My New Dose of a Kind of New Med

On Friday my neuro started me on oxycodone (generic oxycontin) twice a day.

I previously had this as an "as needed" med in addition to indocin. Now I will take it like clockwork. Since starting this just a few days ago, I can already notice a difference. When I was taking it "as needed" I didn't notice much of a difference, because at the time the directions were "no more than 1 a day". Now that I am permitted 2 a day, it is effective. I wonder how long this will work until I build up a tolerance to it. Who cares, for now I am getting some relief.

I shared my concerns about having a narcotic in my system and driving. My neuro said as long as I am not weaving in and out of my lanes or as long as I do not knowingly drive if it makes me sedated, I'm ok to drive. I told her it does not sedate me or make me loopy or anything like that. So I'm ok to drive.

I feel like I have a big secret from my friends and peers. Certainly I can't tell any of my Girl Scout leader friends I am taking it. They simply wouldn't understand. They would never entrust their daughters to me.

But the good news is, I think this is going to help!!

The oxycontin made a HUGE difference with me. But, as you said, it is NOT a PRN drug. I take it three times a day and if I forget the pain is hard to get back under control.

Did they give a fast acting pain med also?

Nope, I don't mention the oxy to very many people. It freaks them out.

I'm never loopy or sedated either. It just makes the pain manageable, not non-existent. But, what a difference it has made for the better.

Glad you're having success.

Going from as needed narcotics (a few doses a week) to around the clock doses (I take Methadone plus I'm deciding between Opana or Oxycodone right now for breakthrough) made such a huge difference for me. I can maintain about 50% relief with the two meds. It is very important to have a breakthrough med--some will take a few doses a day, some a few doses a week, but the best way to take it is as soon as you have the pain spiking up, not when you are miserable. Yes, don't tell anyone but your husband and doctors. Way too much stigma. I don't tell anyone else about my health issues anyways as I'm sick of the questions. I asked my husband to evaluate my driving just in case, but I've never got a high from my meds.

My reflexes and such as much better than when I'm in pain. Some opiates can have a sedating effect that sneaks up on you, so be cautious of that. I will start to randomly nod off on the Methadone so I will have to catch than early while driving. If you are younger the tolerance issue can be huge (I'm 24). Also, most people never can maintain the same relief as when they first start the daily opiates down the road, no matter how much they increase the dose. You do need to have a doctor that isn't afraid to let you up the doses though. You don't want to be over medicated (too much over 50% relief may be over medicated and you will build tolerance faster that way), but it is pointless to be on the meds and deal with all the risks if you aren't having a decent change in your functionality. Once I added in the opiates I seem to lead a much more normal life now--just with some modifications. Because of my age and multitude of health problems, my doctors seem to think that staying functional is very important for me especially. They aren't afraid to keep adding in meds as long as the pros outweigh the cons, and we're sure we aren't just adding meds to control side effects lol.

You need to build up an emergency supply in case your doctor decides to drop you, the pharmacy has to order it and you have to go without for a few days, etc. I have about a month worth that I've saved from the last year (especially when I was titrating up and my doctor gave me the max dose I was able to save some) so I could go a few months if I titrated slowly down. I have heard of some people getting really screwed over by their doctor retiring and the replacement won't prescribe the meds and such, or other things that are not their fault. Withdrawal is something you don't want to have to worry about. Don't be afraid to also figure out what times of day and how often is going to best for you to take it.

I have ended up taking my meds on a very odd schedule, but it gets me the most pain relief at work and the times of day my pain is worse, but Methadone has a really long half life so even if I take a dose upon waking up and then 6 hours later, and no more the rest of the day, I don't go into withdrawal. Meds like the Oxy tend to have to be dosed more often than the manufacturers think because they just don't last as long for many people, so you might end up needed 3 times a day or whatever. Hopefully your doctor is willing to work with you--them prescribing the med is a big step. I was shocked when my doctor said ok (my neuro told me to ask him about it) as he seems like a conservative older doc. I worry when the day comes that they will make all of us go to a pain doctor and regulate these meds even more.

Make sure you have a card in your wallet with emergency contact info and that you take this med and any others, and give your husband the info too in case you have an emergency (they need to know the dose and all your meds). Ideally your meds should be locked up at home because you never know when even a friend will go rummaging and find it and decide to take it. When I travel I like to keep half on my person and half in the hotel or whatever so in case I get robbed I won't go into withdrawal. A few simple precautions will minimize your risks.

Good luck!