Oxycodone/Oxycontin side effects??

[scurve4947]

Hi guys,

My post op meds consist of Flexeril, Oxycontin, and Hydrocodone. I hate taking this many meds but I guess I have to in order to avoid terrible pain. The downside is that I am sweating profusely all the time and I am hot in a chilly room. They also make me extremely drowsey.

Did anyone try using heating pads or cold packs to help with swelling/pain?

Also, I feel like my skin is super sensitive but that may be from the surgery itself. Anyone else have these same feelings?

[LindaRacine]

Hi Allison...

That's a lot of medicine! If you're not having any pain at all, you may be taking too much (not a problem I hear about a lot!). When you start cutting down on narcotics, you need to do it slowly.

If you're sweating, but don't have a fever, it seems to me that the narcotics may be the culprit. If you have a fever, you need to let your surgeon know.

Regards,
Linda

[theizzard]

The oxycontin makes me sweat almost non stop and can make me extremely drowsy. There are times I don't get drowsy and other times I just have to lay down and take a nap and that is might confusing. I want to stop them and just stay on my short acting meds but my gp thinks the opposite. I am going to have to take myself off of them very slowly. I have been on them for a long time and I am really scared witless about the withdrawal process. At this stage, which is 3 1/2 months from surgery I don't really need to stop them but now is probably a good time to start reducing them. my surgeon said to do whatever feels right for me so that is what I am trying to do.
avis

[asccbodypro]

Allison,

I had night sweats really bad the first few weeks and they are getting better now. I still have hot and cold flashes throughout the day. Not everyday though. It will get better. I literally would wake at night with sweat dripping of me and the sheets soaking wet. Give it a few more weeks and it will start to pass.

I just recently started using ice packs for sore spots and the ice works great for me. Just be carefull if you are very numb make sure you don't leave the cold packs on to long!

You also mentioned the skin sensitivity. Mine was really bad the first few weeks and it's just now this week (week 5) getting better. The numbness that I had on the upper part of my butt is also going away:O) My biggest problem has been loss of appetite and breathing problems. I am starting to feel a little better so I think I may be getting over the hump and hopefully will start to feel better soon. Good luck and hang in there, it does get better!!

[sarah105]

Hi Allison,
I had my surgery shortly after yours. I am only on oxycodone for pain but I also find that it makes me sweat about a half hour after I take it. For me it usually stops within an hour even though I only take the meds every 4-5 hours. My pain is pretty much under control with the oxycodone so I haven't really thought to try ice or heat but I have noticed the extreme skin sensitivity on my back. It almost feels like a bad sunburn! I don't really have any answers for you but at least you aren't the only one. Does anyone know how long the skin sensitivity usually lasts?

[titaniumed]

Allison

Its interesting reading these posts. I've forgotten about all of this.

The opiates really screw with your internal thermostat, one minute your freezing, the next minute your melting down.
After you come off the meds, this has a tendency to mellow out. Come off slow, keep notes on what you take and let your Dr know what you are doing. Get permission to cut your pills,some you can cut,others you cannot as you can cause some serious problems.

I never used a heating pad after surgery. I soaked in a bath tub with hot water, 5x per day for 3 months. It worked well for pain.

Sarah

I had the extreme sunburn on my hips. It took a few months to dissipate. The numbness in the center of the back running down the scar took 12 months.

I cannot over emphasize the importance of monitoring you bowel movements while on opiates. Constipation from opiates isn't very pleasant, your guts can turn to STONE and cause EXTREME pain. I was there.

The stabs, the jolts, the burning, all this stuff does disappear in time.
Ed

[LindaRacine]

I never used a heating pad after surgery. I soaked in a bath tub with hot water, 5x per day for 3 months. It worked well for pain.



Wow Ed... I constantly hear from others that baths are prohibited for like 6-12 months. Lucky you!

--Linda

[skoshi314]

Hello all,
I am 1 year post op as of this last Tuesday and I'm still taking quite a lot of pain meds. I take 10mg Oxycontin morning and night and 15mg Percocet 3 times per day. This keeps my pain at a managable level. I have some serious questions whether I should still be in this much pain. I don't think I'm a hypocondriac but I'm beginning to wonder. I go back to my surgeon in late July so hopefully he can shed some light on what is going on. I worry about the fact that I'm still taking so much medication, but I've tried lowering my doses slowly and just can't handle the back pain. Of course I worry there is a problem with the fusion but I guess I'll wait until July to find out.

