United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi there,
I'm wondering about people who have/had used oxycontin for pain relief. At present, I'm in heavy to severe pain due to nerves/muscles "waking up". EMG has shown that I have got electrical signal going to/from nerves that were 0 signal since my accident March last year. Anyway I take 400 mg tramal (200mg time release X 2), Endep (anti-depressant, taking for pain relief. 50mg 25 X 2 just before bed), 3 g paracetamol, 1200 mg ibuprofen (recently started taking as we're hoping it helps with new pain) and oxycontin. I am very tolerant to morphine and oxycontin naturally. Morphine in normal sized doses has NEVER worked on me every time I have needed it (after operations and initially givn by paramedics after my bike accident)

Anyway with oxycontin, I initially started it again about 2 months ago. Started with 10mg dose. 3 days later, it hd 0 effect. Moved to 20. Every 3-4 days the current dose I was having became ineffective until about 120mg per dose. Even then, it doesn't "do that much". It does help me manage the pain that the other pain stuff doesn't manage. I do not feel a high from it, only the initial relief that the pain I was feeling (when I first wake up and about 6-7 hours later, I am back to baseline so my second proper dose is roughly 4 hrs of it. i.e I have it at 6:30am and 5-6 pm that day).

It's been just ok of late. Sometimes the 120mg initial dose doesn't help much so I supplement with 40mg and sometimes need another 40-80mg in the next 2-3 hrs. Some days it's good, some days 120mg seems ineffective at managing pain. I've been doing this for about 2-3 weeks. My local G.P (general practitioner doctor) and I have been working pretty closely together and we have a good bond. I don't lie to him and he is ok with what he gives to me. Initially he was hesitant with giving me "high" doses until he did some research. I initially was prescribed oxycontin by a pain management specialist who takes a few weeks to get an appointment with so I visit my GP each week or so for another script when current oxycontin is about to run out.

Today my GP was different. He told me I should cut down my dose as it seems he was "told by someone" what I should be having. The thing that made me think this is my local chemist said almost the same thing word for word a few minutes after I finished when I went to get get the oxycontin script filled. As said, I seem to not get much effect from oxycontin "for what it is for people normally" but it does help me manage in a way (it doesn't keep me completely pain free/lack of worry or whatever way to describe it) as I personally don't want to be "high"/free of feeling ANY pain as I feel that feeling a little bit of pain keeps me alert on any changes if I suddenly "feel different".

With the GP and chemist telling me I should cut down (as it seemed they wanted to show that they thought this wasn't their thoughts) I am beginning to worry I will be forced to take a dose that will have the pain being back to uncomfortable to have on a day to day basis. When this happens, I just feel crap and "struck down" and generally hate the way that makes me feel. I.e I can't do much to anything and usually sleep all day as that is the way my body/mind seems to handle "too much pain". I sleep it off. I really don't want to sleep off the unmanageable pain daily. I've booked in with my pain management specialist in 2-3 weeks and would like to get anecdotal reports from people who have been in similar/same situations. Do people who take oxycontin (and haven't felt "a high"?) daily and come off it ok? Last week I "grin and beared it" to test myself how I would manage not having the oxycontin, I still took the other pain relief drugs. I wanted to see if I still "needed" the oxycontin. Anyway, I felt the pain that I felt when I woke up, some got managed from normal pain stuff I had and felt pretty crap. I slept a lot as per norm when I have unmanageable pain. I didn't have any withdrawal effects from the research I have done. "flu like" symptoms, cold sweats, aches and pains ALL over, headaches and a WANT for oxycontin. Well I didn't experience any of them, just the pain I have in my injured areas (upper arm + shoulder).

Sorry if I am repeating myself or not making much sense. I've felt like I've been "hit by a car" from the shock and thoughts of possible crap days/weeks I am "looking forward to" if I 'must' cut down to make whoever told the doctor + chemist what they were told happy. I'll research more about people's anecdotal reports on using oxycontin as opposed "just" clincal reports.

