Greetings,

First thing I would suggest is call your doctor and talk to him/her let them know this isn't working for you and ask what you should do.

As for taking extra doses for Gods sake don't do it, even if it helps your pain.  I've been down that road and got in big trouble for it.  It seems that some docs prescribe the lowest dosage they can to help and when you double the dose they don't understand why.  I know you aren't supposed to do this but sometimes the pain is so great that you just can't stand it and no one listens.  If you do this you will run out and they will be mad and they won't refill the script and you will get red flagged and then no one will help you.

When I was with my old pain doc she was an Ortho's PA she put me on methadone which didn't help at all, I talked to her until I was blue in the face but she didn't listen or wouldn't listen, she was and is a nice girl but not a pain specialist.  When I finally complained to my Neurosurgeon about it he called her and that really ****** her off, she did change my meds but gave me a low dose of  percocets, when this didn't help at all and I told her that she flat out accused me of being a drug addict, I was honest and told her that I took a few extra to help with the pain, she made me feel so bad that I threw the meds away and decided to forget it I'd rather live with the pain, she then called and told me that I was scheduled for a UA, didn't bother me i don't do drugs other than what I am prescribed, I did fail to tell her though that i wasn't taking anything.  When I had a clean UA I was accused of selling my drugs for crack or herion, funny I've never seen either.  She told me that since I couldn't afford the meds that would help me, sorry I'm on Social Security and 715.00 a month doesn't go far, and I couldn't pay my bill with her that I was no longer welcome there. Luckily my neurosurgeon is a great doctor told me not to worry I wasn't a drug addict and he would find me a pain doc that was caring.  He was true to his words this new doc is great, since we have no pain clinics in the area she is a physical medicine doc (don't know what that is) she listens, we started out slow Ultracet, Ultram ER and now oxycontin 15mg 2x daily, this doesn't help much but I'll take it, when i see her again we'll try something else until I find something that works, she is honest and told me that I can't expect more than 50% decrease in pain but to my eyes that would be a miracle.

I didn't find morphine worked to well for me either.  The best pain medicine I ever had was the Fentnyl patch 100mcg I had no pain at all with that, I didn't get high, didn't feel stupid and I could do just about everything I used to do. I'm afraid to ask about the patch but maybe down the road after we have tried other avenues.

I hope you find something that works for  you, pain is hard to cope with day in and day out, we have our days when we can cope and days when there seems to be no end in sight but we survive, you just have to keep hoping

Vickie

annebeckett

3/22/08 11:12pm

Oh, yeah;  I should have stressed that!  Do not ever take twice the meds since, when you run out, your doc is NOT going to be willing to refill early!  My pain doc makes all of his patients sign an contract.. *this year, it was 5 pages!!!, and there's no early fills;  no matter what.  So, yes;  CALL YOUR DOCTOR.  Let him or her KNOW that this is not cutting it!  Like I said, I tried the morphine pills and got NO relief whatseover.  I didn't feel any different and this was post-surgery.  It was HE!!, for sure!  I do feel for you.  And, I understand.  But do what Vickie said;  call and get that script changed or upped, ok? Best wishes with it!