Guest guest Posted October 17, 2003 Report Share Posted October 17, 2003 Hey fiesties, FYI in a few minutes 20/20 is going to have a segment on what sounds like " the evils of Oxycontim " . Thought it would be good to see what kind of information and disinformation is going to be put out there tonite so we can fight back! denise Banner, RN, CCM, RN-WCCM Nurse Case Manager First Rehabilitation Resources, Inc. 336-299-9995 (Phone) 336-299-3440 (Fax) A Rush from Oxycontin? > No, I don't think I've ever had a " rush " -- a " Rush? -- from any > narcotic. But I have certainly found myself able to amble s-l-o-w-l-y to > the bathroom, following my merciful morning Norco. (Note: This is NOT > the same as skipping to the loo.) Yup, you KNOW the pain is BAD when > you are almost afraid you might pee in your pants rather than risk that > short walk to the vicinity of some indoor plumbing . . . . > > Anyway, this post is mainly in response to a post from Beth Bunce. > > You make some excellent points, Beth. You are a very vivid and > persuasive writer. > > I am saddened, to say the least, by your story of the doctor who > attributed your pain to menopause. There are too many doctors still > writing off women's legitimate pain as anything but legitimate. As you > point out so poignantly, all of these antics do a tremendous disservice > to all the people in terrible chronic pain who are genuinely in need of > decent analgesia prescribed by a conscientious and humane physician. > > Just a couple additional comments.You mention " being treated by a > whack-job disguised as a Pain Management specialist who used to write > scripts for 200 Vicodin ES per month! " Contrasting this to your current > Rx for Oxycontin, you comment, " Now I ask you, which sounds more > suspicious? " > > The sheer number of Vicodin-ES tablets might sound high but may actually > not be all that whopping for someone in bad chronic pain. This > particular preparation is probably more suitable to moderate pain than > to severe pain. One concern might be the acetaminophen content of the > tablets, given the potential for liver toxicity. I would think that > Norco might be a better choice, since the ratio of hydrocodone to > acetaminophen is higher in this preparation, plus the hydrocodone dosage > per tablet is higher in Norco (10 mg per tablet) than in Vicodin or > Vicodin-ES. > > Clearly you can circumvent the whole problem by going to a " pure " opioid > analgesic (no accompanying Tylenol) like oxycodone. Oxycodone, the > standard short-acting preparation, is available in 5 mg. tablets which > are not all that optimal for dosing at higher levels. Hence, for more > severe pain, it may be preferable to prescribe what you are taking, the > controlled-release version of oxycodone known as Oxycontin. If I am not > mistaken, this is available in 10, 20, and 40-mg. versions. > > For purposes of comparison, one " gold standard " pharmacologists use is > 10 mg. I.M. morphine. To equal the potency of this dosage, you would > need to take approximately 30 mg. oxycodone. Alternatively, you would > need to take at least 15 mg. hydrocodone, that is, 3 regular Vicodin > tablets or 2 Vicodin-ES tablets. > > Oxycontin is an excellent and highly effective medication for people > with serious pain. Unfortunately it is apparently becoming less > available because of all the bad press surrounding the " hillbilly > heroin " phenomenon. In this context, drug abusers are not taking the > oral preparation for timed-release analgesia -- that is, to enable them > to endure chronic pain and function better in spite of such pain. > Rather, they are breaking up the product and freebasing it to get some > kind of " hit " or " high, " for the purpose of altering their mood. > > I took both oxycodone and Oxycontin, in addition to Neurontin, for about > six weeks after my revision surgery. I look back on that period with > gratitude that such medicines were available. The alternative would have > been unremitting agony. > > I currently take Norco every day. I can not get up in the morning until > I have taken my Norco, then waited about 45-60 minutes for the onset of > pain relief. When I have done " too much " -- for instance, after my two > trips downtown to the neurosurgeon, which included assuming > uncomfortable positions repeatedly for a series of x-rays -- I sometimes > go through several days of almost intolerable pain, for which Norco is > inadequate. I have not tried anything stronger, since I can usually > tough it out till my body calms down once more -- and since I have > narcolepsy, which is badly exacerbated by strong narcotics. (I went > through all kinds of preparations before my revision surgery, from > Duragesic patches to oral morphine, but all of them conked me out to an > alarming and unacceptable degree. The days immediately following my > revision surgery were especially bad, since I could not stay awake long > enough to hit my morphine pump with any regularity!) But I take comfort > from knowing that I have good, responsible doctors who would not deny me > adequate pain relief, and I regard Oxycontin as a tremendous blessing > for those times when nothing else will do. > > People who go on and on with ignorant nonsense about the evils of > narcotics do not know what it means to live with horrendous chronic > pain. Apparently a few doctors are equally ignorant. This is > distressing. Life with HARMS is hard enough without having to listen to > histrionic fools spouting bombastic b.s. > > > > > > > > > > > > Support for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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