Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
I've had RSD for 16 years and JUST now made my 1st medication mistake. I've been taking long-acting pain meds for 16 years. I've been able to handle the pain on the same dose of short & long acting morphine w/o needing to increase it. In fact I've always feared an increase- what would it do to me, etc.
Well, tonight I find out. Yesterday I sat in my family doc's office for 2 hours only to be told I have a sinus and ear infection, which I already knew. He started me on Bactrim and refilled my anti-nausea med, Phenergan. After a long week, I was just looking forward to getting to sleep this afternoon and no more nausea, no more pain in my face- just some sleep.
At 430pm I took my antibiotic, some tylenol for the ear pain/fever, phenergan for nausea, and the mscontin for the RSD pain. And b/c I haven't been sleeping, I took an Ambien. I have a full day of nothing to do so a good sleep, I thought, would make me feel better.
I keep all my medical info in my Blackberry so I never overdose or take too many or too few pills. As I settled in, I checked my last MSIR (2 hrs before) and for some crazy reason, I MISSED seeing that I had taken my MSC earlier. This has never happened to me before. I never assume, I always check. I guess it just happened b/c I was taking the sinus infection and sleep meds.
So now I've taken 2 MSC pills within 3 hours of each other! I immediately panicked & made myself vomit. But only the soda I'd been sipping and the saltines came up. Not ONE of those damned pills!
It's been almost 3 hours, my DH skipped a bowling deal tonight that was really important to him, and so far I'm feeling fine. Tired, but the ambien and phenergan would do that even if I wasn't already exhausted. DH is checking on me every 15 minutes, but didn't think I should go to the ER. His reasoning is that I've been on these meds for 16 years and my body is used to the morphine. I can see his side. I haven't felt side effects from the morphine since the 1st year I took them, 16 years ago. I don't feel any of those side effects now, but I do worry.
It's a long-acting med, so it could be hours before anything would happen. But like DH says, I've been on these meds so long that my body is used to them. I'm feeling normal, a bit antsy maybe, but wonder, should I even be worried? I mean I FREAKED!
I vomited (made myself as much as I could but that, too, is new to me) until I saw a streak of blood in my vomit- I think I have a tear in my esophagus from vomiting so much this week. And they DO make a MSContin that is double this strength. Is it possible to get sick from taking 2 pills hours apart when you're prescribed one?
I've worked hard for 16 years with safeguards, just to make sure this never happened. Then I get sick and things change, and this happens. I don't know which would've been worse, my taking an extra MSIR by accident or the MSC. But it sure shook me up. It should've been at least 3 hours before the next MSC and I messed up! I'm a responsible person- I mean 16 YEARS! NEVER took an extra ANYTHING.
I know I'm probably and hopefully overreacting, but I sure scared myself! I know people DO take the stronger strength, but wouldn't I have to have built up to it? I'm just going in a million directions. I don't have dry mouth or any signs of overdose. But as MSC is long-acting, that is possible. I know it could be worse- I could've taken them at the same time! At least they're 3 hours apart. And my body IS used to the medication.
I feel SO stupid! Am I the only one who has ever done this?
Well, tonight I find out. Yesterday I sat in my family doc's office for 2 hours only to be told I have a sinus and ear infection, which I already knew. He started me on Bactrim and refilled my anti-nausea med, Phenergan. After a long week, I was just looking forward to getting to sleep this afternoon and no more nausea, no more pain in my face- just some sleep.
At 430pm I took my antibiotic, some tylenol for the ear pain/fever, phenergan for nausea, and the mscontin for the RSD pain. And b/c I haven't been sleeping, I took an Ambien. I have a full day of nothing to do so a good sleep, I thought, would make me feel better.
I keep all my medical info in my Blackberry so I never overdose or take too many or too few pills. As I settled in, I checked my last MSIR (2 hrs before) and for some crazy reason, I MISSED seeing that I had taken my MSC earlier. This has never happened to me before. I never assume, I always check. I guess it just happened b/c I was taking the sinus infection and sleep meds.
So now I've taken 2 MSC pills within 3 hours of each other! I immediately panicked & made myself vomit. But only the soda I'd been sipping and the saltines came up. Not ONE of those damned pills!
It's been almost 3 hours, my DH skipped a bowling deal tonight that was really important to him, and so far I'm feeling fine. Tired, but the ambien and phenergan would do that even if I wasn't already exhausted. DH is checking on me every 15 minutes, but didn't think I should go to the ER. His reasoning is that I've been on these meds for 16 years and my body is used to the morphine. I can see his side. I haven't felt side effects from the morphine since the 1st year I took them, 16 years ago. I don't feel any of those side effects now, but I do worry.
It's a long-acting med, so it could be hours before anything would happen. But like DH says, I've been on these meds so long that my body is used to them. I'm feeling normal, a bit antsy maybe, but wonder, should I even be worried? I mean I FREAKED!
I vomited (made myself as much as I could but that, too, is new to me) until I saw a streak of blood in my vomit- I think I have a tear in my esophagus from vomiting so much this week. And they DO make a MSContin that is double this strength. Is it possible to get sick from taking 2 pills hours apart when you're prescribed one?
