Comments on: Medications For Pain Series: Narcotic or Opiate Medication

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:09:24 +0000

I only feel normal & functional on opiates. I was on 90mg Methadone, 4-8 10/325mg Hydrocodone, 8 Tramadol 50mg each, 3 10mg Flexiril , 10 mg Valium. Now I am going cold turkey and it sucks beyond imagination. I will never go back on methadone it is the worse! However, I can’t find a dr. w/ medicare so now i don’t know what i am going to do! I want to find a hospital that is doing research on people who function better on narcotics than off.

By: sparky

sparky — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:05:20 +0000

Unfortunately, yes. Just like other sedative medication (like benzodiazepines – Valium, Klonopin) or substances (like alcohol), opioids can cause depression.

Of course, you have to tease out if it’s just sedation or actually depression. And if there’s depression, you have to tease out if it’s due to 1) medication, 2) the situation causing stress and depression, and 3) an underlying psychiatric disorder of depression. It can get complicated!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:35:34 +0000

Can narcotics also cause depression?

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:32:33 +0000

I have to agree that I am falling into the group where the pain medication is increasing my pain and I have major side effects with very low doses, such as itching, nausea, sedation, and constipation. I have decided to forgo all the narcotics unless absolutely neccessary for actue pain. I have less chronic pain when I do not take them. I do go for epidurals which seem to help me but not for very long. My treatment does look like your second chart. I was leary of the narcotics to begin with, and was very concerned when I had tooth pain that the narcotics they had me on was not controlling. My major problem is nerve pain and muscle spasms. Md put me on low dose of 10mg oxycontin 2 times per day. Seemed to work very well except for drowsiness, but when my epidurals wore off I was in the worst pain of my life, so then they prescribe Percocet 5/325 pain and side effects significantly worse if not taken around the clock. I stopped taking in and within 3 days pain gone. I thought I was crazy.

By: OA/RA- MAN

OA/RA- MAN — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:19:23 +0000

Well I just wanted to give an update on my medication change over. I went from 3- 10/500 lortab per day, to 4- 10 mg instant relaese oxycodone. The oxycodone work much better at the new dose, and my liver tests have come back with much improved numbers.

I also use 600 grams of VOLTAREN GEL per month as well. The combination of these 2 medications has been just great. I now have a handle on my arthritis for the time being, I would highly advise the use of both of these meds to anyone suffering a similar fate.

Good luck my chronic pain companions!

By: OA/RA- MAN

OA/RA- MAN — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 06:28:04 +0000

Thanks for the response, It’s nice to have a forum to discuss these issues with other people who can relate.

By: How to Cope with Pain

How to Cope with Pain — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:47:04 +0000

OA/RA,
I don’t prescribe narcotics, so can’t tell you exactly what the conversion would be. However, narcotics are similar, but not all the same. So you might do better with a different one, or you might do slightly worse. It may take some dose adjustment to reach one that’s good for you. But I’d agree with you that a trial of something different would be helpful. I’d suggest talking with your doctor about how to make this transition.

There is some evidence, though controversial, that changing narcotics can reverse tolerance which usually develops with narcotics. This means that you might actually need a lower equivalent dose – and therefore fewer side effects.

By: OA/RA- MAN

OA/RA- MAN — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:32:06 +0000

I have OA and RA. I have been taking lortab for about three years, 3 10/500 per day on average. Recently my blood work showed a high increase in liver enzymes. I am think of trying oxycodone, to eliminate the acetamitaphen in my lortab. maybe 2- 20 mg. time release doses per day.

I function fine on my lortab, but the negative side effects to my liver are not worth the damage. Will I be able to function on hydrocodone?

By: How to Cope with Pain

How to Cope with Pain — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:22:19 +0000

Suzzane, we generally think of pain relief as the “good” effect of narcotics, and all other effects as side effects. However, “side effects” can sometimes be put to good use. For example, the sedation that comes with narcotics is good to help people with short-term pain (eg broken bone or surgery) get extra rest and sleep to heal. If you have long-term pain, the effect of sedation isn’t good during the day, but might be helpful at night.

Some other side effects, eg nausea, are never good.

Hope that answers your question.

By: Suzzane

Suzzane — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:35:21 +0000

hello. Jus wanna ask if how can we classify the effects of narcotics in our body. I mean, what are good effects and what are the bad ones?