My Oxycodone Is Not Working, What Do I Do? (Page 2)

I have been on opiates for over 10 years now and after refining the dosage amount finally found at sweet zone at 135mgs Morphine per day. I made a big mistake and asked my Dr if I could get rid of the day time Morphine and try something that would not be so sedative during the day. I was switched to Oxycodone from Morphine (not what I asked). The Oxycodone absolutely sucks as it only works for about 3 hours. I have asked several ways to get it changed and have now found myself being compromised. By me asking so deliberately they have now said they are taking all opiates away! I am freaking out, I am in tears in the morning and have to double dose in the AM to be able to not want to just give up. I started to argue with the Dr. and was just told there is nothing to do as that is the decision. They are tapering down 25mg each month. I do not want to be reduced but do not know what to do. This is the Veterans Administration and I'm just so freaked I do not know what to do. I am at my wit's end, please give advice.

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Hi Jeff. I am the vet that was taken off all pain meds about a year ago for no reasons, just stopped. I did what some of these caring people said and went to search for doctors. Finally found an understanding older pain management doc, he saw the pain I was in and the films, ct scans, x-rays, and multiple mri's done by outside providers bc the VA really is a death trap for really sick people. He wrote me the rx's I needed to help with my suffering. Now pay attention and be mentally prepared, because after you receive your necessary to live rx's you will run into another brick wall, called the Pharmacist. "I don't feel comfortable filling this rx, or we don't carry that medicine (I am personally guilty of that answer, I've been a Pharmacist for 32 years), or I'll order that for you, it will take a week for delivery... big BS, they can get it in max 2 days. Though when you return in a week they were shorted that medication, try next week..... until you die or just go away. Just so you know how hard it can be, I trained many of these "Pharmacists" and they still refuse to dispense pain meds to me. I must have failed somewhere when I was trying to teach focus and concentration, I forgot to make them human with a dash of empathy and a little compassion. But the end all, is when one of them says I am just trying to protect my license. Why have a license if you don't dispense? Just be prepared to spend some time finding a good pharmacist and make him or her understand that this will be the only pharmacy you will go to and to please have a supply in hand each month for your needs.

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Hi Jeff , I feel for you after being on pain meds for nearly 30 years I have learnt also it's not always in our favour to be honest talking to doctors etc I have been where you are , what I did was change doctors knowing the doctor I changed to would give me the pain meds I needed I like you take them for pain but once the doctors think you are abusing the drug they turn into unreasonable people that have little time for you and just won't you off the drug completely to be honest Jeff don't tell the docs the truth as you have learnt the hard way I am praying for you hope you get back on the right meds .Would a pain doctor like pain clinic ? Ragee

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Jeff I have been to the pain panel docs through the VA and I was shocked at the stupidity of their decisions. They actually said " if you do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome, that's the definition of insanity." I don't want a different outcome, I want the same outcome, abate my suffering for as long as possible, let me live or let me die. I have helped close to 2 million people over my 30+ years as a Pharmacist, all I need is some help now. I hope you are the lucky one in the VA and get the help you need.

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I'm so sad to hear this. They are doing this because you are "acting like" an addict. I've been cut back to 45mg ER morphine, total, per 24 hrs. This act has bedridden me for over a year. If I say anything I'm cut back 15mg for 2 months. I was allowed 1 vicodan per day for breakthrough but it makes me sick so they took it away. The days when you could discuss med changes or voice an opinion are long past. You must calm down or you will be even worse off very quickly, like me. If you are seeing a package ask to see the doc but DO NOT BECOME EMOTIONAL. DO NOT ARGUE, DO NOT BEG FOR HELP WITH PAIN. You will be mislabeled. Gently, calmly, rationally explain that miscommunication on your part has messed up the effectiveness of pain control and ask, ask, that you be allowed to gradually return to the previous dose, which worked better than you thought and they were right all along in their original treatment. Now u must be patient, ask for very little at a time. Ask for help on returning to your previous level of pain free functioning. Never rock the boat again. Never try to discuss issues or make big changes. Go in and be as positive as you can. On your paperwork indicate your increased level of pain. Be honest, be consistent, but never contradict or argue or beg for the real help you need. They aren't trained to detect REAL pain sufferers, just addictive behavior. That the tears and anguish and fear look the same most often on the outside doesn't matter. They will mislabeled you and the more you hurt, lose hope, plead for help the more likely the will be to think addictive behavior, not, patient in need of help so they can have a life worth living. Any for ALL of you lying, sneaking, self absorbed REAL addicts out there who are responsible for this new hell you're putting real, physical, chronic pain suffers through, I pray you rot in hell.