I've worked hard for 16 years with safeguards, just to make sure this never happened. Then I get sick and things change, and this happens. I don't know which would've been worse, my taking an extra MSIR by accident or the MSC. But it sure shook me up. It should've been at least 3 hours before the next MSC and I messed up! I'm a responsible person- I mean 16 YEARS! NEVER took an extra ANYTHING.
I know I'm probably and hopefully overreacting, but I sure scared myself! I know people DO take the stronger strength, but wouldn't I have to have built up to it? I'm just going in a million directions. I don't have dry mouth or any signs of overdose. But as MSC is long-acting, that is possible. I know it could be worse- I could've taken them at the same time! At least they're 3 hours apart. And my body IS used to the medication.
I feel SO stupid! Am I the only one who has ever done this?
I don't think you will notice anything except that you may be more sleepy. Remember that a tolerance is TOLERANCE. These meds have an upper limit to effectiveness.
Your body is adjusted to processing it. I would just drink plenty of fluids to protect your kidneys and liver and help them process it.
Most of all, try to stop the panic. That is not usually beneficial.
And eat FOOD. you don't want to add lack of nutrition to this mix.
hang in there
hugs
tori
I take Synthroid half hr before breakfast
Pradaxa..blood thinner (Both in Morning)
Lisinopril
Pradaxa..in a blister moisture proff pac
Provastatin
Pain Pill..as needed
(All at night)
Pradaxa is my Problem..the blister pac does't fit in a daily pill dispenser box..I
forget sometimes whether or not I have taken it. Sometimes I forget to move the box from kitchen (AM pill) to Bedroom (PM pill) and sometimes I move it intending to take a pill but get sidetracked...
This is very frustrating for me!!!!
First, take a deep breath.......
Now, I'm guessing your husband is right. You've been taking narcs for so long you have built up a tolerance to them. With the other meds you took I'm sure you'll be sleepy. I've done it before and am still her
I once took nyquil forgetting that it contains alcohol and took 80mg of oxycontin and 30mg of msir along with the nyquil. i woke up 9 days later. The combination of the narcs and alcohol and the valium I also took caused profound resp. depression and exacerbated a simmering pneumonia and by the time I got to the hospital, I had fulminant bilateral pneumonia and then developed rhabdomyolosis and acute renal fialure to boot.
I agree with Sunny- eat something bland and maybe take some maalox to soothe your throat/espophagus. Plus the food will help absorb some of the residual morphine in your bodyl.
Come back tomorrow am and let us know how you did.
Sandy
Thanks for coming here so fast and clearing up my poor explanation.
I always appreciate knowing that you will ensure that a proper medical explanation is shared with us so we don't stay ignorant forever. And it is wonderful to not have to depend on Doc Google.
Hope you are doing OK thalijen
Praying for you
Sunny
I was hoping you'd be here tonight. It's been 5 hours now. Nothing different other than I missed my opportunity to sleep, and I scared myself half to death! I didn't even feel a thing, or haven't yet, so that part is good. Maybe some of it came up when I vomited that I didn't see?
Leave it to me to overreact. ;) But I got some toast down and other than setting my heart pounding (which I always do when I'm scared) I have nothing to report. I'm hoping I can eventually fall asleep and get a real good sleep, you know, like 12 hours? But nothing like your long "nap"! Whoa, now THAT would freak me out.
I guess I am just tolerant of the meds. 16 years can do that. It's been 8 hours since the 1st dose and 5 since the 2nd so I'm guessing I'm okay. I appreciate everyones' thoughts and will hopefully get a good night's sleep now that I'm calmer. Isn't it amazing, though, how one silly sinus infection could cause all this trouble?
I hope things turn out ok for you.
Yes, have done that too. You are not alone don't be hard on yourself. When we are sick it is too easy to make mistakes.
You have gotten good advice. I don't think throwing up is wise. Toast, bread, crackers, will help absorb the meds, water will help flush it out. Overdose on water.
I think you need to keep a check on your heart rate and your breathing. Three hours apart is a good thing. They are time released so that is also to your advantage.
I am sure you and your husband read up on the overdose symptoms so watch for those, call 911 if you need to, otherwise keep the food and water going. Hug your hubby for being there and calm down.
Hygs-RJ
Three hours apart is really very safe after 16 years. If you were just starting it would be very different.
This is why titration is important and changing Med is such a challenge
The mistake you made won't hurt you, unless you were to keep doing it over and over every couple hours. You don't need to go to the E.R. or make yourself vomit, it's actually not as easy to make pills come up as Dr.'s and Poison Control make it seem. Just be noral, go through your normal routine and chalk this up to being human, we make mistakes.
Kat
Thank you for the compliment, but I thought you did a good job explaining it too!
Jen, I hope you got some good sleep and had some extra pain relief along the way. This is one of those things you won't do again. But i can understand why you were so upset. I would have been too.
Sandy
Once my husband got out Maggie's heart worm pill and then he took it instead.
It made him really sick.
So yes, worse mistakes have been made. :-)
Hope you got through it ok.
I have been throwing up dinner every single night for two months now. I never get the ED's like I tossed the pills taken several hours later.
How you doing today?