woot on Vicodin ES/mythylpredinsolone/diazepam and feeling great!

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TheGizmo

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2000
3,627
0
71
try not to double up on your dose like that, you're only going to make your tolerance ceiling out again, been there done that.. trust me you don't want to be takine 400mg of oxycotin a day. try switching to tramadol/ultram
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,409
39
91
get codeine... 25/250. :D
My grandma had some when she was terminally ill with cancer. That was the strongest she got before she was fulltime on morphine at the hospice.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,691
15,094
146
Sorry to hear about the pain level. Living with pain is certainly no fun...With 3 herniated disks, advanced degenerative disk disease, several other problems, severe SI joint dysfunction, and a fucked up knee, I can relate to NEEDING pain meds on a regular basis. My pain management doctor is always pushing the stuff on me, and I have bottles of hydrocodone, (even though I'm one of the few people who is actually allergic to it) oxycontin, (which in spite of being allergic to codiene and many of its derivatives...I can tolerate) valium (which I take on rare occasions) and oodles of other "good stuff" types of pills...almost all of which I refuse to take unless I'm in total misery. like one of the posters on page 1, I live on NSAID types of pain-killers...aspirin, aleve, and ibuprofen, just to take the edge off the pain , without totally numbing the brain. I tell the doctor, "I'm trying to go back to school after being out for 40 years. I'm fcking stupid enough, I DON'T need chemical help!"...at which he laughs and writes another prescription...
Be careful with the methylprednisolone...it's a corticosteroid, and CAN have some unpleasant side effects with prolonged use:

"Side effects of methylprednisolone and other corticosteroids range from mild annoyances to serious irreversible bodily damage. Side effects include fluid retention, weight gain, high blood pressure, potassium loss, headache, muscle weakness, puffiness of the face, hair growth on the face, thinning and easy bruising of the skin, glaucoma, cataracts, peptic ulceration, worsening of diabetes, irregular menses, growth retardation in children, convulsions, and psychic disturbances. Psychic disturbances may include depression, euphoria, insomnia, mood swings, personality changes, and even psychotic behavior.

Prolonged use of methylprednisolone can depress the ability of the body's adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids. Abruptly stopping methylprednisolone in these individuals can cause symptoms of corticosteroid insufficiency, with accompanying nausea, vomiting, and even shock. Therefore, withdrawal of methylprednisolone usually is accomplished by gradual tapering the dose. Gradually tapering methylprednisolone not only minimizes the symptoms of corticosteroid insufficiency, it also reduces the risk of an abrupt flare of the disease being treated."
Short term or intermittant use should be ok, just beware...steroids can cause problems...

(I get large doses of cortisone/steroids via epidural injections a couple of time per year...even though I'm in my 50's, I break out like a farkin teenager for a couple of weeks after every injection...along with slow healing of any cuts/scratches, sometimes wierd mood swings, etc...)
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,409
39
91
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Sorry to hear about the pain level. Living with pain is certainly no fun...With 3 herniated disks, advanced degenerative disk disease, several other problems, severe SI joint dysfunction, and a fucked up knee, I can relate to NEEDING pain meds on a regular basis. My pain management doctor is always pushing the stuff on me, and I have bottles of hydrocodone, (even though I'm one of the few people who is actually allergic to it) oxycontin, (which in spite of being allergic to codiene and many of its derivatives...I can tolerate) valium (which I take on rare occasions) and oodles of other "good stuff" types of pills...almost all of which I refuse to take unless I'm in total misery. like one of the posters on page 1, I live on NSAID types of pain-killers...aspirin, aleve, and ibuprofen, just to take the edge off the pain , without totally numbing the brain. I tell the doctor, "I'm trying to go back to school after being out for 40 years. I'm fcking stupid enough, I DON'T need chemical help!"...at which he laughs and writes another prescription...
Be careful with the methylprednisolone...it's a corticosteroid, and CAN have some unpleasant side effects with prolonged use:

"Side effects of methylprednisolone and other corticosteroids range from mild annoyances to serious irreversible bodily damage. Side effects include fluid retention, weight gain, high blood pressure, potassium loss, headache, muscle weakness, puffiness of the face, hair growth on the face, thinning and easy bruising of the skin, glaucoma, cataracts, peptic ulceration, worsening of diabetes, irregular menses, growth retardation in children, convulsions, and psychic disturbances. Psychic disturbances may include depression, euphoria, insomnia, mood swings, personality changes, and even psychotic behavior.

