Soma is highly addictive which is probably why he is giving an 8 hour script. You might have him try Methocarbomole instead. It isn't addictive and it can be taken every 6 hours. You could also take Ibuprofen when the pain starts up but remember muscle relaxants are not for pain control. They are primarily used in conjunction with pain medication.

I'm so sorry Gab. I have to say, I am one of the VERY VERY LUCKY ONES. I had my spinal fusion surgery on Oct. 1st. 2013 and my surgeon has been very very lenient with me and the pain meds. I didn't think he would be, I thought he would be very conservative. He told me I think 2 months in ( when there was a discussion about me not driving while on pain meds ) that he wasn't gonna let me get addicted! After the first month of post op the pain med scrip was decreased and I flat out told him I couldn't go even 6 hours.. he was fine with it. He even wrote scrips to be filled early for me. after a couple fo months, I was trying to really cut back even though it was hell. I called for a refill ( I was on 15 mg. of oxycodone 3 times a day) and left a message for the Physician assistant.. and said I had cut down.. he wrote a new scrip for 5 mg. of oxycodone 3 times a day! that was going from 45 mg. to 15! thank gosh I had an appt. with my surgeon 2 days later. He wrote another scrip for 90 of the 15 mg. He told me that he didn't want me to hurt and he wasn't an OGRE.. just to try to stretch them out as long as I could. ( okay, I had also FALLEN on my hardwood floor and busted my ass and jacked everything up.. ).

but.. I have seen him twice since. He still gives me the oxycodone. I think it's because the scrip is for 30 days and I have been going 45 days and longer, so he knows I'm not abusing them? I go back to see him April 4th. I am very very sure he will cut way back and I expect it and that's okay. I have cut down for weeks to 1/2 a pill 2-3 times a day depending on my activity.

not sure why your doc prescribed SOMA after surgery? I have taken Soma years ago and got very little relief. I'm glad it helps you but I too don't understand why you aren't prescribed it as you need it. and MrMG. I get it .. that it may be addictive, but we have been through major surgery , like you have too. I think as long as we prove that we are NOT abusing the meds, the docs need to be more understanding like thank GOSH mine has been.

Big feel better hugs Gab. I'm sorry you are suffering like you are.

LMT

I am also on 15mg of oxy hcl for times a day and will continue to be for the duration because of all the other problems i have going on in my back. When he calls the script in calls it is every 6 hours but when the nurse does it is every 8 and shorter days of supply, which is costing me more money. I will be on meds the test of time, i know that soma is not used for pain, it is a muscle relaxer which works hand in hand with thr pain med. He wants me to walk walk walk and wake the muscles up but after about 15-30 min i can't move because the muscles are so tight and they start to spasm and seize up on me and i can't move, i am stuck, they are inflamed and swollen around the already damaged nerves and my legs go numb and do not work. The best my pain and muscles get on a daily basis is an 8, sometimes i get lucky and can have a 7.5. Without the meds it is off the scale.

oh gosh Gab... bless your sweet heart. I didnt' know you had the oxycodone and I thought no way could that soma be helping you like you need. I'm glad you have the oxy but I'm so sorry you are still in so much pain. I know you have been for a very long time.

comforting hugs sweetie.

xox

LMT

Sorry to hear about how you're doing...Yeah I remember the drs trying muscle relaxers instead of pain meds-didn't work with me either...but each person is different so hopefully they can find the right mixture for you asap! Feel better

My doctor has given me pain meds but most of them do not work and when I asked for a muscle relaxant he refused to do so, He said I was just lazy, I have cat scats and mris showing how bad my spine is, And I know the feeling I cant even stand in line at a store some times because it will feel like some one is literaly twisting my spine and I will break out in a sweat and feel like I am going to start crying, I think these doctors think we are lying or some thing, I think it is time for me to find a new doctor he does not know from what appointment to another what is going on

There are some doctors out there that don't think we need narcotic pain meds unless we are dying of cancer.You can thank all the junkies out there for making it hard to get the meds for real pain. Soma is highly addictive and I had trouble getting off of it. It worked for me. ONly because of a different disease I had last summer did I get off of them. Look for it to get worse because the Federal Gov't is getting involved. They shut down lots of the hydrocodone mfg's because too many people were dying of overdoses. If they stay involved it'll just get worse. Doctor's don't know who to trust because so many junkies have conned them or stolen their prescription pads fo this stuff. Then the Fed's put pressure on Doc's not to write so many scripts.
That's just the gov't way- too many heavy kids-take away everybody's sugar,too many w/ copd and emphasema -tax cig's.Too many troubles with addicts-take the meds away from all.
But all narcotic pain meds and soma are addictive. Be careful out there!