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OH have I been there, addicted to opiates for years. I have chronic pain. I went to my Dr for them. Your tolerance is going to go up to the point where nothing helps except a shot of dilaudid at the ER. Me, I was tired and always ran out, so my Dr put me on a Suboxone. I am down to a quarter a day with 800 imp. I have to say it won't get better. I feel great when I exercise regularly. I wish u luck.

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Jeff first and foremost thank you for your services for our country, my family and I are in your debt! Secondly I know what you're going through as I had degenerative disc disease, had surgery which failed, was sent to a pain clinic which got me addicted to pain meds which brought me to a methadone clinic where I finally found my release from pain. Now that brings me to my point, be careful going to pain clinics because they can be just overpriced drug dealers and keep you trapped, but they can help you with what you need to survive. I know that sounded weird and it is but the pain clinic I went to couldn't help me find the right combination of pain meds to function. So they gave up on me and just kept me on a cocktail of Oxycontin, Morphine & Oxycodone which I became used to so they stopped working and that's how I became an addict. I started finding ways to hurt myself even more to get sent to the hospital in hopes I could get more pain meds. I literally was about to find them through other means when I found my methadone clinic and they saved my life. So I'm telling you this to let you know Jeff you have options and you will get the relief you're looking for. Methadone despite what 1 person said on here is not an opiate, it's an opiate blocker, but it still helps very much with my pain and it lasts all day. So don't give up, you have options and I will pray for you.

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Well ive read what he had to say however maybe hes not telling us everthing doctors dont take pain meda without a reason ive been on oxy for 10 yrs i am able to disguss anything with my doctor weather somethings working or not if not we change seems like theres more to this story than meets the eye so to speak

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I feel your pain. The VA is the worse, I was getting my oxycodone from a VA Doctor and I was on a regiment of 6 10-325 a day. I went in for a scheduled appt and to get a refill and without notice I was cut down to 4, 5-325 per day. He said it was a new regulation and that's the best he could do. So now, not only did he cut down the amount of pills per day he cut the milligrams in half, and that did not help whatsoever. I've had four back surgeries and have been left with numbness all the way down the back of my leg and into my foot and the pain is unbearable. My suggestion to you is find a pain management Dr. that dispenses morphine or the oxycodone (prescription), and that's a question you can ask when you are calling around, they will tell you if they do or not. They are out there, they are limited to what they can but they are out there. It's beyond me that they can't help the people that really need this medicine like myself, it's as if they have been worn that if they write a prescription for the house they will lose their license, it's ridiculous. Good luck.

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It is very hard not to go ballistic as to think of the reality of how I am going to hurt, well they are breaking their promise to me. I am not to break my promise, but they can. You are right though, I realized it too late.

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What I stated was the whole truth. I asked my pain Dr. If I could try and replace the 30sr Morphine during day to not feel tired? He was and is a great guy. Well we tried oxycodone during the day and it was a horrible experience. When I saw him again he said I will work with you to find the right mix if possible. Well then my kidney function went wacky. Primary Dr said no Morphine and put me on straight oxycodone IR. Wow bad choice, as it's 3 hours per dose. Well when I made effort to reach my pain mgt Dr., my primary care physician decided to start the process of what I stated earlier. That is nothing more nothing less! Do not assume the worst about people. I even going from 270+ MGS of morphine down to 90mgs and have never even felt any body or mental withdrawal. My body is use to it because it does give relief.

