Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 9)
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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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I understand what what you are saying. I will be more careful with my words next time.

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Lissy, I understand your beliefs and dedication to your faith, but there are those of us who have also been on heavy opiate pain meds for a very long time, such as myself, that have quit and didnt look back. Posting a comment that only those who have a relationship with Jesus will be ok and able to quit heavy pain medication use over long periods of time is very misleading and actually fairly dangerous to those that come to this site for info and help. While I respect your loyalty to your faith, its not right to post that everybody you know that used or still uses pain meds is either dead, in prison or still addicted, is very irresponsible. This could totally mislead some person suffering from Chronic pain, takes or is thinking of taking opiates or other pain meds for their pain but then reads your post and reacts any number of negative ways. I realize you didnt post your comment meaning to cause anybody any problems or try to mislead them in any way, but basically saying that only Jesus, or God can save you from opiate/pain med addiction, or else you will probly end up dead, in prison or still addicted is again, irresponsible for those that have zero experience or understanding of long term, or even short term opiate/pain med usage and their ability to quit and stop using them when and if their pain subsides etc. It would be much better to comment that for those that have religious beliefs, and/or believe in Jesus, and/or God, can lean on Jesus and/or God for the strength to quit opiates/pain meds.
Instead of saying that basically only those that believe in Jesus/God will have the ability to quit otherwise you will probly end up either dead, in prison or still addicted to opiates/pain meds. Many people that come onto this site for help, advice, info or just to discuss their medical situations have a very limited knowledge of opiates/pain meds and are very naive regarding the affects, issues and/or understanding of what they're getting themselves into. Again im not trying to lecture you or jump all over you, im just asking to please be careful what you post as your words can be taken wrong by those that have limited knowledge of opiates/pain meds unlike you and me.
Thanks :)

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In a swab test can the seel1mg lorazapam and 2 mg clozopam at the same time or thet have differnt ingredients .

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Hi Christine , I'm so sorry I never saw your message , I hope and pray all turned out well for you with the cancer scare and hope youre doing ok and I think you r so sweet and kind and I will pray you r ok !! You r funny too my fellow toothless friend in pain Lol you made me feel better when I read this tonight and I really want to THANK YOU FOR THAT as I was sitting here alone as usual lately in depression worrying about HOW I'm going to get my teeth done ! I wish we could corespond with each other more but they dont let you leave your # or email but they notify when a new post comes on here ! Anyway Thankyou again and I hope I hear good news from you , peace to you ! Love always , your friend Valerie xoxo

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Really honey don't say that about not being around! I FEEL that way many days too but we have to live the best we can with our pain and addictions and everything! I was mad at you at first cause of some of the things you said but I realize you dont see that you were judging people and sticking up for your mom who was a dentist etc, so I hope you stroll around to read this honey cause you have too much intelligence and a long life ahead that you never know what will happen! Youre a man and can have kids till Youre 80 so it can still happen ok! Peace and I hope youre feeling better. Please write me anytime! {edited for privacy}. Love is always here for you. Love Valerie xoxo

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SEAN: Heroin is an opioid, and it does not "rot your teeth from the inside out". Just sayin..

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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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METHADONEADDICT: I have never heard of opioids "rotting teeth" until I came to this forum. And I have been an opioid addict for 30+ years, as well as being pre-med, and involved in medical research. SO....??? I know that many opioid addicts have bad teeth due to the sugar addiction that comes with opioid addiction, as well as possible lifestyle choices that may go along with addiction, such as smoking, not taking care of health issues, etc. But the opioids themselves? Not that I know of.

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LISSY: AGAIN, talking about religion on a forum that has nothing to do with religion is inappropriate. I don't know how much more clear to make it. And while we are at it, this is not a recovery forum either, although of course when talking about drugs/medication, recovery issues may come up. Whether what you said was "positive" or not, is also not the issue. You even had a post on here that was strictly about your religious views, and NOTHING to do with meds. Please be respectful of those that DON'T want to hear about your religion, and ONLY want to talk about medication. AGAIN, there are plenty of chats for religious topics.

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Ok then please provide me with scientific proof of how opioids and other meds rots your teeth that has nothing to do with dry mouth. I'm serious, please enlighten me.

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PS, KKH... Regarding your statement, I was certainly not meaning to belittle anyone...", I want referring to anything YOU said, okay? Thanks and be well! Christine :)

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Nothing I said wasn't positive. I was an addict for 15 years to opioids and other things. I am one year off of Suboxone and benzos after being on heavy dosages for 8 years. I was only saying how I am clean. I don't agree with anyone judging anyone else. If you take pills, you are addicted...period. If you wanna call me telling people the answer to being clean preaching, then you could be right. I have known MANY addicts throughout the course of my life and 95% of them are still using, dead, or in prison. The only people I know of that break free are set free from Christ. That's the truth pure and simple. I am not talking about religion. I am talking about a relationship with Jesus Christ...He came and suffered and died so you could be free. It's all love.

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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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Angela, yes oxycontin will decay the teeth from the inside out...as a matter of fact all opiods will do this as well as non opiate medications. I was injured quite severely overseas in 2003, I was prescribed the usual morphine at varying doses as well as percocet which is the same as oxy except oxy has no acetaminophen in it...oops did I spell that right? Anyways...I graduated to the oxy at 80 mg but i abused them by no fault of my own...Angela there is a way out of the high dosage witbout getting sick...i was taking 8 per day and sometimes 10...take yourself down with the aid of Kratom...go to Kratora and buy as much Maeng Da kratom as you can... Take at least 3 grams in about six ounces of OJ and that will certainly help...kratom acts like morphine and the withdrawals are only fatigue and minor chills for a couple days...I'm a former Special Forces soldier and i will not bulls*** you...kratom is amazing...as a matter of fact I still use it today on top of a very minor dosage of opiates supplied by the VA...I wish I could help more with the teeth issue as I have had to fight to keep mine intact...but first thing first...cut down on the amount of opiates with the help of the kratom...I wish you the best and I'll pray for you. Oh yeah one more thing about opiates...when you drop the dosage there is a nasty little thing called depression caused by the opiates. I not only had to deal with that but PTSD as well...You can do it ! As far as your teeth are concerned...most often with opiate tooth decay you will need implants or dentures...I am going for about 4 implants to keep my smile. Take care, best of luck!

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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 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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LISSY: Whether there is a "god" or not is your personal opinion, and has nothing to do with this website. AGAIN, this is a site about medication, not your religious views. It is an inappropriate post for this site. You have been reported.

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GOD is the only way that I got through it. I will never stop talking about what He has done for me. One day you will see...every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the ONLY answer.

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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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MATTHEW: No, it was even worse than that! It was "is 15mgs more than 60mgs"? I think she was just confused. I'm thinking that the doc gave her an ADDITIONAL 15mgs to add to the 60, and she was just confused or something...??

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