Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 19)
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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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Hi Christine, You can use 2 or more patches at a time but they come in these doses Duragesic comes in five strengths, which deliver fentanyl at different rates: 12 micrograms per hour (mcg/h), 25 mcg/h, 50 mcg/h, 75 mcg/h, and 100 mcg/h. I did not like them they did not last the 3 days and made me more lethargic than OxyContin. So for now I have cut back on the er from 80mgs a day to 40 and fill in with the ir because $185 for a months supply of OxyContin vs $75 for months supply of ir is much better. Regards, Norman

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HI, HIFLYER..... Not sure exactly what you're referring to as I just went from 100 to 150 and I know for a fact that the patch is available in increasing dosages up from there. I just started the 150 (having actually started at 50, then 100 a month later and so on) and I hope that it will keep me from having to take as many of the Oxys as I have been. Not so sure what the trade off is but I figure it's worth a try since I can't afford the 80 ER's anymore being in the donut hole. Let me know, OK? Take care, Christine

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Robin.... Not sure who or what you're referring to but I can't think of anyone on this forum who's been judgemental or unkind and, if you've experienced that, I'm truly sorry. Perhaps you could clarify? Be well, Christine

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Good God this was from2003 when she bought a cpl cable cheaters!!! Its not like she is a con Artist!!! Ive known lots of ppl who have used them cards!!! Get off your high horse!!!

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The person who said that it was her fault for taking the pain pills is full of crap!!! When you are in a hospital bed unable to move or think straight they put you on pain meds as a human body can only endure so much. As for being sent home with pain meds, when you are faced with having to walk, pee, take showers, take care of your children ect no its not a choice to take the meds or not!!! Her body was severely damaged by a drunk driver, he had a choice she did not. Learn some empathy and do some research before judging others!!!

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Hi Christine and to all others, Yes I have tried the patch and just kept going up and up to finally the Dr wanted to put me on 100mcg that's the top of the mountain where do you go from there so that med did not work for neither does morphine and all the other meds! I have a kitchen cupboard full of Rx that after trying it for a week or so and either getting no results or the side effects were terrible so now I am drowning in the donut hole with no coffee with only $3000 more of out of pocket to go on Rx meds to go to catastrophic coverage Oh Well! Regards, and stay as well as you can just don't you hate when a lot of Co. and persons are now saying Be Well!! Well I am trying!! And its not working even with all the Drs involved!! Nite Nite!!

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Dear Mailman and everyone else who's following, Thank you so very much for acknowledging the efforts I put in but you all deserve acknowledgement, too. That being said, let's hope that there is, indeed, light at the end of our tunnel and that this isn't yet another pie in the sky fantasy. All we can do is wait and see. Much love and prayers to you all! Christine

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Dear Christine this is the mailman and there is no need for you to apologize for a misunderstanding. I thank you for being the one that made it possible for us to email or speak to each other directly when needed and from what I know it was a first time for this site to do this for any group. You did it and if this information comes out and the they do have to fix our teeth we will most likely hear about it through each other and I Thank You for that ! Also Anon2ProtectmyBro you are in my Prayers as everyone here is because hearing that it may be possible to get our teeth fixed is amazing to hear and check into! Thank you both for the chance this might be the answer to our prayers !! Let's all see what we can find out and come back here and tell each other some good news for a change ! Thank you the mailman!

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Have you ever tried the Fentanyl patch? It comes in many strengths and, although I'm still struggling to find the one that's going to help me the most (and so I don't have to take so many Oxycontin tabs) I know that I'll eventually find the strength tthat will eventually help me control my pain on a more long term basis. My insurance company won't cover the Oxycodone ER anymore since I'm in the donut hole (and I would have to pay in excess of $400 a month) but they do cover the patches and I only have to pay $7 for a month's supply. It might be worth a try.
Also, keep me/us posted in regards to your other med situation and I wish you the very best! Blessings, Christine

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Thanks Christine but I was on a tight rope for 2 weeks when after preliminary tests showed possible metastasis but with more testing I have an enchondromas of the hip which is non malignant but what now of course more doctors and the pain continues and of course now I am in the donut hole so RX costs per month just went up 3 fold one RX that use to cost me $45 now cost me $185 what am I to do just continue and see what happens!! Regards to all continue the struggle as we all do!!

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Dear Hiflyer, Martin and Mailman! First and foremost! Please forgive me, Hiflier for not acknowledging your recent cancer diagnosis! Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you for a successful treatment and a very long and PAIN FREE LIFE! For all of you, YES, we ARE all in this together and we should never forget that! Communicating via this media isn't always the best as sometimes words cannot be conveyed in the most direct way and, many times, they are miscontrude. Let us always stand strong together and make sure that we always pass along any information that may be useful to the rest of the followers! Be well (or as well as you can be) and bless you all! Christine

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I want to let Hiflyer know that I am sorry to hear about your battle against cancer and to let you know it was not my intention to act as if I sent a message that came from you and if it looked that way I apologize for that ! I wanted to tell you this because we are all on the same side and I am sure you are a good person! So if I can help in any way please let me know !

