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136
From:
ATX
Registered:
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(73 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 17, 2008 1:31 PM
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for me the allergy caused my ankles to swell to the size of my thighs and stomach issues and breathing problems. I almost considered continuing to take it on bad days but was informed that with any allergy everytime you have an allergic reaction it will be worse and could eventually even cause death. So I decided it was better to not take it, my ex decided that he should take it all since I could not, I did not know this until it was all gone, 3 weeks worth in little over a week. I didn't know until that day that my meds were being disapeared by him and not myself. I thought it was strange that I ran out everymonth but just assumed I was taking them. I thought that I was forgetting that I had alredy taken it then taking it again. I was releaved that I wasn't doing this but also very sad that someone I trusted was being dishonest. He left not too long after I started hiding and keeping better track of where they were and how much I was taking. These days I always have leftovers from the month before. Currently I think I have at least 2months worth of extra because I don't take it as often as I should. I always worry about losing my job and insurance and not being able to afford my meds so I use as little as possible and keep the rest. I am also working on getting down on the amount I take, I had the pain pump put in, (it was another nightmare altogether) so I am getting the pump dosage increased and my oral meds decreased at the same time. I am doing fine with it currently but know that in the future it will become harder.
I am always so proud of people that decide to fight for their life and find a program to help.
I am currently back to being a friend to my ex and he is in a bad state. the males of his family are known to have high blood pressure and heart problems and he lost his brother to a heart attack a week before Xmas. He has been drinking so much more than he did before and that was already way too much. I just keeping telling him that he must learn from his brothers mistakes and he needs to get well. It is very difficult for him, they were very close. He was so worried about the amount his brother was drinking and the other substance use and now is doing the same thing. His bro was only 37. He was not a bad person but he was an unhappy person and they are so much alike. I worry for his well-being and do not know how to help him figure out why he is so unhappy.
Good luck on your continued therapy and success in getting away from the old habits. Great Job.
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Bree
ATX
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Posts:
865
From:
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Registered:
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Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 17, 2008 1:15 PM
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What are the symptoms of allergy to methadone? I am sorry that happened. I have read your posts and I know how important pain relief is to you. Misty
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misty
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Posts:
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(71 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 17, 2008 12:56 PM
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Methadone is actually a super pain killer and I was prescribbed it for my pain, it actually took all of the pain away, I couldn't believe it. But sadly for me I ended up being allergic to it. I did get to have 1 pain free week though, it was a very nice treat to be pain free for just a moment.
I am glad that you have found a way to be happy and healthier. Keep it Up.
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Bree
ATX
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Posts:
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From:
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(70 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 17, 2008 12:50 PM
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Let me give you an example of the difference in "addicted" and "dependant".
When I used drugs to get high I was "addicted". My addiction started in the sixties with LSD and it progressed to Heroin and grass and it never ended, only changed from one drug to another depending on what I could get. I went to many different doctors and I got a lot of pain pills. After over twenty years I was at the end of my rope. I went to get help at the Methadone clinic. That was four years ago. Now I have my life back. I have a full time job and I am a very productive member of society. I am "dependant" on the Methadone to keep me on track. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I never really had a chance for a normal life, I was so young ,16, when I started. Now I do have that life and I am forever grateful to the methadone program for the help they have been for me. I hope all of the people addicted to opiates find their way. I know that methadone is not the answer for everyone, but for me it has been a godsend. misty714
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misty
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(69 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 16, 2008 5:20 PM
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..at the moment, I can't remember who mentioned this in the thread, but it is so true and wanted to pipe up on it. . .
People with Chronic pain are entitled to pain relief. Some people require more than others, that's a given. It makes my blood boil when Chronic pain patients are classified, called, considered to be addicts because the title 'addict' depicts that the person is abusing their medication.
Before my husband found a doctor who had the gonads to prescribe narcotics, he lived with pain level 8, he reserves 9 & 10 for burn victims. With his pain medication, he can now live everyday at a level 4 and he is able to at least do for himself, his personal stuff. He is medically retired from the Federal Government because he is only able to carry out his personal tasks and cannot stay stationary for any great length of time, thus meaning that he could no longer fly a desk.
