Re: Avoiding a higher dose

[Guest guest]

--- " A. Drawdy " wrote:

> I have a question, but I hope it is not out of line.

> I am on a dosage of (4)

> 7.5 lortabs per day and do not want to change meds

> or go to a higher dose,

> and was wondering if any of you had any advice on

> how to stretch ou t the

> effectiveness of the pills without taking more.

> thanks in advance for any

> ideas and/or suggestions you may have.

> Hugs,

>

Hi

Do you wait until you are in a lot of pain before you

take the Lorbab? You might try taking it routinely

four times each day.

It is always best to stay ahead of your pain.

I don't recall what kind of pain you are having. If

you will give me a few more details, perhaps I can

make more suggestions.

Kaylene

Moderator

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

My doctor has prescribed a med called Hydroxyzine to

enhance/potenciate Lortab. It does help in my case. It also helps with

the Oxycontin I take for pain. I take 25mg.

Check with your doctor of course.

Be well

~

> and was wondering if any of you had any advice on how to stretch ou

t the

> effectiveness of the pills without taking more. thanks in advance

[Guest guest]

The person who suggested taking your pills on a routine schedule made a

good point. Another suggestion is to modify your life style as

necessary to stop doing or decrease doing the things that aggravate your

pain.

Joe

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I take hydrocodone (vicodin), Rx 1 tab 3x per day. I usually break

them in half and take a half every 4 hrs. This way, I don't exceed

the prescribed dose, and if my pain subsides I don't have to take

the whole dose. But, then again, I have had this attitude about

taking pills all my life. I use my PT things liberally. I do my

traction 3 or 4 times a day, use my TENS, do my PT exercises, etc.

I do all I can to not need the meds.

Meds, PT, rest, they all do something to 'shave off' some of the

pain. There is no substitute for avoid doing things that trigger or

intensify your pain. I doubt there is a pill that will completely

kill pain, nor remove the cause of pain.

It always means I need to think through the things I do before I do

them. Of course, there are days that nothing works. That happens.

GBY

-

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

There are a few good ideas that were posted that you can try. If your pain level

has increased, you may want to consider the option of having your medications

increased.

Unfortunately, your body builds a tolerance to the dosage and you will need to

have it increased.

The increases are between you and your doctor, so if you are not wanting to

increase them, maybe you can call his nurse and talk to her about your dilema.

She could talk to your doctor and maybe come up with a plan that can help you.

The bad thing with chronic pain is, it never goes away. Over time, some people

will have an increase of pain, others will have the same amount of pain. Some

find alternative options to help.

There are a few of our members that know a lot about alternative options to pain

relief.

If you are interested in those other options, just ask for information on it and

they can either post it, or email it to you!!

Good luck with staying at the same dose. I give you so much credit for that!

:-)

Big huggs,

Sandy

Moderator

[Guest guest]

Hi , I looked this up on the internet and it seems to be prescribed for

allergies, does it make you sleepy?

Hugs,

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

We have a lot in common- at least our spines do!

I usually break my pain meds (hydrocodone) in half and take that

every 4 hours, this way I don't exceed my daily ration. I find the

half pill and full pill wear out in about the same time. Of course

I sometimes need the full dose to get things bearable! I also find

that doing a lay down helps to unload my spine so it doesn't balk as

much. I started doing this 'lay down' a few months ago and it is

making a big difference! I know all about that thing of having

pain/cramps just happening with no rhyme or reason

I also take baclofen- I don't mess with that dose! It is specific

to skeletal-related pain. It's better than flexeril (for me).

Are you keeping up with your at-home PT exercises? Do you kep a

pain journal- it may help identify activities you need to avoid or

plan for differently!

I hope some of this helps.

GBY

wrote:

> I have 2 herniated disc, DDD, and Spinal Stenosis,

[Guest guest]

,

Is there a particular reason you don't want to change meds or go to

a higher dosage?

I was taking Vicodin ES (extra strength), which was 7.5 mg of

hydrocodone with acetaminophen, at one point. I was taking it every

6 hours, but I didn't like how it made me feel, and it also actually

only lasted about 4 hours. I didn't like the idea of taking so much

acetaminophen either, afraid it would affect my liver, kidneys, or

stomach.

So I sat down and had a long talk with my doctor....about what I

thought of the Vicodin ES, and what I would ideally like to get from

a pain medication. What I wanted was to take less pills, and get a

longer period of relief. I also wanted something that would not

affect my ability to function. My doctor suggested Oxycontin, and I

have been on it ever since, probably about 2 years now.

There are a lot of benefits to taking a long-acting pain

medication. You don't have to take it every 4 to 6 hours, worry

about what the acetaminophen or ibuprofen is doing to your body, and

for me, it just seems that I'm more able to function mentally. I

didn't like how all of the medication was released at once, hitting

me like a ton of bricks. With Oxycontin, it's released

slowly...enough to treat the pain, without the loopy feeling.

Think about why you are hesitant to change meds or go up in your

dosing. It's really hard to make it through a day when you aren't

getting adequate relief, and it's also hard on most other aspects of

your life. Talk with your doctor about alternatives. Sometimes we

need to make a change to get the relief we need!

Good luck!

Jen

[Guest guest]

,

Is there a particular reason you don't want to change meds or go to

a higher dosage?

I was taking Vicodin ES (extra strength), which was 7.5 mg of

hydrocodone with acetaminophen, at one point. I was taking it every

6 hours, but I didn't like how it made me feel, and it also actually

only lasted about 4 hours. I didn't like the idea of taking so much

acetaminophen either, afraid it would affect my liver, kidneys, or

stomach.

So I sat down and had a long talk with my doctor....about what I

thought of the Vicodin ES, and what I would ideally like to get from

a pain medication. What I wanted was to take less pills, and get a

longer period of relief. I also wanted something that would not

affect my ability to function. My doctor suggested Oxycontin, and I

have been on it ever since, probably about 2 years now.

There are a lot of benefits to taking a long-acting pain

medication. You don't have to take it every 4 to 6 hours, worry

about what the acetaminophen or ibuprofen is doing to your body, and

for me, it just seems that I'm more able to function mentally. I

didn't like how all of the medication was released at once, hitting

me like a ton of bricks. With Oxycontin, it's released

slowly...enough to treat the pain, without the loopy feeling.

Think about why you are hesitant to change meds or go up in your

dosing. It's really hard to make it through a day when you aren't

getting adequate relief, and it's also hard on most other aspects of

your life. Talk with your doctor about alternatives. Sometimes we

need to make a change to get the relief we need!

Good luck!

Jen

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Yes, the Hydroxizine is primarily prescribed as an antihistamine for

rashes and other allegeries but with many drugs, there has been a

benefit or complement to other meds inclusing pain relievers. A quote

" Hydroxyzine may also increase the effects of other medicines, such

as pain relievers and sedatives, so it is useful after surgery also. "

I've found it does help to lengthen the efects of the oxycontin.

The dry mouth is especially bad side effect which would be the main

reason I would stip taking it.

Of course with ay med, different people have different effects from

the meds. YMMV

~

> Hi , I looked this up on the internet and it seems to be

prescribed for

> allergies, does it make you sleepy?