Oxycontin Damaged My Teeth (Page 2)
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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 want to thank you Cristine, you have a heart of gold that always gives me some hope. You are always the type of person that never shy's away from working to help everyone on this site know what the goal should be. I have found that my pain levels don't go down, it's my tolerance levels that increase. I have a idea what you went threw with the pain when your doctor lied about you selling your meds. This doctor never really knew you or the type of woman you are or he would've never said that. I hope everyone on this site feels better!

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Angela, Verwon's posts were very good. Quite frankly, having a dry mouth is the real key and that can be caused by a hundred things including the Oxycontin. My heart goes out to you for what you're going through. I too have lost all but one tooth (6 fell out in just 1 day), so I know your pain quite well. I have a few suggestions although I don't know if they will help, but may be worth looking into. (1) There is a company called Affordable Dentures. They use local dentists all over the country. I looked at one of their ads briefly before writing this and they were offering same-day dentures for $325.00. I'm sure that's probably their lowest priced dentures, maybe not the most beautiful, but certainly better than not being able to smile. From checking with them before, they do mini-implants that supposedly help hold the dentures in place and the cost was not a lot. They mentioned on their ad that they will finance the dentures, etc on a zero interest rate basis. Maybe they would even work with you on the overall cost, I don't know. They can give you a cost estimate before you make the decision to do it or not. (2) There are fund-raising sites like Go Fund Me and Facebook is now offering that sort of thing. Essentially you go on the site and tell your story and set a goal for the amount you need to raise. Then you wait to see if anyone donates money toward that goal.

You said a lot in your post here that may go a long way on something like that (multiple surgeries etc) and I'm sure you have things you could add. (3) You said several times that you're poor. That could mean you barely have enough to get from one month to the next or it could mean you're homeless and living on the streets. Most counties have a social services agency that can either help you directly or can provide you with resources that may help you. Give that a shot. (4) Do you happen to attend a church? Churches are well-known for helping their members, or even just members of the community, with financial difficulties. I don't know how well the cost of dentures would fly in this type of situation, maybe not at all. But if you got help with some of your other bills, maybe that would open you up for being able to pay for the dentures. (5) Do you have medical or dental insurance? Sometimes they will cover at least a portion of the cost of dentures. The other thought I had was that perhaps medical insurance would cover at least a portion of the cost if you could show that your tooth loss was due to treatment for a medical condition. It may be worth checking into. I hope something I've provided here ends up being helpful to you and you'll be able to smile again! Praying for your success.

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Glad to hear of your opinion but, in all actually, whether it's got a coating,, Oxycontin, or not, Oxycodone (those that do would be the long lasting/extended relief types) and any of its related meds, they're all STILL an opiate and no matter which one you've been prescribed, they're ALL going to, and we should ALL BEEN, WARNED as to their ability to ruin our teeth! THAT'S what y'all need to understand! And, once more, there's absolutely NOTHING your complaints, here, are going to do to help make Big Pharma to take responsibility and help us all regain our smiles and, in MANY cases like mine, eliminate our pain and restore ability to eat! Only ACTION will change our situations! That being said, bless you all.... Christine

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I hear that this problem with teeth only stared when they made the new oxycontin with the OP. I have read up on it and that is what a lot of people say. Something about the coating

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OMG, Mailman, it's WONDERFUL to hear from you again! I can't, however, believe what you've been having to deal with and now I know why you haven't been on the forum for awhile. Having to deal with taking care of my Mom and her increasing dementia continues to bear on my me but to make things worse, for me, is not only having to deal with increasing pain, as well as other symptoms, from what I, and my doctor, fear might be stomach cancer and I'll be going to see my gastroenterologist for tests to rule that out. On top of all of that, insofar as what this forum is all about, I'm concerned that I may well be developing an access above where the one front tooth had recently broken in half as well as over the two teeth next to that one. It's pain that I certainly don't need over the back and abdominal pain I've been having to deal with for more than a decade already and my new pain management doctor is adamant that he says some governmental agency who prohibits him from prescribing any more pain medication (my oxycodone) than the 60mg a day he's currently prescribing for my pain. I don't think I need to tell you that, after having been prescribed 360mg a day from my old PM doctor (the one who suddenly decided I was selling my meds and literally cut me off and I was left to go through withdrawal all by myself but, yes, I actually survived!) 60mg is a frigg`n drop in the ocean compared to what I was on and need!

