Too Many Meds
UpdatedOk....so, I guess I'd like to discuss the elephant in the room...... I am 50 yrs. old. Ever since I was 25, I have had extreme pain in my back. At 26, I had an MRI. I was diagnosed with DDD and Facet Joint Disease. At the time, I had 4 herniated discs and 1 torn disc. I was very uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable, but, was able to at least still work and maintain some sort of quality of life with 5 mg. of Percocet x 2 a day. Would I have liked more pain medicine, you bet your butt. ( had been to 3 surgeons....no one would touch my back). But, no Dr. at my age was willing to prescribe anymore, I toughed it out. Now, here I am at 50. It's gotten so bad I now have 8 herniated discs, 2 torn, 2 ruptured. Sciatica and neuropathy in both my legs. At 40, I found An angel of a Dr. to prescribe more pain medication. I get, and have for the past 10 yrs., 100 mg. Ms. Contin x2 a day. Been on the same medication for over 10 yrs. Still very effective, still works. What I am having a problem with, are people on this site stating.....they have "a" herniated disc. They are being prescribed 240 mg. a day Oxycontin and can't survive. They wonder why Dr.s and pharmacists look at them like they're crazy.....Most of the time they're like 25 or 30. Please don't get me wrong. I know everyone had a different level of pain. I just can't help but think, 240 mg. of Oxycontin may be just a tad bit of an overkill...don't you think? No wonder Dr.s and pharmacists are gun shy. If it takes 240 mg. of Oxycontin now, what's it gonna take when your 50??? I feel like a lot of people are looking for that high....not, that they don't really have legitimate pain, but they started at such a high dose, there's no where to go from there but UP.....know what I mean???
1 Reply
CCC, this is why the FDA came out with prescribing guidelines with a max of 120 mg Morphine/120 mg Morphine Equivalent Daily. As a matter of fact, the CDC has just come out with proposed guidelines that lowers the 120 mg to 90 mgs. The Federal Registry is currently taking public comments on this until Jan 13, 2016. There are also other things in these guidelines like drug panels, the use of non medication pain management before introducing opiates for the management of chronic pain, etc.
Unfortunately, the younger crowd doesn't think ahead. They don't want to stop doing what they are use to doing. For a long time drs thought that they could just continue to increase these doses, but then they found out that they can't. Chronic pain patients also need to incorporate non medication forms of pain management with medications. But, that takes some time to do and it isn't as qucik as just swallowing a pill.
I have found that those that have kept their pain meds to a minimum don't have problems finding a dr to prescribe them or a pharmacy to fill them. They also do better because they don't have to take as much medication.
More Discussions:
Hi, quick lowdown.. I've got a chronic illness and already on 8 Paracetamol + 3 Keral + 3 Caffeine + 1 Lanzol a day....
Well ive got a L4/5 broadbased posterior disc bulge flattening the ventral theca. At L5/S1 there is a central/left parac...
1 REPLYHello, I have been managing joint and joint replacement pain for years with Norco 10/325 on an as-needed basis. We are u...
3 REPLIESHello, I have been taking Tri-Previfem for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, and as much as I don't want to admi...
4 REPLIESI'm an 18 year old girl who has trouble sleeping. I found that Florinal helps but last night i took 5 pills of 30 mg...
2 REPLIESMy mom was in the hospital for 2 weeks. diagnosis aphib and broncitis. She has been out of the hospital for 3 weeks. The...
1 REPLYI had a mild heart atack and I was prescribed a cocktail of drugs, which made me feel like a zombie, I was extremely tir...
I have a rx for Prednisone 20mg to take e 1 tablet daily with a quantity of 5 pills. I took 3 tablets in a 24 hour perio...
1 REPLYFor approx the past six months I have had even more problems than usual filling my morphine ir 30 mg. twice there have b...
9 REPLIESFioricet 50/325/40 TB. Can a person take 4 or 5 at once? What will happen?? ## It contains acetaphetamine which is toxic...
1 REPLY