krs
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:11:17 PM new
Despite the instruction on the bottle to take one to two tablets every six hours I've restricted use of it to two tablets over 24 hrs as much as I can because it is good (better than any previous remedy) and because with a 60 tablet prescription I can have usage for nearly 30 days instead of the fewer than 15 days that I would have by following directions. I'll admit that there have been occasions during which I would prefer to follow directions, but as a patient of some experience I know that things medical that actually do work are somewhat rare and should
be appreciated slowly like a fine wine rather than guzzled like a dime store port.
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hepburn
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:19:51 PM new
What is Hydromorphone? I know what hydocordone is...vicodine, for another name. Sorry you have to take it, for whatever reason. Potent stuff, if its similar to vicodin..but it works wonders for those in pain. It does me, anyway.
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rawbunzel
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:30:32 PM new
Hepburn, sounds more like a form of morphine from the name. Powerful is an understatement if that's the case.
KRS,I am sorry that you have to take such harsh drugs to get relief.
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hepburn
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:36:39 PM new
Rawbunz, my vicodin bottle says I can take one every 4 hours, but I cant handle it. Only if Im in extreme pain, I will take a whole one. Usually, I take half a tablet and it knocks me on my butt and I dont feel nuttin' at all. If I took a whole one, Id be out for days. So if krs is cutting back on his, I can understand why, if it does the same to him.
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rawbunzel
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:46:06 PM new
I know what you mean ,Hep. I get knocked on my keester if I take a half a Vicodin. I have no tolerance for pain meds and not much for the pain so I pick whichever is the lesser of the evils at the moment.I really can't imagine having to take something as strong as Hydromorhpone to make pain tolerable.
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gravid
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:47:02 PM new
I take one in the morning with 2 or 3 Ultram as a chaser and it just takes the edge off.
I am allowed up to 5 a day but usually only take one in the evening when I am going to be out walking. I have taken two at a time on a bad day and have no feelings of drowsiness at all, but then I am also near 400 pounds so I absorb a lot.
If I use them up faster they will refill them faster.
2 Hydro' 4 Ultram and a double Maker's Mark and I can walk without visably limping for about a half hour.
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chococake
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:48:37 PM new
krs - wow you must really have some bad pain. Sorry!
Vicodine doesn't knock me out at all. In fact it does just the opposite. Get's me up and going. Maybe because it takes away most of the pain. First thing in the morning I have my coffee and Vicodine, go back to bed to watch the news and wait for both to kick in. I can't take one after seven in the evening, because then I wouldn't be able to sleep.
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rawbunzel
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:52:18 PM new
Gravid, That is a LOT of pain medication! I really don't know how people like you that live with so much pain do it. I have a brother that does and I admire him greatly. Not because he has the pain,of course, but because he is able to live his life fully in spite of it. I think you and KRS must do the same. I am not sure I could. Living with pain every day has got to be tough.
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gravid
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:54:01 PM new
That's why krs and I are so charming didn't you know?
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MichelleG
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:57:30 PM new
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hepburn
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posted on July 29, 2001 10:59:05 PM new
I have a high tolerance for pain...always knew it, but didnt realize it until the doctors told me when I had a tubal pregnancy and it burst. All I knew was that I had cramps, worse than usual. Its rare that I have to take vicodins, but I have a few bottles of them I stashed and keep hidden for emergencies. Normally, I pop 2 advils for bad pain. Vicodin is for heavy duty stuff, like after a root canal or something. Or, when I throw my back out of whack and cant move without screaming.
Gravid and krs must have some really bad pain themselves. Bummer.
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gravid
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posted on July 29, 2001 11:00:33 PM new
It does alter your viewpoint when you are standing there waiting with a knee that feels like someone has an icepick run through it twisting it and some old fool is babbling about his missing laundry to the clerk at McDonalds. Curdles the milk of human kindness.
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rawbunzel
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posted on July 29, 2001 11:00:36 PM new
Why Gravid! I hadn't thought of that!
And charming you both are indeed! I mean that sincerely.
But then I've always like crotchety men!!! 
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hepburn
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posted on July 29, 2001 11:05:01 PM new
Now rawbunzel...charming isnt a word I would describe krs. However, if he has to take those meds, its understandable why he can be the way he is 90% of the time. Glad I know the reason now...but not glad of the cause.
