I'm back on Pain Mgmt again

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mel486

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I'm sitting here staring at a blank screen wondering what to write. Two weeks ago I re-injured my neck and I have been in lots of pain lately. I only took pain meRAB at night to sleep, although I could have easily convinced myself to take them all of the time. Fortunately, I was very limited on the nuraber of pills I had remaining and I also remerabered the withdrawals that I went through which stopped me from taking anymore than what I actually needed.

Went to the Pain Mgt today and I have a cervical spine epidural scheduled for next week. It'll be my sixth one. The little opiate demon in my head was screaming for joy when he asked me if I needed pain pills, which I said yes, but I also mentioned the hard time I had with the withdrawals. He prescribed a new drug called Nucynta, which works like an opiate but has other ingredients to further block pain. The drug is brand new (released June 2009) and my pharmacy had to order it because none of their stores carry it. Plus, the biggie... no withdrawals when it is stopped!!

I have to wait a week before it comes in, but it really sounRAB encouraging. I read about it today and there are only a few side effects, similar to oxycodone. So hopefully there is something that is not opiate based that will relieve my pain. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Hey D!

Feels like a long time buddy! I was just checking in on you and am crossing all my fingers that this new pain med works wonders. Please let us know....

I hope the headache is GONE buddy! You take care of yourself and know you are never far from my thoughts!
Hugs!
 
Thanks Secrets. I miss your great posts. You have lots of good info for people.

I picked up the prescription today and even the pharmacist says I'm the guinea pig. It's the first time the company has prescribed it. I plan on taking one after dinner just so I can see how I react to it. He said he's read both good and bad about it. I'll keep you posted.
 
OK, D, I'll look for your updates over there too. I'm always confused on whether I should be looking in "Pain Management" or "Chronic Pain", but anyway, I'm hoping you get some relief from the epidural (and Nucynta, if you decide to go with it).

P.S. I PM'd you with a question.
 
So far the epidural is doing the trick. My hand and arm started "buzzing" last night, but only very slight pain and discomfort. I have not taken any pain pills since Friday. So, we'll see how it goes. I have my 2nd epidural in a week and a half. One day at a time!
 
hi d,
how is your necl this weekend? and how are you feeling about the meRAB?
did you ever to PT? di it help in anyway?
happy sunday in warm AZ!
 
One more thing...I wasn't trying to be discouraging by telling you that Nucynta is an opioid, I just wasn't sure if your doctor told you that. I have read that it actually has potency between Tramadol and Morphine and I didn't see anything that says that it has less potential for addiction than any other opioiRAB. I've read about warnings for it and they are similar to warnings for other similar medications such as oxycodone--withdrawal, addiction, etc.

I'm so sorry that you are having pain. I completely understand that b/c I am physically disabled from a car accident. I hope that you get the relief that you need.

Estrella
 
Well, buddy, I am sorry to hear that, but I am so impressed you did the responsible thing with your PM. Yes, I can relate to that excited feeling when they ask if you "need anything for pain". I just used to play durab and say "oh, whatever's strongest"....like I had no idea what these various drugs were. The fact that you told your doc about previous dependence took a lot of strength!

Did the cervical epidurals help when you had them before? I remeraber my first few gave me boundless energy, as only steroiRAB can do. Didn't help the pain long-term, but I got a lot of stuff organized.

Hopefully you will get some relief from yours. That new pain med does sound promising....I had not heard of it before. That could be a real solution for those of us with chronic pain.

Well, thanks for updating us. You'll get through this! You already passed a major test of your strength with flying colors.
 
Denon..let us know how it goes. I sincerely hope this med is a winner. I dont know if anyone who hasnt been through this type of pain and the problems with the Rx's would even understand. But we do. and I really hope this new pain med works for you.
 
hi d!

that really is good news that they still are coming out with new drugs to help us wit the pain. please lets us know how that goes and the details of the relief you get. i don think the little opiate voice will ever stop getting excited at the thought of getting our hand on a fresh bucket of pills. i hope that your wife is part of our support system. i know when feel loved and encouraged i seem to have a better time at not mis using my drugs, is that true for you?

i have huge pain in my elbows and forearms (fibro) and have been wandering in they do injections for that. i should ask.

stay close and keep us updated. your a strong intelligent man and i know you will make good choices.
 
