Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Thursday, October 09, 2008 ladytiye asks

Q: can ms contin, morphine slow rel. tabs, effexor be given in liquid form?

I am 46 years of age, have a permanantly damaged sciatic nerve (14 years now) and suffer from osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia due to having had Whipple Surgery due to a very large pancreatic tumor that was formed on the head of my pancreas and grew for 7 years in and out of other body organs before surgery was even possible in 1983 at JHH. My pain is quite severe. During the Whipple surgery, my duodenum was removed, thus I do not digest. Over the years, though, due to the pain meds, my metabolism has slowed down enough to help me to put on weight. My question is this; since I don't digest well, my pain pills do not work as long as or as strong as they possibly should. I have had the same dosages for about 10 years now and really feel like I only take them to avoid withdrawal. My main meds are ms contin 100mgs 4x a day, 30mgs of morphine sulfate, slow release tabs 4x a day, 1mg of alprozolam 4x a day, and 2 350mgs of carisoprodal 2x a day. and 2 tabs of Effexor xr @ 150mgs a day. Can any of these be prescribed in liquid form? And wouldn't that make it work better in my system since I no longer digest well, if at all?

Answer This
Answers (3)
10/ 9/08 11:36pm

I couldn't find liquid forms of any of those medications; I suggest that you find out for sure. though, by calling your local pharmacist. It could be that pharmaceutical firms are reluctant to produce liquid forms of the narcotics you mentioned because of a danger of overdose or abuse. I don't have an answer to the duodenum/digestion question; that's another question your pharmacist might be able to help you with. 

 

Good luck! 

Reply
6/ 8/09 11:26am

I don't know if this would work for you due to your surgery, but my friend's mom has a morphine "pump" implanted in her abdomen.  She receives constant gradual administration of the medicine directly to her blood system.  I don't know if you can do this with other medicines, but you might want to investigate.

Reply
1/ 6/10 1:07pm

I'm not an M.D., so perhaps one could follow up this answer with professional advice. Since normal pain medication in pill form can't properly control your pain due to your digestive circumstances, couldn't you receive it in a dermal patch? I know they make Fentanyl patch that absorp into the body through the skin, but it's quite stronger than morphine sulphate or diacetyl morphine (heroin), even, to my knowledge. You should discuss alternatives to pills with your M.D.

Reply
Answer This

Important:
We hope you find this general health information helpful. Please note however, that this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. No information in the Answers above is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The views expressed in the Answers above belong to the individuals who posted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of The HealthCentral Network. The HealthCentral Network does not review or edit content posted by our community members, but reserves the right to remove any material it deems inappropriate.

Ask a Question

Get answers from our experts and community members.

Btn_ask_question_med
View all questions (9575) >