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Doctors claim oxycodone exacerbates pain but nothing else helps
Hello. I have reached out to the forum before on behalf of my best friend with chronic pain and I am back again with another query....
My best friend had yet another upper endoscopy today to attempt to find a cause for the constant and intense abdominal pain that she suffers. She has a long history of food allergies, gastroparesis & other gastro issues spanning most of her 49 years but, several years ago she began a cycle of getting pancreatitis repeatedly with 6-12 months in between. The abdominal pain has never gone away & is so intense that she can no longer work, especially since she had a nerve block a couple of years ago that she claims actually made it worse. She now relies heavily on the oxycodone & it doesn't take her pain completely away but she is able to function at least. It is the ONLY thing that seems to work for her and she hates it because of the side effects.
Today after the latest endoscopy, this doctor joined a series of docs that have suggested that the oxycodone she takes to relieve the pain is actually exacerbating the pain and that she should consider getting off of it. The doctor that renews her prescription for it monthly doesn't seem to see that as an issue & my best friend doesn't know what to do because of course she'd love to get away from the oxy but the pain is too intense without it and no one seems to have an alternative for her.
I guess I came here to ask if anyone else has heard that the opioid they take for pain may be making it worse & if there are non-opioid alternative that actually work for this type of pain.
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Bless her. It is so good that you are there for her. I will pray that she gets answers and relief from her pain.
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1 ReactionI believe Hydrocodone is a stronger medication than oxy.
I have been on oxy for 8 years for severe back pain from lumbar and cervical radiculopathy. I cannot take ibuprophen due to Stage 4 severe kidney disease.
I changed my PCP, who I really liked, to one closer to me. She knew my problems, but said she was not going to lose her license over prescribing oxy. I have never abused it and I am genetically resistant to addiction. But she didn't care. Needless to say, I went back to my original PCP.
There is no difference as they are the same mg. However, hydrocodone is more likely to cause constipation.
She should see a psychiatrist to determine if her brain is causing the pain and not her abdomen. The pain doc may insist she do this anyway since she isn’t addicted (seeking more drugs at higher doses) but she is dependent instead due to her long term use of oxy. Considering she doesn’t have a real diagnosis for the pain a pain specialists may not prescribe her anything.
I have had this argument for many years with doctors. I take paracetamol/codeine and tramadol as a rule, but when my back flares up oxycodone is the only thing that works. Listen to your body not some clown talking theory not practicality.
i have chronic pain and was in a pain management program in pennsylania and took tramadol and oxy which worked great. Nothing else did. The drs had no problem. I saw them like clock work and they refilled my rx's with reg apts and blood work. Iv'e been Dx'd with CRPS & 100% disability due to pain & ptsd. Since moving to Ohio, no Dr will rx either drug and my pain is un-managed. Ohio has written into state law that these drugs cannot be rx'ed outside a hospital or nursing home within X # of days from a surgery. Drs are terrified of losing their licenses. I think this dr. has rocks in their head. I honestly feel that Drs do who do not know or understand pain (even if they are "pain mgt" drs) just blow off patients pain & concerns. They do NOT understand how pain sucks the soul out of us and denies us the ability to get through a day or night or the ability to work gainfully or around the house or sometimes even have meaningful thought or conversation. Sorry. Find a different Dr that really understands pain and your friend. This doc doesn't get it.
I have neuropathy in my feet and legs, have had both hips replaced and suffer with degenerative arthritis in my back for years. I've been controlling the pain with Oxycodin in small doses for years and trying to avoid surgery to fuse my spine. Now the pain is so bad the medication isn't helping and my pain specialist wants to burn the nerves in my spine to stop the pain for a year. There's got to be a better way.
My experience with oxygen has been good for controlling pain in the past. My doctor was only concerned about it being addictive and because of state laws, I had to sign a release and provide ID when picking up the medication. I still have to see him in person for a refill.