drug strengths

Hi! Thanks for your reply.

I've had Lortab and for some reason it made me throw up. had reactions to a couple others too.

Asked for soma because I can feel the muscles around my spine tense in an attempt to protect/support the area. That was turned down too.

I figured there was stronger stuff out there, or at least a possibility of making my doses closer together but he just keeps shooting it down.

I've had oxyC in the past and would prefer to use that as a last resort because I had the same things---itching, zombie (fell asleep with a spoonful of choc ice cream halfway to my mouth!) and just generally don't like it all that much. Oddly, respond okay to morphine and dilaudid. Pretty relaxed but not out of it :-) and pain is gone with a low dose. I've had almost everything out there at some point (problem started 11 yrs ago) but I've learned that in the last few years drs are thinking of "drug-seeking behavior". I even had a nurse refuse me the dilaudid prescribed by a surgeon while I was in the hospital. Surgeon ripped her apart in the AM. So, I don't want to go in there and have him think I want to get high. I want to stand up for more than 8 hours a day, and I'd really like to go back to work!

Anyway, thanks much for your reply. Truly appreciated.

your in need of a pain management doc. With your health plan does your hospital have one on staff?? I was finally, after years, put in touch with a pain management Dr. and he has been the only one willing and able to help. They have a totally different view of the medications your speaking of and aren't nearly as worried about drug seeking and that. They can usually spot those people pretty quick and they can tell when your being honest. You sound like all you want is a decent life. You deserve that. I hope you can find a Pain doc. in your network.

Believe it or not, this doctor IS pain management. He's the second one I've tried because my plan doesn't seem to have many. Personally, I have to wonder if they've been checked up on by the govt. I KNOW the first one I went to was. They've actually started random drug testing. And the reason I switched was because he wouldn't prescribe at all.

I've asked the current doc several times now for increases and he'll only do it temporarily, until I can come into the office.

He's supposed to be finding someone who can do a spinal stimulator for me, but it's been 6 weeks and of course that's a problem for me. For the first time since the injury occured the pain is waking me up at night. I have an appointment for Monday. Two reasons. First, why is it taking so long to get this settled? Finding a doctor should not be this hard. Second, I want something done about these pills, even if it's just until the stimulator is done.

I foresee a fight on Monday :-)

Everyone, thanks so much for your help and your replies. Mostly for helping me know I'm not alone in this, AND I'm not crazy!

Percocet comes in a 10/325 strength also. Oxycodone isn't "it" vis-a-vis strong pain meds. Other short acting pain drugs include Dilaudid (hydromorphone), various Morphine preparations, Fentanyl lozenges (Actiq), et.al. On a morphine scale (how say the dosing of oxycodone or hydrocodone can be put into a ratio , w/MS as the 'lowest common denominator). For example: 10mg of oxycodone is = to 15 of MS (1.5:1); 10 of hydrocodone is = to 7.5 of MS (0.75:1) and hydromorphone 1mg=8mg MS (8:1) (N.B. these are oral equivalents). As for a long acting med, OxyContin (despite much bad press re: its additction potential) is great for bid or tid dosing. Other long acting meds that are good include Duragesic (fentanyl citrate transdermal patch), which is worn for 48-72 hours and then changed, MSContin (Morphine Sulfate Continuous Release) and a relatively new preparation of Oxymorphone, branded as Opana ER for the long acting preparation and Opana for the short. You can see that there is no shortage of options, and your doctor is probably acting like many of his colleagues in prescribing much too conservatively. I'd check w/your primary physician as often PCP's will treat chronic pain when the patient is known to them and they have met w/obstacles such as you have. Since 2000, physicians and hospitals have been required to treat pain as a vital sign - many do but many are afraid of the stigma attached to prescrbing relatively high doses of opiates. Best of luck to you!

Nathan