"What surprised them, however, was that it was the level of their pain that predicted their cognitive performance. In other words, the higher the pain level, the lower the cognitive functioning ability"..
I know that I started to do better after I could control my pain in a better way.I still have brain fog, now I can smile and say I have a senior moment
After being told that the brain frog or fibro fog was caused by my pain meds.
I am feed up with all these I know it all, telling the whole world that opiates are not for long term condition. Just last week a dr. on tv, can't remember where (fibro frog ?) was saying that all the opiates should be taken off the market for chronic pain pts Grrrrr.Grrrrrr. Too many old grannies sell their pills 
( the reason why there are so many drugs on the street) I wish that guy to wear my shoes just for a day. My family saw me getting back to a almost normal life after I started MSC. No buzz just some relief and YES I did try all the alternatives and had some complications with them. I am feed up with drs on afternoon tv telling about all the curative supplements of this and that.
Why do I watch them ? Because around 3 pm my day is over I am done, cooked, the only activity I can do is trying to get confortable, too tired. I sit where it is the most confortable for me and do some hand knitting or sewing and jump every times they present a new bottle of snake oil. I just want to see up to where they are going to go with their "I know what you need"
There is one who talks about 5-6 every day, he doesn't sell them I believe but surely make good advertisements . Few weeks ago I went to my health store to get malic acid and magnesium that I take for years now, no more on the shelves since "a famous" TV dr said that it is wonderful for muscle pain, it 's back order........and apparently many other ones are selling like chocolate cookies .
Sorry to dump my venom here but I am so tired to hear all that verbiage that goes nowhere .And tired too to have people telling me about all the new medication is on the market for chronic pain .
We all have to vent somewhere, and what better place than where people who understand what you're going through, know about the snake oil doctors, always coming up with another 'miracle supplement' which will be much better than oxycontin, and get you off the opioids. HA!!!
I'll let you know what my pain management MD says when I talk with her tomorrow about the production stoppage of oxycontin, and what she'll do to manage my pain.
Pain is so totally consuming and exhausting that the mentioned study does not surprise me in the least. In addition to fibro I have Lupus, RA, Psuedo-Gout And Sjorgren's Syndrome, so the Opiod pain med I am given no longer controls my pain and unfortunately I have become very immobile and isolated, due not only to the pain but the exhaustion that comes from dealing with it.
The abuse of prescription drugs it making it so hard for those w/ REAL pain to get anything to manage pain.
I try to stay active when I can. But when my pain level increases I get jittery, confused easily, irritablity flares up and I just want to sit and do as little as possible. I am very forgetful & have to write notes for myself to help me do the things needed.
Thanks for all the info. It helps me not feel so alone.
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2013 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
8 Things You Didn't Know About Restless Legs Syndrome 
Top 10 Things NOT to Say to a Fibromyalgia Patient 
7 Conditions Often Mistaken for Fibromyalgia 
7 Surprising Causes of Back Pain 
If any of the results of this study come as a surprise, it's only because none of the researchers has experienced fibro themselves. They come as no surprise at all to those of us who have.
That pain demands attention??? DUH! That those on opiod therapy function better??? Of course we do! Do they think we sit around high all the time from our meds? I haven't had a buzz from any of my meds in years -- just relief from pain which allows me to think and function better.
Ad while I agree that the results are quite interesting, if only because the medical community might take our symptoms more seriously, overall, I find the study incredibly naïve and simplistic. We should be well past this point already in understanding how the disease (or diseases) work.
I completely agree with you, Nancy. Those of us who live with FM have known these things for years. But the medical profession requires scientific evidence before they will accept anything, so I'm always happy to see studies like this that prove what patients have been saying all along. Thanks to all the research, more and more doctors are now accepting that fibromyalgia is a very real illness. Hopefully soon they will also learn the best ways to treat us.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Well said! If only those researchers and specialists could walk in our shoes for a month or two, they might take pain more seriously.
I've managed to cope for the last ten years with oxycontin and oxycodone for breakthrough pain. There is no buzz or high, just a modicum of relief of the pain.
Now I'm told that after April 1st, the oxycontin will cease production, and oxyNEO will replace it for one year. After that, the doctors will have to prove that this is the only medication which relieves our pain. This is just because so many people are getting oxycontin illegally and selling it, increasing addictions to it across North America.
I'm worried about what will happen, and how this will affect those of us who really need the opoids for pain management.
Any news about this from other FM sufferers would be appreciated.
Have you thought about being on a Fentanyl patch? My Doc put me on them back in 2001, and I've been on them ever since. For breakthrough pain I use plain old Oxycodone 15mg tablets, so I'll take 2 or 3 at once (30mg or 45mg), and that lasts me most of the day. For patch strength, I began with 75's, and then went to 100's, and now I'm back on 75's.
And like most of us who have Fibro, I don't get high from pain meds, I only get pain relief.
One thing though, the Fentanyl will make you tired, it's a really strong Opiate, so if you want to stay awake, you'll need plenty of energy foods, vitamins, and caffiene.
And I saw that you've had the epidurals - I've had them too. Until that Pain Specialist gave up on me. You see instead of keeping the back/leg pain at bay for months, the shots only worked for a few weeks. I ended up seeing a Neurologist. She told me I had a combination of problems related to my back - in addition to Disk Disease, I had Arthritis, Stenosis, Bone spurs, and a lot more going on. Now I have to get an MRI once a year of my lower spine. Once it's "bad" enough, it will mean major surgery - basically reconstruction of my lower spine - metal rods, screws, fusions, all to stabilize it properly. Am I looking forward to that? Yeah, right....