Just a little about me, I was injured at work back in 97 when I was hit by a truck at work. I ended up having 4 different surgeries to repair the damage. I have three screws in my left shoulder, I'm missing 3/4 of an inch of my right collar bone, I have a ten inch scar on the left lumbar where a "Far left lateral discectomy" was performed and I had to have my left knee repaired. My doctors placed me on all of the hard pain killers, Oxycontin, 10 mgs of hydrocodone, soma, 4800 mgs of neurontin and ibuprofen. After two months my Oxy was changed to 90 mgs of morphine sulfate and the hydrocodone was dropped. Soma was replaced with methocarbomole. The pain was unbearable but I was told that I would get no more. So I started doing research into back pain and learned all about the various problems and so forth and studied up on my own MRI results. I have Left L-3 Nerve Root impingement caused by epidural fibrosis (a fancy name for scar tissue), spinal stenosis, DDD at all levels with bridging at T-1. I took my results to my family doctor and we eventually increased my morphine to 120 a day. I was given 15 hydrocodones for break through pain but they were usually gone after a few days. It took me several years to realize that pain medication will never make me pain free nor was it ever intended to do so. They are designed to simply make the pain somewhat more bearable. So without telling my doctor I started decreasing my morphine to 90 mgs a day. It wasn't easy but after three weeks I as okay. I waited another week and decreased to 60 mgs a day. It took another three weeks to deal with the affects of withdrawal but I did it. During this time I had a scheduled visit with my doctor and I told him that I had decreased my morphine. Furthermore I wanted to switch my neurontin with Lyrica. He was speechless. After a few moments of staring at me, he replied that I was the first patient in over 30 yrs of practice that had voluntarily decreased their pain medication. He agreed to provide me with a 28 day supply of 7.5 mgs of hydrocodone to take three times a day. I currently take 150 mgs of Lyrica and my mind is a clearer than it was when I was taking such high doses. I've been to pain clinics, chiropractors, massage therapy, acupuncture and physical therapy more times than I care to recount. I've had botox injections, epidurals (or nerve blocks, 37 over the last 10 years), ice and heat. I walk daily and I try to keep watch over my core muscles. I have bad days but mostly good days. Primarily it is a mind game. If I can convince myself that I hurt and am in need of more pain medication then the opposite is true as well.

I know that at times it hurts to move. But movement is beneficial. I have learned the difference between pain caused by aches or burning and those caused by over doing it. Something that I am prone to do. I hurt almost everyday. But I decide on whether I will allow my pain to control my life or I maintain control of my pain.

Everyone is different and responds to med accordingly. Do research on your condition. Make the doctor listen to you. Don't be afraid to confront your physician if you disagree with them over a dosage or something. They see way too many patients who fake pain simply to get pain medication. If you feel that you need it, then make your case. Agree to sign a pain management agreement. I take a urine test once a year to prove that I don't abuse my meds. So far so good. If I can ever be of assistance please let me know.

" grab firmly by the side burn's and say, Now that I've got your attention... I think that Doctors get immune to a patients complaints over time. All they hear all day is " it hurts ", " the meds don't help" , and so on. They also have to take into consideration the long term effects of their treatment , and our best interest . We all have to accept that there is a possibility of addiction with these meds.
I had a doctor that prescribed me oxycontin 15 mg . I was taking Percocet every 6 hours. The oxycontin made a big difference , and made it possible for me to cut back on the number of Percocet I was taking
The problem was the way the scrip for oxycontin was written " Take 1 tablet every 12 hours max 2 per day. dispensed 30 tablets per month. 7 days latter I realized I needed 60 tablets to last a month if I took it twice a day. So for 4 months I did fine 12 hours each day. Each monthly visit I questioned how often am I supposed to take the Oxycontin. Every 12 hours was the reply I could not explain to her that I needed 60 tablets to take it twice a day. Finally my wife went with me on one of my monthly visits and got my doctor to understand that 30 tablets wasn't enough to last a month. When the doctor realized that , and that's why I was questioning her about it She apologized profusely .
Sometimes its good to take someone with you. It helps because it's another perspective from someone close to you They are your best " witness". Someone close to you should be apart of your recovery or treatment. Two heads are better than one. Making my family my support group has helped a lot. .Oxycontin has improved my quality of life, but it has to be respected.
.

I know a few ppl who took medical assisting in college,
they learned that taking 2 tylenol along with a pain med helps give them a 'boost' .
So I experimented myself & found that to be true.
it does help some, although most pain meds aren't 'miracle workers' they do help some.

generic comparable to tylenol is ok.

Grab firmly by the sideburns and say , " now that I have your attention ." If your " politically correct " most folk's will have a tendency not to listen. Sometime you have to be rude . Remind the doctor , they work for you .