What works well for your BT med?

[hoops2u]

Hi Pals ! !

I had been doing so well unit last week. In Ohio we are notorious for frequent weather changes but the last week or so have been horrendous. Lots of rain and temps range between 20 and 50 degrees F. I don't know for sure if this really affects my pain levels but it certainly seems to be a factor since I can be feeling really good and suddenly for no apparent reason be in severe pain.

I have always used Vicoden for BT (generic), but it seems to be doing nothing at all now. In fact, it might be making things somewhat worse because it makes me very anxious. I have also taken flexeril muscle relaxants, and many otc meds such as aleve, asprin, tylenol pm, Ibprophin etc. I am a wreck, Last night I broke down and took a valium. I had some left over from dental implant procedures. (it's difficult for many on pm to undergo anesthesia in the dentists office). The valium at least helped me relax some.

I have an appointment with my PP next Wed. I'd like to go with some suggestions. If you have any I'd like to know. Please, when you answer, please give me name, strength, frequency, side effects etc. of the med. I don't understand all the abbreviations used on this site. I'm a bit uneducated in this arena.

Currently I take Kadian 120 mgs twice daily and topomax (anti-siezure) 125mgs daily, 30 mgs Neurontin at bedtime, for pain, currently, but this just isn't cutting it. I know for sure my physicians will not increas my Kadian at this time, as they just increased it this past summer.

I also have been complaining to my Dr.'s that I can't wake up or stay awake enough to get much done or read and have asked them to prescribe the medication that is used for cancer patients on Kadian. So far they won't give me anything to increase my energy level.

I guess I am just a big ole' cry baby. BooHoo. But guys, guys, I just want to live! I feel so useless. I used to help people. I used tp do things. I used to want to do things. I don't even want to go to Thanksgiving Dinner with the family. Christmas? Bah-humbug! What are we going to do with me. I'm the shink. Now I'm shrunk and need a good shrink. Can you help me? I doo still laugh, it hides my tears. hahahahaha!!

So Glad to be back! ! I just love yous' guys !
hoops

[BrokenBladder]

Originally Posted by hoops2u

Hi Pals ! !

I had been doing so well unit last week. In Ohio we are notorious for frequent weather changes but the last week or so have been horrendous. Lots of rain and temps range between 20 and 50 degrees F. I don't know for sure if this really affects my pain levels but it certainly seems to be a factor since I can be feeling really good and suddenly for no apparent reason be in severe pain.

I have always used Vicoden for BT (generic), but it seems to be doing nothing at all now. In fact, it might be making things somewhat worse because it makes me very anxious. I have also taken flexeril muscle relaxants, and many otc meds such as aleve, asprin, tylenol pm, Ibprophin etc. I am a wreck, Last night I broke down and took a valium. I had some left over from dental implant procedures. (it's difficult for many on pm to undergo anesthesia in the dentists office). The valium at least helped me relax some.

I have an appointment with my PP next Wed. I'd like to go with some suggestions. If you have any I'd like to know. Please, when you answer, please give me name, strength, frequency, side effects etc. of the med. I don't understand all the abbreviations used on this site. I'm a bit uneducated in this arena.

Currently I take Kadian 120 mgs twice daily and topomax (anti-siezure) 125mgs daily, 30 mgs Neurontin at bedtime, for pain, currently, but this just isn't cutting it. I know for sure my physicians will not increas my Kadian at this time, as they just increased it this past summer.

I also have been complaining to my Dr.'s that I can't wake up or stay awake enough to get much done or read and have asked them to prescribe the medication that is used for cancer patients on Kadian. So far they won't give me anything to increase my energy level.

I guess I am just a big ole' cry baby. BooHoo. But guys, guys, I just want to live! I feel so useless. I used to help people. I used tp do things. I used to want to do things. I don't even want to go to Thanksgiving Dinner with the family. Christmas? Bah-humbug! What are we going to do with me. I'm the shink. Now I'm shrunk and need a good shrink. Can you help me? I doo still laugh, it hides my tears. hahahahaha!!

So Glad to be back! ! I just love yous' guys !
hoops

Well I use vicoden for b/t at 7.5/750 every 4 hours. I litterly use it around the clock because I can't sleep. I've heard that Roxicodone is a good b/t med but I haven't personally used it. I would just discuss how you feel with your doctor and let him/her give you some suggestions.
I understand your Bah-humbug feeling because I have it too!! Who wants to deal with all of the holidays when they're in soooo much pain.
Wishing you a pain free weekend!!