Ed, I was really amazed at what you said about the internal thermostat info. My surgery was last June, and Oklahoma was pretty darn hot in July. I would go from absolutely freezing to feeling like I was going to spontaneously combust! I still occassionally experience that but it's not as severe or as frequent. I'm glad to know what causes it. Thanks!

I've found ice packs (flexible refreezable type-got mine from my physical therapist) feel really good on my back, even now. I think I remember being told to stay away from heat, but I may be mistaken.

Thank you all for the information and for letting me vent a bit. It's always great to come back for a visit!

[CHRIS WBS]

I am 1 year post op as of this last Tuesday and I'm still taking quite a lot of pain meds. I take 10mg Oxycontin morning and night and 15mg Percocet 3 times per day. This keeps my pain at a managable level. I have some serious questions whether I should still be in this much pain.

No, you should not still be in this much pain. I am a year post-op and I am in no pain except for occasional achiness. And I’m sorry to say this, but I think it’s irresponsible of your surgeon to have been prescribing narcotics to you for such a long time. My surgeon drew the line at two months. If I were you, I would seriously consider seeing a pain management specialist who can better manage your drug intake. Good luck.

[asccbodypro]

Becky,

Sorry to hear that you are in so much pain 1 year post-op. The one thing we all look forward to going into surgery is that someday we can be pain free. However, keep in mind that everyones case is different and our pain levels are different. I would suggest that you contact your surgeon to try and find out why you are still in pain......of course, maybe you have done this already and if you have, maybe look into getting a second opinion.

I am 7 weeks post-op this week and have compared myself already to other recoveries which just set me up for a lot of frustration and tears. I had my apt. with my doc this week and he thought all was going well. Everyone is different. If the meds make your pain tollerable than so be it. I am sure you would rather not have to take them but you do need to function and stay sane:O) Hang in there and I wish you good luck in getting to the bottom of what is going on.

[titaniumed]

Becky,

I've always said that "pain is relative". With the amount of excruciating pain that I've experienced through the years, I'm sure that my systems have adapted accordingly. In other words, maybe I have pain, but do not necessarily feel it as much, or it just doesn't register as deeply with my older age. Maybe my nerves are worn out a little bit. Is that possible? I don't know, but I do know that my surgery has knocked the pain levels back so I don't feel it so much or not at all.

I'm sorry that you feel pain. Address this with your Doctor. When I quit my meds, my pain levels increased, then gradually lowered. It was a tough period after I quit and that was what I had to do since I couldn't deal with all the other issues that arise when taking Opiates. I had incredible heartburn during those days, and I now know that that was due to a few things. Only upon going on my gall bladder diet, did I realize that fats, and soda, and improper diet were contributing to this problem. It was multifactoral of course, but Opiates definitely acted as a catalyst. I'm sure that Percocet mixed with Zantac,Colace,Tylenol most definitely acted as a catalyst. I would bet that if I took 100 pills at any given moment, that I would get heartburn or some compounded reaction of some sort.

I guess that after getting bombed in ICU with anesthesia, (which is lovely mixture of things), and the duration of my 12 day hospital stay with Morphine,Dialud, and Lortab and my post hospital pharmaceutical period, I felt that I needed to toughen up and let my body heal naturally. At 6 weeks post that was my choice. The hot baths were my choice dictated by pain. It worked.

I'm sure that some of the younger scolis that have never felt any "long lasting" excruciating pain, might be prone to complain of much lower levels of pain and this needs consideration.If one doesn't have "any" pre-surgical pain, the odds will be lower for a zero pain result after a surgery.

We are lucky to have the available medications that we have today. Imagine having to have to do a major surgery without our little friends. But I must say that prescription medications are a DOUBLE edged sword that I feel resulted in the loss of my gall bladder, and my diverticulosis due to constipation from the opiates. It should be a goal to make it through surgery pain free, and also medication free, or at least give it a shot.

I gave it that shot. Hell, I was used to pain. I gave my body a shot at healing without altering it with meds, and it worked.
My physical therapy helped tremendously. Great improvments happened from the 9th month to the 14 month post. I wrote posts about that in the past.

I agree with Chris. Surgeons should question the prolonged use of medications. 2 months of meds should trigger that question..........

