Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 10) (Top voted first)

Has anyone else known oxycontin to rot the teeth? I used to be on vicodin until my doctor told me I needed to switch to a morphine based meds. She put me on ms contin but I had problems with it so she put me on 80mg oxycontin. Eventually my body built up a tolerance so she kept raising it, i have am now on from 4-6 per day of the 80mg tabs. It scares me that this is what rotted my teeth because only 5 yrs ago i had only 2 cavities that needed filling and then only 1 yr after going on the oxycontin i had to have all my top front teeth pulled as they where rotting from the inside out the dentist said my mouth looked like a heroin addict's mouth looks. He said it was shocking to him that normally he only saw such damage from someone who abused drugs with so much dental damage, but i have never done any street drugs and have only take my meds as prescribed to me. Now i have lost 80% of my teeth and as a beautiful 41 yr old mother its devastating. I cant afford dentures and sure cant afford implants like i would like to have. I am a single mother and refuse to date because i have lost my teeth now, i had beautiful teeth before i started on the oxycontin and only 2 small cavities that needed filling. Does anyone else have this same problem and if so why hasn't the company making oxycontin warn patients of this possible problem?

If i had known this would cause me to lose most of my teeth i would have never agreed to go on it. Of course my family doctor who has been prescribing them tells me she hasn't heard of any other cases, yet when i researched the med online there where others like this why hasn't something been put in the warnings about this med, i sure would have preferred to have lived in pain the rest of my life rather than lose my teeth and be unable to even eat now. My health has gone downhill fast as i cant even chew foods necessary for good health. All I can eat now are yogurts, and liquid type of foods which isn't much. My kids are 7 and 9 yrs old and they watch me cry when we go out to eat and they order steak, and i can smell it but can't order one as i know i wont be able to chew it. This is so devastating for me. I want teeth so badly if i could wish for anything in life besides not to be poor anymore it would be to have a full set of real teeth or implants but i could never dream of having them, and i don't know anyone out there willing to just help me get any either. I have always helped others all my life, but cant even help myself, i have had to have 29 surgeries now since 1991 when a drunk driver hit my car and caused me major injuries with my lower back and knees, i have had a full lower back fusion and 8 arthroscopic knee surgeries until a year ago they finally had to do a full right knee replacement and now they are talking about doing my left knee soon.

So my life has been up and down with surgeries and i would go thru one more surgery just to have teeth implanted if i could. but i could never afford it, but i would like to know why these drug manufacturers are making a medication that could cause teeth to rot like this without warning us patients or even warning the doctors about it. This is just terrible of them i think, as now i am the one paying for this by having no teeth to eat with at such a young age now. I am a vibrant young 41 yr old at 5'3, 120lbs, slim woman, nice looking too as i was a model in my younger days, so i keep my looks up. But to have no teeth now... I never smile anymore, I am to ashamed to smile even though it wasn't my fault i lost my teeth. I think they should pay for me to have new teeth but no one wants to admit that the med causes it, but my diet wasn't the problem back when i started the medication and i wasn't drinking coca-cola either or doing street drugs so i know that wasn't the cause either. The only thing that changed within one year to cause this was starting the oxycontin medication. Well, if anyone out there can help me let me know thanks.

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This is exactly right. I too have extreme dry mouth secondary to medication. I also had perfect teeth and have since lost 3 teeth because of the dry mouth. The biotin only works for 20 min at a time. I find chewing gum works best for me and my dry mouth. Good luck.

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Seagazer..... I'm appalled that you would insult everyone and their serious dental situations by your heartless and uninformed comments. You've obviously not only not done any research on the subject but, WORSE, you've summarily dismissed every person on this forum who've bared their souls, their feelings and their awful dental experiences after years of battling unimaginable pain that, for the most part, could only be treated (and most of the time not well) with opiate pain medication! Please keep your negative and judgemental comments to yourself and thank the Lord that you don't have to deal with even a fraction of the pain, both physical and emotional, that most all of us have had to for YEARS!