Thanks all for "putting up with" this post, I don't want to come off like a "junkie missing their hit" as actually missing oxycontin isn't a worry, it's the pain associated with not taking more pain killers than "the routine" stuff I've been taking. I would also like to hear if people have alternatives with their pain management routines or know of alternatives from research/being told by health experts. Any information given will be highly appreciated by me, that's for sure! I don't know what the pain management specialist will do, he might be able to prescribe something else that will make everyone happy (myself the main one that counts )

Thanks!

Hi
I am sorry your in so much pain and nothing seems to help.

If you want information on Oxycontin just use the search tool above and put in Oxycontin you will come up with lots of posts on the subject.

I hope this can help you.

Kath robpi/adult

Hi and I'm sorry to hear you are in so much pain! I've been there and I'm finally feeling a little more relief. I'm certainly not pain free and I'm learning to deal with that. I'll give you my story briefly. I was diagnosed in August 2006 with a viral infection that attacked my brachial plexus! I'm apparently like 1 in 6 million!! The dr's were even shocked shall we say. But anyway I started w/oxycontin 20mg then went to 40mg with percocet for break thru pain. Nothing seemed to work and I also was taking more then directions just to feel less pain. I'm now on the fentanyl patch 50mg and 4mg of dialudid for break thru pain. I definately feel better again never pain free but more comfortable!! I wear the patch for 72 hours then put a new one on. I also take 150mg of Lyrica at bed time and valium so I can sleep. I'm sorry that we are in this room but I was so happy when I found it. It was nice unfortunately to know that I wasn't alone. When I read posts I feel like it's my story, my life!! I hope I helped you in some way. Just keep fighting!! I also go to physical therapy 2x a week for 2 1/2 hours. It seems that the warm weather is helping me as well although I still have my bad days! The last 2 days have not been good for me at all. Well I'll stop rambling now.
Have a great day and keep the faith!!!!!
Gina Mc from New Jersey

Thanks. I'll search in here for past oxycontin posts when I feel up to it. Not always "up to it" if you understand. I have good times and bad times throughout the day when my pain is managed to "getting to me". I just woke up not too long ago and took my morning dose of tablets after breakfast. Hope soon I feel good enough to do the searching

Thanks for your reply Gina, it seems we do similar things for our recovery + pain relief. I just re-started taking 150mg lyrica at morning as well as 150 at night. I once took this about 7-8 months ago (while also taking epilim) which turned me into a zombie. I'm not taking epilim anymore so hopefully in 3-5 days (when the current new doses 'takes effect') I won't be zombie like.

I also take spirilina (food/vitamins resource), anti oxidants, choline + piracetam. Basically I take these to try to negate the negative side effects for the mind (i.e slow thinking/drowsiness etc) So far in the year of taking the "heavy" pain management drugs off and on when needed, I haven't had much of the negative effects on my mind. Only bad thing now is the "extra pain" that makes it hard to read up intensively on topics "for research". I was fine for being mentally alert since the exploratory surgery I had in my neck for my brachial plexus injury in August last year until recently when the muscles/nerves started waking up again and hence, extra pain (and a fair bit of it!) started to come on top of the "standard" pain I was feeling each day but had under control.

Anyway I am up to the stage of doing 2 'intense' physiotherapy sessions per week and doing them (usually) daily X 2 at home. I had the signal loss in my bicep, delt and rhomboid muscles in my upper arm/shoulder. It seems I am getting stronger in the shoulder due to being able to "do more" in certain exercises that I recently was very weak to not being able to do (hold a pillow against the wall with my shoulder, holding onto some elastic by my hand and step away while trying to keep my shoulder pressed and hence keeping the pillow up. I was barley able to do this 2-4 weeks ago and now I am not just holding it up, I am pushing the pillow up with my shoulder.)

I also had my shoulder subluxed a fair bit and needed an AC brace/sling to keep it in place as it popped out of joint VERY easily. Anyway my shoulder has recently been "sitting" better in still position so it looks like some muscles/nerves in my shoulder are getting better/stronger. I still don't have much, just tiny flickers of movement in bicep and I daily am doing physiotherapy exercises and willing my mind to make my bicep "work".

I still read here a bit but as some/most/all of you know, it can be a "pain" to make posts at times rather than "just read". Hopefully I regain my composure mentally and physically so I can post more and generally feel better with regards to my BPI and my "general self".

Thanks for reading and any posts made. I truly appreciate it!