Thu, 06/26/2008 - 15:22
morphine
i was just wondering how maning of you are taking morphine and gabaentin togeather i am on 900 mg gab 3 x per day and 30 mg mor 3 x a day my pm dr tells me this is a low dose and my primary dr was shocked yhat i was on such a high dose so help am i or not hope spmeone can help wanda
Hi I on 60mg of avinza -- and I have had both responses - that it is a small amont - and the that is is a large amount..... I just know that at first it knocked my on my butt - took me about a week to adjust!
Michelle
ALIF on L5/S1 on July 2008; Cervical double fusion May 2009;
I am on 1200 mg of Gabapentin and have a 50 mcg Fentanyl patch which I change every other day. I think I hsave memory issues with it but need more tim to be sure.
Cervical stenosis and myelopathy (most symptoms permanant), DDD, OA, 16 surgeries to date (including 3 level cervical laminectomy, bilateral knee replacements, A-C joint resections in both shoulders), 19 MRI's, and many many many cortisone shots and ESI's
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Hi! i am on 60mg of time released morpnine x3 and 300mg of Lyrica which is a medication which causes memory problems as well. could it be the morphine and not the other? think about it! Jenny
Double laminectomy L4-L5, bulging discs, DDD, Bone spurs, nerve damage in left leg and hip, DJD, and that to familiar visitor,arthritis
how long have u been on it ? i just started with a pm dr in feb finally 24 yrs later i get some help well they are trying to help but i really dont think its helping and if i tell them that then they will just keep uping the meds right. what is a fentanyl patch cus im on a lidoderm pain patch to 12 hrs on 12 hrs off.and i see that alot of board mem are on that.just wondering.take care wanda
My dose is the same as yours, 30mg MScontin (generic) 3 times daily. This is NOT a high dose. You are taking 'strong' narcotics for chronic pain, these are the kind of medications you are going to be using. Your doctor is probably thinking 'wow 90mg of morphine per day?', however, since you are taking the pills orally, you are only getting about 20mg or so (25%), spread out over the entire day, due to how your body absorbs/metabolizes the pills. Your doc is probably thinking in terms of IV morphine, where 10mg is 10mg(100%), and will throw you for a loop. 90 mg morphine IV over day is a LOT, and is probably what your doc is thinking about. Oral vs. IV is totally different.
If your primary doc has any questions, I'd give them the contact info for your pain doc; a quick conversation between the two of them would clear things up very quickly.
L5-S1 7mm anterior 5mm central. Central stenosis and foraminal stenosis. Severe sciatica w/terrible mobility. ESIx2,etc.
Meds: ALL generic, feel free to ask.
Plan: upcoming surgery(2010).
thank you jwm i never thought about it like that and the funny part is that they are in contact so thats kinda y i freaked out abit.my pm dr said with my pain which is chronic and old 24 yr old pain that this is just the start she called it theraputic dose.and my primary dr was like i would be out for a wk on this dose lol its funny how the 2 dr are so differant but i guess thats y he sent me to the pm dr huh thanks and take care
yeah unfortunately bioavailability (how much of the pill actually gets into your bloodstream) is too often overlooked by doctors. Make sure you talk about it with your PM if you ever switch to something besides Morphine.
L5-S1 7mm anterior 5mm central. Central stenosis and foraminal stenosis. Severe sciatica w/terrible mobility. ESIx2,etc.
Meds: ALL generic, feel free to ask.
Plan: upcoming surgery(2010).
I've been worried about taking MS Contin. I started about a month ago. I started w/1 15mg tablet twice per day. Went to 3 times per day and now my doctor has increased to 5 tablets 3 times per day. It sounds so awful to be taking morphine.
However my doctor thinks I've actualy been untreated by pain management doctors in the past. Its my PCP whom is rx'ing MS Contin.
Long story but I'm really in a box. I've paying off an $8000 ER visit due to severe head pain and I couldn't stop throwing up. Don't want that to keep happening. Can't afford it.
Is this a lot of meds? Is it OK to drive once I adjust?
Bridgie,
Can you be more clear on the amount and dosage you are taking? I think you made a typo on the "5 tablets 3 times per day".
Like Michelle and I am on Avinza 60 mg. and I also have Dilaudid 4 mg. for break thru pain that I usually do not have to take, but it is there if I need it. I am under the supervision of a PM Doc that is to me the best Doc that I've ever met, and he's got my pain in control for the most part, plus I just had an SCS installed so, little by little I am not relying on my pain meds anymore. Now, muscle spasms are not taken care by the SCS so I take 8 mg. of Zanaflex twice a day PRN, and lately I have been needed them a lot!