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After reading many posts of people that live in severe pain, and the Dr just says, I'm not prescribing you any more of your meds you have been taking for years, then automatically stop, can kill some people. So does any one want to bring up that part of stopping pain sufferers? Does anyone realize that they could possibly die, being denied pain medicine? I have many things illnesses, i have been disabled since 06/2006 and now after all these years i have my pain in a controlled condition. And i only take 1ER tablet in a 12hr period. and BTP medication 4 times daily. I have always taken my meds exactly the way its written on the label, no more, no less. What makes me mad is finally years of trying this and trying that, I have had livable pain control, and now get it wiped away in a minute. Does anyone worry about withdrawals or what the alternative will be?? NO, nothing is written or said about this nightmare a person will go thru and most likely will not live through. I had two sisters younger then me, both with disabling back problems, back surgeries x 3 with one sister and 1 with the other which put both in even more severe pain then what they had in the beginning. Well, both couldn’t deal with the pain, Dr’s wouldn’t help them, so they killed themselves. Yes, they both committed suicide. Now with all the severe chronic back pain, leg & Knee pain, Fibro, so bad i can even participate in intercourse with my husband. I am dead serious. RCPD came from a failed surgery on my left knee, couldn’t find anything wrong, so labeled me with RSD, later found out it was not in my head, now its called RCPD/RCPS. I cant have back surgery as i will have the RCPS in the back even worse then the pain i have to this date. I live every single day in such pain, child birth was nothing compared to the pain i have day to day. And i had natural child birth with all 3. RA in both hands, and RCPS in the left leg and foot.

After being seen by 9 ortho surgeons in San Diego, all agreed that was the reason my knee was in such horrible pain. After numerous letters to the Surgeon General, we were able to see a non bias Ortho surgeons (2) at Naval Hospital, San Diego. After 2 months of treatments and therapy, MRI, Cat Scans, They said I had RCPD. Again, asking what that was, same as the other 9 Doctors. So, at that time, I was referred to a pain management specialist. After many appointments, he prescribed me Oxycodone and Percocet. Which made me nauseated all the time. But first, i forgot to say, i had the pills for almost 2 weeks, trying to talk myself out of taking the first one. I really had a hard time asking myself, do you need these? Then after the pain got so severely bad I finally broke down and took one Percocet. It helped a bit,not all the way, good but helped. I limited my self for months and after 13 hours in a ER room, sticking huge needles through my knee, seeing if i had any infection. It came back clear. So, they said just keep taking my medication and 2 weeks bed rest, I should be fine. WRONG!!! It got even worse. I had just received a promotion with the government in VA, and I had to come back home as i couldn’t do the job. I could barely walk. It was so bad, I asked the Dr if he would just cut off my leg above the knee. His reply, no you will just get the RCPS there and it would be even worse then it was now. I wanted to just die. I hurt so bad i wanted to die. But my daughter said, Mom if you do anything, taking my life, she would not come to my funeral. For some reason that really hurt my heart. My children are grown thank god, as if i were still raising them i wouldn’t be able too. After 6 months i was put in a disability status, i fought that one, but had 3 Dr’s and a Supervisors saying I was a liability to the company.

My life was over, no one wanted me, and i can even get out of bed. The pain was debilitating and couldn’t understand why no one would help me. They said there was nothing else they could do for me. Then being told i would live the rest of my life on pain medications, so i could have some QUALITY OF LIFE. After all the years of trail of this and that, spinal stimulation twice, put me in more pain. PT till they threw their hands up and said NO MORE, Epidurals was my best friend then insurance wouldn’t cover, unbelievable. Then finally on only two medications and i can enjoy my life to the fullest. AND NOW THEY WANT TO TAKE IT ALL AWAY. What in world am i going to do??? Just because of criminals selling and abusing the medication, we all have to suffer. Tell me WHY, With the techniques this country has, and you cant pick them out??? I ask you, why pick on the people that take them the way the Dr says to take them. Why are we being punished. Its so unfair it makes me ill. At one time there were no problems with this medication. If you do what your doing to innocent pain sufferers, your going to have a higher number of deaths, then the ones who abuse and sell their medications. God, help you if you become a pain patient and have to live everyday and night in pain, you would have cut your own throats. This is so unfair, its unbelievable. You have much larger problems then this epidemic. I want someone to explain to me, why it has to be done this way. What rights do the severe pain sufferers have?? Please answer the questions? I bet you cant. BTW, I have sent this letter to President Trump. Hopefully he will actually read it. God Bless and hope things get better.

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Well, I am glad the doctor you have seems to be a good person. I have too many cooks in the kitchen.