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I have had back surgery, a lung surgery, a stomach surgery, and I just broke my neck in a bad car wreck. I'm in pain but I never take oxcontin or morphine at home. When I leave the hospital all i get is norco 10mg. It's not the best but it takes the edge off. I hate to say this cause I care, but you are on your way to bad life. Stop taking the other stuff. Take norco of percocet. No doctor should write that. I know some pain tech. {edited for privacy}

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May i suggest you try Lyrica then. This is not an opiate and it DOES rot teeth. Just because a pharma company pays doctors to promote their products does not mean they are decent or good. Usually the products are too new for market and long term problems are not determined, and by the time they may be looked into, the patients who were prescribed the toxins they are led to believe -by trusted healthcare workers- are all well and good, the damage is already done and the patients are blamed for medical negligence. It's the way of the pharma/medical world. Use your resources. Search, read, ask, and when you think you know enough, search, read and ask some more. Medications and the doctors paid to distribute them are never as clean cut and dried as they seem. You need to stay alert...and aware!

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Dentist makes more money off your dental problems by not telling you!

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I love that you are taking up for the person above but you are because someone judged disabled people. As a former addict, you have not walked in my shoes. You don't know how people get addicted. Some of us got addicted because we had a surgery and were given pain meds. The American Medical Association and big pharma are out to make a buck and keep us sick. It's all a big cycle that we will never be able to break out of. There is freedom and deliverance in Christ Jesus...He can heal you of your pain, sickness, and disease. If you don't want to take the meds...cry out to the Lord...He is the great physician. I don't even know why I commented on this except that I believe it is something that you need to hear. GOD bless you all <3

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Did you read any of my post opiate pills that cause dry mouth will cause tooth decay. My moms a dentist and I can give you numbers you can call to get the proof. I can't post X rays on here so tell me what kind of proof u need and I'll try to provide it.

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Hello Angela, My name is Steve, and im in the same boat as you. ( Except im a guy and my daughter is 24 and on her own). I severely injured by ankle/foot about 14-15 years ago due to a bad fall down some stairs on the cruise ship i used to work on. I missed a step due to a child passenger playing with a hacky-sack and ended up launching forward, sitting on my ankle which was locked in the stair gap and then somersaulting forward a few times down the stairs. My ankle broke like a big tree splitting in half, i also severely dislocated the joint, ripped all the nerves all around my ankle and foot and broke the joint bigtime. This created a swelling that lasted just about a year and entire foot and lower leg/shin was black as night and my foot/ankle was the size of a basketball pretty much.

I started taking pain meds soon after due to the severe chronic nerve damage, nerve pain - ( C.R.P.S. - Chronic regional pain syndrome ) and chronic Osteo-Arthritis and Tendonitis. I also have a deteriorating Talus bone in my ankle joint and keep needing surgery every bunch of years now to clean out chunks of bone that keep breaking off into my ankle joint causing major tearing inside my ankle, extreme nonstop pain, very limited mobility and ability to walk. Like you im sure, ive seen tons and tons of different doctors, specialists and others etc and they've all said i will have this chronic nerve pain and deterioration of my ankle joint for life. Therefore i told myself years ago to accept it, learn to condition myself to the fact im going to live in severe pain for life and have no choice but to live the best life i can and work to around it with everything i do, period.

For about 5 years i was on oxycontin 3-4 times a day ( 20mg ext rel tabs ), but after a few surgeries and literally years of rehab and every treatment known in the medical field i eventually stopped taking the meds as my pain seemed to calm down over time. A year n half to 2 years later after living a relatively normal life my pain came back with a vengeance and again forced me to start taking pain meds again. This time i had no choice but to not only take more meds, ( due to my very high pain limit and tolerance to drugs period ), but to also take 2 different kinds of opiates. An instant release pill and an extended release pill, mainly to help keep me and my body in balance and to help counteract side affects, up n down med swings and above all else withdrawals from the instant release meds needing to be taken again. I have taken the same two types of opiates again now for approx 7 years and have kept the same dosage also without continuously needing more and constantly bugging my doctor for more and more pills and stronger dosages.

Taking the meds routinely everyday and approx the same times everyday has allowed me to maintain responsibility and balance when pretty much everybody else either cannot, or fails to due to either abuse, or from taking them sporadically or with alcohol and other drugs. I dont drink anymore, or at least very very little and rarely, and i quit all other drugs except once in awhile ill say screw it and go enjoy myself once or twice a year maybe at a music festival or something for fun, but thats literally it.

