Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 24)

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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That's what frightens me the most right now. Most of my teeth are loose and/or are ready to fall out completely and I simply don't know how I'm going to find anyone who will pull it/them out for me when the time comes and before any of them become abcessed and that at which point will become a medical emergency. I'm on Medicare but they don't cover any kind of dental intervention so I can't tell you that I'm not worried about that eventuality!

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Christine depending on your state Medicaid which in Texas does not cover ADULT dental only kiddos check your state Medicaid. Tell them you have Medicare but need emergency dental coverage. I think they do cover dental in your state. Get an oral surgeon to do an evaluation if you can (he'll give you the cost) and tell them you need "emergency temporary assistance." That you spoke to a professional nurse in pain support who states without which you could infect and suffer worse issues then you are now.

Yes people in that system are belligerent and talk down to those needing help but it is worth it don't let this happen. I believe you are too smart and well aware to get to that level but dental infection is often the catalyst for a sudden MI (infection) or worse yet brain infection.

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Lucky good history on your story and you are correct. However, as you know with IC (which I also have God bless you had this before the injury and mine is in remission but a urologist almost killed me instilling bleach in the bladder in an OR I woke up with anesthesia screaming at the top of my longs) and thank God for the famous Kristine Whitmore MD in Philadelphia I was able to come under her care and am in remission for MANY years.

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I have experienced some dental issues that have come with taking my medication that was not happening before taking oxy 60mg ..I does the same as hydrocodone or any opiate type med... they all dehydrate your body and contribute to dental issues as well as to your joints unless you actually drink plenty of the right fluids and keep up on vitamins so diet will contribute as well..

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Pedro the dental erosion will occur according to my top specialists and I am a professional nurse and published researcher regardless of the fluid intake or good dental hygiene.

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P450 I so agree and it's so heartbreaking for those in life threatening pain and illness. Its real and it's so amazing that anyone could think someone would be faking or exaggerating such illness and pain. Like you, I had an horrific injury and then I got I'll with a life threatening illness that by the time I was diagnosed I was lucky to have made it 18 years undiagnosed. I could barely walk.
I feel like there's an attack on people who suffer everyday, then to have someone attack so heartless is so sad. I think you know what it's like when no one believes you as I do. I just had neck surgery and I just got told that I picked up my prescription of butalbital over a year early. Its not even a scheduled narcotics. so I have to wait a month? (which I didnt) I need this for my neck pain. I hope they don't try this on all my scripts. I'm allowed 1 day like everyone else??? I've never heard of such thing. I'm so upset.
Bless you for your support.

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P450...thanks for that info. I do understand it will occur with time ange etc. ... the question posted-- has anyone else experienced this type of thing and that's what my answer/reference was about..I didn't have any of the dental issues myself until I started having to take the oxy, as we know everybody will not experience the same side effects. As you are a nurse maybe you can give us some ideas other things that may help or slow this... I have degenerative bone and joint disease with osteoarthritis and I was told this does not have any affect on my dental problems?? Maybe it does and my Dr misinformed me on the affects.. As to the original question posted what is your opinion on the med causing any rotting or weakening of teeth and gum tissue....?

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Pedro sorry I will be busy for the next few days and they are taking forever to clear and release messages. I apologize for this in advance I really do not like having to wait when they know my credentials and persist with this.

Any opioid for pain will reduce saliva. So if you like I require opioids which you do for your pain syndromes your physician is aware of this. If he or she is a PM specialist very aware and can document this. It might help if you have insurance to cover dental damage.

Dental erosion occurs and again its the decrease in saliva and regardless of excellent hygiene it is what we might call an adverse side effect of our pain therapy. I cannot tell you one drug or another does it less or more BUT when the lollipops were popular (Fentanyl) you saw an enormous amount of patients using this medication with total extractions I have heard this particular drug which you leave sitting in the check to release medication (fast release) has higher level sugar but ultimately it is the opioid.

Proactive anything prevents a host of problems but in this particular case it is like constipation it is one of the side effects that no matter how tolerant you become still remains an issue with opioid therapy.

The most important supportive measure I can give you is alert your significant others that it is NOT due to your diet, lack of dental hygiene or the like it is definitely something a dental expert will also confirm in writing for an insurance evaluation. Most of us would not want the pain and suffering we see associated with implants but what worries me more is the infection process which can head to the brain or heart leading to life threatening situations.

Hope that helped a bit and peace..

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Ali yes pharmacies under Odumma have been given free reign. When I hopefully get another physician (remember guys if you know someone who can handle a complex case I have been seven months without my normal medication and am on so low a dosage since I conserved I am still alive it can be Texas or Louisiana but anywhere in America I need some names pronto). Now that means say your physician writes you 180 Percocet 5 for this month as your BT medication.