He is not what I consider addicted, he is dependent and there's a world of difference. I don't care how addictive these narcotics are, it means that my husband can at least have some kind of quality to his life.
OK, my rant is over now LOL! sorry!
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"to err is human, to forgive canine" - author unknown
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Posts:
136
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(68 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 16, 2008 9:24 AM
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Thank you for the tips.
i have been known to put my entire bag of meds in the freezer for safe keeping when i leave the house and can't take it with me. I park in a garage at work and it is cool there even on a hot day. I appreciate the info though. It is good to know what is bad for the meds.
And Kates is right the oxycontin is a long acting time release version of the oxycodone. I personally take mscontin which is the morphine time release and I have the regular oxydcodone for breakthrough pain because it is fast acting.
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Bree
ATX
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Edited by FMS-Bree-Lurch at 04/16/2008 6:24 AM
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(67 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 15, 2008 9:50 PM
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Hi Cancerwife,
Oxycodone is fast acting. The dose is in your system all at once and at the same time. Oxycontin is a the same thing except it is time released and only a portion of the medication is released into the system at a time. i.e. a 12mg cap of Oxycontin wll release 1mg per hour for 12 hours. It's easier on your system to take one pill than 1 every hour for 12 hours.
I hope this helps.
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"to err is human, to forgive canine" - author unknown
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(66 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 15, 2008 9:43 PM
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Hi Bree,
- just a few little tips about medication that I've learned along the way that you may find interesting. . .
1. Never leave your meds in the car, even if you're parked in shade, or underground parking. The car is hot and this type of heat will cause your medication to lose it's effectiveness. The worst place of all to leave them in the glove box for temperature reasons. Even if you've just parked the car and had the a/c on, the engine is hot and when you turn the car off, the heat is there, especially in the glove box.
2. Never set your medications on a microwave. This has been known to render medications useless - a friend of mine discovered this with birth control over several pregnancies before it was discovered.
3. Never leave your medications where the sun is shining on them, even through a window, for the same reasons in #1
Just thought this might be handy, I'd hate to have you find out that your meds aren't working, and wasting all that money on new prescriptions, or refills. Hope this helps.
*edited - to add the omitted #3.
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"to err is human, to forgive canine" - author unknown
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Edited by Kates45 at 04/15/2008 6:45 PM
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Posts:
136
From:
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(65 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 15, 2008 3:48 PM
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I agree, thank you for sharing, it is a perspective I don't usually hear since I am the person in pain with a trove of pain meds and muscle relaxers and nerve meds and anti-deppresant and sleep meds and stay awake meds. I hate having to keep track of all of them, it is a pain, I often forget to take them then I end up stuck, or passed out or just miserable.
Not the point though....
The Diladid is a weird one I agree. I recently had a morphine pump put in and the post surgery drug was diladid, I just slept through most of it, but the little I did feel was definately that warm fuzzy you spoke of. I know that my body is dependant upon the meds but I am in the process of weening down as my pump gets turned up, so far no problems. I have not ever taken my meds for fun or even over did it, but I know my ex started forming a habit and probably was takng some of them because I was regularly running out which never happens anymore. so for me hearing that side of it was very educational, I never leave my meds home when I am gone, I lock them into my vehicle while i'm at work (getting stolen from my desk when I brought em in). It is not safe anywhere to leave meds, especially when there is a bottom to the container.
thank you everyone for sharing
Bree-Lurch
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Bree
ATX
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(64 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 15, 2008 11:41 AM
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This is a really good story and I have to thank you for sharing it. I'm sorry to hear of your husband's cancer. My husband is a cancer survivor also. But my story being a bit different because my husband isn't on pain killers for his cancer, he was hit by a car and broke his spine. He's lucky to be walking, but with the pain as great as it can be, sometimes he's not so sure.
