Question:
HELP Please answer
I was givem MS Contin which is a time released morphine, my pharmacists said it is not good for gastric bypass patients???? The vicodin is no longer working? Why can't we take time release? My doctor wants to try oxycontin for me instead of the morphine because the morphine made me very sick. I am NOT an addict, I have a shattered disc, they cannot operate and I have degenerative disc disease, plus siatica and I am in pain everyday. Why no time release? I tried norco and that worked sometimes, but i needed to take it every 4 hours. Please help....... why can't we take time release? Or can we? Is oxycontin safe? Does it work better or worse if we cut the pill in half? anyone know? — tammiherb (posted on September 13, 2008)
September 13, 2008
I would reccomend going to a pain specialist.
— [Deactivated Member]
September 13, 2008
I DO see a pain manager........ she has been working with me trying to
figure out what will help. I tried vicodin 500mg first, then 750mg, then
10mg (norco) now, ms contin morphine and she says to go to oxycontin (this
has been for the last 17 months) next.......but the time release? I moved
out of the state and connot see my original weight loss doctor. That is why
I am here asking questions
— tammiherb
September 13, 2008
you sound like me, however, as a retired surgeon myself, I maybe have
answers that may help you. I have been telling anyone who has these
questions, the same thing. We have NO stomach. We have a pouch. A stomach
has gastric acids that break down pills etc. Time released caps, as with
Any capsule we take should be opened and mixed with crystal light etc (
maybe 1 ounce) shaken, then swallowed. Remember there is a direct line and
no gastric juices to help your meds along. Its like drinking water-
right?? the vicodin, as with all other pills, for us need to be chopped up
into tiny pieces, especially those pills with a hard shell on them. You
have to always remember, you have approx 80% malabsorption-that means, 1
pill, and your body uses only about 20 % of it- which means??????? Right-
ask someone in pain to cut their pain pill in 5 even pieces and allow them
to take only 1 piece, and see how much pain it takes away. As for the oxy-
its up to you, but try doing what i suggested above before you take this
route. Remember-chop your pills into tiny pieces, try to get everything in
elixir form if possible, if not, open the caps and mix with juices etc.
This is for life. I wish you didnt have the pain, i know how it feels, but
try this and see if it hepls- or email me and i can help you .
[email protected]
God bless Cindi 3.24.04 - 230#
— DollyDoodles
September 13, 2008
im an rn. one week post op from rny, im using tylenol cuz im not trading
obesity to be slave to pain pills there very dangerous trust me , first
hand exp, im a bit uncomfortable but talk to your doc about ultram, good
pain relief, non narc i dont know if its used with wls, stay away from oxys
at all costs, this country is full of pill addicts, i know i was one of
them, best of luck to you
— meganmaria1
September 13, 2008
What is a "shattered" disc?
I know of herniated, prolapsed, protruding and ruptured but I've never
heard of a shattered disc. I'd be interested in knowing because it sounds
horrible, so horrible they can't operate? Never heard of that.
I also know of plenty of people who have gotten rid of their back pain and
sciatica using a combination of traction and flexion. You can go to
coxtechnic.com to learn more if you want to get rid of your pain.
— GaryLGreen
September 13, 2008
That is how my doctor explained it to me as "shattered" to help
me understand what has happened to my disc. I do not know if it is
exactley the correct term, but he tried to give me a visual of the problem.
I do know i have severe degenrative discs (this was pre-exisiting), then I
was in a serious car accident and this was the way he described what
happened to my disc. Maybe I need to ask.........I have an appointment
Tuesday.
— tammiherb
September 13, 2008
Tammy,
I know there are or can be problems because of the time-release. BUT from
experience I will say be VERY careful while using MS Contin. MS Contin is
different from oxycontin.
All drugs do not go through your system the same. They have 1/2 lives etc.
and some if your not careful can actually build up in your system,
especially for those of us who have extra fat on our bodys.
Now I am not a pharmacist, but because I took this drug and ran into
problems with it I learned the hard way. My Neuro had me change to this
one because the Tylox I was on just wasn't working. Within 4 days of
starting I had built up such a level in my blood/body that I started having
hallunations. It took a week of no pain pills at all to clean out my
system.
I don't know how or why someone would ever want to use drugs like this as
'recreational' but they do. It is now one of the most abused, addictive
prescription drugs out there and is widely used on the street.
Be sure to talk to your doctor about all the possible problems you could
face before starting it, then if you decide to use it be very careful.
My X has degen.disk disease and had a vertabre he had to have fused and I
know it is very painful. He had to use both Tylox, Ultram, and heat
therapy to control the pain. Someone told us about Nikkon Magnets and they
have one that he started using (it was about 4-5" by 6-8") on the
area where his worst paid was. I never saw anyone improve as fast as he
did. Now I don't know how or why it worked, but it did for him. He then
added their shoe insoles to his shoes.
I tried them in my shoes, but my feet got too warm and because I have MS I
can't raise my core temp without running into problems, so I had to quit
using them and so I don't know if they would have helped me with some of my
problems.
Good luck.
Good luck,
— angelvh2
September 13, 2008
im adding to my response from last night as i was half asleep and only
addressed some of your issues, im sorry if i came across harsh about the
pain meds, as an RN in recovery and a recent addition to the WLS family,
its a passionate subject for me because I have personal experience as pain
pills were a problem for me for 5 years of my life and cost me alot of pain
and suffering. I truly feel for your pain, as a nurse ive worked with many
back pain pts and its rough, there are many alt therapies avail and i would
recommend a pain specialist for you, as for the ex release meds after RNY
we cant use them because those drugs are formulated to be released slowly
into our systems and after WLS we are unable to do this anymore, but there
is hope out there u will find a fit that works for you, just be cautious
with narc pain meds ,they are not worth the risk, im doing ok on the
tylenol and believe me i want to use the lortab prescribed me but i know
the possible outcome. Keep your head up, you will get through this, im 6
days post op today and we are on the way. May God bless you and keep you
safe, best of luck to you.
