Xtampza Er Users Effectiveness (Page 3) (Top voted first)

I need ppl who have tried the new Xtampza er med to tell me if it works the same as oxycontin? I need to switch so I wanted to know the strength of the new med in comparison.

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REPORT

Hello everyone. I had a spinal fusion and bone graph from my hip. 2 additional back surgeries. Due to a bad case of staff infection or mersa wich led to additional surgeries. I was prescribed 75mcg Fentanyl for pain and 5-325 Ox for break thru. After several years my pain management doc and I decided to switch to xtampza 36mg ER every 12 hrs. For me personally the transitiin was very tough until the right dosage was figured out but niw I can honestly say I like this medicatiin so much more than the fentanyl Patch. My relief is so much more ballanced and consistint. I have found that it is crucial that you eat fodd first then take the medication. I have found that eat first then take dosage . DO NOT take dosage then eat for what ever reason it seems less effective. Also I have found eating a sandwhich i.e. grilled cheese or just a regular deli sandwhich works well. I would like some feed back from others on what types of food they take theirs with that seems to work well for them. I have had back problem now for 17 years and have had to take medication for it for 12. So far I am happy with xtampza. Yes I think it could be better but it beats suffering in pain. Because of the medication I live what I would call somewhat of a regular life. I work a full time job. I am active. I can throw a football with my kids and do not have any side effects at the moment from the medication so I am calling it a WIN! I am in my late 30's and My doctor tells me that my condition will only get worse over time as I age and my spi e continues to deterioate. And I will not ever get any better than I am now. I have titaniam rods and screws in my back and I look like frankenstein LoL from all of the surgery scars. But I am alive and still kicking and I try to make the best of my life. I hope my post helped people with some of there questions. I would really like to hear some feedback from others about what foods they eat with the meds and I would greatly appreciate any feed back on your experience wih this medication.
Thanks.....

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Re: Julie (# 58)

I feel the same. I have been on OxyContin for 10 years with $25 co-pays. Last month my insurance says now the co-pay is $400 unless I switch to Xtampza bulls***. It's all about the pharmaceutical companies and $$$$.

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Re: MrRyan (# 71)

Hi, MrRyan. I'm back to pick your brain! I appreciate the details on how you take this rx. First, you say you eat a little food and drink with your first pill and then a sandwich with your second. I make a sandwich w/deli meat, mayo and rye bread. Then I cut it in half, eating each half with each pill. I think that's okay so far (let me know if you think I might do differently). Next, you say you take your first pill at 2:30 and go back to bed for a couple of hours, then get up, drink your coffee and start your day. About 2:30 you take second pill with a sandwich. This is good because you've got most if your waking hours covered. I don't have any kind of schedule of things I have to do, so...I set my alarm for 10:00, take my meds and go back to sleep for a couple of hours #1 for my pills to kick in and #2, I'm just lazy. Plus I hurt so much, I just don't want to deal with having to get up. The flaw with my timing is that I should be taking pills at least by 8:00, maybe even 7:00. Then force myself to get up earlier as well. I really need to stop lying in bed as long as I do. Another thing I've been doing is taking tylenol every six hours since Xtampza doesn't have it. I think I should use that as break-thru since I don't have an RX for that. I've begun to experiment with this and I think it's working. So, I think the main change I need to make is the timing of taking the pills. Oh, yeah. My PM guy wants me to lose SOME weight. Says I need to get my heart rate up. Suggests a Zumba class! I gave him a look that let him know that wasn't gonna happen! We get along well so that isn't a problem. I think I covered everything. Would like your thoughts on what I might do differently or if you think I might be on the right track. I value your opinion. Thanks! (Sorry so long)

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Re: Lou (# 78)

Hello again Lou, it sounds like you have a pretty good schedule going, from my experience so far with xtampza, consistency is key. After being on this medication fir a while your body will start to get in a routine and it will let yoy know when its time for my dose. What I have experienced so far is as you know I take my first dose at 2:30am. I can usually tell its getting close to time for my dose because my pain wil start coming on strong and I will get restless. I have had nights where I am stairing at the clock waiting for 2:30 to come along because I am hurting so bad. Before I was perscribed xtampza I was on 75mcg Fentanyl every 48 Hours. I cane to hate the fentanyl patch, I had constant withdrawls due to ineffective absorbtion. It was horible because it soley depended on absorbing thru your skin, so if it was hot ourside that day it would absorb at a faster rate and with an end result not lasting the full 48hrs. When I switched to xtampza I went thru severe with drawls until my pain doctor was able to get my dosage matched properly. Now I take xtampza 36mg every 12hrs. I can not say it enough how this is so much more consistant than the patch. I don't feel sick all the time and the fatigue went away. Now don't get me wrong xtampza doesn't take away all my pain but it does help manage it. Its definitely better than nothing that's for sure. Well sorry for rambling on. Let me know what you think and also how things are going with you. Also how long have you been taking the xtampza.