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gravid
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posted on July 29, 2001 11:07:53 PM new
This is a deep secret - but there are weirdos that like fat guys also. Would have never guessed that years ago but it's true. I am big AND fat and it is scary when you meet one. You know how some guys are little with a bunch of fat hung on a little frame? I am fat but I have to turn sideways to fit through little doorways because of my shoulders not my gut. Otherwise I would look like the Pilsbury dough boy. Instead the effect is more like a fireplug.
A crotchety fireplug.
I find it refreshing that krs has opinions without taking a poll to see what they should be. Some of the politicians should give that a try.
[ edited by gravid on Jul 29, 2001 11:15 PM ]
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MouseSlayer
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posted on July 29, 2001 11:50:40 PM new
I am curious as to what hydromorphone is...Vicodin is like sugar pills to me now. To get going in the morning I take a percocet, a muscle relaxer and 4 Advils. All that does is take the edge off anymore. I get very tolerant of drugs very quickly.  Now they have me on something that's supposed to help deaden the nerves, isn't doing a damn thing!
So if that explains KRS and Gravid, does that mean I can be a royal b!*ch?? I think if anything I get quieter when I'm hurting more. Takes too much energy to talk/type. Although some days my husband might argue with that, LOL! Oh, and they've sent me back to work even though the pain isn't under control. Want to start up a pool to see how long before I go back out on leave??
~^~  Hippy wannabe  ~^~
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gravid
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:13:40 AM new
I am embarrassed I got my bottle and I have the Hydrocodone not the Hydromorphone and it is 7.5 % not 4%. Don't know how different they are but would like to know.
Does anyone take the Oxy -- whatever time release morphine that is being abused by crushing it to get around the time release feature?
I think you should demand to see a doctor who has recent training in pain control Mouse. Not many docs have really had much instruction in that area and they find it easy just to put it on the patient to tough it out.
[ edited by gravid on Jul 30, 2001 12:17 AM ]
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krs
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:17:31 AM new
Gravid,
I posted that mostly for you remembering a previous thread about such compounds and your comments. That's a paragraph from my email to my main guy describing my reactions to the stuff and putting forth a minor hustle for more, and as I finished it I thought that perhaps you had not heard of or been treated with this one. I can recommend it.
The usefulness of all of them lessen over time but for me for the interim the drug is, ummm, pleasant.
It's a difficult drug to obtain as it's quite in demand for illicit purposes, but for the enduring, wracking, and tortuous pain of a broken heart I find it makes life almost endurable again.
edited in light of Gravid's embarrassment.
[ edited by krs on Jul 30, 2001 12:19 AM ]
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ZiLvY
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:19:18 AM new
Good meds, krs is waxing poetic...and grinning!
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gravid
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:21:28 AM new
If you want to talk about the broken heart I won't make fun of it. Knees are just to stand on. Hearts are another matter.
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krs
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:25:05 AM new
No, I was kidding about that, imagining a Monday morning overload in offices of doctors across the land swamped by AW women seeking relief from the effect which you've had upon them, Gravid.
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gravid
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:29:07 AM new
Yup - just a sloppy big 'ol heart breaker.
Got one that likes me OK and we have been together for 29 years so I think it's pretty stable. I crashed the Black Honda Saturday and pretty sure I totalled it and did not hurt her I am happy to say.
Turned into a BIG Green Cadillac nose to nose and he did have to be taken to the hospital.
Air bag abraded and twisted his arm. She was bruised from the belt but our bags did not deploy. I hit on my head so I am OK.
[ edited by gravid on Jul 30, 2001 12:33 AM ]
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krs
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:37:03 AM new
Hope the Honda is totalled. They're never the same after being fixed.
Here's one description of this stuff. It's MUCH better than Hydrocodone.
http://www.nursing.uiowa.edu/sites/PedsPain/Opioids/Dilaudit.htm
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MouseSlayer
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:48:17 AM new
Gravid, part of the problem is I am seeing a pain specialist. But since I'm on so many different medications, he wants my regular doctor to prescribe everything. I presume so it's all in one place and no one loses track of what I'm taking and when I last got it. Makes sense to me. But what baffles and frustrates me is that the pain specialist recommended 2 new different meds to try. One of them is the nerve drug (Neurontin) and the other I guess is a combo pain pill/muscle relaxer.