Now to the point you care about Angela, I have also gone thru major tooth decay and tooth loss like you. I quit drinking pop years ago except here and there but i basically only drink water 24/7 and tea sometimes but no sugary drink if i can help it. My diet isnt the best but i work hard at work and eat well enough to keep me going and i try not to eat crappy fast foods etc if possible but it does happen given the nature of my work as we're all over the place and sometimes its convenient. Approx 2.5 years ago i started having pain in my mouth when i would wake up and went thru oragel ( tooth numbing gel ), and lots and lots of tylenol and advil. I was stressed out and gritting my teeth hard in my sleep as i dreamed ( another opiate side affect is extreme dreaming for some people when they're stressed out apparently ). I wasnt grinding my teeth but i was clenching them really hard and actually cracked a couple one night. I went to the dentist and he ended up pulling 2 teeth which i was pissed about but had no choice but to accept. He also told me i needed some major work and it would cost quite a bit. I started to get depressed and pissed off at the same time and it was then i started looking for answers as to why after years and years i was only now losing my teeth, ( which were well kept, straight and strong ), and why they were in serious trouble all of a sudden. After researching online and talking to some people i also learned that my pain meds were causing my teeth major problems and would continue to cause me to lose my teeth. This reality really hit me hard and i to suffer from the same ill-confident issues as you Angela. I dont smile like i used to, i can only eat on one side and my mouth is always dry and lacking moisture. I drink water constantly all day and night and i always have some kind of mints or whatever on me also. The only difference between us right now Angela is im very very fortunate and blessed to have an amazing mom that is able to help me with my teeth and help me financially as im cannot afford it unless i pay payments over time. ( I do have to pay her back and I am giving her my tax returns and other money as it get it ). This is where you need some help, I can only imagine how stressed out, depressed and above all else out of your mind about such a thing as losing your darn teeth !!!! It hit me hard like i said, ive been told im a good looking man and very attractive all my llfe but not being able to smile or try dating again is breaking me down everyday more and more. I have help and eventually my mouth will be fixed and ill be able to smile again but you are in a different situation right now and need some help by the sounds of it to get yourself back on track in life and back to living your life the best you can given your pain and situation in general. Raising 3 children is crazy hard as it is, nevermind doing it alone and living with chronic pain and a sadness from not being able to express yourself and smile etc.

{edited for privacy}

I live in Vancouver, BC in beautiful western Canada and i believe you're in Michigan i read in one of your posts?? ( Just curious if you're a Detroit Red Wings hockey fan or not ?? Lol ) I love hockey, but then again im Canadian and its in our blood lol. ( I actually thought about telling everyone I lost my teeth playing hockey but everyone knows i cant skate anymore due to my ankle being screwed lol ). I hope we can continue this conversation and figure something out to help you, im very good at finding options in tuff situations and finding ways out of messes and finding solutions to problems. You have a problem and it needs fixing but its not the end of the world Angela, there is ALWAYS a solution and always a way thru very hard and difficult situations, we just have to find it and make it happen for you and we can. I hope to hear from you but if not then i hope at least you see you're not alone and you have somebody here who is also experiencing the same problems, also suffering from chronic never-ending brutal pain and is also feeling the same emotions as you. I'll help you anyway i can.
Keep strong Angela and hope to hear from you soon!!

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I really have SO much more I'd like to say to you regarding your last post, Matthew, but none of it is appropriate on this forum. I will, however, say this... HOW DARE YOU! As far as I'm concerned, take your attitude and try to find another site where self righteousness is welcome. This is a forum where we're hold each other up, listen to each other, and allow everyone to pour their hearts out to one another without fear of being judged or being made little of. I hope you find a forum that will accept your attitude but, knowing as much about the wonderful people here, I don't believe yours necessarily fits in. Good luck to you, however, and thanks for your contribution no matter how inappropriate they've been.

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CHRISTINE: You are right, we are here to help each other. At least that's what it is SUPPOSED to be about. I was certainly not meaning to belittle anyone, and as I said, I think that person was just confused on their dosages.

I also find it inappropriate for people to preach their personal religious beliefs on here. Whatever a person feels about the "afterlife" or whether there is a "god" or not, or what that "god" is called....this is not the forum for it. Just inappropriate. Medication and the various things having to do with said medication. Let's all keep it POSITIVE, and keep it ON TOPIC, eh?

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I agree, KKH, and especially in so far as combining "our" forum's specific POV and its purpose with ANY religious connection whatsoever. In so far as Matthew is concerned, I still feel that his attitude (Mr. Know It All.... Remember his statement re: I know more about medicine.... or words to that effect... than anyone on here.... as well as other similar statements) simply have NO PLACE WHATSOEVER on this forum. What say YOU, MR. MAILMAN?
Thanks, and I wish you the most painless, or better yet, pain FREE, days ahead as possible!!! Christine

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Same thing happened to me but i had no idea the oxcy was the cause almost all of my teeth broke off at the gum line. &Am having the same problems .i want to sue the makers of oxcycontin for this!! If there are many more out there , this could be a class action suite!!!!i hate prescription drugs &big phrama!!!and the drs.arent much better

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I understand what what you are saying. I will be more careful with my words next time.

