Xtampza Er Users Effectiveness (Page 6)

I need ppl who have tried the new Xtampza er med to tell me if it works the same as oxycontin? I need to switch so I wanted to know the strength of the new med in comparison.

REPLY

REPORT

Re: MrRyan (# 99)

Thank you so much for your response. I will absolutely keep you updated. When you say something fatty, does it have to be a meal or would something like a half of a peanut butter sandwich be enough fat? My Dr. actually told me I didn't need to eat with it but the advice from Xtampza directly says to eat for it to work properly. I am sorry for asking such silly questions but I really am so blown away that the Dr decided to do this to me right before the holidays. I do remain hopefull that I have better pain coverage. I wasn't crashing with Fentanyl but I've been having more breakthrough pain so here I am.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: CiaoBella (# 12)

Oh my! I could have added my name to your post! I'm exactly in the same boat with you. I've taken Oxytocin 80 three times a day for 10 years without needing to change a thing with dosage. It works well for me and I'm able to have a life with my family and do my normal activities. I DONT want to have to eat at given times in order to be on this medication for it to work well.
Why is it that we ALL have to make these changes? For those of us who don't misuse, abuse and do well on Oxytocin being forced to find another medication for chronic pain feels like re-inventing the wheel all over again! It took my doctor and me several trials and months of figuring out the perfect medication, strength and schedule to get the right balance for me. I am feeling powerless with these changes! They'll sleep well at night and while many will be suffering with pain.I am not looking forward to what's ahead until I am up and "rolling" again!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Have been on the Xtampza ER 18 for 2 months now along with 10mg oxycodone IR. I was taking 10mg every 6 hours for 5years. I am finding managing my pain difficult. For the first time I found out what withdrawal was like after missing a dose and taking it 7 hours late. Very frightening! It’s not controlling my pain and I don’t know what to do. After reading here I did find out that fatty food is supposed to help so will be trying that. I’m hoping my Dr. will increase the dosage of Xtampza because the goal is not to need the IR meds. I’m finding myself in more pain which seems absurd as I’m taking more medication than before. Obviously it must show I’m not very savvy about all this. I don’t expect to feel like a teenager again. I would just like to be able to get off the couch and do dishes and cook meals and enjoy the company of my family. Thank you to all of you for writing about your experiences. I don’t tell anyone including family about my meds. And don’t know anyone else well enough to speak to about this. I’m not even sure how much to say to my Dr.
Any advice?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

Re: Feeling overwhelmed (# 103)

I have been on xtampsa for almost three months now. I started out taking two 35 mg capsules that were not working long enough. My doctor has put me on 3 per day, one every 8 hours and it works good. I was on two 40 mg oxycontins and my current dosage of xtampza feels about the same as the oxy dosage now. I would recommend taking them every 8 hours instead of every 12. Good luck, I hope they work out for you. The withdrawals will actually go away once you get the right dosage of xtampsa.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: MrRyan (# 99)

Hi there, it's been almost a month and I am getting similar pain coverage I am having quite a few side effects from Xtampza. It's also very difficult for me to eat when I take it, but I'm learning that I have to or I just dont feel well. 2 weeks of withdrawal from Fentanyl were unpleasant but over with, thankfully. Honestly, I would go back on Fentanyl in a heartbeat but my Dr's are just so happy that they finally forced me off of it so I am going to make lemonade??

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: BethB (# 105)

Hello again Beth. Something that I found that helps me is. Since its hard for you to eat what I will do sometimes is eat a piece of cheese then take my xtampza pill with a drink of milk. This combo seems to have enough "fat" in it to let the xtampza work well. Maybe see if this would help, I know sometimes I may not have an appetite and dred taking it without eating because I know in the back of my mind it won't last as long as it would if I ate that day when I took my medicine. I am not a fan of having to eat with it but something as small as a piece of cheese or even a bite of yogurt will go a long way with helping the medication work longer. I hope that you are feeling better and adjusting I personally know it can be a battle at first. I fought some pretty tough withdrawals myself when I first switched. Hang in there it will get better. I look forward to hearing from you again. Take care.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

I am on it after being on morphine sulphate for years. I like it and it’s working very well for me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

CiaoBella i just did an appeal and was waiting on a response when i read that this is your third. I’m literally in tears since UHC made me switch. I’m so very neausaous bad headache always sleepy and now i started itching. Terrible side effects. This is only my third day since starting it. When the side effects are so bad that you have to stop the meds what else can you do?? When UHC dictates what med your allowed to take then we have no quality of life. Lastly why do they put everybody in the same category somebody there has to be humanized enough to treat us like people not just another number..

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

Re: MR RYAN (# 106)

Thank you so much for your advice, I was trying to eat a half of an almond butter sandwich and a glass of almond milk while being nauseous so I tried just a few spoons of almond butter, it did help but I think the sandwich does give me longer coverage. My Doctor is on board with a medicine change but it's all XR meds I've never heard of just like Xtampza so I'm trying to make this work. Again I so appreciate your thoughtfulness and advice, it's been a rough road and for the first time in my 10 year pain management journey I feel like a number, not a person. Thankfully I am not quick to give up so I hope with time I am less nauseous. Hope you are doing well!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Re: Pete how do I get reduction in price for xtampza (# 92)

My doctor gave me a card with my prescription. It allowed me the first month free then $25 for the next up to a year I believe. Look on their website. A lot of companies offer cards to reduce cost. Or just send them an email and ask. Hope that helps. Good luck.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: BethB (# 109)

Hello again Beth, if I may ask when does your nausea seem to come on. Is it after you take your medication, say within 2-3hrs after taking it. Or is it longer say after 8 hours after taking it the nausea starts?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: Damage (# 104)

