DrugBuyers.Com: Oxycontin Too Strong Need advise on alternatives

Why not ask for your dose to be lowered to OC 10mg?

It seems simple enough to me. Maybe 10mg OC TID w/ a seperate script for generic vicoden or percocet (the originals- with the 5mg narcotic dose, up to 3 a day) for break through?

That's essentially the schedule my loud obnoxious roommate in the the hospital last spring was getting (x 2 of each) all the while complaining about "how dare they change my meds, I was on 3 80's a day and that was working just fine". And her husband would drive up from the the river almost everyday and spend the day bitching about how he was "GONNA SUE THIS PLACE, WHAT THE HeLL ARE THEY DOIN' TO YOU, CHANGING YOUR MEDS AND THEY KEEP CHANGING YOUR DISCHARGE DATE AND I HAVE TO SPEND 28 BUCKS EVRY TIME I COME UP HERE TO VISIT, WE'RE GONNA SUE"

It's was really encouraging to me, on the other side of the curtain, recovering from acute, but total, kidney failure, and facing the possibility that I might never be able to use my left foot again--that I might, in fact, have to agree to leave my foot at the hospital before I could leave.

Whoops, back from tangent. Be on the lowest dose dose you can be. During those times, I so wished that they would have put me back on at least a low dose of some XR opiates so I didn't have to deal with the pain and waiting, but surprising few doctors seem to understand that pain meds need to be layered. . .

Micheals I behoove you to ask your doc about the 10mg oxycontin. . .I'm almost certain it still exists. If you really honestly cannot take APAP or NSAIDS your quality of life is going to be greatly diminished and you definitely need to to look into alternative pain management practices, like Mind-Body techniques (everyone should check out Newsweek 9/27/04 at your local library). Because od kidney damage from extensive opiate use, I can't really use any of the NSAIDS. . .but at least I have tylenol.

Anyway. Yeah. . .10mg OC with 5mg OxyIR (no APAP, no ASA), low-dose dilaudid, or 50mg demerol tablets (not a long term solution, as it's toxic), or maybe a compounded low APAP hydrocodone pill. You've got options.

Don't write off every single OTC painkiller for the rest of your life, though. I know, for instance, that when I reach a certain age, I'm going to need to start taking 85mg of aspirin per day. Even more so now that I'm crippled and can't follow many of the guidelines set out for a healthy heart lifestyle.

Micheals, you are lucky to have this doctor. S/he sounds like someone who will take your concerns into consideration and maybe even appreciate the fact that you take an active role in researching different treatment plans, rather than stamping you as a "drugseeker." Take that and run with it! ;D

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"It's the end of the World as We Know it. . ."
-REM "and I'm seeking asylum in Canada"-toe