Posted by flipsactown on May 3, 2004, at 1:47:21
In reply to Re: Pain Med Relafen, posted by Anthony Quest on May 3, 2004, at 0:05:02
> I took Relafen once for a few months. It's a little less effective than Advil. It's no different than any other NSAID. It's main benefit is that people with GI bleeding and ulcers appear to have less with Relafen than with other NSAIDs like Vioxx, or Celebrex.
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I originally requested Vioxx or Celebrex in that order only to find out Kaiser Health plan won't cover it and I would have to pay for it myself. So I chose Relafen because it is covered. I have been taking it for less than a week so it is probably too early to feel any pain relief.> If you are looking for a replacement for Oxycontin, then Relafen ain't it.
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I was hoping it will be a good supplement with Codeine to enhance pain relief.> If you were truly addicted, that doesn't mean you can't take opioids ever again. There are long acting drugs like methadone that can be dosed properly -4 times a day generally for pain-instead of once - that are useful. Also, there is a new one in the use Buprenorphine (Brand name Subutex) which is specifically for chronic pain in susbtance abusers- It's a mixed agonist antogonist opioid that's used in Europe.
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My painmgmt doc, who I had to practically beg to rx Oxy to me over 2 years ago, would not rx Oxy to me initially, but did rx Oramorph. I got sick to my stomach, very constipated, vomiting and the whole 9 yards. 2 weeks later, my paindoc decided to ok Oxy which I tolerated very well for 2 years. When I decided to home detox a couple of months ago, I did so on my own because when I accidently experienced withdrawals even for one day, I made up my mind that I did not like being at the mercy of a drug and did not ever want to experience the horrible withdrawals again. When I asked my paindoc about bupnorephine for detox and possibly as an antidepressant, he got very worked up and made it very clear to me that he was not going to rx Bupe because that would be detoxing one opiod for another. However, he did not think twice about rxing Codeine which is also an opiod. I think it was because Codeine is a very weak opiod and that I had been taking it for over 5 years with no problem of withdrawals. He even offered to rx Methadone. So his statement about not wanting to rx one opiod for another is hogwash.> Fentanyl (Duragesic) is also harder to abuse than Oxycontin, but if you truly have a problem, you'll find a a way.
I tried the patch with this same paindoc and I did not get the good pain relief as Oxy. So the patch was history.
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> So it's pain or opioids for life. It's a dilemma many people face along with abuse/addiction. If people were honest, how many wouldn't at some point or another be tempted to get some euphoria out of their pain medication given that they are told no cures exist and they must live debilitated lives with pain most people never imagine.
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I agree totally.> You are just probably more honest with yourself than most.
Yes, I was the one to ask for the home detox, mainly because I did not want to be at the mercy of a drug. But, if going back to Codeine and supplementing with anti-inflamatories does not give me the pain relief I was getting with Oxy, I will not hesitate to go back to Oxy. I just want to try the lesser of two evils since I will need some narcotics for the rest of my life.
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> Finally, you are in the best position to judge this, but what about your Oxycontin use led you to think you were addicted? Just the fact you needed to be on high dosages and that made you not have pain? Dependence and addiction are different. If you truly need an opioid, then making yourself miserable to the point where you have gone through detox, and then realize you can't live with the pain, only to return to strong opioids again is really irrational. Of course, if you really do have less pain and were taking the Oxycontin for the purposes of satisfying addictive cravings, it's best not to indulge that.
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I agree. I don't believe I was addicted because I was taking it for pain relief and not for recreation. I may still go back to Oxy, but at least, I will have proven to my paindoc, that I was not truly addicted. Not to be redundant, but I decided on my own to stop taking Oxy because of the DTs. However, if I do go back to Oxy, I will be vigilant in making sure that I don't accidently run out prematurely by taking an extra Oxy here and there, when I try to do too much physically, like yard work or other honey-do's> Most true addicts would say that the very fact you use codeine responsibly is evidence you don't have an opioid addiction. Only you can say. I only make this comment because nothing you said indicated you were addicted. (160 mg x 2 a day indicates a daily dosage which addicts don't have.) Before you fully go through the process of withdrawing altogether and dealing with more pain, perhaps make sure it's necessary?
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I was only taking 160mg daily (two 20mg x 4). Currently, I am going from 3 Oxy to 2 daily but I am finding I am having to take more Codeine to fight off the pain and the DTs. In fact I may have to stay an extra week on 3 Oxy daily before I go down to 2 as I can faintly feel the DTs coming on. Optimistically, I am hoping to complete my home detox in 4 to 5 weeks, but I will cut it short if need be and go back to Oxy or if I can convince my paindoc to rx Bupe since it would be both a pain med and antidepressant.> Sadly, it is unlikely your doctors will be of much help in this.
I agree and even when I do a lot of online research and try to share them with my docs, they all seem to get all pushed out of shape. In fact my paindoc, advised me to "disconnect my computer from the wall and throw it in the garbage".
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> To answer your question directly.
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> With respect to what is out there in terms of of pain medications: There are 3 types
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> NSAIDS: aspirin, tylenol, advil -over the counter ones
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> NSAID RX: Relafen, Vioxx, and 20 others- none are any stronger than the other
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> Weak opioid - Codeine, Darvocet, Ultram
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> Strong opioids -mophine, fentanyl, oxycodone
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> While you could try a lot of muscle relaxants and TCAs, antiepileptic medications, and interventional pain procedures your options will not change in the near future. A knowledgeable pain management doctor would probably know.I agree, where do I find one?
Thanks for your support and knowledge.
FST
poster:flipsactown
thread:341582
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20040303/msgs/342657.html