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Much Appreciated. And thank you for your prompt and sincere reply.
Steve

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I, for one, REALLY APPRECIATED YOUR POST! THANK YOU! Christine
Also regarding your reply to Lissy... I can agree 100% with your excellent description of the difference between the needs of the addict versus the pain management patient. I'm allowed to take up to 12 30mg tabs of Oxycontin a day yet, when I have a fairly good pain day I may start out only talking three and maybe three more later in the day. Plus, and from the very beginning, I've NEVER EVER felt anything other than pain relief - no euphoria, it doesn't make me feel excited, nothing at all! The only occasional thing it does to me is makes my nose itch! LOL! Thus, I can take it or leave it unless my pain level dictates that I take some to ease my pain and allow me to be more productive during the day. I also can't take ANY anytime after early evening as I'll end up not being able to fall asleep but, if my pain is intolerable, I might have to make that sacrifice and at least I'll watch TV, read, or find something to do all night without pain. Fortunately that doesn't happen very often.

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Also regarding your reply to Lissy... I can agree 100% with your excellent description of the difference between the needs of the addict versus the pain management patient. I'm allowed to take up to 12 30mg tabs of Oxycontin a day yet, when I have a fairly good pain day I may start out only talking three and maybe three more later in the day. Plus, and from the very beginning, I've NEVER EVER felt anything other than pain relief - no euphoria, it doesn't make me feel excited, nothing at all! The only occasional thing it does to me is makes my nose itch! LOL! Thus, I can take it or leave it unless my pain level dictates that I take some to ease my pain and allow me to be more productive during the day. I also can't take ANY anytime after early evening as I'll end up not being able to fall asleep but, if my pain is intolerable, I might have to make that sacrifice and at least I'll watch TV, read, or find something to do all night without pain. Fortunately that doesn't happen very often.

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Enough, Lissy! Please! Enough with your form of judgement for those who may not subscribe to your own personal beliefs! We are/should be here to support each other!

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Hello, posters, and for you P450, I appreciate (again) your excellent description/difference between an addict and a responsible pain management patient! I do not agree with Lissy on many levels and even though at one point in my life, about 35+ years ago, I abused drugs but I also came to the realization of what I was doing and where I was headed. I not only stopped but moved almost 500 miles, closer to my family and friend`s support, and easily quit, never to return. Then came the medical issues that forced me (after having attempted virtually every possible alternative first!) into opiate pain relief. I can honestly say that I NEVER ABUSE them there have been MANY MONTHS (including this month) where I have quite a few extra days-worth of pills left over and told my Dr that I didn't need as many for the next month. How many addicts do you know who would ask for less pain pills than more? THAT, my friends, is a true and honest pain management patient and NOT THE BEHAVIOR OF AN ADDICT. I believe both responsibility of the patient (to you!) to be HONEST, as well your PM Dr to be aware of any changes in their patient's dosage/quantity requests to become attentive and note when it's getting out hand and not in keeping with their original pain level, original dosage/strength so that additional treatment and/or intervention might be appropriate. Both patient doctor MUST work together ensure that line isn't crossed.

I SURE HOPE that what you said about the government is paying PM physicians to NOT treat/prescribe pain medications it's not true but, on the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me if it were. If that were true, it would be absolutely heartbreaking for those of us LEGITIMATE pain sufferers who would be unfairly punished for the misdeeds of those who just want to feel "high"! .... Again, something that I've never experienced even with 90mg at a time..... battery to low to continue now..... warm regards to ALL.

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P450METABOLIZER: In fact, I was going to tell YOU to get some "empathy" and not call addicts "dope fiends". Thanks.

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ALL: Could we PLEASE stop with the religion on here? This is a forum about DRUGS, not JESUS or any other religious figure. If you want to discuss religion, there are plenty of forums for that. This is NOT the place for such discussions. A person's religion or lack thereof is a very personal subject, and there are forums which are more appropriate for such things. Saying something like "God bless" at the end of a post is one thing; telling people on here that their recovery should involve them "turning to Jesus" is quite another. Thanks.

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