Prolonged use of methylprednisolone can depress the ability of the body's adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids. Abruptly stopping methylprednisolone in these individuals can cause symptoms of corticosteroid insufficiency, with accompanying nausea, vomiting, and even shock. Therefore, withdrawal of methylprednisolone usually is accomplished by gradual tapering the dose. Gradually tapering methylprednisolone not only minimizes the symptoms of corticosteroid insufficiency, it also reduces the risk of an abrupt flare of the disease being treated."
Short term or intermittant use should be ok, just beware...steroids can cause problems...

(I get large doses of cortisone/steroids via epidural injections a couple of time per year...even though I'm in my 50's, I break out like a farkin teenager for a couple of weeks after every injection...along with slow healing of any cuts/scratches, sometimes wierd mood swings, etc...)

If you take NSAID's quite regularly, I'd recommend some celebrex
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celecoxib
It's an anagelsic with all of the pain inhibiting benefits without any of the long term negative effects. It took scientists years of research to create this superaspirin.
What happens with regular NSAIDs is that while inhibiting the inflammation enzyme, it also inhibits this enzyme for your stomach lining, thus destroying your stomach lining over time. With celebrex, they developed a method to only inhibit the inflammation enzyme.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,691
15,094
146
Originally posted by: astroidea
If you take NSAID's quite regularly, I'd recommend some celebrex
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celecoxib
It's an anagelsic with all of the pain inhibiting benefits without any of the long term negative effects. It took scientists years of research to create this superaspirin.
What happens with regular NSAIDs is that while inhibiting the inflammation enzyme, it also inhibits this enzyme for your stomach lining, thus destroying your stomach lining over time. With celebrex, they developed a method to only inhibit the inflammation enzyme.

My doctor & I discussed Celebrex, but because of this:

"Risk of heart attack and stroke
There has been much concern about the possibility of increased risk for heart attack and stroke in users of NSAID drugs, particularly COX-2 selective NSAIDs such as celecoxib, since the withdrawal of the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib (Vioxx) in 2004. Like all NSAIDs on the U.S. market, celecoxib carries an FDA-mandated "black box warning" for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risk. In February 2007, the American Heart Association warned that celecoxib should be used "as a last resort on patients who have heart disease or a risk of developing it", and suggested that paracetamol, or certain older NSAIDs, such as naproxen, may be safer choices for pain relief in these patients"

it was decided that it wouldn't be a good choice for me. I rarely take any NSAIDs on an empty stomach, and usually with a meal to help reduce the possibilty of stomach irritation/ulceration from them...
 

Slew Foot

Lifer
Sep 22, 2005
12,379
96
86
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Sorry to hear about the pain level. Living with pain is certainly no fun...With 3 herniated disks, advanced degenerative disk disease, several other problems, severe SI joint dysfunction, and a fucked up knee, I can relate to NEEDING pain meds on a regular basis. My pain management doctor is always pushing the stuff on me, and I have bottles of hydrocodone, (even though I'm one of the few people who is actually allergic to it) oxycontin, (which in spite of being allergic to codiene and many of its derivatives...I can tolerate) valium (which I take on rare occasions) and oodles of other "good stuff" types of pills...almost all of which I refuse to take unless I'm in total misery. like one of the posters on page 1, I live on NSAID types of pain-killers...aspirin, aleve, and ibuprofen, just to take the edge off the pain , without totally numbing the brain. I tell the doctor, "I'm trying to go back to school after being out for 40 years. I'm fcking stupid enough, I DON'T need chemical help!"...at which he laughs and writes another prescription...
Be careful with the methylprednisolone...it's a corticosteroid, and CAN have some unpleasant side effects with prolonged use:

"Side effects of methylprednisolone and other corticosteroids range from mild annoyances to serious irreversible bodily damage. Side effects include fluid retention, weight gain, high blood pressure, potassium loss, headache, muscle weakness, puffiness of the face, hair growth on the face, thinning and easy bruising of the skin, glaucoma, cataracts, peptic ulceration, worsening of diabetes, irregular menses, growth retardation in children, convulsions, and psychic disturbances. Psychic disturbances may include depression, euphoria, insomnia, mood swings, personality changes, and even psychotic behavior.

