Connect
Extended release oxycodone-long-term use?
Hello! My husband was diagnosed with PMR 5 years ago at the age of 50.
6 weeks ago he had a total knee replacement and has been taking oxycodone for pain. He has started to wean off the OXY and the PMR pain and exhaustion is full throttle. He has continued with his prednisone (14 mg) during these past 6 weeks.
Yesterday was a terrible day. He had been without the pain medication for over 18 hours and spent half the day in bed sleeping and in pain. When he finally took an OXY, he was a new man. Mind you, this whole time he has remained on his prednisone.
Has anyone been prescribed OXY as a treatment for PMR?
Thank you.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.
Connect
I'm in a very similar situation to you, with past diagnoses of fibromyalgia, trigeminal neuralgia, Hashimoto's, thunderclap headache, and a periodic fever syndrome. I had an extremely busy life teaching at a boarding school but was ultimately forced to go on disability. Then PMR hit on May 22 of this year. Unlike most people here, however, the PMR was only alleviated at 40mg prednisone, which is where I am now. The goal is for me to get down 35mg in a month, then 30 after that, but it will be slow and being on such a high dose makes me very nervous. In my experience, oxycodone does little for PMR pain; I take it (and gabapentin) for other conditions. Truly the only thing that has helped is prednisone. I think every body is different, reacts to meds differently, and recovers at different paces. Trial and error certainly plays a big role in all this. These conditions are just brutal. I hope you find relief.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
5 ReactionsHi. I agree the real key for PMR is prednisone. I was wondering if flexibility might help my hips and back. I cannot imagine being on 40 of pred. I already have a Charlie Brown head....and working towards Pillsbury Dough Boy! But right now I just want my.pain to settle. I am sorry you are dealing with layers of conditions....I am glad you.were able to work. I am sure.disability was a relief but also.very difficult to.accrpt on some level. I hope your PMR responds to the pred and you can successfully reduce your dose. .take good care of yourself!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsOne quick q....I have not gotten the.4th covid shot. I want to get.the.updated version in Sept. but I am nervous with PMR AND pred....not sure what to do. I got pretty sick with all doses for about 4 days then fine. Another thing to consider. Have you all gotten the 4th.shot?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionYes, I have had the 2nd Pfizer booster vaccine but my PMR is in remission and I'm not currently on prednisone. I would discuss your concerns with your doctor or primary care team.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsThank you so much. You're right about disability: it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I loved my life and had to give up everything when I left my job. But I am fortunate in other ways and try to remind myself of that. As for Charlie Brown, I have long surpassed that, sadly. I call myself a Steroid Puffball. Like you, I had terrible PMR pain in my hips: at one point I had to use a walker and later couldn't walk at all. That's when they put me back to 40mg, and I finally accepted prednisone as the lesser of the evils. My doctor said that if you step down and still have pain it will aggravate the condition, so I'm following her guidance to take it slowly. I hope you get to a dosage where your back and hips are better. I make myself walk as much as I can (not much) to try to maintain some flexibility. I really hope you get some relief soon and appreciate your kind thoughts.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsYou have totally summed up what has gone.on for me...I need to talk to my rheum. We are just reducing even tho symptoms are there. I love that your doc said if you reduce too soon it makes it worse because that is totally true!! I would assume...you know better than I that at the top dose you should be close to pain free (relatively speaking) before you start.reducing....and then reduce after things.are steady for a bit. This is not a linear disease. I need to hear what my doc says healing is....so you take the pred then what.happens
What is getting better? Anyway finding this site. has been the best learning experience. I have such gratitude for you all already! Be well...take it slow.and hang in. Hugs...m
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 ReactionsFrom what my dr said, you need to be mostly pain-free before stepping down. I'm at about 90% so I'd like to try it now, but she's not convinced that I've given it enough time to totally calm down the flare--and the last thing I want is to have to start all over again so I'm trusting her. A lot of people on this site have talked about how their drs (rheum, neuro, GP) focus on getting off prednisone to the exclusion of almost everything else. I know it's a toxic drug, but to me, the worst thing would be taking just enough to lower the pain but not enough to actually eliminate the inflammation. (Almost like only taking enough antibiotics to alleviate the symptoms of an infection but not enough to eradicate the infection itself.) It's such a hit-and-miss. Some days I have very little PMR pain, then others smack me right back down. Like you say, not linear. I hope your rheumatologist is responsive to your concerns. This site has been amazing! I felt totally alone until I found it. Feel free to reach out anytime and take care. -Leigh
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionThank you Leigh. I appreciate it. I just got a call to go.up from 12.5 to 15 but we will see. But the info gained here has given me more.of an understanding of what my body has been telling me. I will trust that....it has served me well. So we will see! Take good care. I am here as well if you need to talk. Let us all be well. Mickie
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 Reactions@njtodctode Oh my gosh!! Yo-yoing is not good. Pain is not good. If 20 worked, I'd go back there and stay awhile. Once you're stabilized (say after a month), see if you can reduce to 17.5. Your objective is to find the lowest dose of prednisone while experiencing a reasonable comfort level. There's very little evidence that other drugs do much good, but rheumy's often want us to try. For some there are side-effects and for many there is no help at all. And also there should be some reduction in your blood inflammation markers since you are on prednisone. That does not indicate that the PMR is improving. Your earlier post stated "Then had to start reducing." Why? None of us wants to be on prednisone, but it's the only thing that works for PMR. If you don't take enough prednisone, your inflammation will accumulate and you'll have flare. I sure wish someone could take the accumulated knowledge of those who have lived with PMR for years, and document a sound protocol. So many people are not being treated correctly. That's partly because there is no one answer. You have to find what works for you. But we do know some things for certain: quick tapering rarely works; yo-yoing is not good; slow taper until your body tells you otherwise; as you get to 4-7 mgs. prednisone watch for adrenal struggles. There are flare and sick-day protocols. Oh I'm sure there is more advice out there. I hope this helps a bit.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 ReactionsHi...I hear you. I feel like I have been circling in the dark for months. Getting down on pred has been the focus. It never made sense to me...the missing piece seemed to be level of symptoms. My rheum wants me to go on methotrexate but my gut says stick with pred only but go as slow as symptoms require. I didn't do well on methotrexate for RA, only made it a week. So
....thank you for your reply. What I hear from you and the others on here is helping me so much....and will help me push to take things slower if needed. Take good care of yourself.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions