Question On Pain Meds

[Renegade]

I am 58 years old, and a Vietnam vet with 16 years of military service. I suffered several injuries including being in a vehicle that was hit by a mortar in Vietnam. My body is a mess. I have had my back broke in three places, I have a titanium plate in my neck, a knee blew out during a repel, and on and on. I have arthritis in nearly every joint, and some days I do well to get out of bed, but by the grace of God, I do. Over the years I have been on nearly every medication for pain on the books. From the light stuff in the beginning to Percs, Morphine, Methadone, and Fentanyl patches.

The bottom line is, the one pain med that I come to depend on the most was plain on hydrocodone. It has worked, and it doesn't make me drowsy like methadone and morphine. It doesn't make me unbearable to live with and mess with my urinary track like Percs, and it doesn't make a blooming vegetable out of me like Morphine. Now I have been on hydros, or Vicodin if you prefer for nearly 8 years, and they just aren't doing the job they used to. I have been on Vicodin 10-500s, and I take (8) of them a day, and on occasion another if I am really bad off. Which puts me over the limit on Tylenol, and my liver isn't that great from all the Tylenol I have taken.

I just found out today from the pharmacist at the VA hospital where I go, that all this time my doctors could have been prescribing me Vicodin 10-325s, which would have been 1400 mgs less of Tylenol a day that I would have been putting in my system, and to say the least I am not happen about that. At the same time, no doctor has ever offered me any other med for breakthrough pain, because everything in the VA formulary other than Morphine, and that class of drugs have Tylenol in them, and I was getting my limit on (8) 10-500s a day So knowing this I never ask for any, but something has to give. As I get older, the more aches and pains I have on top of the pain I have from all of my injuries.

I talked to a real nice pharmacist at the VA hospital and explained my situation to her. She suggested that I ask to be put on the 10-325s, and for them to give me a couple more a day for breakthrough pain. That would be 10-10s a day, but the amount of Tylenol would still be less than what I am taking now, which is 4000 mgs of Tylenol taking (8) 10-500s, and would only be 3250mgs taking (10) 10-325s.

My question to all of you is, are any of you on such a pain med regiment, or do any of you have a better solution to the problem?

[john999]

I don't think the VA would give you dilaudid even if you were dying from cancer. If your private doctor is doing it for you stick with him/her. The VA in my experience gives three drugs for severe pain: morphine long acting, methadone, or fentanyl patches. I guess if you were dying from cancer they would hook you up to a morphine pump. Cost is a factor and morphine is cheap.

[Notorious Kelly]

I've been killin-mad before when weary from the pain, yet my NP just worked thru the catalog of standard stuff & anti-depressants.

Each med change takes months due to appointments and giving new drug time to work.

They just don't seem to get how bad an event can happen if they Don't prescribe something strong.

[retiredat44]

morphine and dilauded do not help with headaches.. in case anyone is wondering.. it's for a lot of other types of pain,, not all pain are the same nor can they be treated the same way..

IMHO through lot's of experience

Edited July 18, 2010 by retiredat44