Well you are closer to a pharmacy on this side of town. You are late for a MRI which you must get for your surgeon who you have not visited for two years and this must be done today. So you go to another Walgreen but they can look up your history and know you are a regular client. Your physicians DOES NOT CARE where you fill ok?

A pharmacist has the legal right (due to Odumma) to say "I do not have that quantity but I have Lortab I am going to change this" and he or she can do this without your physician's approval. I would suggest strongly for most of us realize that a change of that magnitude can cause withdrawals and inadequate pain control that you GET that script back, and say something nice such as "You know my regular pharmacy usually has that quantity thanks for your help. I will drop this off there after my MRI exam thanks for your time."

I have no idea WHY America has now stooped to the very level we once proclaimed worldwide "the best healthcare in the world." Physicians from Australia, and Russia and most other areas cannot come in the U.S. and say "I was a physician here so I'd like to license in the U.S." Unless you were educated in Western medicine you cannot practice here. But with this Odummacare they are removing all affordable care; we were told there were shortages of opioids as early as six years ago NOT TRUE. Medications were pulled back due to executive order to INCREASE the price which you all have seen the increase is 8 to 10 x what your opioids were a few years back.

I have a workers comp 100% medical award for life that I thought protected me BUT now the people insuring the employer are attempting across the board to hit all injured workers in the same way. Their best bet with me now (for I fear they really chased my famous physician off I had to go to court to win him when my PM of 10 years died they did not want me having to travel from one state to another because they tried to send me to addiction specialists when your drug bill is over $20,000 a month they try to play doctor and fools are high school graduates at best not physicians or nurses) is to obey the court order I just won (get me physicians here a panel and pay mileage) but they appealed long story short I have that and the SSA BS to contend with.

I'd suggest if need be and you are in a good relationship with your physician to ask if that medication could be changed if he or she changes the amount or schedule it is new and should be treated as time related to the day written.

It is always nice to hear from another pain sufferer. God bless.

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After working in health care for 38 years, I knew "affordable care act"
would ruin our system, which was the best in the world. People who had money camefrom all over the world. I worked with nurses fom Canada & Great Britian over the years. They said the health care was horrible & wait times months. Patients died waiting for surgery. Remember, only Democrats voted for this mess. They completely shut out Republicans. So,as the quality of care crumbles, blame the right party. England & Canada have much smaller populations. Canadians are much younger & healthier. The people who weren't healthier, have probably died. I plan to stay alive as long as my specialist doesn't retire. I absolutely will not suffer excruciating pain because I can't find another specialist, who believes me. We have noprescription insurance & cost for brand name pain meds is thru the roof. I am not for price controls usually but big pharma will have brought this on themselves. Profits have gone up so high, it's ridiculous. Those of us on disability & fixed incomes are screwed! We're spending over a 1/3 of our income on just my meds. The 2 most expensive are pain meds. I have to scramble every month to figure out how to pay for them.

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I can absolutely relate to your complaint regarding the cost of pain killers going though the roof! I, too, am on SS disability and it only takes around 2 to 21/2 months before I hit the dreaded Medicare "donut hole" at which point I had to pay more than $400 a month for just one Rx of the Oxycontin and no others. And, on a fixed SS monthly income, there was simply NO WAY I could survive on what was left over, especially when I still had my other pain killing Rx to fill as well as my anti-depressants (I am fairly certain that many of you on this forum suffer from the accompanying depression that chronic pain brings on, whether you actually take medication for it or not). I eventually had no choice but to ask my PM specialist to switch me to the Fentanyl patch and, although it's not nearly as efffective as the Oxycontin was and it took me three different dosages before I found the one that helped the most (without going overboard and sending alarm bells to both my Dr., the pharmacist, and eventually the insurance company!) it was covered by my insurance short a small and afffordable co-pay. Plus, I'm still able to pay for the rest of my Rx's (I still have to take the IR oxycodone for break through pain which I really didn't have to take that many when I was on the Oxycontin). It's simply criminal how the big pharma's can jack up the prices of their drugs on a whim (just look at the not-too-far-back headline when some guy bought out the drug manufacturer who made the essential drug in the Aids cocktail and then, overnight, raised the price by a whopping 5000%!!!) Of course, he quickly came back with his rationalization that the profits would fund efforts to make a "new" drug that would be better than the old one! Mind you, that particular drug had been used successfully since the 1950's and this is where the old saying applies best..... If it ain't broken, don't fix it! Well, enough of my rambling but, as I'm sure you've realized, this is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine and a point of contention that makes my blood boil! Many thanks for your post and God bless each and every one of you. May you have the best possible (and pain-free?) day! Christine

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Thank you for that informal response.. that was definitely more helpful. .have a good day.

