83 Year Old Mom Addicted To Oxycodone

My mom is addicted to oxycodone. Her doctor prescribes her 30 mg - 6/pills a day. She has done this for years due to back and hip pain. Surgery is not an option. I have taken over her meds and only give her what the doctor prescribes because she would take more than 6 a day and then run out before she could get any more. She also takes aspirin, tylenol, ibuprofen, advil etc. Her doctor has told her not to take other pain meds as it will destroy her internal organs over time. She will not listen to anyone! She complains constantly of hurting from her chest to stomach area and feel sure it is from the many pain meds she takes. What can be done?

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Hi Lisa,

Sorry to hear about your mom's situation.

It really sounds like her tolerance has peaked with the medications she's been taking.

In order to lessen her tolerance, she would essentially have to talk to her doctor about switching over to something else for a period of time (to change things up). If what she's current taking just isn't working as well anymore, there's really no point in continuing to take it, in my opinion.

Has she tried any kind of natural or alternative treatment options (i.e. cannabis, essential oils, acupuncture, etc) that may be used as an adjunctive therapy to what she's already taking?

I hope this helps!

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There is a difference between addiction and dependence: your mother falls into the latter category. It seems that her pain is not being adequately managed by her current medication. Different opiate medications attach to different receptors in the brain, which is why changing to a different opiate may alleviate her pain. The Fentanyl Duragesic Patch could be a good option for her: it only needs to be changed every 48 to 72 hours, depending on the patient, and provides a continuous level of medication without taking multiple pills a day. A Tegaderm Film dressing can be placed over top to prevent the patch from accidentally falling off the often dry skin of the elderly. An anti depressant medication such as Cymbalta or low dosage Tricyclics may also help with the way the brain perceives pain signals.

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I know this is an old post but the stomach problems are probably more related to the digestion issues that pain medication causes. Constipation is number 1 and you might throw in a stool softener with the pain meds a couple times a day

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Thank you PDoc!!! Thank you for knowing the difference between addiction and dependence! I know this thread is old and it's really so sad to think of a daughter assuming her elderly mother is drug addicted. Just really heartbreaking!!

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