Miracle medication!

[Bish]

Hi guys,
Just wanted to let you know my doc perscribed me some new meds and I am amazed. I have tried a hundred different meds before and for most of them I might as well have been eating smarties. This thing is new and I have only been on it a week, but I am impressed. T3's gave me about a ten percent pain reduction and a buzz. This is no buzz and probably 70% or more reduction in pain and lasts 24hrs with one pill! I sometimes forget I am laced with chronic pain! Obviously this will not fix anyones problem here but it might make life more tollerable for those of us in pain. I hope it can help some others. The one I took is 200mg of Tridural per day. One pill in the AM and thats it! Honestly guys if you have chronic pain from scoliosis, go to the docs tommorrow and try it. I don't know how long it will last for me but I am hoping! According to the doc, unlike other opiods, its effectiveness does not diminish with long term use. It is new and only came out in September 2007, but all of the ingredients have been used for years and are supposed to be safe long term. Good luck!

[aktech23]

it is ER tramadol. It's not that new really. there are other makers of it as ER also.

tramadol gives me a very strong "buzz" i can't sleep if I take it. I get shaky and jittery
Everyone is different. It works good for my wife, she takes 1 300 mg ER/day.
She doesn't suffer from scoliosis, but she has chronic pain due to a pinched nerve in her neck and has been taking it for a few years.

[josh83]

Im on Tremadol right now as well. I take two 50mg tabs a day and it kills my pain in my back and gets me through the day. Ive been on it for 6-8 months and havent had any problems with it. Im def glad they gave em too me to try, their about the only things i can take to kill the pain and not make me all screwed up in the process.

[scooter950]

Cymbalta

Hi I've used tramadol as well, it blocks the pain receptors, just like narcotics, but it's a non-narcotic med! But what really helped me was Cymbalta - I have depression as well, but Cymbalta may be prescribed just for pain control. It definitely blocks the pain! I felt SO MUCH BETTER since switching to cymbalta! so that's another resource, if someone can't tolerate tramadol. ~Jamie

[rainbow2010]

Tramadol is about the only pain medicine I can tolerate. I take it on real bad pain days. My only problem with it is it effects my balance and speech. I tend to say funny things while taking it! I stay home when I take it. I took it before we had a tornado come nearby last month and didn't care one bit about the tornado.

[crippledcowgirl]

Sounds like an interesting drug that I will have to ask more about. I am currently taking 3400mg of nuerontin a day, plus 2 Ty3's and sometimes (ie. 2-3times a week) I take 50-100mg's of demerol. Demerol works great for the pain...but it is such a high strength narcotic...I would love to have other options.

[Karen Ocker]

Tramadol(Ultram)

tramadol(Ultram) has a potential for abuse:



Ultram® is a centrally acting synthetic opioid analgesic from: professional drug info:http://www.drugs.com/pro/



http://www.drugs.com/tramadol.html

[Kate]

?

Karen, Just wondering the rationale for the post - many of the meds that scoli patients take for pain are schedule 3 or 2 drugs with POTENTIAL for abuse. There is a difference between addiction and tolerance here as well as the level of pain coinciding to dosages.

Currently I am on massive amounts of opiates (fentanyl is stronger than morphine) and am seen by a pain management specialist. It just makes the pain go away I don't feel loopy or anything. Of course this couldn't go on forever so the 2nd sugery. I have been told that I am "opiate tolerant" so I need doses that would render someone else practically comatose.

I guess my point here is that if we use our meds responsibly and communicate our concerns/am monitored by our physicians, the potential for abuse should not stand in the way of relieving pain.

[Karen Ocker]

medication with potential for abuse

The point I was trying to make was any medication that also alters mood, which many painkillers(including tramadol or Darvon) requires respect. Abuse means taking medication for pain which is no longer there but gives the mood a lift. A red flag would be refusing to do other things to reduce pain like a recommended PT or exercise program----but insisting on taking pills instead. A good pain management doc insists on using alternatives when appropriate.

The pain after my revision was rather excruciating. I was on dilaudid, fentanyl patches, neurontin, lidoderm patches, extra strength Tylenol and ice bags. Little by little, as I healed, we eliminated the opiates. However, my body, like everyone else who takes opiates any length of time, became physically dependent. This is not a moral issue but a medical one. Tapering off must be done under supervision. The same must be said about any benzodiazepines: Valium, xanax etc. Stopping these suddenly can cause seizures.

[Kate]

You are absolutely correct and point well taken. I am well aware of the definition of abuse thus my post above. They are going to be tapering me off my meds post surgery, they said it could take months given my tolerance (body needing more and more to keep pain controlled)-but I just can't wait to be opiate free or at least on minimal occasion use. They are going to be placing meds directly in my spine post surgery, so hopefully that will be a start.

I still did PT and all that but I needed pain meds to do the PT!

It was actually my pain specialist who recognized that it was time for surgery since I was geting limited relief.

I just do not want people afraid of taking meds as indicated for fear of abuse, it has been my experience that so many who need the meds don't use them because they do not know the difference between tolerance (body need more for it to be effective) and addiction (use meds justto get a "buzz" and not relieve pain)Regards,
K

[rainbow2010]

I have gotten several nerve root ablations so that I do not have to take as much pain medicine. I try to control mine as much as possible with advil and a heating pad. I also exercise in a heated (90 degrees) pool. I use my pain medicine only on real bad days when nothing else works. Having grown up around law enforcement, I saw what drug and alcohol addicitions can do to people. Also, my doctor made me sign a paper saying I would not drive when taking my medicine.

[Jacque's Mom]

Nerve Root Ablations

Rainbow 2010 - I just send you a private message. Thanks!! Lynn