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I believe you are right that he needs to seek out a different doctor. If it is possible, if he has Medicare he should leave the VA for his pain treatment. The VA is cutting everyone off. I know someone who is disabled after an injury in the Navy that broke his neck and back and almost kill him and they have taken him off all opiates. Yes a lot of these doctors are cutting back including mine, but for most people and those that have been on these meds for a very long time without any problems they are not taking us off of them completely. I have been on a high dose of narcotics for more than fifteen years now. To be very honest, I have some debilitating issues and this year my insurance company which is a Medicare HMO; made my Dr give them an authorization for my opiates because I am over that equivalent of 95 mg of morphine. I have never had to have an authorization before and I have ban on basically the same medications except for the short-acting ones that he took away; except for when I had a morphine pump implanted. It is strange because they want us off of these medications so they can be sure we will not sell them or do the wrong things with them but my insurance would not authorize me to have another morphine pump because it was too expensive. To be very honest I was on the equivalent of approx. 550 mg of morphine and the pain DR. did wean me down by about 125 mg equivalent by reducing my short-acting medications. He did that before my insurance asked for the pre-authorization and told me he needed to do this or he was afraid he could easily lose his license to practice medicine. From what he told me it is the short-acting ones that people are selling for a lot of money and it is those that most doctors want to take you off of. He told me I was free to try and find another doctor but I knew he was telling me the truth. I also know that I'm still on a great deal of medication and wish it were not the case It was not easy and I no longer do housework at all even though my equivalence of morphine is just under 425 milligrams. When they reduce your medications; unless you have gotten better, you have to make life changes. I don't know what I would do if he had taken all of my medication away from me and not been able to find another doctor help me. I'm afraid I would probably get one of my prescriptions before he weaned me off completely and end my life with it. I guess I'm saying that I absolutely know how you are feeling and you absolutely have to see another doctor. Do it as quickly as possible! When you see another doctor my suggestion is not to tell him what you want for your pain. Instead tell him what has worked for you and what has not worked for you and go from there! You are not that far over the numbers and I really do believe that you will be able to find another doctor when you start looking! I would not tell you that if I didn't believe it! Please keep us informed.

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Not only is the va cutting off pain meds... the federal govt is attacking opiates like the drug is the criminal... rather than realizing that criminals are the problem... and punishing the criminal because the govt doesnt want to pick up the cost or the rath of civil rights groups (that obviously dont care about the rights of those non-criminals that suffer w/ chronic pain) so they pass laws to infringe on the rights of the law abiding citizens.... in this case the right to have medical care for your pain... All the lip service for a national medical insurance law yet they refuse service to law abiding patients and punish them for the behaviour of criminals and if you say anything they say see you must be an addict thus you need the drug that helps and are removed from your medical regiment..... Start calling your elected govt officiails and ask them why they know more than the dr about your condition when they never went to medical school and if they did they've never seen you as a patient. Tell them to punish the drs abusing the law for gain. Give them 20 years max and make them work in prison hospitals and give patients 5yr minimum and 5000 hours community service when they get out. Someone needs to find lawyer that will fight for all of us with a major legal case against any and all that are causing the refusal of medical care and those causing that action to become way too commonplace.... Guess i went off on a tangent.

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Yea never ask for anything when they ask you then you can tell them ,I am not sure what do you suggest. It's very hard to get back.thats called a red flag dr. Is going out of business or he got caught and in trouble with someone.i suggest you start looking for another dr.i am in Texas we were told pain mgmt Drs only I took me over a yr had to pay cash to a few quackery Drs until my insurance company and if you can find pain mgmt with their own pharmacy grab it.they are getting ready to cut us off need to start reading up on it .trump wants to get rid of pain meds too many deaths.drs are also trying to control the qty you take .i take oxycodone 10mgs x 4 a day and morphing sulfate er 10 mgs 2x a day ,that 60 mg per day they want to change and try get you to control that mg per day at least by 10 mgs and keep cutting back so start looking up info,cuz d-day is coming and they are GONNA TRY AND TAKE OUR MEDICATION AWAY! My dr told me to start with local legislators and find out what's up cuz I cannot have surgery and I hurt with and without meds but at least I can get out of bed a few days a week.good luck with everything hope info helped.if you find a good dr.and be honest with them,tell them if it's a good dr they will listen,and I don't know why but male Drs are better I had several female Drs never again!!!!

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Short update, as I shared I went off to the patient advocate at VA. Not sure if that was the kick, but I saw a pain mgt Dr yesterday and they went back to 90mgs, 2 30mgs long acting and 2 15mgs IR. I am still worried that it will not cover my pain as the best was at 150mgs. My goal is to find out WHY I hurt so damn bad. I had a scare the other day as when I moved the pain was so bad I was blind for about 5/10 minutes. Like a white sheet over my eyes. That was a bad morning!