Well, that's history and there's nothing I can do about it BUT I still hold a HUGE grudge against Purdue for screwing up my teeth, and now possibly my gums and/or my upper jaw bone. I don't think I can deal with anymore pain, especially not from my teeth/mouth issues that they've caused!

I wonder if anyone's looked into that "legal action" site that I've been seeing their commercials on tv lately, have you? I suppose I should check it out myself but I'm just too tired, in too much pain, and still stinging from the first and last time I tried to organize everyone on this forum to STOP COMPLAINING and get together to actually DO SOMETHING about it, remember? Perhaps someone who's younger, suffering from less pain, and who's got the guts and wherewithal to start something and go the distance (I'll help, of course) will step up and finish what I tried to start! Hmmm....

Well, again, it was great to hear from you again, sorry you're going through so much but I'm here for you if you need me. Much love to you and everyone here who's been suffering from this injustice! Christine

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Christine, thanx for your reply. About the nerve ablation go ahead with it. My dr. was great. And it doesn't really hurt hardly at all. Look it up on youtube & it will show you everything you need. It really is not painful at all & the pain relief is great. I wish you the best.... Do you still have any of your teeth left?

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Hi Cristine , like you with your mother I have been dealing with my fathers cancer and some dementa. My mothers worsening health and now my younger brothers cancer and removal of large intestine and a bunch of other things that has increased my depression to about a unbearable point . But like you just keep on going because no other choice. Workmans Comp has stopped my therapy and not paying for some of my meds now after all these years . Sent me to a doctor for a opinion and wasn't what they wanted so just completely ignored it like it never happened. If there is one person that this doesn't shock it would be you because I am sure you seen it all at this point . I hope that things get better for your mother and you because I know you have been threw enough a long time ago ! I will try to check sight more so I don't miss any message from you ! You are in my prayers Christine! I wish only the best things in life for you ! The Mailman

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I would love to see a class action suit against the drug companies for not letting people know the damage it does to one's teeth. I always took great care of my teeth and in 1 year from seeing my dentist to returning all my teeth were rotting from the inside out and had to be pulled. Luckily I had dental insurance that paid for dentures but it cost over $3000.00 for oral surgery.
I don't understand why you can't find someone to help with a class action lawsuit when it comes to your teeth but if it had affected any other body part the attorneys jump all over it. There is a lot of emotional distress with losing your teeth due to the negligence of drug companies. It changes how you eat and many times your lifestyle due to lacking teeth. I had a dentist 16 years ago mess up 2 of my teeth and it cost me one tooth to be pulled and over $4000.00 to repair my teeth to look normal. It took me over a year to find an attorney willing to sue for damages on a dental case. I was able to get my money back but it was a nerve wrecking exhaustive process. That attorney was in Kansas City, MO. I want to say her name was Sherry DeJanes. I have no idea if she still practices law or takes dental cases.

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It should be noted, in addition to the FACT that Perdue did NOT include anything about dry mouth in their patient information literature (if you were lucky enough to actually receive one), that the dry mouth side effects have only recently been "advertised" as causing tooth decay, YES? Why, after SO MANY years of making, pushing and, in some cases, paying off doctors in order to increase the prescribing of Oxycontin and oxycodone, are we JUST NOW being informed of just what dry mouth really means to the patient? Why, instead, were they not just honest and why did they not just say "TOOTH DECAY" in their literature? Makes you wonder, huh?

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I took OxyContin in the lowest dose that made movements less painful. BUT when the FDA required Purdue to put an Impervious Coating so addicts couldn't crush and inject or inhale them...my trouble w/nausea and cracked teeth started. It's w/o a doubt the coating that caused my problems which weren't present in Oxy before the coating was added. Switched to low dose Morphine ER also coated. Same problem. So I believe these problems are all from the Impervious Coating. Lord know what's in it ....but whatever it is, it is responsible in my story.

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Mr or Mrs. 'J': your cavalier attitude is not helpful. You obviously have not had pain so severe that you allow yourself to make judgements about "our" fault for not checking thoroughly. One tends to trust their physician and until this mouth problem happens to you, nothing in the literature given to me included that this OxyContin would eat my teeth from the inside out. So before you become so judgemental...walk a mile in someone's shoe that U have not worn. Lighten up.

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I definitely would agree to a signing to go after them for ruining Our teeth and making Us go through more issues on top of what We have. It is life threatening and I can't believe that They just don't take responsibility.