His pain management regiment consists of Hydromorphoncontin and Diladid for break-through pain. It's very easy to become addicted to Diladid, it's a feel good all over drug...physically, emotionally and mentally. I had a tumor removed from my brain last May, it was benign, but needed to be removed if I wanted to keep my motor skills. I had a few of these Diladid pills, and whoa! Nothing mattered anymore, meaning, the cancer was fine to have, the bills were great to have, the broken spine, bulging discs and degenerative disc disease was ok to have too, and hey, brain surgery was just fantastic!
I don't indulge in the pills anymore, but I will say that even if you don't have an 'addictive personality' it's so easy to get hooked on a feeling. These pills provided me with a warm and fuzzy feeling that everything was going to be just fine. . . the house could have been burning to the ground and I would have said, "pppffftttt" and got up and walked away!
Word of caution: quitting these drugs cold turkey can cause a heart attack in people that don't even have heart trouble. If anyone reading this is taking these drugs, and wants to quit, ween yourself off them slowly, the withdrawl can be deadly.
*edited - to add omitted words
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"to err is human, to forgive canine" - author unknown
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Edited by Kates45 at 04/15/2008 8:44 AM
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2
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(63 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 15, 2008 11:14 AM
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Hello again. This is completely off topic from the original poster, but others seem to be posting their stories, so I thought I would chime in. I am not an addict, but I could have been, very easily. As I stated in my original post, my husband has cancer. He’s only 36.  He was diagnosed last year. A tumor pressed up against his aorta causing him severe pain in his groin and leg. As most of you probably know, when you have cancer, you can pretty much get any drug you want for pain. My husband got an unlimited refill prescription for Vicodin. The oncologist doesn’t even keep track of how many times it is refilled. Now…..we’ve both taken Vicodin in the past, and when the “pain” that required it was gone there were always leftovers in the bottle. So, over the past few years we have had what we call Vicodin nights, maybe twice a month. Nights where we were totally stressed out from the day and decided to take ˝ a pill to take off the edge. And they are soooooo good for that. They affect different people differently, but for me it’s the best drug in the world. I am not tired on them. I am motivated to do things, like clean. They don’t make me feel blah, but they do make my mind relax. I feel like I am a better parent when I take a ˝ pill. I don’t yell at my kids. I feel more like engaging in activities with them. Also, no hangover. What can beat that? Anyway, that’s my reason for taking them. No excuses. I know it’s wrong. Just trying to explain my situation.
Moving along…..we never went beyond the “leftovers” from a previous prescription, and I have never taken more than one in a day. In all honesty, I wanted to preserve them for the “next time” I wanted them. But…………once my husband got cancer and there was a 100 count bottle on the counter all the time, it became much, much easier to make an excuse why I needed to take that edge off more and more. First, it was a rough menstrual cycle. Then it was a severe headache. Eventually, it was just the excuse that my husband had cancer and all the stress of the bills and life in general were overwhelming me. I noticed it happening with each graduating step which might be different than others who are taking it in the beginning for “true” pain. I have read up on the signs of addiction and just kept telling myself that as long as I was staying to only one pill per day I would be okay. And I never took more than one per day. At first it was a half a pill at noon and then another ˝ in the evening. But then I started having to take the whole pill and not just a half anymore, after about a month of taking them every day. All of a sudden I started hiding that I was taking them from my husband. I began pinching off of the extra bottle under the counter so it wouldn’t look like the one on the counter was going down as fast. It snuck up on me soooooo fast that I can only see it clearly now….looking back.