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I have been thru a forced withdrawal, Feb 1, 2016 until March 8, 2016. I was on total of 330 mg of er/ir morphine per day rebuilding a decent, somewhat productive life after I was crushed from shoulders to hips in auto accident. My pelvis was rebuilt, hips, lumbar fusion, metal plate to attach pelvis to spine, new shoulders, decent rib repairs, lost half of a lung, extensive nerve damage. My neck needed fused, c2 thru 6, but a neck brace and time put that on the back burner. Had I not been in top physical condition at the time I wouldn't be here. Anyway I had successfully weaned myself down to less than 1/10 of the opiates I was on when I finally left the hospital. 5 years later I was caring for myself, walking, moving on the best i could. 330mg just worked for me. I was strict at doing what & how my doc wanted. Then the new guidelines for my state were put into place Jan, 2016. Note i had never used legal or illegal drugs in my life. I did not drink. I loved life. With new guidelines my doc told me he feared the suicides that would come & was moving away. His office would find me a new doc. He was sorry. I got 30 days of med refills but new doc would not see me for 2 months and would not accept me on such a dangerous level of opioids anyway. After my meds ran out i was thrown into hell. It did almost kill me. I spent that month in a hospital where my broken body tried to shut down. I remember horrific, gut wrenching pain. Happily I don't remember 3 weeks of that hell. I had further damaged my neck & lost the use of my arms and hands. I was taken, opiate free, by ambulance, to see my new doc. Being transported and made to sit in a wheelchair was torture and I became shock. My no was 175/110 pulse 130. He offered me a choice; 10mg, 3 day phentenol patches and 1 vico or 1 15 er morphine 2x day and 1 vico as breakthrough. Pick. I'm allergic to glue on patches & phentenol hates me. So does any vico. I picked the morphine. I'm now confined to my bed. I have many days where I can only cry or scream from pain. My daughter has to waste her life caring for me. I'm slowly losing my mind. I'm very weak. I don't believe in suicide. I have no hope, just endless days of torture. At this rate I will die soon. But seared into my mind is the torture of withdrawal. The physical & emotional damage it inflicted. I would have happily weaned down, done anything my new doc wanted. That was cruel and inhumane to treat me like that, but he does that with all new patients. If I see another pain doc that's "doc shopping" and violates my pain contract. So many good pain clinics r closed now. Suicides r frequent. Marijuana is legal for anyone over 18 and this state offers assisted suicide. I hate marijuana. I tried the pain version at my doc's urging. It was a horrible experience. I'm just s.o.l.

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I will pray, prayer works. I feel stupid even complaining with stories such as yours. Stress does kill and no quality of life does as well. That all scares me, I am 2 days almost 3 opiate free. It is not right at all, I have seriously thought about opiates. That kind of tells you where I am at, so ignorant and inhuman. I don't want to live if I have to be in such pain, they just didn't get it. I am not sure what I am going to do if 90mgs don't control it. I do pray they can figure some of this out. What has started a while back is skin Hypersensitivity of abdomen, like WAY bad. God be with all of us.

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To Roro...No, you did not go off on a tangent. I thought I was the only complainer abt this. I just spent my 6th day in bed as my pain management dr discontinued my breakthru med & cut dwn my milligrams of my pain med due to the feds new ruling. I keep asking how the government can legally & ethically get involved in my personal health care. And why must I, a law abiding pain patient, who does not abuse meds, have to suffer due to the fault of the addicts. Not right, not fair or ethical. And who is going to fight for us. I have sent letters to our representatives, to the National Pain Association & to other sites. I received replies from them all, but to no avail. Who is going to do a thing abt it. We just increase the depression medication & save up enough meds, lay in bed til that one day comes & you just cant take it anymore & Boom..pop em all & get it ovr with. I would like to see them suffer in pain, maybe then their attitude would change. Anyway, I hear ya guy, I feel the same way, & we are helpless. All the Best!

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Jordan S. Florida is the worst place to be in the years following 2010, there are no more pill mills thank God. Folks coming in numbers like they did hurt Floridians that suffer real pain. I saw it with my own eyes

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