afraid of my meds

May 22, 2007

I haven't said much before, but I was hoping to spill my guts and get some

advice. My post is very long. What would happen and how sick would I get from

taking several times my normal dose?

Here's my situation... I have an orthopedic defect that causes my bones to chip

or fracture. So its like having broken bones, all the time. Very painful. I just

sucked up the pain, and eventually (inadvertently) was in a perpetual state of

tylenol overdose. Eventually I sought professional help. My schedule consisted

of 5mg every 8 hours, tempered with as much tramadol as I felt like eating. The

tramadol made me tired, and I always had to take 2 to feel the slightest change

in pain level, and 3-4 would make me too drowsy. The small dose of oxycodone

made me a fool, and I would often feel ill the next day.

Needless to say, I didn't keep up with my " schedule " , and took both drugs more

as needed, when I could. My job requires me to be on the ball all the time. On

severe pain days, I was afraid to take more than 5mg at a time, because the one

time I took 10mg and who knows how much tramadol, I felt spectacularly ill the

next day, like I had been binge drinking.

To cut it short, six months later, I am now used to taking 5mg every day,

instead of once or twice a week. It took me that long to get used to it, that is

how opiate naive I am. I have been having more severe pain days, and last week

was three days in a row, and I am still having a lot of nausea and stomach

problems. BTW, I take Zofran with each oxycodone.

When I talk to my pain management doctor, he insists that I stick to the

schedule and keep the oxycodone going and not to take it as needed (but take

more tramadol and oxycodone on breakthrough days), so that I can essentially

lower my baseline pain level. Makes sense, but also makes me sick.

So my question is, if I take more than 10mg at a time (I know I will be sick),

just how sick will I get? I know that isn't a question to really be answered,

but I am too scared to find out. I can't afford to be sick for days on end, just

for one day of pain relief.

Thanks,

Kim

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