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Please DO share whatever information you might obtain (especially the website or any other media reports) regarding insurance companies, or the drug manufacture, having to pay to have our teeth fixed. This is the first I've heard of such a thing and I'm certain that everyone in this chat group would be thrilled if it's true and, if so, how they can go about regaining their smile! Thank you so much!

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My husband knows your pain. Dilantin did the same thing to him. He gets massive infections in his jaw; one time it interrupted blood flow to his brain and he was diagnosed as having a TIA or mini-stroke. He was 40 and that misdiagnosis cost over $70k. That was just the hospital bills alone; not the consequential costs, which are still accruing by the day, but can't be measured by a dollar amount!

My brother works for an insurance company and told me that they're going to have to pay for people that took oxy to have their teeth fixed...because they paid for the drug. This site popped up 1st when I searched so it's not in news yet. But might be worth calling a lawyer or your insurance company or searching deeper. Hope this helps! I don't know your pain but I see daily what my husband has went through :-( I will definitely add you to my prayer list. May God be with you through this :-)

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If you should notice, I said that I was glad that some members still remember me and I didn't exclude anyone in particular much less you. I'm sorry you took it that way. Take care, Christine

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well that's not entirely true christine, I've been communicating and trying to do stuff my end. disappointedly we live in different countries and that is a problem.

I had a meeting with my doctor and the surgery manager last week to discuss my complaints about oxycontin. and, as has been the case, with all the avenues I've pursued in england. as an individual or the " little man " it would seem like we/me are screwed!

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Hello, Hiflyer, and thanks for your sweet reply. I'm sorry, though, for mistaking you for Mailman (lol)! It's nice to know that there ARE some of you members still remember me and the time and effort I took for all of us to be able to communicate one on one (which, unfortunately didn't work out due to most not willing (or simply too lazy, i don't know) to cooperate, even though that's what they all SAID they wanted). Oh,well, at least I tried and I most certainly appreciate your message! Be as well as you can be.... Warm regards, Christine

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So sorry, I have been on pain meds for over 7 years, Vicodin, Percocet, and like you I built up a tolerance and needed higher powered meds, my pain management doctor suggested oxycontin 60mg. Twice a day and Percocet for breakthrough pain. Well I have been on the oxycontin for a little over a year now and last week had to have all my top teeth pulled. I was lucky the place I went to offered a payment plan. To have my bottom teeth root planed, it's a form of going in and cleaning the roots of your teeth, there hoping this might help me to save my bottom teeth, like you my top teeth rotted from the inside out and deteriorated the bone to the point there was no way of saving them, this is costing over 5 thousand dollars. It's not the actual med that does it, that form of pain medication days out your mouth which saliva is what cleans your mouth. No amount of biotin or other mouth lubricating products will help. You would think a pain management doctor would be aware of this and at the very least warn you of the side effects of taking this form of pain meds and leave the choice to you, some people may already have dentures and would not have this problem. Now I am stuck with fake teeth and can only pray the bottoms can be saved. I have no money to buy more if they do rot anymore then they already are. Also now I have to figure out a way to get off the oxycontin, they also don't tell you it's habit forming and your body, yes your body becomes addicted to the drug, so you can not just stop taking them, you have to try and wean off them, a few yrs back I was on fentanyl patches and wanted off them, they were making me ill, even with taking Norco and Percocet combined the 2 weeks of withdrawal was pure hell. So I know what I have to look forward to. And then still have the problem of what to do about the pain I am in and is the reason for the medication in the first place. That problem a hip replacement gone bad, is never going to go away. Doctors should be required to warn every patient of the side effects of these types of medication not just hand you a paper and say oh don't worry those side effects only happen to about one tenth of the people who take them. Here I am one of the one tenth. Have you tried finding a dentist in your area who will do payment plans, or is there a dental school near by, they are known to do very good work and charge little or usually nothing. Also try calling a dentist in your area explain your situation and ask if they know of a place that might be able to help you. Good luck to you and hope you find some help and that anyone who is on any really strong pain meds that reads this will get in touch with there doctor as well as a good dentist if they can afford to.

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Hi Christine, I am Hiflyer I once posted a reply to you and you thought I was Mailman no biggie just so you know there are others with the same affliction and trying to cope with it! Well last week I got good news with bad news my cancer did not come back and it seems I have an enchondromas of the hip which is non maligmant but what now of course more doctors who are to fast to make a diagnosis which most time is wrong! Yep I am also in the donut hole my last oxycotin cost me $185! I was on the patch and did not like it! Well you take care and I will make an effort to post back often! LUV you guys!!

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Good to hear from you, too, Mailman! You're so sweet and, BTW, the ONLY person who ever corresponds with me. I love and bless you for that! :)

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