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...

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meganK08 07/22/2008

I was wondering if you guys who have nerve pain took neurontin but also had percocet, or vicodin for breakthrough pain. and if you took it everyday i keep getting mixed messages about my meds. and no the dr never called me back today i am so mad. but im kind of confused i only use my percocet when the neurontin and lidoderm patches do not help. but with my cycle i have gone from using one a day to two or three just to take the edge off. last night was just horrible the er sounded wonderful. but i can not do that. i dont know what to do and im confused i know i need to talk to my dr about it but he wont call me. but my family who i need to stop listening too says not to take my percocet everyday even if i needed it because i could get dependent. i dont know what to do. wait for hubby to get home i guess

deleted_user 07/22/2008

first off you have to take your pain medicine continously in order for it to continously help. The pharmacist and the doctor will tell you that. You know that you will have times when you will need to get on something stronger due to the body getting used to it. This happens to everyone. Your family is just worried. Take it as directed. It will make a difference.

Lynr 07/22/2008

Megan, no one can tell you what your body is feeling or how the medication makes you feel except you...you need to start trusting your self on issues regarding your medical wellbeing (with the input of your doctor of course) and stop relying and waiting for others to give the answer or the approval that you are looking for-you aren't going to get that from anyone who doesn't suffer from chronic pain such as yours, they just don't understand. Don't let others make you feel guilty for taking medication that gives you an improvement in the quality of your life. Have you tried talking with a therapist of an APRN? These professionals often have more time than the doctors and can spend time counseling patients about medication issues. Many Pharmacy Technicians are also well versed in all of the medications and their side effects, they should be able to answer your questions as well. Good luck, xoxoLyn

deleted_user 07/23/2008

sometimes i forget that i have taken the gabapention.
the best way i have found is to put it in a pill box that has the day and different times and when i have forgotten i can look at the pill box and see.
Some days i get my partner to get my medications in cause i have forgotten.
I also take norspan patch and tramadol.
I have my bad days on it

deleted_user 07/23/2008

I take 4 to 5 percocets to keep the pain down and 9 neurotins each and every day. These doses are prescribed by my doctor. I also freaked out about taking so much medication and foolishly cut down one day fearing that I was taking way too much. I paid the price for it. My doctor knew what she was talking about and now I take my meds religously. My advice? Take as prescribed.

deleted_user 07/23/2008

Neurontin is meant to take every day. It is an anti-epileptic medication which works by assisting the transportation of GABA, a neurotransmitter. This decreases the perception of pain.

Percocet, if you take daily, you will get dependent on it. This is the same for ALL opiate medicines. But dependency is not addiction. Even when you're on high doses of medication like Neurontin, you cannot just stop cold turkey, your body can have a reaction. The same is true for opiates - if you take them consistently for a long while, your body will react from not having it in your system.

So long as you are taking it as prescribed, you are fine.

It is best to take pain medication before pain is at its worst. It gets a better foothold.

If you are taking two or three at a time, rather than spaced out during the day - you definitely need to talk to your doctor about other options or possibly changing the dose. (Percocet comes in dosages with 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5, 10mg of oxycodone. The 5mg is the one most often prescribed.)

Do be careful about taking other medications with Tylenol (acetaminophen) in them. Your liver can only handle 4000mg a day. So if you have a fever or needing to fight inflammation, you may be better of taking aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) if your stomach isn't sensitive.

Take care,
Laura

deleted_user 07/23/2008

Hi meagan, I am a chronic pain person and I have had to go in, and have a frank talk with my doctor more than once when I needed a medicine change and sometimes that included upping the strength and the times that I needed my medicine. I ONLY take what I NEED. We will never be pain free, but our pain can be controlled. I think going in to see the doctor face to face is the best way to go.
I hope you feel better soon...and if you can, go in and talk with your doctor. AND never feel guilty about having pain. There is NO blame with chronic pain hun.
Take care..
EllaBlue

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