5 mg of oxycodone for pain seems to cause anger and confusion

Hi I was on oxycodeine after my recent right lung lobe lobectomy.. Its a slow release drug I had the liquid oral one 2 two times daily as well as pregabalin 200 mg... Yes one of the side effects is confusion unfortunately but does get better well it did for me it's very good for the type of pain I will say. No to your question do you pretend to give him it but don't if he obviously needs it then that's not in the equation... I would maybe give it more time. Im off it now as oxycodeine is an opium and addictive. To be fair I'm still in pain 8 months post op I have asked my G. P if I can have oxycodeine again as it's only drug that has helped me. Hope it gets better for your husband.

I’m sorry that you’re going through such a difficult situation, it must be very hard for you to feel such pressure especially for your husband who is battling cancer, the pain he has must be excruciating to deal with to be sure. The side effect of this medication is awful but when you’re in pain you don’t really care about this, also there’s so much negativity around this drug. I have relied numerous times on benzodiazepine to cope with my anxiety caused by cancer and even though I know that it’s addictive and also negatively looked upon I really don’t care because I want to be able to cope and live my life. I realize that this is a different situation but there’s a connection between the two, I say that if my partner with held my medication I would probably have a huge problem with him, these drugs alter our personalities to some degree but when you’re suffering mentally or physically you just don’t know how to cope with logic, I am not judging you at all because you’re suffering too, perhaps you could speak with your doctor and see if they can offer something else to help him with his pain management.

There are patches he can use that give continuous pain relief for 72 hours to 7 days. The parched helped me stay ah ad of the pain and use less break through pain meds. Ask his doctor if duragesic or buprenorphine would be appropriate for pain management. Also, if a palliative care doctor is available, add them to his team. They specialize in pain and side effects management.

@sipka I'm sorry that you're both in this situation. from personal experience, unmanaged pain can definitely cause a short fuse. I would bring this up with his care team and have his pain needs reassessed. @denzie is right about a proactive approach. it's better to take a regular med consistently than battle the roller coaster of trying to get the pain back under control. I hope you have support - caregiving is difficult. Let us know how it goes.

@sipka, I strongly encourage you to talk to your husband's pain management specialist and let them know what you are observing. Like others have said, it is important to stay ahead of the pain. The change in behavior may be caused by the medication, but it may also be a result of break-through pain. The pain specialist can prescribe a different drug or protocol to find the one that works best for your husband - to keep you both comfortable.

How is your husband doing? Have are you holding up?

Must echo everything the @colleenyoung said. This could also be an allergic reaction affecting the behavior. It really needs to be addressed by a clinician.

I do sympathise with both of you. My husband is also on oxygen, 15mg, and he too gets confused and at times quite agitated, but then so do I! Like you we are living with the fear and uncertainty of what is ahead and watching our loved one in such pain , it is hard for all of us . I know that I too get confused and irritable at times and everything seems to be too much to cope with , I then try to remember what he is going thru....his fear,emotions and seeing friends and family he knows he won't see again. I wish you all the strength you can muster to keep on looking after your hubby , you I and many others are living this life and we understand each other.

I meant oxy not oxygen