I'm having to swap between Oxycodone and Fentanyl patches now as both dwindle down after four months or so. My pain consultant thinks it is due to tolerance building up so we've come up with this plan.
I also have RLS so take 1mg of Ropinirole with 100mg of Tramadol; this is succeeding for me currently.
It's debatable about the Fentanyl lasting the three days; sometimes I get a good solid 3 days but another only seems to last for two BUT I have a very unpredictable pain pattern so it could be a flare rather than the patches not lasting.
Lots of experiences & views on the Fentanyl but I definitely rate it as top of prolonged release meds!!
I hope that's 25 mg OxyContin twice daily. Even still It doesn't work out to be as strong as fentanyl unless you are taking oxynorm with the OxyContin which you don't when on the patch.
I have been on Oxycodone for some time however I take 3 doses per day, can you take a smaller dose 3 times per day, it may last longer? I have not heard of analgesia for restless legs, there is an amazing FDA approved device for restless legs, I believe it may be more beneficial than drugs. Also consider magnesium tablets, you may find that they will assist you with your restless legs. Please google myrelaxis.com/ to learn more about the device.
Thanks- I'm on the RLS site on HU- so know a fair bit about that end of things.
It is the oxycontin that I'm really concerned about- it's supposed to last 12 hrs but simply does not. There was a huge class action in USA a while back on this.
When you say you take oxycodone three times a day, is that the shortacting one (oxynorm) which does only last 4- 5 hrs and is really only for breakthrough pain.
Does anyone out there have experience of using oxycontin and tramadol ( ultram) in rotation?
Actually oxynorm isn't just licenced for breakthrough, rather it can be taken every 4-6 hours.
If it drops off after 8 hours why can't you take an oxynorm - or maybe you will need the liquid as your OxyContin dose is really low - which is good.
Sometimes they say if the dose isn't high enough it doesn't last the full 12 hours. If it lasted 12 hours before then maybe it is tolerance.
As an example if someone takes 20mg OxyContin twice daily and it only lasts 8 hours, then maybe reducing to 15mg twice daily with 5mg twice daily after 8 hours would help.
Thanks. I'm going by the advice from a Dr of rlshelp.org who is probably a world expert on rls. His experience is that any of his patients on long term opiate use ( under 30mg/day) for upto 20 years- the limit of his experience with them so far- that there should be no issues with tolerence or dependency.
I'm in Ireland and have to say that there seems to be not a huge help with these issues. The pain consultant just wants to pump my back full of steroids.
When I asked the Dr about the short term effect of the oxy , thinking it was tolerance, he said unlikely , and pointed to the short term controversy with oxycontin.
I have very high ferritin (1200) and OA in lower back and severe rls.
I sometimes wonder are they all tied up together. And there seem no answers from the professionals.
Ah well- life goes on- I live from minute to minute.
Hi hope you don't mind me asking but with ferratin levels that high have you been tested for hemochromatosis? It a condition that if not caught and treated can lead to excess iron deposits on your organs. Cerrosis of the liver etc. Very easy to try. Just having a pint of blood taken regularlyuntil ferratin numbers come down. Please ask your doctor x
Thanks- I have had every test they know of! No genetic hemo, all organs looking and working good. I am relatively healthy- except for excrutiating lower back pain- and restless legs , when the medication fails.
They have me in the category of " medical mystery "😷
I've just had a blood taken to determine trend- but, unless it's down by a few hundred , I will get phlebotomy (bloodletting).
I'm on the heamocromatosis site- if you want all the "gory " details.😲😱😜
I have suffered horrific pain since i had shingles in March .
I had Botox in my legs for the horrific pain which has been awesome .
IF all my tests come back this time as nerve pain in shoulders postherpetic neuralagia I will source Botox again for the shoulders .
I have read up on it and most people are getting great relief. It seems some from a 10 to a 3 pain score also they have been able to reduce pain meds .
RSL and horrific pain , god we drew the short score .
Hi Madlegs, it sounds as though you've suffered from what is known on the RLS site as "augmentation", where the meds you take no longer work. I'm on Tramadol, not for RLS (which I do suffer from) but for lower back and sciatica pain. It's just a bonus that it pretty much stops all RLS symptoms as well. Tramadol does not lead to augmentation, apparently, so it's a good med for RLS.
Thank MoS! Yes- I understand all about augmentationand had it with Pramipexole. But there shouldn't be any issues with oxycontin- which is an opiod like Tramadol. Thats why I'm looking at either changing from oxy to tram or rotating the two as referred to by a previous poster above.
I was given oxy for similar conditions to yourself. But its simply not lasting the distance.
The jury is out on the reaxis pad- it works for some and not for others. It is not available in ireland anyway and I'm not sure of its availability in the UK.
Also it is way too expensive to take a trial from what I understand.
The amount if opiates I am on would not be high on the general scale of matters- and I would be happy to get a good quality of life than what I am going through.