Susan
Your still only 7 weeks out. I wouldn't get frustrated, just concentrate on your success, look forward to healing and improvements, they will come in time. My first 3 months were rough, I couldn't even sit at my computer for more than 2-3 minutes for the first 3 months. I was almost 4 months before I started posting here.

Anyone in their 20s or younger will recover much faster and should realize this.

Everyone should know the material in the article below. At least read about withdrawal, and side affects.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydromorphone
Ed

[skoshi314]

Thanks everyone. I am truly grateful to have this place to vent and get feedback. It's a wonderful source of information and support.

I dealt with significantly increasing pain for about 5 years before my surgery last June. Ed, I believe you are correct that our body and mind adjusts accordingly to the level of pain we experience on a regular basis. We develop, conscious and subconscious, ways of dealing with and handling the pain. For me over the years I noticed I developed a foot "twitch" for lack of a better word. The twitch will be more pronounced as my pain level increases and I think, just as a guess, it's my minds way of focusing on something other than pain. This is just my personal observation and is in no way based on anything scientific. It's just the result of knowing myself pretty well. I've always felt that I'm a pretty tough cookie with a fairly high tolerance for pain. I managed to lead a pretty active life and stayed very busy in spite of the pain. I just dealt with it and that's ok. I believe it made me stronger mentally and able to be more focused.

I now find myself being what I consider weak because I can't "just deal" with the pain without meds. I'm frustrated, angry and tired. I function fine on the amount of medication I take. I drive and work with absolutely no fear of being impaired. But there is no denying they do affect my physical condition. It's probably has a great impact on my lack of energy. But every morning when I wake up my very first thought is "Dear God, please make it stop hurting!" I look like a fish out of water trying to get out of bed. It's got to be fairly comical to watch! As I go through my day, the pain changes and moves. But it's always significant. I have a full time job, a husband that works too much, three very busy kids, one that's moving to college in August and a mother-in-law with cancer about to start chemo. I really just need to feel better! NOW! :D

I have an appointment with my surgeon July 23 and you can bet I will have a lengthy list of questions for him and I won't stop asking them until I am satisfied with the answers. I pray that the answer is that I'm just a complete pansy and the solution is to "cowboy up!" That I can handle. Another surgery? Not so much.

[asccbodypro]

Becky,

do not consider yourself week for starting to be bothered by your pain. I, like you always thought I had a high threshold for pain and could tough it out. Also, like you, I have spent the past five year in a significant amount of pain daily and as if that wasn't enough we planed another baby to break the camels back lol! After the baby was born I could barely walk and couldn't even lift him. I worked with I chiropractor for about a year and decided it was time to go ahead and take care of this problem. Because as we all know, once our curves get to a certain degree the chances of them getting worse is just the reality of the situation and my daily functionng had deminished, there just wasn't any other choice for me. When I look at pictures of myself five years ago and compare them to recent pictures you can see how the pain has taken it's toll. So please, do not be so hard on yourself. You are a strong woman to have been able to deal with this for five years! It's a shame that we both waited this long! So all we can do is move forward and wait for things to get better. As your surgery nears try and stay positive. Even though I am only 7 1/2 weeks post-op I am feeling better every day. I still am getting sick from the meds but even that isn't as bad! Take care and good luck! baby is letting me know it's nap time.....big brother will be taking care of that lol......it's awesome to have a teenager to help.

[Singer]

Hi Becky,

I'm coming up on my two-year post-op date, and perhaps it will reassure you to know that I've made dramatic progress just in the last six months. At one year post-op I still felt very fragile -- walked with a cane outside, carried a pillow with me everywhere, and still felt pretty stiff and sore. I noticed a big change at around 18 months post-op, and now I'm at the point where I don't have to think about every move I make anymore. But it did take me all this time to get there.

I agree with Ed that pain is a subjective experience, which is why you just can't talk about pain in general. I thought had a high pain threshold until I had this surgery....and discovered that this was a whole different ball game. Hang in there!

[asccbodypro]

Chris,

It's nice to hear that not everyone is recovered in 6 months to a year. I think we all forget the trauma that has been done to our bodies and how long it really does take to recop from that. I know that I felt that I should have been moving alone further than I was for a few weeks. Now I am listening to my body and not trying to be so "tough" and suck it up because all that does is set me back. Something we can all relate to here I guess:O) As they say, slow and steady wins the race.