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Re: NurseAnon (# 9)

Hi NurseAnon. I read your responses regarding xtampza and I wanted to say thank you... your response allowed me to take this med with an open mind. I have been on it now for a month (I switched from MS Contin to Percocet and to xtampza). You were right, it does for the most part work reliably.

Please continue to post, not all of us are looking for a high. I am happy not being an 8/10 on most days so if I get to a 4/5 I realize the meds I am taking are working effectively.

Thanks again for your input.

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Have been on the Xtampza ER 18 for 2 months now along with 10mg oxycodone IR. I was taking 10mg every 6 hours for 5years. I am finding managing my pain difficult. For the first time I found out what withdrawal was like after missing a dose and taking it 7 hours late. Very frightening! It’s not controlling my pain and I don’t know what to do. After reading here I did find out that fatty food is supposed to help so will be trying that. I’m hoping my Dr. will increase the dosage of Xtampza because the goal is not to need the IR meds. I’m finding myself in more pain which seems absurd as I’m taking more medication than before. Obviously it must show I’m not very savvy about all this. I don’t expect to feel like a teenager again. I would just like to be able to get off the couch and do dishes and cook meals and enjoy the company of my family. Thank you to all of you for writing about your experiences. I don’t tell anyone including family about my meds. And don’t know anyone else well enough to speak to about this. I’m not even sure how much to say to my Dr.
Any advice?

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CiaoBella i just did an appeal and was waiting on a response when i read that this is your third. I’m literally in tears since UHC made me switch. I’m so very neausaous bad headache always sleepy and now i started itching. Terrible side effects. This is only my third day since starting it. When the side effects are so bad that you have to stop the meds what else can you do?? When UHC dictates what med your allowed to take then we have no quality of life. Lastly why do they put everybody in the same category somebody there has to be humanized enough to treat us like people not just another number..

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Re: BethB (# 114)

Hey Beth, unfortunately Headaches can be a side effect. As far as the nausea goes. To me it sounds like your not much of an eater during the day no offense LoL. From a personal stand point and by the way I am not a physician but only speaking from experience, food is the key. You have to eat. My experience I take my pill with milk now I.e. real milk Vitamin D Milk (1.helps because it coats the stomach and its has fat) then if tou can eat half a sandwhich even a grilled cheese or something like that. In my experience this really helps with effectiveness and helps your stomach. And lastly if after all this your still really nauseous it could be that your dose is just a hair too high for your tolerence level but over time that would adjust i would think as tour body adjusts but like I said this is just from my experience.I would talk to your pain doctor maybe taking 3 small doses in a day rather than 2 larger doses would help but not sure thas something your doctor could consider possibly. Beth I hope things get better for you, I can truely relate to the struggle of changing medications. Fentanyl is some very very hard stuff to switch from. It takes I while atleast for me it did. When I switched off fentany to xtampza I was bed ridden for several days and then very lethargic for quite some time. Over time I came out of it.

Good luck Beth, please keep me in the loop I it truely helps bith of us I think being in communication with someone who is going thru the same experiences. Being a victim of life long pain I have found that there are not many people in my day to day life that have been thru what I have. This forum has kinda been a blessing talking with people who live with it "for real" and fight to get thru life's daily chalenges. I look forward to hearing from you again.

Thanks

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One thing we all must do for ourselves and those yet to come. We all must write, a letter is personal and there is a much better chance to both be read and replied too, to each of our Congressman and Senator's. And don't be shy to make it personal just as one would with their doctor. It is the only way to know you've been heard and if there isn't any reply, write one that much louder until you do recieve a reply. These people don't and wouldn't know the truth on an individual level and we know that unless they are in the same boat, nobody gets it, doctors are not much better at truly understanding. Writing one a week or month or whenever the pain strikes a nerve, write a letter telling them there is a real and moral issue. Placebos song cut it under any name.

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Deborah I almost feel the same way but I went from Opana to this. Two 27 mg twice a day. So far not getting much relief and I have had headaches. I don't think due to getting of Opana because I have been off that two weeks. I agree it is,a shame that we are the ones to suffer. Also my insurance company is using as excuse not to pay but for half the amount.

