New here and looking for opinions

[sunshiney_dayz]

Hey yall !...I stumbled upon this board tonite and REALLY glad I did !!!! ...

I too have chronic pain and see a PM every three months. A drunk driver ran into me in 01. I had c5-c6 fusion with hip bone graft and titanium plate with pins in 02 ( OUCH )....And since that time Ive never quit hurting. I was completely off post op meds after about 3 months....But I never stopped hurting and it kept getting worse. Went back to Neurosurgeon who sent me to PT . Then after that didnt work we started over with all the pre op stuff,MRIs' , TENS, neve tests ( EMG ??? something like that) ..injections , steroids, nerve pills, and nothing helped. He put me back on lortab 7.5 and referred me to my hero, my PM. My PM is an anestesioligist( I butchered that) and took me off the lortab and started me on morphine sulfate 60 , 3X a day with lortab 10/325 for BT....Then I lost my insurance and couldnt afford my meds but couldnt get out of bed with something /anything so we went to methadone10 , 3X a day with lortab for BT....I did this for about 7 months and could NEVER shake the sleepies . I would be sitting at a stop light and catch myself starting to nod....couldnt read or watch TV for a nap sneaking in on me. ..and to make it worse, the dosage wasnt even close to what I needed....but I got insurance again and thank goodness got to go back to my reg medicine or the morphine sulfate and lortabs...( We had tried Avinza and that didnt work nor could I keep a patch on my skin ...IF I could get it to stick, my skin would be fire red and look blistered ..it wasnt blistered but look raw like it)....but anyways, my Doc put me on the ER this time. I was on the CR before..............so now my LONG drawn out question to anyone who is still awake after reading this and who has tried these 2 types, did the morphine ER work better than the morphine CR for you or visa versa ????...or could you tell a difference in the two ??....I know theyre supposed to disperse the medicine differently and all....


But just wanting any opinion s !!! and to say hi !!!!

[Bluey]

I don't know.

[cindybear]

I just changed to Mmorhine sulfate, take 3 times a day, was on Kadian, changed because of cost...Kadian is 10 times better, but at this time...It's to pricey...So I'm coping..Just got that Part D on medicare. and will have to pay for all my scripta pretty soon for a little whil;e ( I think until it gets to 3600.00) So trying to get cheap meds , So I can afford them..Besides topamax, I'll have to bite that one, I have to have that one...!! But yes, I notice the difference..Hugs, Cindy

[Pharmacist.steve]

"CR" & "ER" is nothing more than nominclature one stands for controlled release and the other is extended release. It is just how the manufacturer decided to name the product...They are suppose to last 12 hrs but with chonic pain... typically better pain management is accomplished with dosing every 8 hrs - same mg/day as given every 12.

[sunshiney_dayz]

Hey thanks a bunch for the replies. ...really appreciate it


and if anyone else on here has taken the 2 and can has a pref, Id be interested in "hearingt" which and why

[A Chronic Painer]

Hi Sunshiney,

What Steve, the pharmacist, said is true. I have taken both CR and ER over the years, probably depending on which brand my HMO can get the cheapest. If they can save a penny a tab, they will change. Sometimes it drives me nuts!

I have never noticed a difference between the two myself. I think that if you feel better with one over the other, ask your doc to prescribe it for you. Depending on your insurance, you may not have a choice though.

Also, for most people, the time release meds will not work for 12 hours, as the drug companies claim. To get the uninterupted pain relief your looking for, ensure that your doc is giving you 3 a day (one every eight hours). I think that is much more important than the ER, or CR. Good luck :)

[BrokenBladder]

When I did take it I couldn't notice a difference, BUT neither lasted the full 12 hours. For me only about 7 hours. Wishing you a pain free weekend!!

[sunshiney_dayz]

Thanks again yall !....And yeah, my consensus is about the same...Im taking 1 of the 60mg tabs 3 times a day...then the hydrocodone 10/325 for BT....The morphine sulfate is by a company I hadnt heard of till this month...Ethex, and to me they are lasting about 6-7 hours , .....And its really weird..when theyre done , theyre DONE !...When my hero prescribed them he did say that the companies say theire supposed to last 12 hrs but that he didnt believe it........

Hey Steve the Pharmacist..heres one for you since youre a pharmacist ( Im assuming , but then again I know what they say about assuming !...) ...what do you know about Ethex ? I mean has there been anything bad about them in the news or any..??

Again thanks for the replies !!

[krashleen]

I have heard of Ethex, I have had the oxycodone liquid form from Ethex and it worked perfectly. I wish I could have it for b/t pain all month, vs just for the post-op fusion pain.
Best of luck..I have to agree with CR and ER issues, I have oxycontin 20 3xday. Works better that way. I stick with brand.