[asccbodypro]

Allison,

I was on the same pain killers but take valium in the daytime and zaneflex at night time. The first couple of weeks I would wake up at night with the sheets soaking wet like someone poured water on them. I was hot so my husband would uncover me and turn the fan on. Then I would be cold so he'd cover me up and it would keep going and change minute to minute. Thank god everyone was so patient with me. They would laugh but it's misserable. Hang in there though because it does get better! I still have hot and cold flashes but I don't sweat like I was a few weeks ago. Hope you start to feel better soon:O)

[skoshi314]

I've decided to see what happens when I cut back on my meds. I'm going to go at this really slow as I can't afford a meltdown at this point in my life! For those of you with experience on narcotic withdrawal, how slowly should I take it? Currently, I take 6-7.5mg Percocet and 2-10mg Oxycontin per day. I was thinking maybe cutting out one Percocet per day and then cut the Oxy. That would mean in 8 days I would be med free. Is that too quick? Just about right? Too slow? What can I expect physically? I'm going to do some poking around on the internet but thought first hand experiences would be good too.
I'm a little tired of my friend throwing comments into conversations about being concerned that I'm "addicted". DUH! Me too! I usually take 2 Percocet in the morning and only took 1 this morning. The only problem so far is my back is KILLING ME! Oh, well. I'm tough, I can do it! :eek: I think I'll tape a piece of paper with that on it to my computer screen for future reference!

[asccbodypro]

Becky,

Here's my thought and it is just that......Our Doc's prescribe these meds for a reason and most people will never under go surgeries as complicated as what we have been through. I am not sure how for out from your surgery you are but If you try cutting your meds and your back is hurting that is a clear indication that you still need it. Do not listen to your friend who may have good intentions of course but can't relate to the pain that you are going through. Only you know how you feel. As for being addicted. If you do not have an addictive behavior you aren't going to get addicted especially since you are being so conscience about it. Good luck and I hope all works out for you! Take care and do what works best for you!

[Singer]

Yes, I believe your approach would be too quick.

I became dependent on Percocet and long-acting Oxy after using them for several months, and I withdrew pretty slowly. I think I did everything in 1-week increments, cutting out the short-acting Percocet first. I gradually cut back on the number of them, then starting cutting them in half, then cut back on the number of them as well. I had an unpleasant couple of days (no appetite, headachy) when I stopped the Percocet altogether but it passed pretty quickly for me. When I was down to just 2 long-acting Oxy's a day, I cut out the nighttime dose first for a few days, then stopped the daytime dose. It wasn't as bad as stopping the Percocet although I did feel weird and spacy for about 3 days. I also remember having restless legs in bed for a few days, which I haven't had since, although I do still have trouble sleeping (seems to be a very common thing with fusion patients).

There are non-narcotic prescription meds you can take for pain (like Ultram), but most of them carry their own risks of dependency. For me, the dependency problem was a small price to pay to keep me functioning while I healed. But since you're over a year post-op, I would be thinking about cutting way back also. Talk to your doc about alternate means of pain relief.

[Doodles]

I went from Oxycontin and Percocet to 7.5 hydrocodone which was no problem and a muscle relaxer. I started with 12 of hydrocodone and am down to 10 & 1/2. I tried to go faster than that a month ago and paid for it for 10 days. So I'm going really, really slowly to get down on this. Dr. Lenke didn't seem to be concerned where I was seeing as what I'd had done. I imagine everyone and docs are different on this. Janet

[debbei]

I've decided to see what happens when I cut back on my meds. I'm going to go at this really slow as I can't afford a meltdown at this point in my life! For those of you with experience on narcotic withdrawal, how slowly should I take it? Currently, I take 6-7.5mg Percocet and 2-10mg Oxycontin per day. I was thinking maybe cutting out one Percocet per day and then cut the Oxy. That would mean in 8 days I would be med free. Is that too quick? Just about right? Too slow? What can I expect physically? I'm going to do some poking around on the internet but thought first hand experiences would be good too.
I'm a little tired of my friend throwing comments into conversations about being concerned that I'm "addicted". DUH! Me too! I usually take 2 Percocet in the morning and only took 1 this morning. The only problem so far is my back is KILLING ME! Oh, well. I'm tough, I can do it! :eek: I think I'll tape a piece of paper with that on it to my computer screen for future reference!