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It's truly unfortunate that the future is bound to become much worse with legislation from Congress already in place under the guise of "doing something" by those that haven't any clue of the unseen and debilitating nature of what is always the go to excuse that it's all in one's head of those that are obviously lazy and dependent on entitlement programs. Our POTUS, AG, Speaker of the House, in their cushy jobs will never in this life grasp the concept of suffering; though are more than qualified to restrict access and fit everyone into a neat little box to stash away in a long forgotten corner under heaps of those earned benefits of Medicare, Social Security and the American Dream. This may be indirectly off topic, but in reality it is the basis of our increasing suffering in this day and age where knowledge succumbs to power. Good luck and best wishes to all. If you're like me, I am very reluctant to complain, but the rules are changing and rigged, so I too must change to survive, unfortunately.

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i was just switched from oxymorphones to xtampza ER 27mg and for me i dont feel the work at all. had them for a week and hasent touched my pain. when i go back to my doctor i will be telling him they dont work and try another medication

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Two good things about this site. One is to discuss Xtampza er, what's worked with it, what hasn't, ideas about it that maybe we haven't thought of. The other is to have a place to vent without being judgmental of others' situations. None of us really know what we all go thru without walking in others' shoes. I truly hope that you are able to find what helps lessen your pain and you have the quality of life which you desire and certainly deserve. Take care.

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Re: Deborah (# 33)

You take the words out of my mouth. I say the same every day. We suffer because of addicts and polititions who know nothing about chronic intractable pain. I cry every day. I'm so sorry for your pain and I pray for all of us.

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Re: MrRyan (# 59)

Hello again.
So I have found I do have a side effect, at first I thought is was alergies or maybe dehyrated etc. But over time its happening more and more. I am getting undescibable Headaches. I mean it puts me down for the count. Light noise everything makes it worse they are just paralyzing. It took a little while to notice why and what was causing it. Does anyone else deal with this problem. What do you do to help with it, is there a good medication that can help. Does anyone else have any other kind of side effect from xtampza?

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Re: Lou (# 70)

Hello again Lou. So unfortunately the medication does not seem to live up to the 12 Hours that it should. For me I have noticed that the medication starts out strong for the first 4 hours and then tapers off. I get about 8-10 hours of relief. If pai. SoGets too bad i take break thru medication. So here is my daily schedule - I have to wake up at 5am for work, so what I do is set an alarm for 3am I wake up take my capsule of Xtampza with a little food and glass of tea or milk. Then I lay back down and go back to sleep until its time to get up at 5am. By that time my medication has kicked in. This helps a lot because anyone with back pain knows getting out of bed first thing can be very painful. I drink my coffee and go to work. At about 2:45pm I eat a sandwich and then take my next dose of Xtampza at 3pm. This will then cary me the rest of the day and evening. The one good thing about this schedule is when the medication wares off the good thing is I'm asleep if i do wake up in pain i will take my break thru medication. So its a win win. My body has got use to this scedule and I will wake up at 3am like clock work. Its my body telling me its time for my medication. For me because I am very active in the day due to work and just day to day living raising kids / family etc. This scedule lets me get the most pain management during the day time when I need it. If my pain gets too much to handle during the last few hour I have medication for break thru pain which can be very helpful on those days when I over do it with activity. Let me know if this helps I am more than happy to share my experiances if it helps. Thanks

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Re: MrRyan (# 66)

Hi Ryan, I experienced a lot of side effects, including the horrible headaches. That, combined with the fact that xtampza didn't work well to manage my pain, forced me to wean off. During that process, I knew for sure xtampza was the cause. My doctor wouldn't prescribe any other long-lasting med, so I'm left with the rollercoaster of Vicodin...takes an hour to kick in and doesn't last the three remaining hours until I can take another. On a different note, each time a pain med was changed, I specifically asked if the dosage was the same and was told it was. I finally did my own research and discovered it's been cut in half over the last year!

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Re: A Fan (# 15)

I’m with you on that. I was forced into taking xtampza instead of Oxycontin and it doesn’t work near as well. There trying to bully me into going on a 50mg fetinal patch but I don’t want anything to do with it. Oxycodone works better for me than anything but they they won’t let me have it. What are we supposed to do?

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Pete-I am on the patient assistance program from collegium company. You can look Google them to get their phone number for an application. If you qualify with low enough income then you get the medication free delivered to your front door!! Can't beat that right?
You cannot have any insurance or other coverage for medications and your income must be 200% of the federal poverty level.
Originally I had patient assistance for Oxycontin but they change their income level too much lower to qualify so I cannot get it anymore.
Good luck and I hope that helps.

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Re: CiaoBella (# 12)

Iam with United health care also they do suck makeing me take xtampza it all pure greed.
We all need to stop payments to uhc .

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