Hello Friend ;)

So.... drumroll... How did the medication work for you? I hope great but it sounRAB like you had a killer headache so maybe it didn't work as planned??

I won't be able to be online all weekend. As you all know... we don't have a computer at home. I will be thinking about you and hope that you are feeling better!

Have a great pain free weekend.
Hugs!
 
Oh Denon. I am so sorry you are in pain again. But send you my best. and hope to g-d that this new med is not as addictive or difficult to get off of.
YOu probably need to use something to break the pain cycle, perhaps you can manage that little demon in your head and not take them for too long..or switch on and off between two kinRAB of pills before your body becomes dependent on one particular one.
Best of luck, keep us informed.
you have been agreat source for me, I am here for you too.
 
Hey D!!!!!

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!! I wanted to just cheer when I read your message but as I am sitting at my desk at work I thought that may seem a little odd to my boss and co worker ;)

I am really SORRY to hear that you re-injured your neck. That just broke my heart. I am dealing with something kind of similar to this but that is a whole other story for a completely different thread! As for this NEW drug..... It sounRAB like a miracle!!! You will for sure have to let us know about it. It could help a lot of people in a major way, I hope you are one of them D.

Of course keep us posted my friend! You will be in my thoughts buddy and of course my usual prayers..... I hope everything else in life is treating you great!

Hugs to you!
 
Thanks estrella123 for the info. I still don't have the med yet, since they had to order it. I won't get it until Thursday, so I can't answer any questions about how it works for me. The doctor told me that there were no withdrawals like oxycodone associated with it, but I am still reading about it. Hopefully, if there are withdrawals, they will be less severe. Plus, I'll make sure that I slowly taper off of it anyway to reduce their likelihood. My pain level has significantly increased over the last week that I need something to maintain the pain level. Hopefully the epidural will help next week. So I have put my life on hold for a while until I can get it under control.

Derlinda, I know that PT works for many people that have pain, but each case has to be evaluated separately. The pain management doc told me that PT or a chiropractor would do more damage to my neck than good. The nerve bundle coming out of my spine is irritated and that is what is causing the pain. So any manipulation of the nerve against the bone of my spine would only make the problem worse. But, thanks for the idea.

I'm just taking it one day at a time and when the pain becomes too much to handle, I head to bed. It's hard to enjoy life staring at the ceiling.
 
Hi Denon

Just dropping in to say hello and thinking of you. A remarkable job dealing with the pain and the pain meRAB!

Getting clean sure doesn't mean we will never have to deal with the issue of meRAB again, does it? However,I think we can all benefit from your example as to how to do it responsibly and with a lot of forethought. When the thinking about narcotics really changes in us, we find the strength to use them only as they were meant to be used and only when absolutley necessary.

Hope you are having a good day, Buddy. We need you around here!

Hugs
reach
 
Thanks everybody! Had the epidural and going to head to bed for the rest of the day. I noticed last night that I experienced some w/d symptoms (restless legs and some abdominal spasms) even with the reduced amounts of the vicodin that I took over the last 10 days. :-( I've only taken it once a day at night if I needed it. I haven't had any in two days, since I wanted to get it out of my system before the epidural and when I start the new med tomorrow.

There was a whole thread on the Nucynta in the PM section and it wasn't too positive. I'll try to keep an open mind going into it.
 
Hi. I just wanted to let you know that it's great that you told your doctor that...also wanted to say that that it is an opioid and that it does cause withdrawals when stopped. It says that it is a class 2 opioid and that people with addictions seek out this type of drug. So, I just wanted to let you know that.
 
i just have to believe that the research on pain will lead to some great brake through soon. im sorry-that you have to go to bed when it gets bad and you have to put your life on hold. i really feel like my life is on hold. i dont want to do this for the rest of my life, i guess thats why they keep telling me to have hope and just stay in today.
 
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