After about two months of sneaking a pill a day my husband noticed the depletion of pills and that I hadn’t been telling him I was taking them. He planted a trap on me. He hid the bottle on the counter, and turned the bottle under the counter a certain way so that he could tell if I had moved it. Of course, when the bottle on the counter was missing I couldn’t very well ask him what he did with it, so I went for the one under the counter. Well, I got busted. He confronted me with the simple question of “Why are you taking the Vicodin from the bottle under the counter?” I got SO defensive I think I actually wanted to divorce him at that moment. I turned everything around on him, accusing him of being dishonest by setting me up to bust me, and how could he treat his wife like that, not even trusting me enough to come straight out and ask me if I was taking them? Five months later, looking back, it’s funny to remember how stupid I looked, but scary all the same. After about three days of not talking to him, mostly because I was so humiliated, I admitted that I was taking too many pills. I told him that he needed to hide them from me, that I didn’t feel I was addicted, but that if they were within my reach, I wouldn’t stop taking them. So, he hid them. And, for about two weeks I spent every day when he would leave the house searching around for where he might have hidden them. I never found them, thank GOD!! It took me a couple of weeks to stop thinking I needed to take one. I actually started getting headaches, so I must have gotten to the point of my body thinking it needed that one pill a day.
By the way, my husband has Percocet, which is oxycodone, and Morphine sitting on the counter as well, and I have never touched either one. I took a Darvocet once a few years ago, and it put me in a complete state of blah, after which I passed out. Vicodin is my drug of choice. Sorry for my long, maybe boring post. I just thought that maybe there might be some others who happen upon this site that might still be in the beginning phases like I was. I never thought I could get addicted. I’ve been one of those smokers who only smokes two a night and can choose to not smoke for as long as necessary when around other non-smokers, sometimes two weeks at a time when I’m visiting family. I just never considered myself with an addictive personality. But these pain drugs are a serious Devil’s tool. He will use them for evil at any chance he gets. BEWARE!
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Registered:
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(62 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 15, 2008 10:16 AM
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Hello all. I've never posted on a site like this before. I came on here only because I was trying to find out the differences between oxycodone and oxycontin since my husband has cancer and was recently switched to oxycodone. We are concerned about it. Anyway, I know this thread has gone far beyond the initial poster's comments, but I have a question about the first several replies directed at nosmartyr. This is a genuine question with no hidden sarcasm intended. Why do many of you reply so harshly? There were some snarky comments about how since she doesn't come back on to defend herself to the replies that it just proves she thinks everyone is out to get her which is a sure sign of addiction. Is it any wonder that she doesn't come back on though because she was being attacked. Don't get me wrong. I agree that the chances of her being addicted are pretty high, but how can you help someone when you attack them? If you all understand and have been where she is, then how's come the attitude towards her? Is that what finally got you all to admit your addictions? Is it because you all know that when someone is in denial that the only way is to smack them out of it? I don't know. I'm just wondering. I have a story myself that I'm planning on posting after this post, but I was hoping to direct this one specifically to the question of how you handle someone like nosmartyr whom you believe to be in denial without turning them away like the replies apparently did to her. Thanks for your insights.
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Posts:
136
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ATX
Registered:
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(61 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Apr 8, 2008 7:20 PM
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I hope you are still here Viscous, I have not been on in a while, there has been non-stop struggles for me since 2008 started. my surgery with the pain pump went way bad, not the actual surgery but the hospital care following the surgery. They almost deleted me from existence. Any how, I am online at work during the day so feel free to email me @ fms_bree_lurch@earthlink.net and I can help with anything you might have questions about if I know the answer 
glad to hear you were having a great day
hope to hear from you
Bree-Lurch
ATX
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Bree
ATX
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Posts:
6
From:
Michigan
Registered:
3/18/08
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(60 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Mar 18, 2008 3:56 AM
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One thing I would like to say for A&E's sake is that they did do a show about a girl with Rheumetoid Arthritis on pain pills. She took the medication because she was in chronic pain. But, she was still had an addiction to the medication. Now, she also could not go without any sort of relief as her disease can cause great pain. So, you can still be an addict even though you have a medical problem that you have to take medication for. Or, maybe I'll say it like this; you can still abuse drugs even though they are perscribed to you.