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I too had a change in OxyContin AFTER they put some coating on it. Not only did they not work as well BUT they made me nauseous and I now have three front teth that chipped off and a molar that cracked in half, losing the filling, 1/2 the tooth leaving an exposed nerve. I have used Sonicare and had nothing wrong w/ my teeth until the coating made my life miserable. I will need root canals and implants at a cost of $6000K. Purdue Pharma needs a class action suite.

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Yes I have had the same problem the medicine has destroyed my teeth and I have always had perfect white teeth now they have just cracked and some have just came out of the root and it is so embarrassing I cant even think of smiling anymore and dating is totally out of the question.

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Hi, Nancy..... OMG!!! When I read your post it read like I could have written it myself! I, too, suffer from sciatica, as well as abdominal pain, and my pain management doctor is also planning to perform a nerve ablation which frankly scares me to death and I've already had four back surgeries, including a fusion. I had been on Oxycontin for more than ten years and, for the last few years, I was being prescribed 360mgs A DAY (3 30mg tabs 4 times a day!). Then, suddenly, my doctor got it in her head that I was selling my drugs and totally cut me off! WHY she got that idea, I have NO CLUE but in the end I couldn't find another PM doctor who would give me ANY of them much less the dosage I had been on for so long! Long story short, I was forced to go through withdrawal ALL BY MYSELF, no help whatsoever and not even support from my primary care physician! It wasn't until later, after I had made it through the withdrawal, that I found out that going through the withdrawal by myself could have killed me! It was bad enough that, like you and everyone on this forum, I had lost most all of my teeth, but to them have the medical community suddenly turn on me and turn their backs on me, too, the same ones who PRESCRIBED them to me, was devastating! So I know how you feel and what you're going through!

Nancy, I tried to organize the members of this forum in order to try and file suit against the big pharma (Perdue, in particular), but amazingly I couldn't get much cooperation even though I was the one willing to do all the leg work. So, I wish you luck in your endeavor, and I most certainly would join you but, as I've already experienced, you'll need to be able to get a lot more members involved than I was able to.

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I also took oxycontin for only 2 years due to sciatica. Now i have no teeth left!!! I think im going to sue the pharm responsible myself & see what happens. My dr. was giving me oxys like they were candy. I have sciatica again & now i cant get a script for any kind of pain meds!!! I had to go to a pain management dr. who also refused to give me any pain meds except for a few to last me until my next appt. with him. I had to have nerve ablation done on my back to stop the sciatica pain but i still have daily pain if i try & do any housework at all. Standing & washing dishes & vacuuming is the worst. I mostly just stay in bed most of the time now. I think we should all get together & bring a legal suit against the manufacturer of oxys. Anyone on board with me!?

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I ABSOLUTELY FEEL YOUR PAIN, Don! God bless you and everyone on this forum who've lost, not only their teeth, ability to eat or smile, but their overall quality of life!!!

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I just Happened to view the very first response to this forum's original post and what immediately came to my attention is the statement this response made, something to the effect that she had NO course of action against the pharmaceutical company (Purdue, in particular) because she, and others, accepted the risks..... in our case, our teeth rotting/falling out..... as it was warned in its patient instruction sheet. Actually, THAT'S NOT TRUE! Oh, perhaps it is now (dry mouth, etc.) However it most certainly was NOT included in the patient information literature when I, and MANY others, began taking their ridiculously HIGH DOSAGE prescriptions of opiates (again, and in particular, Purdue!) SO.... as far as I'm concerned, as it SHOULD BE in the legal community, PURDUE SHOULD STILL BE LIABLE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR TEETH!!!!

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I haven't posted in quite a few months (and, HEY, if you're still out there/following this thread, HI, MAILMAN!) due to the ongoing depression this issue has caused me as well as the increased responsibility I've had to take on due to my Mom's worsening dementia (which only helps to deepen my depression). That having been said, I recently had one of my two front teeth literally break in half so I can't smile at all anymore! And, shortly before that happened, the tooth three teeth behind that one literally broke off right at the gum line. I no longer have ANY lower molars so I can no longer chew, either, and the ONLY way I can try to chew at all is by using the one upper front tooth and the few lower front teeth I still have left! I know it won't be much longer before I completely lose my ability to eat anything that requires chewing unless I can find a dentist who's willing to help me out either pro bono or at a greatly reduced fee. Unfortunately, I don't think that's ever going to happen. Bless everyone who's going through this.... No fun and no hope, especially dreaming that big pharma will ever place our lives over their profits and step up to do THE RIGHT THING! Christine

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Watch out.........................................................................................ok?

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