But for some reason my regular doctor is reluctant to give me that one. I don't know why since I've told him the percocets aren't doing the job and my pain is increwasing again. I asked for at least a stronger dose so I could possibly take them less often (I'm pretty much taking them every 4 hours, if I can wait that long). Instead, he writes the Rx for 2X a day! If he's not more receptive this next visit, I'm going to bypass him altogether and just deal with the pain speacialist because I can't stand it anymore. Another thing that drives me mad is that he hints around that he thinks it's in my head. That pisses me off! He seems to think it's because I hate my job. Well, um, if I was gone for a year, why didn't the pain go away?!?
I think the other one you're thinking of is Oxycontin? A friend with a messed up back too is on that one. I asked him about that one too and he shrugged it off. But if he honestly thought the pain was in my head, do you think he'd still write me prescriptions for narcotic pain relievers?? Sheesh!
So Krs, what is hydromorphone??
~^~ Hippy wannabe ~^~
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gravid
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posted on July 30, 2001 12:54:19 AM new
Maybe I will ask for that. My doctor always asks if I am getting along OK with what I have. It does sound like I would still need a second dose if I have an active evening planned.
We went to our doctor's office after the wreck and he just told my wife to take my meds if the bruise on her sternum kept her awake.
I will never trust the car to be reliable after it has been hit this hard. It is only worth about 4k wholesale so I can't see repairing it but sometimes they surprise you.
Made me feel bad - I never dinged one so hard I could not drive it home before. They drove it up on a flat bed because the tires were free to turn OK, but the radiator was busted.]
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gravid
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posted on July 30, 2001 01:01:33 AM new
I can't understand why there should be any question of whether you really feel pain or not. When my wife had chronic pain in her shoulder they were able to test and see if the nerves were really sending a pain message. I think I would ask your pain guy to suggest a doctor that will work with him and be real up front that the other is minimizing the problem. Sounds like he is covering his butt more than treating you.
Finally cool enough to snooze again - night all.......
[ edited by gravid on Jul 30, 2001 01:03 AM ]
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krs
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posted on July 30, 2001 01:11:58 AM new
Mouseslayer,
If you've ever given your doctor(s) any hint that you may be contemplating a claim for any benefits, or if there's anything in your history which a doctor could become aware of that indicates an addictive personality they will always be reluctant to prescribe analgesic opiates. They're afraid of court and they're suspicious of motives.
You should understand that many if not most doctors are bombarded with requests for painkilling substances by some very clever people who want them for reasons other than their own pain. It does unfortunately affect their treatment of people with real need, particularly if those people's conditions which bring their pain are not quite clinically obvious. Consider that there is no real way to determine whether or how much back pain a person may experience, for example, as soft tissue damage won't be readily apparent throught usual testing methods. Also, in many cases the pain IS partly the patient's fault, using your word. Again with back pain, there are several specific methods of treatment that are often wholly effective, but they require a committment on the part of the patient to do those things which can bring relief.
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enchanted
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posted on July 30, 2001 04:16:53 AM new
krs and gravid, sorry you have so much pain.
I caught that grin, krs!
Dilaudin is potent stuff, so I hear. Careful with that Ken.
I am fortunate not to need any pain medication myself. I feel very lucky compared to the comments from others on this thread who deal with a lot of pain on a daily basis.
Oxycontin is highly addictive and illegal use of it has caused several deaths in our area.
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Hjw
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posted on July 30, 2001 07:41:19 AM new
I checked your link and recognize the brand name of the drug, Dilaudid. My daughter used to combine it with heroin. She fell under the category of clever people who want them for reasons other than their own pain.
Your dosage sounds reasonable to me for severe pain. Doctors are generally on the very conservative side in prescribing pain medication. Recently, they prescribed Vicodin to my husband for severe kidney stone pain which of course did not work.
Hope the new dosage continues to be effective.
Helen
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ZiLvY
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posted on July 30, 2001 07:48:26 AM new
Good Morning Helen, a gentle {{{hug}}} for pain that a pill can't reach.
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