Hi Cherry...

With the stronger medications, most MD's will act prudently and prescribe a very low dose to start---eventually titrating your way up until a functionable dose level is reached.
It is also important to go slow because many people experience symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, extreme sleepiness and so on. Also, some people can have an allergic reaction to one medication even though they have been taking something similar.

I was also on vicodin for many, many years and I likened them to PEZ. I believe that in the world of pain medication--they are actually comparable to bubblegum :-). My doc has tried me on Tramadol--caused urine retention; Methadone--I was practically passing out and now, I am on Morphine which seems to be working well.

I too was on a pretty decent dose of vicodin and when they started me on Morphine I was only prescribed enough to say, well, I basically got to lick the pill. I had my check in with my prescriber and she has moved me up and created a schedule to have another increase before check in next week. I am three days on schedule and then another move up for three more days. Hopefully by then, I will be on a dose that is sufficient.

Remember---and this is very important---some pain is OK. Medications don't actually take away your pain---they help your brain ignore the pain. There is no medication in the world at any dose that will allow you to function and not have some pain. The point of medications is NOT to be pain free...the point of medications is to allow a maximum level of functioning WITH your pain. I hope that makes sense.

I think your doc is being prudent and being professional...I would try this med at this dose for a week and I would also talk to your doc and make sure that you are on some type of plan to increase your medication to a sufficent level over some time.

HUGS to you!

Changing meds is not an exact science. Even though the meds may be titrated to 1/2 of another, there is no way to know exaclty how each medication will affect each person. What seems like candy in one medication could stop your breathing in a titrated amount of another.

Morphine does not work at all for me. By codiene puts me out. So I have to 1/4 the titrated amount of codiene compared to morphine.
When I had morphine, I took triple the amount and had no effects at all! no sleep, no depression of respirations, no nothing.

I know it is frustrating to have to struggle. But the doctor has to up your dose carefully.
Try to hang in there. Tell the doctor how you feel.

Thank you both for sharing your experience and knowledge. It does make sense, now. I'm not very big and I know she keeps that in mind when prescribing things.

I wouldn't expect to be pain free. I am just so tired of feeling like my pain defines who I am. It's depressing and discouraging.

I avoid relationships of any kind because I can't imagine anyone wanting to put up with me.

Cherry I have just had my meds changed from a narcotic to tramadol as the drug was not working for me very well at all. My doctor started me on 50mg 1-2x pd. And while that helped it didn't last long enough so when I went back he upped the dose to up to 4xpd AND added 100mg SR to be taken in the afternoon - when I have having the most pain. I still have some pain but like Duckie said that is how it is........... at least now I can function in a more normal way.

Best to start off slow because if you do react to the med it is easier to treat the problem on the lower dose than on the higher one.

Hope that she will increase the dose soon. Good luck with that.

I guess I'm a little impatient because I have to fight for every change and I've had to continue to work through pain that has me near tears. It's been going on for years.

I'm off to have an MRI of my rotator cuff in a few minutes...one more thing that's making my work nearly impossible.

Ok...I'm going to work on my attitude, now! Thanks, everybody!

I found this in a medical journal, and it might explain why you are in that much pain, even though the Oxydocone is stronger than Vicodin. here it is:

30 mg of hydrocodone has an equianalgesic dose similar to that of 20 mg of oxycodone. Therefore in a direct comparison oxycodone would normally be assumed to be stronger. However, hydrocodone, is never dispensed in the US without having another analgesic medication added to it. Such as Vicodin (hydrocodone and acetaminophen) or Vicoprofen (hydrocodone and ibuprofen) Oxycodone is dispensed either individually or combined with another analgesic such as acetaminophen. The second analgesic is felt to boost the effect of the hydrocodone, so there is no direct comparison of hydrocodone and oxycodone using patented medications in the US.

Thanks! I asked to be taken off the vicodin because I didn't like putting the maximum amount a liver can tolerate of tylenol into my system every day. She did say to go ahead and use ibuprofen, too. I was doing that before, but didn't think of it today.

I had a moment of panic when they slid me into the MRI and had to come out long enough to get my head straight. I took plenty of valium last time, but I had a ride then. The worst part ended up being the amount of pain I was in by the time I could move.

Oh well...it's done.

Being the cynic that I am...the tylenol or ibuprofen added are not going to enhance the analgesia, they are there to limit the dosage taken by virtue of the toxicity of the comedications present in the pills.