiah/a.k.a. Sue

What type of pain are you having? Is it nerve or something else? For nerve type pain I had some luck with nortriptyline, for inflammation type pain and non narcotic med, Cymbalta worked great for me. The combo of oxycodone, Cymbalta and norlfex (at night) is about the best pain relief I've ever had! If you are looking for a different narcotic you can look into fentanyl patches. You should really talk to your doctor about what a next step can be. One thing I wouldn't do is go to a doctor and tell them you want to get another narcotic. Asking for narcotic meds is looked at as a drug seeking behavior, you really don't want to be labeled a seeker. Are you seeing a general practitioner or a pain management doc? This is all just my opnion, so take it as such.

I am seeing a PM, but I just got the meds from him last Thursday. I had back surgery in April, which didnt work, so my next option is a fusion. I am trying not to take that route. Its in L4-LS.
I hate that feeling of going into a dr.s office and asking for something for pain. But it is their job, right? I guess I am just not sure when its the right time to "up" the paid meds.

They won't know what works for you unless you are giving them feedback. Chutz (the moderator) had suggested before to others (myself included) to keep a pain diary...how you feel, where is the pain, what did you do for it, what medication did you take, and what did it do for you, and rate your pain on a scale of 1-10. Your doctor will likely need to try different medications to find out what works for you. I note that you are saying you have back pain, but when keeping your diary try to describe it, does it go across your back, in one spot, into your buttock, down your leg, do you have pins/needles/numbness/tingling, etc. Mach is correct, nerve pain would be treated with different medications than just "pain meds." All you can do is give your doctor the best information possible about your pain and it will help him/her to decide what may work for you. Dosages are also kind of a guessing game at first, 5 mg oxycodone may wipe one person out while another it doesn't affect at all.

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Mochiah/a.k.a. Sue

03 March, I am seeing a PM dr. How would you suggest letting him know that this isnt cutting it, we need to try something else and I do feel like I have a high tolerence of pain meds? I am only 30, so maybe they do feel that I am too young? Thats just silly though, right? Lol. I have legit reasons to feel the pain I am experiencing.
When we go your PM dr., how does your conversation usually go with your dr?

I know I'm not 03Mach, but...in the beginning of going to see my doctor I was very specific, this is where the pain is, this is how it feels, this makes it hurt, this makes it better. Then she would have me rate my pain 1-10, that is hard to do when you are trying to average the month so keeping a diary helps. That was the only way she could adjust things to what I needed.

Now, after going to her for 4-5 years, she can see me walking with my limp, just looks at me and says "so, same stuff different day, right?" She does have to listen to the heart, lungs, etc. every second or third visit and every 6 months we do blood tests for the liver values to make sure Norco/Tylenol aren't damaging my liver. I am usually in and back out within 45 minutes or less.

Now, starting next month I am being sent to a different doctor, so I don't know how that will go, whether they will keep me on the same things because they work okay or try to mix things up. I've started keeping my pain diary again because I am sure I will be nervous and forget something!

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Mochiah/a.k.a. Sue

I have been there twice so far and its pretty much, whats going on...I read your results for your diskogram, have you seen the neurosurgeon yet, thats about it. Lat week when I was there I oretty much said..I am feeling the same. What would you reccomend me to take, he asked if I ever had muscle relaxers, NSAIDS, etc. I said yes with no luck, I also had injections before as well. I said well last time I was here you gave me 40 pills and obviously I am almost out. So he wrote me another script for 40 pills and said come back. He never said when, I guess I seem to get intimidated and dont want to look like a seeker. I explained to him I will see my neuro then make another appt with him. But here I am, almost out of pills again, and feel funny calling him back. Urg.

You already have a neurosurgeon.....have you seen him before or are you waiting for your first appointment?

You could go to the ER...take in the pills you have remaining, tell them you have contacted your PM doctor on 12/30 or 12/31, whatever day you did, and you haven't heard back, but you are still in pain. Your PM doctor has an answering service or someone on call...the ER doctor can call and get through to him/her much faster than you can. Your PM doctor will then instructed the ER doctor what to give you and when you leave the ER you will be told when you are to follow up with your PM doctor, usually 1-3 days.

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Mochiah/a.k.a. Sue

I have seen him before for my laminectomy, which didnt help so they referred me to a PM dr. The PM dr. did a diskogram and I am waiting for my appt with my neuro to go over my results. ER isnt an option right now as I have noone to take me. Hubby would kill me. He thinks its in my head..lol.

I am not trying to be a nay sayer, but I would highly recommend you manage your pain  through your regular pain management doctor and NOT the ER.  I do not want to speak for others, but I think most long term pain patients would tell you that the fastest way to be rubber stamped as a drug seeker is to use your local ER to manage your chronic pain.  In my experience, it is best to be honest with your routine PM doctor, than to go to the ER and tell them you ran out of meds and need either more of the same medication or request something stronger.  Unless you have been through the ER scene, you have no idea just how cruel these health professional can be.  I wish it were not this way, but ER personnel can be horrifically unprofessional when is comes to dealing with long pain.  Be honest with your PM doctor.  Use a pain diary to document your need, times when you are experiencing break thru pain, etc.  Let your doctor formulate a treatment plan for you.  From what you descriibe, you are a rather new patient to this doctor. Give him or her a fair chance to treat your pain.  I am not saying never go to the ER, but save that treatment option for emergency situations and not routine drug management.

Good luck,