Hi, I was on Oxycontin slow release twice a day 8am & 8pm, Plus Oxycontin for break through pain taken in between the other doses. I was put on this in hospital so when I came home, I thought these are great for my pain, But after a couple of months of been on them, I found I was struggling badly with my pain, & I still add an other 4hours to go till I could take my 8pm slow release dose. It was after an other month or so that I realized that my pain was just as bad as it was before. So my doctor came to visit me, & we both agreeded that I was becoming Addicted to them. I then went back on to the meds I was on before I went into hospital. I really hope you can find something that suits you, my be talk to your doctor again, and explain how you are feeling. I hope you can get settled on something that can help you. I wish you lots of luck Madlegs1. Please let us no how you get on.
im on oxycontin, if you read the patient information leaflet, under uncommon side effects, it says a need to take increasingly higher doses of the tablets to get the same level of pain relief.(tolerance) i find this with most pain relief medication and often change for a few weeks or cut down and then go back to the normal dose,its the same with diazepam and those sorts of meds and sleeping meds. for me anyway. this is the slow release ones,
Hi, Grace111, Yes u ar quite right in what u ar saying. I was just telling madlegs1 MY STORY with Oxycontin, as she asked if anybody as ad any experiences with this medication. which mine was very much the same problem, as I ad only bn taking it for about 9wks & not for a long period, so that meant I was becoming addicted to it. If I ad been taking it over a long period of time & it was only the pain that was not bn under controll with it, then yes this would be classed as "Augmentaion" So I was just letting her no what problems I av ad with Oxycontin.
I've just gone from 20mg oxycontin twice a day plus up 40mg oxycodone for breakthrough to 30mg a day OxyContin plus breakthrough oxycodone.
I cannot function on this amount. It's been increased by 33%. That's a huge increase. I have slept for three days solid. Gone back to my 20. I'd rather put up with more pain and know what in doing. There must be something in between.
I hope your doctor has made you aware of the strength of OxyContin and oxycodone.
The manufacturer Napp states it is twice the strength of morphine and others state 1.5 times.
As someone who went up to 120mg a day and occasionally more, and now down to 80mg a day - all including breakthrough I wouldn't go any higher then 80mg a day. I think 20mg twice daily and 10mg up to 4 times a day is the max I'd feel comfortable taking and even then that is 120-160mg a day of morphine which is a lot.
I'm on 240 mg daily and tolerance just catches up otherwise people could stay on 40mg for good wish it worked that way I started on 2 20mg cont and 4 10mg norm now I'm on 4x40mg Contin 4x20mg norm kills pain same as 20 did but stopped I know I'm addicted to this but I need it simple as but such is life
its the tolerance that starts the addiction as if the pain is not being relieved then we need more tablets. and if we take them, as many of people have done/do thats what starts the addiction as the its not only the mind that gets addicted its the body. thats my experience.
of course there is. but tolerance is one of the first things that cause bodily addiction to people who dont misuse drugs. i think we should leave it there.after all madlegs is happy and well equiped to see his doctor. and from what i'v seen quite able to stand up for himself.
There is a clear difference between becoming tolerant to a medication and thus it becomes less effective and a higher dose is needed over time, and secondly addiction which is misuse - usually for the purpose of getting a buzz.
Yes some become addicted, but having withdrawal symptoms is not a sign of addiction either.
Had exactly the same problem with oxycontin, it will last about half the time it boasts.
As I expect you know, oxycontin is the slow release variant of oxycodone. Ask your GP if you can try an equivalent dose of immediate release (IR) oxycodone. I find it lasts 3-4 hours, so you will be popping pills more often, though, hopefully you will find this a more beneficial way of delivering the medication.
You may also need to trial doses to find the one that suits you, once again with your GP's direction and approval.
I find the immediate release 'floors' me which is good if I haven't got anything to do but for real life - impossible!
I've got 10mg prn Oxy - somepeople take more but it just isn't for me hence going back on Fentanyl and using Oramorph for breakthrough. (I ended up using Oramorph for breakthrough whilst on the slow release Oxy too mind; try to avoid the quick acting stuff!)
I hope you can find a solution that's right for you; I guess it's just like a game of chess - bit of skill, bit of cheeky trial and a lot of luck!! (No offenceto competitive chess players regarding the luck statement!!)
