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...
As I mentioned before in a post, the oxycodone isn't controlling my pain hardly at all. Someone suggested methadone, so I wanted to ask if anyone knows whether methadone is more powerful than oxycodone. I know they're different and what works for one person doesn't work for another, but I'm wondering if in general, methadone is supposed to be stronger than oxycodone or vice versa.
But I hear it IS better at pain management. But hey...who knows when you might get surgery or some cure and get better? That's what I was thinking so didn't want to be on something harder to come off of. I know it can be done but I don't want withdrawal and with oxycodone I have never experienced withdrawal. Personally speaking. As you know.
My best to you.
oh...yea the tylenol. bad stuff. More and more people know that these days.
The dosing your doctor has recommended is the standard conversion dosing. With methadone, the rule is START LOW and GO SLOW. The major concern with methadone is sedation and delayed sedation (very severe sedation that can cause slowed breathing and can occur long after the effect of the medication wears off..and this is a medication that has a half life of 24-30 hours!).
I went from 20 mg of OxyContin (and needing to increase the dose) to 5 mg of methadone twice a day. I needed my oxycodone IR BT medication for about a week as it took the better part of 5-7 days for it to build up in my system as a background medication. Since then I've slowly titrated up to 10/5/10 (am/midday/pm doses) and need to go up to 10 for the midday dose (need to talk with my doctor first). And I still have breakthrough medication because as with all pain medications, one size doesn't fit all. What I do like is it is nowhere near as constipating as OxyContin was; just 2 Colace per day and I'm doing great (drink plenty of water!).
I have not experienced any noticable sedation, but I don't get sedated by much of anything. I still take nothing for granted; the sedation can occur at any time, months or even years after starting the medication. Plus I have such severe fatigue that except when it's unbearably hot, I sleep or doze a ridiculous amount of the day anyhow (15-18 hours). That amount is increasing and I'm not sure if the methadone is making a difference there (I know it sure doesn't help my insomnia!).
Methadone has the largest number of medication interactions of any of the pain medications I've been on, not just due to the sedation, but also due to QT prolongation (a defect in the heart's electrical conduction). So an EKG is necessary BEFORE starting the medication and a few weeks after taking it and also when adding certain medications (the list is extensive; I'm on one that signicantly increase the risk but thus far my heart is just fine).
To clear up some misperceptions: methadone was originally created as a PAIN medicine. It's only years later that it was found to be effective for heroin addiction (all it does is change what the herions are addicted to: from a uncontrolled street drug to a legal, refined drug). But it is first and foremost a pain medication.
It is also a very inexpensive medication, costing pennies a tablet compared to the dollars plus for the other long-lasting medications (plus the tablets are scorable so the dose can be divided into smaller doses as needed).
KNOW what you are taking; this is not your "standard" pain medication. While it sounds innocuous, it has some severe side effects and possible complications that don't exist with other pain medications. So please, don't just take it lightly. Read and learn about it and if your doctor isnt' taking it seriously and just prescribes it without discussing the medication in detail with you, take the time to learn about it yourself. YOU are your own best advocate and only you can ensure you're on the right medications and know you've had the right tests (EKG) and are being monitored properly.
BTW, methadone is stronger by orders of magnitude than any other medication!
Hope this helps! :)
I really liked the way the methadone helped my pain but, holy cow! I have never been so sleepy in my whole life!!! I ended up having a poor reaction to it fairly quickly--swelling in my hands/feet and itching of my palms so, I was taken of this medication.
I am now on morphine and this is working much better for me---except the darned consitpation. There is always a down side!
I hope you are able to find relief that has you meeting your pain needs not chasing your pain.
HUGS to you!
you probly should started at 2.5 mgs every other day to see how body reacted... I have relised from some ppl here their pain dr puts them on 5 mgs right away then talk to many others, and their dr though that was high does start out with.
I know someone that is so sentive they take 1 mg... Any sleepness means to high of does.
CC no its no methadone is not opiod its ANA blocker Research it!!
I have papers that say that...They would not use anther opiod to get people off drugs!! Methadone is used for pain and to get ppl off drugs.
The doc took me off of Hydrocodone---which is what I have been using off and on for 21 years...and consistently since I became disabled. She put me on the methadone at 2.5 x 2 per day to start--so 5 mg total in a day. I felt like the walking dead...but I had very little "massive" pain, which was nice. My pain went from a consistent 6/7 to a 4.
When I had a reaction to the Methadone...after a while they put me on Tramadol---to which I developed significant urine retension. They took me off the Tramadol and back on Hydrocodone
For a while...they had me on Hydrocodone x 4 per day....which was not doing jack crap...except making me sleepy. No matter what it is or how long I use it...I never get over the sleepyness effect.
I was recently switched to Morphine...they started me out on a very, very low dose---like it was barely more than licking the pill and putting it back in the container--and they have slowly moved me up as I have tolerated it. This move to Morphine has been a good move for me and in combination with my other meds---It is working well.
Thanks for asking! HUGS!
Thats why not good med to just ask about... It is something dr needs talk about. He needs recmend. As methadone can be good but dont mean good all time like ceratin ppl just think its cure to sometimes and its not...
Do mirlaxs mixed in with 100 percent apple juice helps me with conspation... Worth try superduck