Hello All...Been A Long time

drjimmy

Regular Member

Joined : Dec 2008

Posts : 110

Posted 5/18/2009 7:36 AM (GMT -7)

Hey, how is everyone doing? I haven't posted in a long time. In general, I haven't been on the computer as much I guess. I'm still struggling with my pain and meds issues. I have been on Oxycontin 80 MG 3 times dail along with Percocet 10 MG 4 times daily. My pain was still there and it seemed the meds weren't making a difference, so my doctor wants to reduce my MG and start to ween? me off of Oxycontin. I don't think I like this idea much, but I'm going along with it for now. I've been on the reduced dose of Oxy for a couple weeks now and the pain is definitely worse, so I guess the meds WERE helping. He's going to try Radio Frequency in a couple weeks and see how that goes. If the pain is still there, he will send me for another MRI and EMG and send me to a back surgeon for a consult. I'm hoping that people are feeling a little better, but don't know. How is everyone?

Herniated Lumbar Disks L5 S1, L2 L3

Herniated Cervical Disks C6 C7

Spinal Stenosis

Degenerative Arthritis Left Knee

Pes Planus Both Feet

Multiple Neuropathies

Brachial Plexus/Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Nerve Pain in Arms, Hands, Back, Legs, Feet, Groin, Testicles

Chutz

Forum Moderator

Joined : Jan 2005

Posts : 9463

Posted 5/18/2009 8:57 AM (GMT -7)

Hi Jimmy!

Good to see you again. Sadly one thing about pain medications is they rarely take away all of the pain. But hopefully they reduce it to a tolerable level. You sure show a great example of how to know if your medication is working. Stop or reduce your intake and see what happens...YIKES! You find out just how much is was working. I do hope you get some better relief.

Hugs,
Chutzie

Co-Moderator Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Forums
~~~
Fibromyalgia, Ulcerative Colitis, Insulin dependent diabetic, PTSD, dermatitis herpetiformus, osteoarthritis and a few other side dishes.
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Happiness is something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for."
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drjimmy

Regular Member

Joined : Dec 2008

Posts : 110

Posted 5/18/2009 9:20 AM (GMT -7)

Yep, you're right. Obviously the meds were working, because my pain is now much more unbearable with the lower dose. Now I just have to convince the doctor to raise me back up to my previous level. Hope you're doing well...byeeeeeeeee

eric

Herniated Lumbar Disks L5 S1, L2 L3

Herniated Cervical Disks C6 C7

Spinal Stenosis

Degenerative Arthritis Left Knee

Pes Planus Both Feet

Multiple Neuropathies

Brachial Plexus/Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Nerve Pain in Arms, Hands, Back, Legs, Feet, Groin, Testicles

cshelp

Regular Member

Joined : Mar 2009

Posts : 96

Posted 5/18/2009 9:50 PM (GMT -7)

drjimmy, Have you been on any other pain meds, maybe these aren't the right ones. Hang in there and dont give up. cshelp

angel8

Regular Member

Joined : Apr 2009

Posts : 109

Posted 5/19/2009 4:09 AM (GMT -7)

Hi Jimmy and welcome back!

I dont know what else to say other then maybe changing meds for awile will work better then dosing down? I know before the methadone when I was still running the gauntlet of all the other meds I tended to become tolerated to easily and it kept taking more and more to get the same relief. I dont have that problem with the methadone as I have remained on the same dose for years at a time without changing.

I can recall once early out that I went to a new PM clinic and their answer was a "drug holiday" They were a joke! Didnt waste much time or money in their care.

Good luck to you and hoping you get this ironed out soon as being in that kind of pain long sure takes its toll.

uniquelyme

Veteran Member

Joined : Nov 2008

Posts : 1037

Posted 5/19/2009 7:18 AM (GMT -7)

Jimmy,
Welcome back...I know how hard it is to stop taking meds...it's a JOLT!!! But, our Doctors do know more then we do..at least I hope so. Maybe they can try something else, I was put on Morphine and taken off Methadone for only one week...boy was that awful!!! I got back on the Methadone as fast as I could...Morphine doesn't work for a lot of people, so maybe it's the same with Oxycontin...good Luck...Hope it turns out well for you..

Me./

I hate Boats!!!!

Post Lamenectomy Syndrome, Spinal Stenosis, DDD....

1999 Hemi Lamenectomy/2005 Spinal Fusion(L4-S1)

Methadone 120 mg. a day/15 mg. Oxycodone as needed(up to 4 x a day)

High Blood Pressure: Lisinopril HCTZ 10 mg. daily

Type 2 Diabetes: (March 16, 2009)

Metformin HCL ER 1000 mg. at night..Glipizide 5mg. 2X in the morning

skeye

Veteran Member

Joined : Mar 2008

Posts : 3089

Posted 5/19/2009 7:38 PM (GMT -7)

Hi Jimmy,

Welcome back. I'm sorry to hear that you are still having problems. I've done several tapers like that which you mentioned. They basically allow you to 1) verify whether the med was helping or not, and 2) could potentially "reset" your tolerance, so that it takes less medication to give you the same effect as the dose you were previously on. It is a good way to see where things are at, even if it is unpleasant in the short term. Hopefully the RF procedure will help with your pain.

Skeye

drjimmy

Regular Member

Joined : Dec 2008

Posts : 110

Posted 5/23/2009 1:01 AM (GMT -7)

Thanks for all the responses. I've tried other meds (Morphine, Methadone, Fentanyl Patch), but none of them worked. I didn't think the Oxy 80 MG were working, but now I KNOW it worked, because the pain is much much worse with the reduced dose. I heard lot's of good things about Methadone, but I had a bad reaction and had to stop taking it before I could tell if it worked. A "holiday" from pain meds? HA! what a joke that is. I can see reducing occasionally to "reset tolerance" or determine if it's working, but a holiday is not in order. Obviously you need to be on something. or you wouldn't have started them in the first place. Funny, but you would never hear of a "holiday" from blood pressure meds, or from diabetes meds, but pain isn't always taken seriously by doctors. I'm hoping the Radio Frequency will help and maybe I can back off the Opiods some. Otherwise it's off to a surgery consult.

Herniated Lumbar Disks L5 S1, L2 L3

Herniated Cervical Disks C6 C7

Spinal Stenosis

Degenerative Arthritis Left Knee

Pes Planus Both Feet

Multiple Neuropathies

Brachial Plexus/Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Nerve Pain in Arms, Hands, Back, Legs, Feet, Groin, Testicles

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