How much pain med is too much?

[Guest guest]

Hi guys,

I have a question about pain meds. I was released from the hospital with

oxycodone 5 mg. While it works well, it is quick acting and doesn't last long. I

was told to take 3 every 4 hours. I was taking 2 then after about 1 1/2 hours

to 2 hours taking 1 for breakthrough pain. Then when the 4 hours was up taking

another 2 etc. They gave me 120 oxycodone and I ran out today. If I was to

take it as prescribed around the clock I would have needed 180. I guess they

didn't calculate me being up all night in pain and taking it at night. Or am I

just taking too much of it? Help! I don't want them to think I am a drug addict.

I called today and they called me in some lortab. I have not had any

withdrawal sypmtoms from the oxycodone. I have been out of it since this

morning. I am

I taking too much or is it just because it isn't a durable med that I am

having to take more?

I also had several attacks and had to take 5 or 6 in a 4 hours period to get

the pain under control. I didn't want to go to the ER. I called Friday and

let them know I am may run out because of the attacks and they told me to call

if I did and they would call me in something.

I am just afraid I am taking too much. How do you guys take it? Should I ask

for a more durable med and use the oxycodone as breakthrough. I am new to all

of this I have been using darvocet and lortab and oxycodone but not this

much of it.

Thanks,

Angie in SC

" The happiest of people don't necessarily have the

best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along

their way. "

[Guest guest]

Laurie,

Thanks so much. I am still learning and I don't want to damage my body.

Right now I am taking the lortab because I am out of the oxycodone. I am being

very careful in the dosing because of the acetomenaphine in it. I don't want to

damage my liver. Everything else is damaged enough! I had an open major and

minor sphincteroplasty. The pain from the surgery itself is not so bad. The panc

pain is the annoying part. It is getting a little better. I guess it is

finally settling down after being manipulated.

Thanks again!

Angie in SC

" The happiest of people don't necessarily have the

best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along

their way. "

[Guest guest]

Hi Angie,

I am not sure when you were released from the hospital or what

procedure you had while there so I will just give you some

general guidelines about using pain meds that I was told after

my surgeries.

Basically, in uncomplicated recoveries from surgeries, etc (that

is, normal healing with no infections, hernia's, relapses, etc) you

will experience acute pain 5-10 days from release (as a rule of

thumb). The real bad acute pain is usually lessening

considerably by day 5 and then eases over the next couple of

days. In this scenario, you naturally taper off the pills. In your

case, I can see you needing the 15mg every 4 to 6 hours for the

first couple of days then going down from there (again, in a

" normal " recovery period). If you have begun to taper, been at

very low levels for a week then find yourself feeling sicker and

needing more, this usually is a sign that complications are

setting in. But remember, this is in a general sense. When you

add pancreatitis into the mix, it can change the whole ballgame

because you may be dealing with the ebbs and flows of its day to

day condition.

As far as experiencing withdrawal from the oxy......normally you

do not start to feel physical symptoms until 12 to 24 hours after

the last pill wears off. Then you may start to feel nauseous,

shaky, sweaty etc.....

As far as safety....the most common concern for opiods is their

ability to depress breathing. If enough are taken, it can cause you

to stop breathing all together. However, a tolerance to that is

developed over time too to some extent (that is why maximal

doses are titered up - these are very, very high doses not

anywhere near the 15mg every four to six hours that you are

taking). If you stick with that dosing schedule that the doctor

gave you, you should be safe. If you feel the need to go over,

then you should contact your doctor for advice. But basically the

quantity that they prescribe is based on the maximum amount a

day multiplied by 5 to 10 days, depending on the procedure that

you had done.

In my opinion, if you are being prescribed this dose as a way to

manage your chronic pain (that is, this prescription is not in

response to what you had done in the hospital), then you should

discuss with your doctor a more long acting version of the

oxycodone. For example, two 20mg oxycontin pills; one taken

every 12 hours, would give you 40mg of oxycodone a day total.

This may be enough to give you sustained relief. Then you could

use your 5mg oxycodone as a breakthrough me. But again, this

is something that you need to discuss with your doctor.....

I would be very, very careful of darvocet and lortab as they both

contain tylenol (lortab too right?) and more than 2-3grams a day

of the tylenol (will say APAP on the bottle) on a long term basis

is very damaging to the liver. Again, for chronic use, you are

better off taking pure narcotic, not any mixed with tylenol or

anti-inflammatories.

Hope this helps.....

Laurie

[Guest guest]

Dear Angie,

After I got home from the hospital from my spincteroplasty surgery, they

had to increase/change the pain meds for me. I only had to take the increased

doses for about 10 days. The pain got so bad once, that I threw up. Talk about

pain, thats when I called. I hope your MD gives you meds that contol your pain

better.

Love,

w

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Angie,

Since I've been offline and you wrote this over the weekend, I'm sure you've

already had some good comments about your questions about oxycodone.

First of all, 5 mgs. of oxycodone is not going to do much for post-op pain.

It's a

quick and short acting drug and doesn't last that long in your system. It's

commonly used for breakthrough pain along with another long acting drug

like the duragesic patch or MS contin. The patch lasts up to 72 hours, and MS

Contin (Oxycontin) lasts up to 12 hours, so you can see that these heavier

meds may sometimes need a little help for breakthrough, and that's what

oxycodone is good for.

It's not suitable, in my opinion, for longer lasting post-op pain. I use it now

with my 50 mgs. duragesic patch for breakthrough, and I've been allowed to

take up to 3-5 mg. pills, every 4 hrs., if needed. Sometimes I've found that

even this isn't enough, and my doctor lets me shorten the time between

doses, if I'm in a bad episode.

Rarely do they give you the full amount, as they aren't expecting the patient to

take the medication every 4 hours on a 24 hour basis, I believe. At least

that's

the way it's always worked for me. If I took what was prescribed every 4 hours

on a 24 hour rotation, there's always been less pills than what that schedule

permitted.

I'm not really impressed with oxycodone, but it usually does what I need it to,

since my pain levels are less, so I haven't tried to substitute with anything

else.

If I were you, I would discuss this with your doctor and ask for a more long

acting med to treat your post-op pain. Explain to him/her what the problem

has been, and that you don't want to have to take so much if there is a more

suitable medication that could be used. You may have already done this by

now and have gotten your situation completely taken care of. I hope so. AIl I

wanted to do was share my experience with this med with you.

I hope you're feeling better and not having any problems today.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

www.pancassociation.org/anthology#Heidi.html

Bluffton, SC

SC State & SE Regional Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pancreatitis/

Note:  All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should not be

substituted for professional medical consultation.