Becky,

I'm no expert, so maybe you should check with a professional, but here is what I did. I started out on 14 pills per day. 1 long acting Oxy 2x a day, and 2 short acting Oxy's every 4 hours. For one dose, I'd cut down to 1 short acting pill for 3-4 days or even longer. Then alternating every 4 hours for the short acting pills, I'd take 2 for one dose, and then 1 the next dose. Once I got used to that, I cut back 1 short acting pill every 3-4 days so that I ended up having only 1 short term pill every 4 hours. Then I stretched the 4 hours to 5 hours, 6 hours, etc. I didn't get into any trouble with withdrawl until I was down to the 2 long acting pills and 1 short acting pill. When I cut out that last short acting, and started spreading the long acting pills longer than 12 hrs, I got the chills, sweats, body aches, etc. You cannot cut the long acting pills because you could overdose. I should have asked the doctor for other pills that I COULD cut, but I couldn't cut my short acting pills either--they were capsules.

Once I as down to the 2 long acting I went back up to 3 short acting per day and no long acting. That way I could spread the doses out longer and longer. It took me about 3 weeks from this point to totally get off. It wasn't too fun, but I did it.

Good luck, and like I said, maybe get professional advice on how to cut down.

[JenniferG]

I do not have an addictive personality, yet I suffered withdrawals from Oxycontin. I think we are all different. I came home from hospital on 80 mg Oxycontin and 8 x 5mg Endones (quick acting) per day. I had no pain so lowered my intake of Endones first, until I'd stopped them altogether. Then, at 5-6 weeks, I began lowering my Oxycontin. My GP gave me scripts for 15mg, 10mg and 5mg. I went from 2 x 20mg twice a day to 1 x 20mg twice a day with no problems and no pain, then gradually reduced to the 15mg, then the 10, then the 5mg. The day I took my first 5mg I had nausea, stomach cramps, diahorrea, dizziness and emotionally, fell into a black hole. I still had no pain, so was determined to get off the drugs and so stuck to the 5mg and waited. When I ran out of 5mg, I didn't renew my script. I forget now the time frame, but it wasn't rapid, but I had big problems. But I had no pain, so it was obviously the time to stop.

To me, your plan is a little too fast, but then your body may well handle the fast drop. But having been through withdrawals, for 3-4 weeks plus dizziness for 7-8 weeks, I would advise you to go very slowly, even what seems excessively slowly, to avoid that hell.

I should mention the dizziness may not have been related to the withdrawals, although they started the same day. My surgeon felt it was related to the antibiotics given during surgery.

If you're in pain, I would wait another week or two and try again. No point in hurting, and not sure if this is correct, but I've been told that you don't heal as quickly when you're in pain. Good luck!

[Bionic Woman]

Hi Becky,
Sorry to hear you are still having pain. Makes me a little nervous. I was told by one of the surgeons that I saw that one of the risks of surgery is that it is unsuccessful as far as alleviating the pain and may possibly have to be done over again. I sure do hope that isn't the case for you. However, the surgeon I did decide to go with is a very well known surgeon in my area and has a very high success rate, so I'm trying to think positively as far as that goes! Hope you can get things figured out with minimal problems. God Bless!

Debbie

[lapieper]

All,
I basically quit taking all meds a couple of days after I got home from the hospital. But I do have a high tolerance for pain. I didn't like the way I felt. And I couldn't handle the constipation. I love prunes, thank goodness! I take meds when I can't handle the pain, and usually only at night. I'm one year post-op from first surgery, fusing T2 to S2, and only three months from a revision, only an 18" scar! When I begin to hurt, I stop what I'm doing! I have a tendency to get focused on whatever, and that can get me into trouble pretty quick. I have doctor's orders to "do nothing" and that is bascially what I'm doing. Boring, but not much pain. I walk 1.5 miles each day on the treadmill, walk around the neighborhood, and do my PT exercises. I still tend to lean forward, but I think that as the day goes on, my back muscles get pooped out. Those muscles are doing things they ain't never done before. I am riding on the back on hubby's Harley, and that gives me a lot of peace. Like I'm doing something NORMAL. I do realize everyone's pain threshold is different. I firmly believe I know my body best. And I don't want to do anything to hurt it. Take one day at a time.
Lesley

[debbei]

