Pain meds in and out patient

[Guest guest]

To All,

I am having trouble getting my pain controlled well. I am on 100 mcg

Duragesic patch all the time, and I take Lorcet for breakthrough

pain. The problem is that the Lorcet doesn't seem to help the break

through pain anymore. I used to be able to take one Lorcet every 4-6

hours and it would cover. Now I have to take two every 4 hours and it

still doesn't cover the pain. Plus my doc told me not to exceed 8 in

24 hours (6 if at all possible), because of the tylenol in it. I have

put in a call to get the Duragesic increased. That usually takes

about three weeks to a month counting that I can only afford to get

them by mail. Any one have suggestions on something in leiu of the

Lorcet for breakthrough pain?

Also I have trouble getting pain control in the hospital. I am almost

always locked out of my Demerol PCA and still in pain. They usually

have it set for 15mg every 10min with a max of 350 over 4 hours. Or

sometimes they order IM 50 of Demerol/25 Vistiril every 4-6 hours.

That usually takes the edge off for an hour or two, but still leaves

me very uncomfortable. Usually by two hours time my pain is right

back where it was. I have been fighting with this frequently for the

last 5 years. I have a very high tolerence to meds in general.

Partially because I am 5'8'' and weigh 250 lbs. Partially because I

have worked up a tolerance to them. My last ERCP had to be cancelled

and rescheduled the next day with anesthesia because they couldn't

get me sedated by IV. It always takes nearly double the amount of

local anesthetic for me when they do any proceedure. By the time they

insert a central line I have feeling back and have to grit my teeth

through the stitching it in. Has anyone else had similar problems and

what doses or meds have you found that seem to work? I don't want to

be taken for a drug addict, just don't think I should have to suffer

more than necessary.

Thanks in advance for your time,

Love and hope,

Keri Beck RN

Mattoon, IL