Comments on: Back pain and vicodin?

By: still trying..

still trying.. — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:40:18 +0000

While I diden’t take the time to read all post/replies.I’d like to share my experience: I’ve had MRI’s,I went through therapy,injections and chiro., all that my doc.had asked… I knew I had to do it to stay on his good side. Even after 2 MRI’s showed ‘several" small problems wrong w/ lumbar and cervical spine,even to the point of nerve pain.. The Doc. referred me to 3 specialst..for continued narcotic/hydro. His treatment of pain control was 6 months, he felt it was time to find a specialist, treatments by him could not be continued..so he said. Well, today i’m attempting to wean myself off alone as I have caresource (form of medicaid), and its impossible to find help. Yes, I still hurt,yes i still need pain relief.But, I learned that cutting down caused the most exscrutiating back and whole body pain imaginable!!. what im saying is,the pain caused from the bulging disk etc. I have, is nothing compared to the pain of withdraws!!. not to mention other withdraws symptoms!! Ive went from 40-60 mgms. hydro. per day x 5 yrs.And now, Currently at 5 mgm. x 1 per day, to sleep at night.I still feel like I wanna die sometimes due to lethargy and "Actual Pain", but i’ve came along ways, cant give up now, but many times I did give in. The last 8 months now, I been at a gradual, cutback to reach this, its been and still is hell. What I want to stress here is this:..Try your hardest to find relief w/ ibuprophen instead!!!!!. trust me, once you try to stop or cut back your pain will be so much worse than what you feel now, it aint worth it. By the way..I need help now..lol. Anyone know how long i can expect withdraws if i stop completly?. I havent had a dose in 4-5 days now,some mild discomfort, back, leg pain, tired, etc. but i just wanna feel normal again. I am using tramadol in place of any vics now. Still got body aches and shakes though…Any help id appreciate. Sorry for a lengthy post and then a question too..I just wanna help others as well as myself, too. Bless you all. Thanks..:)

By: NIKKIGIRL

NIKKIGIRL — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:40:18 +0000

Advil works for my chronic back pain,I take 200-800mg (check with your doc on milligram amounts,the bottle reccomends no more tham 200mg without a RX)depending on the pain,I hate vicodine too many side effects.

If the doc persists with the referral,tell them a Chiropractor may be better for you.

By: Gregg L

Gregg L — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:40:18 +0000

Vicodin is not given on an indefinite basis by primary care physicians very often.. usually they are more sympathetic than a clinic, but less able to prescribe long term than a pain management clinic. I wouldnt ask for more than her gives you until he is alreay writing the script and he seems confident you arent drug seeking.. then while he is writing the script before the pen hits the paper say," if you dont mind, could you give me more than two a day because the pain relief is only good for (4) hours or so and on bad days I need a little more." Since you didnt do the phy. therapy, your doctor is very nice to continue giving you narcotics since you didnt follow all his other recommendations fully.. doctors make these other recommendations because they need to cover their own behind so it doesnt look like a narcotic dispensary is taking place. He may refer you to a different back specialist or pain management, or he might just write the script it really depends what kind of relationship you have with him. if he hasnt mentioned any reservations about prescribing vicodin yet, then I assume if you are still in pain he would write for more.. it is necessary for him to see you before he writes the script to be ethical.. I imagine he will write, but dont expect this to go on forever especaiily if you keep asking for dose increases as this shows a tolerance is forming and could lead to dependence.

By: Jenni B

Jenni B — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:40:18 +0000

First of all, be completely honest with your doctor. They can’t help you if they don’t know what’s going on. Maybe your issue is one that can’t be seen with an x-ray and they need to do a CT scan or an MRI. If you are in pain, then you are in pain and need to be treated accordingly. Tell your doctor that you ended up taking more than the 2 a day because the pain is too intense. Also be honest about the physical therapy and the massages. The more they know, the better they can help you. Your regular doctor just might refer you to a specialist.

Go through with the physical. Do anything and everything they want you to do (within reason) that will assist them in making a good diagnosis for you. If you can’t afford the therapy, then you can’t – some doctors will understand that. They might suggest you do some stretching at home, or yoga or something like that. Just work with them – you want to get better and they are out there to help you.

Good luck – hope you find some relief soon.

By: RN 2 B

RN 2 B — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:40:18 +0000

most likely he will refer you to a pain management doctor. This is normal when he has done all he can for you. It is imperative that you go, as regular docs shouldn’t keep prescribing narcotics without additional treatment (surgery, etc.) for a long perid of time because over time the DEA gets involved and the doc can get in trouble. But pain management is long term and for some people, they have to be on narcotics forever but they do other treatmnts as well. Good luck to you! Also, think about getting another opinion because it seems to me you may need and mri or some other more serious testing.