I've never tried the fenatyl patch, but will discuss it with my pain specialist, so I don't get stuck when they cease to produce oxycontin, I've always managed my pain with oxy, which is why I'm so distressed that it will be unavailable as of April 1st, 2012. I will probably qualify for the new oxyNEO for a year, but then will have to have my pain MD prove that nothing else works to control my pain.
My FM appeared after a serious car accident in 1994, from which I really didn't bounce back, and the pain and FM became a fact of life. I had great success with radio frequency ablation, which controlled the pain from 6 to 9 months at a time. I was told that the pain clinic didn't use it for my condition. How idiotic is that??
Have you heard anything about the cessation of production of oxy on April 1st in the USA, or is it just in Canada.
I need some good news, as this will stress me out until I find if there is a solution for my problem.
Keep in touch.
Wanderer
Hi wanderer,
I can just imagine how upsetting it must be to find out that the medication that has been helping you will no longer be made nor paid for by public funding. You asked if this was happening in the U.S. No, I haven't heard anything about that here in the U.S. OxyNeo is already available here and is marketed under the name OxyContin OP. Doctors are encouraged to switch patients to the new formulation which is supposed to be harder to abuse, but to my knowledge, regular OxyContin is still available.
I found an interesting article about the new OxyContin/OxyNEO policies that you might find helpful. Apparently only some provinces in Canada have adopted the new policy so far. And according to that article, if you have private insurance that will cover it, you will still be able to get it. It sounds like it's not so much that OxyNEO will be outlawed as that it will not be paid for by public funding.
There are a number of other opioid medications that you could discuss with your doctor to replace the OxyContin you're currently taking, such as morphine, hydromorphone, methadone and fentanyl. I know it's hard to think of switching medications when what you're taking is working for you, but hopefully at least one of these options will provide the same pain relief you're currently getting with OxyContin.
Good luck to you. I hope you'll keep us informed as to what you and your doctor decide to do and how it works for you. – Karen
I have Fibro, RA and Degenerative disc disease and have surgeries on my speine, both shoulders, hands, feet, rt knee. My MD only gives me Fentynal 25 mg and nothing for the breakthrough pain. I have become totally immobile and isolated-the pain makes me so distracted and exhausted. I do take Minocyclicine, Colchicine, Plaquenil, Wellbutrin, Baclofen and Desyrel, but my pain is not under control. I have beged my MD to give me something for breakthrough pain and increase my Fentynal but she refuses.
Thank you for your kind words, Karen,
You know how stress adversely affects those of us with fibro, so I'm not doing too well.
The fatigue from the FM, the pain, the lack of sleep and the depression certainly don't help. I'll have a look at your site on oxycontin and take it with me to see my pain doc.
Have you heard if oxyNEO is as effective as oxycontin?? I'm so afraid to start messing around with other meds again, since oxy has been so good. I'll keep in touch.
wanderer xo
Hi wanderer – I don't personally know anyone who has tried the OxyNeo so I did a Google search for "oxycontin op for pain" (but with no quotes) since OxyContin OP is the name used for OxyNeo in the states. Unfortunately, what I found was not encouraging. Most people said it did not provide the same pain relief and had some uncomfortable side effects. The most frequent side effects mentioned were digestive disturbances like upset stomach, acid reflux, etc.
One man said he often found a partially dissolved capsule in his stool, which would explain why he wasn't getting much pain relief. It sounds to me like whatever it is that makes them more difficult to dissolve to prevent abuse also makes them more difficult for our bodies to dissolve and absorb.
Several people said that when the OxyContin OP didn't work for them, their doctors switched them to Opana ER (oxymorphone) and most seemed happy with the change. If the OxyNeo is not effective for you, you might want to ask your doctor about Opana.
I really hated to hear what people are saying about OxyContin OP and hate to have to share it with you. It would be wonderful if there were truly a formulation that would prevent abuse while still providing adequate pain relief for chronic pain sufferers.
I feel for you being forced to change pain meds. I hope you and your doctor are able to find something that works as well for you as the OxyContin has. – Karen
I just read an article on the oxyNEO being released to replaced Oxycontin also. I believe it is only being done in Canda, not in the US. So don't worry yet. I was worried too , because I am on Oxycontin as well , but felt much more relieved when I read it was just being done in Canada. a
Hopefully, the results that Karen? brought up (that it didn't work as well and had bad side effects) will make a difference and it won't make it into the US as a definite replacement.
Hope this makes you feel better.
Sigh......................Karen,
I'm so unhappy to hear about the search results you found about opanol/oxyNEO. That is exactly what I thought would happen. If they can't crush the pill to get immediate results, how do the MDs expect the pill to dissolve in time for it to have any effect for our pain. I'm about ready to weep in desperation and depression.
How can we get through to our docs that this may prevent abuse, but will also prevent the pills from giving those of us who need the oxy for pain relief, the pain relief we need. There seems to be no answer, and no one is addressing this aspect of the problem in public. When they say that pain is the most under treated problem in the medical field, they're sure right@!!!
Fran
I too have had to change from oxycontin, when they changed the formulation. After some trial and error, my doctor and I came upon Exalgo, it is morphine derivative. I have had very good results with it, at least as well if not better than the oxycontin.
Good luck and may you find relief!