Thanks it’s nice to hear from someone that feels it’s working. I go to Dr. today I’m hoping to get an increase in dosage or maybe 3 times a day. I didn’t know every 8 hours was a possibility till I read it here. Some fatty food does seem to help a bit but not that much. Thankfully im not having a bad reaction to the Xtampza ER. I can not take Morphine it just makes me sick and doesn’t work. My other choice was Fentanyl and quite honestly that stuff scares me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have no idea what's available to me because as of right now I don't have a formulary list. It's obvious to me the govt wants to decrease dosages/strength and increase cost to price us out of affording pain relief. At the same time Sessions is saber rattling about marijuana being against federal law. So where to turn for pain relief? Apparently only the rich can afford it or suffer. It's all about the war on drugs which has been very lucrative for the money-addicted govt. Forcing pain mgmt & drug panels ($$$) as well. If we don't take a stand at some freaking point we suffer & they of course win. I know I can't afford this new drug because I'd be in the donut hole in a few months. This is socialized medicine at it's shiniest. We just play along. Very sad.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: MR RYAN (# 111)

Hi Mr Ryan, if I don't eat with it, the nausea starts about 3 hours after I take it and lasts the remainder of the day. I unfortunately am also getting headaches often, unrelated to food intake just another side effect. I want to like this medicine, honest? I REALLY appreciate all of your help and support!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: BethB (# 114)

Hey Beth, unfortunately Headaches can be a side effect. As far as the nausea goes. To me it sounds like your not much of an eater during the day no offense LoL. From a personal stand point and by the way I am not a physician but only speaking from experience, food is the key. You have to eat. My experience I take my pill with milk now I.e. real milk Vitamin D Milk (1.helps because it coats the stomach and its has fat) then if tou can eat half a sandwhich even a grilled cheese or something like that. In my experience this really helps with effectiveness and helps your stomach. And lastly if after all this your still really nauseous it could be that your dose is just a hair too high for your tolerence level but over time that would adjust i would think as tour body adjusts but like I said this is just from my experience.I would talk to your pain doctor maybe taking 3 small doses in a day rather than 2 larger doses would help but not sure thas something your doctor could consider possibly. Beth I hope things get better for you, I can truely relate to the struggle of changing medications. Fentanyl is some very very hard stuff to switch from. It takes I while atleast for me it did. When I switched off fentany to xtampza I was bed ridden for several days and then very lethargic for quite some time. Over time I came out of it.

Good luck Beth, please keep me in the loop I it truely helps bith of us I think being in communication with someone who is going thru the same experiences. Being a victim of life long pain I have found that there are not many people in my day to day life that have been thru what I have. This forum has kinda been a blessing talking with people who live with it "for real" and fight to get thru life's daily chalenges. I look forward to hearing from you again.

Thanks

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

Re: John (# 113)

hey john,
i understand about the cost and your right about the govt. but the company does have a savings card. mine runs me with my insurance about 75.00 a month, your doctor should have them, mine did.i have been on this med for the 3rd month now and not happy, but i think its not knowing about food intake and other things, so i am researching on it befor i go back to my doctor with notes lol...

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Db (# 8)

I just got switched too. And I'm in horrible pain. I was finally feeling better and noe I'm back to the pain I felt a year ago.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Re: MR RYAN (# 115)

Hi Ryan, Yes you hit the nail on the head, I am not a big eater period especially in the AM. I am also plant based so that adds additional challenges but almond butter is high in fat so it's my go to in the morning and I've been just eating something with my PM so it works through the night, so far I'm not getting great coverage but probably because of the weather being cold more than the meds. I think I'm finally over withdrawal from Fentanyl, thankfully. Unfortunately talking about any of this with pain management has become a recurring nightmare where she tries to find something that might work because it's so difficult to transition from these type of pain medicines. I used to LOVE my Dr. now I dread going to see her. I have gotten so much help and support from you and I can't thank you enough! I honestly felt so awful and you were the ONLY person, including my Dr's who actually understood what I was feeling and had advice that helped. My Dr said I could take it on an empty stomach, seriously...it's the first line of patient care on my pharmacy sheet for Xtampza. Anyway, I am trying to eat more to keep nausea at bay. Thank you so much for your help! I sooooo appreciate you! Beth

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Verwon (# 1)

It sucks has put me in worse pain then I'm in does not work one bit I have been in tears

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Darlene (# 119)

Ask for 3 36 mg per day. That worked great for me. in fact i am disappointed that they are putting me back on regular oxycontin. Good luck, all this crap with the war on opioids is not helping those of us suffering from real pain issues.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

My primary Dr. Prescribed Metanx for my nerve pain from ankle fusion surgery.I've taken it for 30 days and haven'...

2 REPLIES

I was just put on the gabapentin 100mg 3x daily for severe leg and hip pain. I also take tylenyol with codeine at night....

1 REPLY

I have a prescription for Cymbalta thats about 6yrs old...will the pills still work? ## At this point, you should really...

1 REPLY

I take meloxicam , I have found that the effectiveness changes with manufacturer . Does anyone know which generic is the...

4 REPLIES

I've been on cymbalta for years with wonderful results. For the first time in my life I have felt normal. But the la...

1 REPLY

My doctor prescribed tryptomer 10mg with meveberine for treatment of undiagnosed abdominal pain which is getting severe ...

1 REPLY

Are the 18 month old 1 mg pills of lorazepam fully effective? Or likely to be? Thank you. ## Hello, Steph! How are you? ...

2 REPLIES

Many pharmacies use whatever companies products are currently available to to dispense. Shire's name brand products ...

16 REPLIES

My husband and I wish to conceive a baby. We already have a 13 year old daughter. I was told about Fertilox by a friend ...

4 REPLIES

What are the best times to take Nucynta ER? I take it in the morning but it wears off in the afternoon and I don't f...

4 REPLIES