All,
I basically quit taking all meds a couple of days after I got home from the hospital. But I do have a high tolerance for pain. I didn't like the way I felt. And I couldn't handle the constipation. I love prunes, thank goodness! I take meds when I can't handle the pain, and usually only at night. I'm one year post-op from first surgery, fusing T2 to S2, and only three months from a revision, only an 18" scar! When I begin to hurt, I stop what I'm doing! I have a tendency to get focused on whatever, and that can get me into trouble pretty quick. I have doctor's orders to "do nothing" and that is bascially what I'm doing. Boring, but not much pain. I walk 1.5 miles each day on the treadmill, walk around the neighborhood, and do my PT exercises. I still tend to lean forward, but I think that as the day goes on, my back muscles get pooped out. Those muscles are doing things they ain't never done before. I am riding on the back on hubby's Harley, and that gives me a lot of peace. Like I'm doing something NORMAL. I do realize everyone's pain threshold is different. I firmly believe I know my body best. And I don't want to do anything to hurt it. Take one day at a time.
Lesley

Leslie,

I am in awe of you getting off pain meds that quickly! I did the prunes thing too--my mother made me stewed prunes which I ate daily with plain yogurt, plus a nice big shot of prune juice in the morning. Along with beans, high-fiber cereal, I had no problem in the bathroom dept.

I'v got to learn that when I'm not feeling so well I should just rest. I tend to have a hard time with that one. I'm having muscle spasms for about a week now that I wish would just GO AWAY.

Good for you that you can do things that you love. I'm happy for you.

[doodie]

Hi all!

I haven’t been on here in ages but due to my insomnia (it’s 3:00 in the morning) I felt compelled to check here to see what others have to say regarding withdrawal of pain meds. I am 4 months and 3 months out from 2 surgeries (see my signature) and am off the Dilaudid. I weaned off slowly following Dr.’s orders. I cut the 2 mg tabs in ½’s then 1/4’s over the course of a couple weeks. Whew! The diarrhea has subsided, but this insomnia…wow! I was not expecting it at all! I sleep for possibly 2-3 hours total at night and take no naps during the day. I am walking a lot and stay busy during the day in hopes of being so tired that I will sleep but so far it’s been two weeks and I just can’t sleep. It’s not the falling asleep, it’s the staying asleep that’s a problem. I do not tolerate Ambien (big time hallucinations.) And I seem to be suffering from RLS. Just a bizarre compulsion to move my legs. Frustrating! I am hoping this will run its course soon!

Now I’m working on tapering off the Morphine gradually (one 15 mg every other day.) I’ll be done on August 15. There are just so many hurdles to this surgery/recovery thing aren’t there?

I do still have that ‘sunburned’ skin feeling over my shoulder blade area. It was soooo bad those first weeks after surgery, it was nearly unbearable, like having a bad sunburn, then standing under a hot shower, scrubbing your skin with sandpaper. OUCH! When I was in the hospital following surgery #2 I told my Dr. about it and he prescribed a Lidoderm (5% solution) patch. They are 5” x 7” and come in a box of 30. We cut one in half, one half over each shoulder blade area at night and it helped sooo much. (the dosage is 12 hours on 12 hours off) I did that every night, then every other night, now it’s only occasionally as the pain dictates.

I currently do not notice my back much at all, hallelujah! I haven’t been able to say that for 30 years! I can’t say that I have much pain at all…mostly only at the top of my fusion when my muscles are tight at the end of a day when I have over done it (which is every day lol!) I just lay down for 10 minutes and I’m good to go again. I do take an occasional Flexeril.

I am finally at the point that I can say if given the choice I would have this surgery again. :) Yea!

[JenniferG]

Julie, do you think the insomnia is related to withdrawals? I have read that many people on this forum suffer from insomnia for some time after surgery.

I didn't but I did have withdrawals. Through it all, I slept well, night and also day for about the first 3.5 months. So I can't relate to your insomnia as a symptom of withdrawals. But we are all so different. I'll be interested in the experiences of others.

Not being able to sleep is no fun and I'd be rushing for the nearest Dr. for a sleeping pill, if I hadn't slept for so long.

In every other way, you seem to be doing extremely well, arriving at the point of knowing the surgery was well worthwhile - congratulations!

[Singer]

I had restless legs for just a few days after stopping Oxycontin, but I continue to have sleeping problems. I take Melatonin, which doesn't do much, and Ambien very occasionally. I'd say about every 3 or 4 nights I get a really good night's sleep.