— meganmaria1
September 13, 2008
I feel for you. I as well have DDD and I have had problems with pain
management in the past. I am not familiar with MS Contin, but if you could
stray from oxycontin, I would. Oxycontin is extremely addictive and please
if you do take it, DO NOT break it or chip it in anyway. When you break,
chip or crush oxycontin, in that form, it is basically like taking a dose
of heroin. That is one of the major reasons so many people have broken
into pharmacies, etc. for this medicine. Just wanted to share that with
you. I wish you the best of luck on getting your pain under control. I
havent had any pain control yet since I came down with DDD, and have been
to many pain specialists who will not give me anything strong enough to
take even the slightest bit of pain away.
— bicngillette
September 13, 2008
I feel for you. I as well have DDD and I have had problems with pain
management in the past. I am not familiar with MS Contin, but if you could
stray from oxycontin, I would. Oxycontin is extremely addictive and please
if you do take it, DO NOT break it or chip it in anyway. When you break,
chip or crush oxycontin, in that form, it is basically like taking a dose
of heroin. That is one of the major reasons so many people have broken
into pharmacies, etc. for this medicine. Just wanted to share that with
you. I wish you the best of luck on getting your pain under control. I
havent had any pain control yet since I came down with DDD, and have been
to many pain specialists who will not give me anything strong enough to
take even the slightest bit of pain away.
— bicngillette
September 13, 2008
Tammy, I know that it is hard to be someone that has to take pain pills for
constant pain. So many people automatically think that you are a drug
addict! Some of us actually HAVE to take pain pills due to serious medical
conditions. I am currently taking percocet and hydro-morph contin. If you
are careful and take them as prescribed, there should be no problem at all.
Some people just have an addictive personality, if you do not, then just
take whatever your doctor gives you as you are supposed to.
A shattered disc is when one of your discs has broken into little pieces
and is not longer a "disc". I know people that are in this
situation as well and it is very painful, so I feel for you.
I hope that everything works out for you and you can find out what is best
for you.
— anitak
September 13, 2008
I don't know about all that stuff, but I have full body RSD which is very
pain full and I take eltrum er and it works wonder's from a 9 or 10 pain
level, it take me to a workable 2 or 3 ask about it and see, Sorry I can't
be more help than that. Good Luck and GOD BLESS
— LBowker
September 13, 2008
As another RN reading these posts, I was wondering if you couldn't use a
fentanyl patch. Especially with the absorption problems, it seems it would
be a good choice for pain relief. Has anyone else out there used this
method of pain relief?
— janpmck
September 14, 2008
call ur doctor and ask a second opinion from or primary care doc what is
wrong with you guys ask your doctors they are the ones with the knives and
the degrees
— anachoi
September 14, 2008
I'd say call your surgeon and ask about patches. That might be a
timed-release option.
— MKPstamps
September 14, 2008
First off, DO NOT EVER cut oxycontin in half!!! It releases the medication
faster, and you could have serious problems with it!! That being said, I
was on oxy's for 6 months after I had 3 back surgeries (all within a month
and a half), and it was pure heaven!! I had little to no pain every day,
and I actually ended up losing like 25 pounds while I was on the drug. I
would highly recommend oxycontin to anyone that can handle taking them. I
can not take percocets or vicodin, but I did very well on the oxycontins,
with no side effects except that I wasn't hungry all the time.
— mommydragon2
September 14, 2008
You should not, under any circumstances, gastric bypass or not, cut, chew,
or crush up time release pills, especially narcotics!!!!!
The issue with time release meds is that they may not dissolve completely
in your pouch so you may not get a full dose....emphasis on "may
not" --- they may work just fine for you and the only way to find out
is to try.
Please talk to your doctor about this. I think I saw that you have moved
away and are no longer seeing your WLS surgeon... if you don't have anyone
following you (in terms of WLS), then you should call your surgeon and ask.
Generally, there are two options for pain meds... one type releases the
medication shortly after you take it and you generally have to take it
every 4-6 hours. The other type releases medication slowly and is
generally taken once or twice a day.
Duragesic is a pain medication that bypasses the GI tract entirely. It's a
patch that is worn on the skin and changed every 3 hours.
Good luck.
— mrsidknee
September 14, 2008
sustained release doesn't stay in our GI tract long enough to be
worthwhile. How about Oxy IR?
— penneynurse
September 14, 2008
My daughter was taking Imetrix pills (sp) for migraines but they didn't
help much. A few months ago she was hospitalized for something else &
her doc there said that the pills didn't work b/c she can't absorb them. So
he started her on the shots instead. They work great. I said all that to
say that maybe your doc can prescribe pain shots for you. I have a friend
who has a pain pump implanted. She says it really makes a difference. I
hope this helps.
— scaryreader
September 16, 2008
You cannot take a time released drug all at once ie: crushing, chopping,
mixing it in liquid because, the dosage is meant for a 24 hour period or
more. You would be taking that large a dose in one sitting and could be an
overdose. Very dangerous. I know about the malabsorption, but, I also
know about time release.... not meant to be taken all at once. Very
dangerous.
Be carefull,
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
September 16, 2008
Thanks to everyone who answered! I truly appreciate it! I saw my doctor
today and your answers all helped. She changed my medication and gave me a
patch that releases medication, so I no longer have to take any pills!
Thanks everyone!
— tammiherb
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