Actiq instead of patches and after weaning off pain meds

[Guest guest]

Just a thought that might be useful...

I have the patches, but have rarely used them..I have both 50mcg &

25mcg..but they weren't helping much with the pain. When I was

referred to a Pain management clinic, they put me on Avinza for slow

release pain management and Actiq for breakthrough pain.

The Avinza is 60mg and is a slow release morphine. Because it

releases over a 24 hour period, it doesn't make me nauseous as

Morphine usually does. This I was told is because when pain medicine

hits your nerves, it is very fast and that is what causes nausea and

vomiting..thus slowly shouldn't affect one like that..but the

downside for the Avinza which I found out was...Until you get used

to it, if you have young children, make sure you have a responsible

person with you to help...I took it around 9pm, thinking that if it

made me drowsy, it would happen first few hours..not so. It took

about an hour before I noticed anything at all, and didn't seem to

be any difference in fatigue..woke up all was coherant, then hubby

left for work around 2pm..bang at about 3pm I could hardly keep my

eyes open. I had a 2 year old I needed to be awake for, so called my

husband and made him phone me every hour. If I didn't answer, I told

him to come straight home. I have not taken it since...I couldn't

sit down for longer than a few minutes, scared I would nod off to

sleep.

As for the Actiq, that is a fentanyl sucker..new improved

version..tastes good, and is 600mcg. It takes 15 minutes to be

absorbed through the cheeks, and also into the stomach and

distributed that way as the saliva carries it down your digestive

tract. I haven't had severe pain since I got those approved..which

was a story in itself..(basically, it took my insurance a month to

finally approve it..my case manager battling for me, once she

realised why I was being given a drug specifically made for chemo

patients..and me not being on chemo..The thing that won it for me

was how it is hard to take pain meds by mouth when a major symptom

is nausea and vomiting..hard to keep pills down, then not knowing

how much was absorbed, if any..risky to take anymore once vomiting

has stopped)

They did help with some of the pain, but did tend to wear off

quicker than any other form, and are not to take more than 4 in a 24

hour period..of course, they are designed to last only for an hour

or so for pain relief, as most breakthrough pain for cancer is

considered to not last longer than that.

If I have any more flare ups, I will either go to the hospital, or

if my doctor allows it, will have a home health nurse bring me a

pump of dilaudid to access with my port until the pain subsides..

I have actually been off all pain meds for over 3 months now, and

whilst am so glad i'm not having much pain anymore...it scares me

how my mind sometimes wishes for it just so I can experience the

euphoria of the pain medicines on occasion..yet I have no desire

whatsoever to touch any of the pain medicine I have here in the

house...still the same amounts in the bottles/boxes that were in

there up to a year ago for most, and 4 months ago for others..

I guess it's just like when I quit smoking..time will take the

cravings away..at least I hope so.