[asccbodypro]

Julie,

Wow your doc's had you on some heavy meds....Dilaudid and Morphine! That must have kept you pretty comfy and loopy I would imagaine! I am sure it's not easy weening yourself off the really heavy meds. I'm sorry to hear that your having so much trouble sleeping. From what I have read throughout this site it seems to me that many people have issues with sleep once they stop their meds. Think about it though.....all those meds make us sleep and we fall asleep and the body gets use to that. You have to get your body use to going to sleep on it's own. Sounds like your on the right track though, keeping yourself busy and moving during the day. With little pain to! I wish you didn't still have that sunburnt feeling though. I had it for a couple of weeks after surgery but it went away ratehr quickly. At least the patches help. I used those prior to my surgery and they worked great for me.

Good luck with getting to sleep, I hope things settle down for you soon!!!

[doodie]

Hi Jennifer, Chris & Susan, Thanks for your replies.

Yeah, I guess I was taking some heavy duty stuff. Especially after that 2nd surgery. The incision was so very painful and they couldn't get my pain under control. Finally, once we did I was up and around and left the next afternoon. But what I came home on was a horse dose of meds for the first week: 30mg Morphine every 8 hours (long acting) and 6mg Dilaudid every 4 hours (short acting.) I've been cutting back here and there ever since the end of April. The short acting meds should always be the first to be cut out, or so I've been told. I was addicted physically and I think it's okay to admit that. It happens, how can it not when you take an addictive drug for 4 months? What I am not is psycologically addicted and that's a huge difference. We're all different and we do what we need to do to adjust to our new spines and all things surgery related. It's just really nice to be able to come here and vent or ask questions or whatever. :)

Yes, I’m convinced the insomnia is related to my withdrawal from Dilaudid. Not only is it on the list of possible symptoms/side effects, but it started two days after my last mini dose of dilaudid. I was a sound sleeper (like the dead almost) after the surgeries, then as I’ve been decreasing the pain meds, I haven’t slept as soundly, but I wouldn’t have called it insomnia, not like now. I’m gonna tough it out for awhile longer – I’m sure it will pass. I could try Lunesta perhaps since I can no longer safely take Ambien.

I hope this restless leg thing passes too! It’s really bizarre.

[twistedmama81]

I usually take 4 Lortab 10/500's a day...2 in th morning and 2 at night. If I am having a particularly rough day, I'll take 2 in the afternoon as well.

The Oxycontin and Dilaudid I got off of those with no problems...

Unfortunately, I cannot go to sleep on my own at night without Ambien or taking the Zanaflex :/ I wanted to try and stop taking a sleep aid, but I get NO sleep and it makes for a very grouchy mama the next day and my back seems to be more achy when I don't get a full nights sleep. So I guess I'll just be a sleep-aid junkie :)

There are some days I can get by with just taking OTC Tylenol all day, and 2 Lortab at night...just depends on the day.

Speaking of sleep...I better get to it :) G'night all!

[johnsonbunch]

Wow! Lots of talk about meds. I've been jotting them all down to talk to my surgeon about. I can't tolerate Morphine (bad vomiting), and Hydromorphone, Dilaudid and Codeine are derivatives. I did well with Percoset after my caesereans, but sounds like I will need something more potent. I've been existing on Alleve for years, and I can really feel it now since the doc made me quit. No NSAIDS before or after. It affects healing.

16 days to surgery and counting... Pray for me!

[titaniumed]

Hi Sandy

I have had issues with vomiting after my shoulder surgery. When I had my gall bladder out, I asked the anesthesiologist about adding more antiemetics to the mix. He did just that and I was fine. Its a way of controlling the vomiting.

The gave me antimetics when I was released from the hospital after my scoli surgeries, but I never took them.
I did have a few issues with vomiting and I guess I just got used to it. I was released with Oxy 5/325 and it wasn't enough so they gave me Percs 7.5/325 about a week later.

The constipation issue is important. Morphine constipation IS painful. Its like swallowing cement, then adding water. Time for the jackhammer! LOL

Keep a bottle of Magnesium Citrate at the house just in case. That is needed just in case the Colace and all the others do not work. My hospital told me not to use x-lax.

Ed

[loves to skate]

I hope this restless leg thing passes too! It’s really bizarre.

Neurontin helps with restless leg. As soon as I was off of the heavy duty meds, I also started with the restless leg syndrome. It can be very frustrating and definitely robs you of much needed sleep.
Sally