Friday, June 01, 2012

Common drug for stage 4 cancer patients

By sundial1999 Friday, November 23, 2007
What is the most common drugs prescribed for patients with Stage 4 nonsmall cell cancer patients?  I have cancer in my left hip/thigh and also in my left lung.  It actually started in my lung and spread from there.  What is commonly given to someone who can been told that they are considered "terminal"....it was given 6 to 18 months to live but now I'm in remission.  Still have some really bad days...........
Shortage of Roxicodone
11/24/07 7:41am
MS - contin or a duragesic patch (fentynal) are very common drugs give for pain.  Even if you are in remission.  You may want to ask about hospice.  Hospice now takes cancer patients or chroinc medical patients into hospice.  Even if you are in treatment you can be in hospice. They will acess you, help you, get you pain control, and help you live the life you want to live.  My mother in law had hopice for almost 2 yrs. for end stage heart disease.  They were wonderful and treated her disease agressive.  She lived pain free, had a patch and then morphine and oxygen. She died peacfully at home with her family.  Hospice gave her the tools she needed to live her life out the way she wanted.  Look into it. The nurses will be your advocate to your doctor and help you navigate..  Best wishers.
11/24/07 10:40am
My morphine is MSIR....it helps a little but doesn't last.....i do have the 20 oxy too but I can't see where they do anything......I'm so frustrated right now that I can't take much more of this.  I thought hospice was only for the "last" days.....I'm in Florida and from what I understand that's how they do it here.....
11/25/07 12:04am

Sundial1999

I'm so sorry for your cancer and all that pain.  I certainly will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

If I were you and looking for some different meds to bring up to your doctor.  I would look for cancer pain meds on Drugs.com, you can do searches to bring up exactly what your looking for.  It's an easy form to follow and do searches on.

You can also look to the left of this screen in the orange box that says Manage and see a link to drug informaiton that you may want to try.

Hope something will help you find meds to help you better.

Betty

12/11/07 10:41pm
BUT, if you are anything like me, morphine, alone does NOT work.  And, I have found recently that the MS pills do me absolutely NO good;  not on their own, not in combo with my other meds.  As my surgery Is coming up in Jan, I will be giving my doc a paper to SIGN about pain relief while in the hospital and immediately following surgery.  NO way will I ever go through what I went through when the joints wee removed;  interns and nurses telling me thay did  not have ANY of the meds I usually take (crazy and lazy).  I cannot think of even ONE hospital that does not carry codeine and soma;  even phenergan... but the lazy jerks where I last was wouldn't bother themselves to even CHECK the pharmacy;  simply stated that they "didn't carry them".. which when pressed regarding the phenergan, I found it was a serious lie and it WAS found for me.  Still, I will never go through that again.  And, I have gone off on my tangent again.. PLEASE let your doc know that this is NOT cutting it for you, ok??  Anne
12/12/07 7:31am
I do understand what u are saying....the hospital has so many pain medications that they should be able to keep u comfortable after surgery.  You're right it is crazy.....I had tried to get my morphine changed to roxicodone and he told "absolutely" not.  I didn't understand that.  I was on morphine extended and immediate release at the same time for almost a year so to me it made sense to be on oxycodone extended and the roxi for immediate release...when i first started going to this pain management doctor he said "in your condition we just want to keep you comfortable, out of pain, and quiet".  Well what he said and what he's doing is two different things.  He wanted to put a morphine pump in me...he said that's where his money comes from.  I don't understand some of these doctors.  I am considered terminal at stage 4 cancer.  I don't doctor shop or get pain meds from any other doctor so I don't feel I'm abusing my medication.  I just want to be comfortable and be able to enjoy the rest of my life out of pain...is that too much to ask......

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By sundial1999— Last Modified: 12/07/10, First Published: 11/23/07