3 level 360 fusion L2 thru L5 11/07-Laminectomy w/Foramitonomy 1/08. Diagnosed w/ fail back syndrome in May of 08, had SCS implanted in June of 08. 70% free of pain after SCS. Have had 4 spinal surgeries total and need more to repair my badly damage spine. Not fuse at all after 1 1/2 years of surgery. Also diagnosed with intractable pain.
Hi Millie. I had a 2 level Chartie disc replacement in 9/06 and less than a year later was diagonosed by another surgeon that my artificial discs had migrated, one by 5 cm. Had to have devices removed in Baltimore and ened up with 2 level 360 fusion in 5/07. It has been over one year since the fusion and still on Morphine. I have been on different dosages from 60 mg of Avinza taken in the morning and at night along with 30 mg of I.R. Currently off of the Avinza and on 45 mg of Morphine I.R. in the evening. My surgeon says that anatomically he has fixed me but that I had a bad clinical result from the fusion surgery. Still in a lot of pain. I have sought out several opinions and been told to remove hardware, have S.S. implanted etc. Does your spinal cord stimulator help with back and leg pain? Has your Pain doc lowered you dosage of the Avinza yet? Trying to figure out which way to go. it seems like every doc that I talk with has a different opinion on what I should do. I trusted my first surgeon so much I let him talk me into the two level disc replacement surgery and you see where that had gotten me. Any advice appreciated. Good luck with S.S. I hope it continues to help and that your muscle spasms decrease.
Timothy
To clear up my statement
.....
I'm now taking quantity 2 tablets in the AM
2 tablets mid-day
1 tablet in the PM
5 tablets altogether. Each tablet 15mg!
ahhh.....lol. That makes more sense.
You asked if that is a lot of meds. Seriously, that is between you and your doctor. A lot of us here have been on a dosage similar to that. Some more, some less. To some normals who found out what I was taking, it was a lot. But what do they know, they have never been in pain from a ruptured disc.
I would think the doc is making the best decision based on his diagnosis. I would also keep med info between myself and the doc. Family sometimes just do not understand.
thanks Ariman. check out the info I posted about Intractable pain--survivors manaul. it was posted all over the place, but was deleted and now just under CP i think. its a manual. its briliant.
agriman I agree times 10 with that; family and friends usually don't get it if you tell them what you are taking.. Morphine, methadone, oxycontin.. Keep your info to yourself, or between us on here!
Bridgie you are *probably* OK to drive if you feel fine, aren't dizzy, and know for sure you could pass a sobriety test without fail. (walk a straight line, etc) I take my fair share of Morphine and Methadone per day, and I ride a motorcycle. Use your best judgment, and ALWAYS ask your doctor for their opinion if you are unsure, and remember that LEGALLY, if you run somebody over, you will likely be considered to be under the influence/impaired. You might want to give yourself a good two weeks to adjust before considering driving if you are questioning your ability. If you're feeling high and drugged still, DON'T drive.
L5-S1 7mm anterior 5mm central. Central stenosis and foraminal stenosis. Severe sciatica w/terrible mobility. ESIx2,etc.
Meds: ALL generic, feel free to ask.
Plan: upcoming surgery(2010).
bobnwanda, i have been on morphine for over a year now and the Lyrica for about 6 months. who really knows which one is causing the problem. can't live comfortably without either! hope you are feeling better! Jenny
Double laminectomy L4-L5, bulging discs, DDD, Bone spurs, nerve damage in left leg and hip, DJD, and that to familiar visitor,arthritis
i know that to was 3 hours late taking them one day and was out of my mind with pain so i know mine are working and i also know she my pm dr is gonna keep uping my dose she was very upset that no one had sent me to see her before now i have been in server pain for going on 24 yrs so this yr has been great for me i have pain meds yay lol
Over the past 3 weeks or so I've been at 30mg of MS Contin three times per day. This has been like a miracle with almost no break thru pain. Now over the past couple days I'm once again ramping up towards the end of the day. Is this normal? Does your body just keep craving more? Or is the issue that is causing my pain problem changing?
Fortunately, I went back to my original neurosurgeon and soon I'll be getting a brain MRI and also plain C-spine images. I'm worried I have old scarring that is attached to the dura of my brain and its this that maybe progressing.