If your GP is prescribing oxycontin and oxyNorm capsules, i'm not sure why they would have a problem prescribing liquid. It costs the NHS £9.71 for a 250ml bottle. Add on private dispensing fees and a profit margin and you may be near 15 quid a bottle.
i understand exactly what your saying iv read many posts of people who have been on tramadol for a long time and then had no more and they are in agony. thats not right. because there body has become addicted to them and they have withdrawel pain. nothing to do with taking them for a buzz. xoxo🤗
Thank u for ur comment, I'm glad someone understands where I'm coming from. I ad bn on them in hospital as I was in the High Dependency unit, quite sometime as I ad a bad case of septis that was caused by me aving a urine test done by using 2x catheters, done as an out patient. the infection caused me to become unconscious , & I was taken 2 the Hospital. I ad no idea that there would change my meds to something like that, but I also thought well there no better than I do, so I carried on with them for an other 9wks or so. Withdrawal is so bad I would not wish it on anybody.
yes i used to have such faith in doctors and nurses until i got really ill and then i found out i have to keep on top of them all the time i do think that the surgeons do an amazing job. i do hope that your feeling better. i understood what you were saying as i'v experienced it myself. and read about it happening to others on this forum they were in agony because they did not known that they could not just stop the medication, or change to a milder one. love grace xoxoxo 🤗
Sorry for the late reply but I had this problem from the start with OxyContin. According to my pain specialist it is a common problem and some people just metabolize it faster so it only lasts around 8 hours. I was on 20 mg twice a day and switched to three times a day on a lower dose - 15-10-15 and it was much better. My specialist said it is better to have the pain relief working evenly throughout the day rather than relying on breakthrough meds every day. I still used the oxynorm for breakthrough pain, but I didn't need it twice a day every day when the OxyContin ran out!
You're welcome - hope it helps you and your GP can make the change for you. After all you're not asking to increase the dose, just spread it out differently! Sorry you have to wait 2 months for the pain specialist.
I Would just like to say I was a Healthcare Professional, my self, so yes I do no what I was talking about, especially, in my situation, No matter what anybody else has to say about it.
I have Multiple Sclerosis, restless legs. low back issues, muscles spasms and migraines. When my pain is bearable life is nice. The problem is the doctors do not want to increase pain meds. I am on Vicodin 5 mg. It doesn't cut it. There are no pain clinics here and the hoops have to go through is ridiculous. My friend was on morphine as she had a doctor who understood. If you are in pain you need help. I used to be on demeral(sp) and have slowly lessened. The problem with too little pain meds is I need to stay in bed to keep my sanity.
I wished I could help but am having some issues myself.
Most Dr's in USA Are prescribing that drug for pain 3 x a day. We start to tolerate it but 3 times will make a big difference Studies show that after 6 to 8 hours there is little pain relief.
Thanks- after 6 months - I have settled down much better- mainly by avoiding triggers for Restless legs and also avoiding "inhibitors " such as alcohol, citrus fruits etc.
I do get a bit wobbly in the hour before replenishment- so the oxy obviously does not go the full distance.
Interesting that this post has attracted 61 replies and is not regarded as "popular " ?
I've had this issue, I've been on OxyContin (U.K longtec,) version for nearly 19 months, I find that it only last for only 8 hours, I'm on 60mg 2x per day and 40 mg of oxycodone (U.K. shortec,) sine I suffered a tibial plateau fracture and broken tibia in many places, I have lots of titanium in my left leg now. I have suffered severe withdrawal symptoms from forgetting to take a dose on time, there must be something better and less addictive.
Hi Seamus. I snapped my fib and tib 14 years ago and have been in chronic pain ever since. I've been on every pain med in the book. Last year I was on OxyContin 50 mg m/r twice a day with oxynorm for breakthrough pain. I suffered awful withdrawal symptoms if I was late in taking a dose. I would take it at 7am and 7 pm. By 6pm I'd be restless, feel exceedingly agitated, almost flu like symptoms until I took a dose. Some days I'd have to chew a tablet to get it into my system quickly. OxyContin is effectively synthetic heroin and I was a full blown junkie - I've had experience working with heroin addicts and I was the same as them, only difference is that I wouldn't mug my Gran!! It caused me issues at work and I was a mess. Along with the oxy I was also on tramadol and co-codamol. The oxy stopped providing sufficient pain relief. I'm now off OxyContin and taking Tapentadol. (No withdrawal symptoms during the swap). This stuff is brilliant!! I don't get withdrawal issues if I've not taken it and it seems to be the first thing to properly work for me. I'd recommend it over OxyContin any day. (I still take tramadol and co-codamol).
I was hearing about ant from the two some ant and dec being in rehab after being on tramadol and getting addicted. also Lorrain kelly was speaking of her own experience with tramadol. NA is full of people who have got addicted to pain killing medication. It does happen to any people of all ages that i have seen.
Paracetamol will help a bit- I take 500mg when I feel the oxy wearing out.
You are on such high doses that it should be possible to split the full dose into 3 and take three times a day- it doesnt change the prescription dose but may need the pharmacy to give you smaller doses.
Talk to your Dr after googling all the instances where it has wrecked peoples lives.
The main problem with it not lasting the full 12hrs is that it will make you more liable to addiction, since you are going from high to withdrawal constantly.
There is a campaign for class action in the US on this very issue. Many people have tragically died because of getting addicted due to the lack of longevity.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Oxycontin refusal