[ErinENj]

Hoops,

I'm on Kadian too. My dosage is at 200mg/every 12 hours. It doesn't cut it and I'm hoping it will be upped at my next appointment on Wednesday. For breakthrough, I have taken the same med for the entire of my 5 years of CP (It's my 5 year anniversary on Turkey day). Dilaudid. The usual dosage starts at either 2 or 4mgs, every 4 hours or as needed for pain. Because I have been on it for so long, my dosage is at 24mg, and I take 2 doses a day Mon-thurs, and 1 a day friday-sunday (I'm at school during the week and because of it, and my 2 hour drive, my pain levels are seriously upped during the week, so I take more. Plus, my doc doesn't really understand exactly how important graduating is for me, so he won't give me enough for 2 doses a day everyday. So I have to budget it to make it through the month. I usually end up finishing the bottle the day of my appointment each month). I find it works really, really well for me and it is a good compliment to the Kadian since they are both formulations of Kadian (dilaudid is hydromorphone as a generic).

Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that anything will work for you. It's one of those things where it must be trial and error. I like the dilaudid. It's always worked really well for me. I hope you find something that will work well for you. Dilaudid is pretty strong though, and I would hope that you could find something a little less powerful so that you have more options in the future. I regret having started on Dilaudid, simply because now, there's nothing else that will work, except for the actiq lollipop, which I'm not going anywhere near with the condition of my teeth and an already bad oral-fixation issue. Plus, it's weird, but I'm always terrified that if I have a pop with me at school, and someone goes into my bag and goes, "cool, a lollipop. It looks good. Let me try it." It could cause some huge problems, and I really don't want to have to go there.

Best of luck finding something that works! sometimes it is hard finding just the right one, but when you do, it's a huge relief.

[krashleen]

I use roxicodone for b/t and I am allotted three a day. I think its a pretty short leash, cause I have to use all my b/t meds every day.

Like Erin, I also usually finish up the day of my PM appt.

[RustyD]

For 7 years I was using Demerol. Every time though the residue seemed to run over into the next day or 2 and I hated losing time wasted groggy..

Now I use MSIR and it works great. I take 60mg as needed..

[hoops2u]

Thanks to all who answered. I of course still have a couple of questions.

1. What is dilaud? Morphine based?
2. What is MSIR? Morphine based?

Just wondering. In the recent past I have not had severe BT pain so it seemed that the vicodin worked just fine. But for some reason this week my pain level has shot up to the limit, around 9-10 and I am at the screaming stage. I have never been suicidal, but I have to tell you, don't think I can take much more of this.

yes, I do have an appt. with my personal physician this Wed. She has been prescribing my pm meds and I only see pmp when something really serious is going on. So, I suppose she will send me to see him now. He is so far from where I live that I usually need to get a driver to take me to his office. It's hard to find someone, everyone I know is working or in Fls. for the winter.

It's crazy that all of a sudden my pain level should go up so high just when I was starting to feel so good. Do you all have more pain when the weather is wet and cold? I don't understand barometric pressure but I sometimes wonder if it affects pain, especially spinal?

My new doggie,(2 yrs) has been staying by my side and licks me all over. He is taking care of me. It's too cute.

Thanks for your answers. Nice to know someone cares. Love to you all.
Bless you,
hoops

ps, I wanted to be notified when my postings were answered, so I checked immediate notification, but I was not notified. Am I doing something wrong?

[erfan]

I use 30 mg Rooxicodone and I take up to 4 per day. Actually, I usually hit the 4 because my base med (100 mcg Fentanyl patch) does nothing for me.

At firstm the Roxicodone worked great but of course, over time...

[joeworkflow]

I know it's been shared before, but there are alternatives to taking so much Tylenol with your B/T meds. OxyIR is available in a variety of strengths w/o any Tylenol in it, which is so much better for our liver! Talk with your PM doctor about a switch...

[erfan]

There is no tylenol in Roxicodone. Roxicodone is similar to Oxy IR but in higher mg. I take 30 mg qid

[ErinENj]

Hoops,

Dilaudid is morphine based. It's generic name is hydromorphone, but I don't know what the formulation really is, besides being a form of morphine. It's 7 times more powerful than straight morphine, I think.

My back acts up when the weather changes. A low-pressure front is moving quickly through my area right now, and my pain is up a little. It usually doesn't completely debilitate me, but there's definately a noticeable difference. My pain tends to have a life of it's own, increasing for no reason in particular, and if there is something that I have managed to do to my spine, usually there's no way to tell what it was. The docs still can't tell me what first started all of this. They think it may be a combination of my height (6'1" when this started. I've lost a half-inch off of my height through this), plus a huge growth spurt I had after my heart surgery, and then a fall where I broke my tailbone, which made my back a lot more sensitive, so when we got our new puppy, all of the twisting and turning I did, plus his squirming when he was in my arms, just pushed my back over the edge. The last serious flare I had was in last March, where I herniated the two affected disks, but again, they have no idea what I did to herniate them. It could be something as small as sneezing. That time was the worst pain I have ever experienced and I hope it never happens again.

I hope that your recent increase is just due to the weather and a few busy days and nothing else permanent!! Best of luck!!