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Pedro yes it seems we must face the ADVERSE to have the benefit of pain therapy.

It is not just your OPIOIDS for example if your physician prescribes an AD this too will make you more dehydrated--I believe some of the neurotransmitters in the brain literally are responsive just as blocking the natural endorphins when an OPIOID is accepted by the blood brain barrier.

Perhaps the real issue is WHY when the PM's have known this for years, as have pharmacists, and of course the manufacturers of medications are patients now seeing the result in severe infection, loss of teeth and underlying bone structure.

I think it's so important for example I was injured working years ago if I face this outcome that my insurer for I have a 100% medical award unless I settle (for life) to pay for this--it is not on my plate yes without medication I now die so they should pay.

Thanks for your reply.

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Thank you all for your valuable information that's help so many to know their not alone in this aweful battle. I have not only been in unconscionable pain but my illness has me scared of what the future holds. You have not only helped me with your insight and experience.
All of us wish that whatever illness or pain wasn't a part of our lives, but it is and if there is something that will make our lives tolerable, even so slightly livable, I'll take it in a minute.
Like you, I lived years suffering to the point of how can we go on like this? I pray we all find comfort somehow. Again thank you for your invaluable information.

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Ali we have to hang in together it's time those who are not able to get pain management start posting together on one post let's work to overcome this.

I need not lose any new friends I too must get help very soon it's almost 8 months without regular treatment and yes I am at high risk for death with or without.

Meantime I must play attorney and do it well but how well do you do this when in pain and doing a federal case and a WC case both of which are OLDER than dirt as we say in Texas :)

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Hello everyone and my good friend Christine ! I have been on OxyContin then Oxycondone , Percocet,Diazepam, Antidepressants and more Meds but you get my point . I have put post on here when it just started and I was lucky enough to meet Christine on here and she helped me deal with times when I thought no one could ever understand what I was going through but she did and was going through also because of OxyContin! I injured my back in 1997 and was put on this medication because of the time release factor but no one at that time knew the hell it would end up putting so many of us through ! If you go back on here to past post I was more active and I remember when I felt like a normal person . Now it takes so much out of me to write this so I won't waste everyone's time by repeating my story . What I want to say to everyone here is to not second guess the pain you are in and end up injurying yourself worst ! Make sure you go to your doctor or a doctor with your best interest in mind ! My workers comp doctor said I could work half days so I would have to go in one day at 4 am and the next at 12:00 noon and Every day different ! So by trying to do what they wanted it made me damage myself worst and it ended up injuring it to the point of no return and that ment nothing to them but ruined my life ! If you are hurt on the job Google your options because you have rights and should be able to go to your doctor or a doctor of your choose and believe me this may be one of the most important things you do after a work injury !The next thing would be my self confidence i lost because like me your teeth start to break off and you feel embarrassed to leave your home because of what your teeth look like ! The worst part is when knowing it Makes you look like a street drug addict by any new dentist or doctor and you never forget that look they give you before you explain your situation and you pray that they under and believe you ! The worst thing was when good friend of mine on this site was receiving no support but being considered as either making up her illness or saying it was not as bad as the pain that she felt and this is from her so called friends and people she knew ! This made me sick to my stomach and feel helpless because I had no way to go and help her ! She is so strong and special it amazes me ! I am having a real rough time with my stomach but getting it worked out hop full by doctor soon ! I would like to ask Christine if you would keep in touch with me if anything positive happen's about our teeth or anything until I can get through my problem it would be appreciated greatly ! I also know you have your own problems so if you can't I understand and I thank you anyway ! To everyone that is reading this I wish everyone good health and happiness to everyone and God bless all and and everyone is in my prayers ! Mail now delivered . Thanks from the Mailman

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Mailman:

Bravo excellent post, look forward to knowing you better.

Peace out.

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Yes Mailman you are correct we are not alone!! I have finally come to a plateau on pain and managing with of course OxyContin and oxycodone every 4 hours because I fell into the donut hole so instead of taking OxyContin 2X a day I take it once a day because from $45 a month it went to $181 plus my other meds so last month I spent close to $500. I hate to say it but I am starting to get loose teeth and tooth ache in at least 3 teeth! I am a dental phobic I almost panic when sitting in that chair and when I get up my back is totally wet! Don't know what I will do when the time comes and I must got to the dentist hopefully by then there will be new techniques to deal with the pain and the restoration I can only help!! Mean while continue the struggle and know that there are others out there with the same pain and problems!! Regards to all, Norman

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Hey Hiflyer love your message look forward to getting to know you. We all do need to stick together. Perhaps the dental topic is the place to go. Gotta get Chris over here again.

Peace out.

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P450. I am also on workers comp federal but in Pa. I have been on from 1997. If I can help in any way I will ! God Bless u

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