Now, I'm not judging at all. I also know what it's like to live with pain. I am fairly young and have already suffered with chronic pain for the past ten years. I have scoliosis/lordosis and arthritis in my back as well as TMJ in my jaw. I also suffer from Bipolar Disorder in which my body responds to depression and stress with pain. There isn't a true fix to any of this without some use of medication. It's just as easy to abuse drugs taken for depression, mania or other CNS depressants/stimulants and other mind altering drugs. This could be in the form of taking too much, not taking it enough/at all. Many people with mental illness also abuse drugs because of what it does to them. So, addiction isn't the only problem. After all, there have been people that have died from drug over-doses from medication that was persribed to them. Part of the problem there is the lack of communication between doctors perscribing these medications. This could also be due to the fact that the patient does not tell the doctor about all the medications they are taking for various reasons...whether trying to be deceiving or because they just don't know the dangers.
For those who live in pain.....No, it's not FAIR to live in pain. But, sometimes there are no real good answers. I'm no worse or better than anyone else in my position either. But, doctors are also limited to what they can do. They aren't always miracle workers. Medicine is also an art as well as a science. It isn't always exact so that it can FIX everything. Sometimes, doctors have to make educated guesses as to what is going on and what they can do for a patient. It really is unfortunate to those who suffer from chronic conditions. But, what can you do?
Me personally, I choose to deal with pain on a daily basis to some degree just because I DON'T want to be addicted to anything. In the worst of times I will go to a doctor to try to do something to help. Often times, I will ask for medications that are stronger without narcotics/opiates just because I know they are addictive. I try to only use medication to treat pain in the absolute worst of it. My pain can limit me quite a bit at times. I know there are not GREAT answers that will fix it all and make my body operate perfectly. It's kind of like what one of my doctors told me once: "Do you want medication? It will only help temporarily. Your problems aren't going to go away. You do need to accept it and deal with it without medication to some degree." He was right. No, we shouldn't have to live in immense pain. But, life isn't perfect all the time. Sometimes there are no answers. We have to accept that to some degree in order to be able to deal with it mentally and emotionally.
My heart does go out to the others who are in chronic pain. I sympathize in your frustration. But, try to keep your chin up and not let the problems define you and run your life as best as you can!
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(59 of 73)
Re: oxycodone vs oxycontin & pain vs addiction
Mar 15, 2008 5:37 PM
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mytimenowoki, RSD *is* CRPS. You can't have RSD and CRPS. If your RSD is from a known cause such as an injury, you have CRPS I. If it's not from any known injury, you have type II.
Have you considered an SNS implant? Where they put electrodes on your spinal column, and a battery similar to a pacemaker is also implanted. It sends electrical signals which override the pain. I just had one a month and a half ago, and the surgery was hell on earth, so was recovery. But about two weeks ago, I started to feel decent, and the implant is very good at substituting a non-pain sensation for the pain. They call it parathesia, and describe it as "pins and needles" but it's not, really. Imagine putting your feet on a giant vortexer. Those are the units in labs that create a vibration to mix fluids in vials. It's that kind of vibration sensation that the implant creates.
As a nice side effect to the implant, I'm naturally going down on my breakthrough medication. I take 300mcg fentanyl patches every 48 hours, plus up to 20 mgs dilaudid for breakthrough pain daily. It's a helluva lot of painkiller. Once the surgical pain subsided (I still have it, and will have it for probably another month), I've not had as nearly as much breakthrough pain. I'm hoping in a few more months time, as I heal from the surgery, I might be able to drop down on the fentanyl as well.
I've had RSD for 11 years. It's one of those things that doesn't have a specific diagnosis. If you ever have severe burning pain from even a minor injury (mine was from a minorly sprained wrist), that's one of the clues that it RSD. It wasn't as known nor as understood when I had it, so my diagnosis took almost a year. If you treat it within 3 months of getting it, you're much more likely to go into remission. I'm probably stuck with it forever, though I'm also going to do a ketamine infusion trial (the ketamine coma isn't done in the US, there are places in Mexico that do it, and the place in Germany where it's done with an American doctor has a 5-7 year waiting list for it). I'm willing to put up with the hallucinatory side effects for a few months after in order to have a primarily pain free life.
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