Prolonged use of methylprednisolone can depress the ability of the body's adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids. Abruptly stopping methylprednisolone in these individuals can cause symptoms of corticosteroid insufficiency, with accompanying nausea, vomiting, and even shock. Therefore, withdrawal of methylprednisolone usually is accomplished by gradual tapering the dose. Gradually tapering methylprednisolone not only minimizes the symptoms of corticosteroid insufficiency, it also reduces the risk of an abrupt flare of the disease being treated."
Short term or intermittant use should be ok, just beware...steroids can cause problems...

(I get large doses of cortisone/steroids via epidural injections a couple of time per year...even though I'm in my 50's, I break out like a farkin teenager for a couple of weeks after every injection...along with slow healing of any cuts/scratches, sometimes wierd mood swings, etc...)


the problem with avoiding the steroids is since his pain is related to RA(i.e. the body's immune system eating away at the joints) the steroids help suppress the immune system from progressing the disease. Unless he switches over to another form of DMARD(Disease modifying anti-rheumatoidal drug), the RA will only get progressively worse.


 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,082
136
Vicodin worked great on me when I had Mono. My throat was in extreme pain for one week and serious pain for another. One little pill kept me good for hours. Long enough to eat and drink and then fall asleep afterwards.

I had Percocet when I got my wisdom teeth pulled, that was some nice stuff too.
 
D

Deleted member 4644

Ouch...

I had a few days of EXTREME oral pain this year and ended up in the ER for a morphine shot. Pain can really suck.

Good luck finding a doc who can help you. On some level we have to count our blessings. At least we live in an age where docs can do something about pain. Imagine 200 years ago.

PS could be worth it to talk to an alternative medicine doctor. Sometimes (not always, but sometimes) they can give you stuff that has minimal side effects but can really help improve your body's health.

I would serious consider taking Omega 3 acids if you do not already. They can naturally help suppress auto immune responses.

I take them, and it helps me.

See this clinical analysis: http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/6/495

"Experimental studies have provided evidence that incorporation of omega-3 fatty acids modifies inflammatory and immune reactions, making omega-3 fatty acids potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. "
 

biggestmuff

Diamond Member
Mar 20, 2001
8,201
2
0
Originally posted by: waggy
holly crap!FUCK YEAH!

one of the side effects of mythylpredinsolone is · increased hair growth ! oh yeah! GROW BABY GROW!

That's a minor side effect. The worst ones, for me, are the muscle catabilism, increased carbohydrate synthesis, water retention and sodium retention. I look like the friggin' Stay Puff marshmallow Man.

I have chronic lower back pain due to degenerative disc disease, Spondylosis as well as Spondylolisthesis. I took the 21 day Prednisolone pack because the three Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI) didn't last the six months that they were supposed to. I've gained probably close to 20 pounds due to the ESI and Prednisolone.
 
Jun 19, 2004
10,860
1
81
Originally posted by: Deleted member 4644

Good luck finding a doc who can help you. On some level we have to count our blessings. At least we live in an age where docs can do something about pain. Imagine 200 years ago.

Trust me, they had some good shit back then. Opium was not illegal, not to mention just about any other naturally occuring plant/drug.

Hell, my Grandmother told me of times when they'd go out as kids in the 20's and 30's and find Poppy plants growing wild and smoke that shit. Which is weird if you ever met my Grandmother, she turned into the defacto Southern Baptist lady.
 

cliftonite

Diamond Member
Jul 15, 2001
6,900
63
91
Originally posted by: Old Hippie
I'll second that emotion. There's some major pain in this thread. I feel expecially blessed not to have these issues.

Me too. I had some back pain a few months ago and it was the WORST kind of pain that i have EVER felt in my life. I realized that whatever pain that I felt up till that point was nothing.

The doc gave me some tylenol with codine but it didnt seem to do much :( The pain went away in 2 weeks.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
Originally posted by: biggestmuff
Originally posted by: waggy
holly crap!FUCK YEAH!

one of the side effects of mythylpredinsolone is · increased hair growth ! oh yeah! GROW BABY GROW!

That's a minor side effect. The worst ones, for me, are the muscle catabilism, increased carbohydrate synthesis, water retention and sodium retention. I look like the friggin' Stay Puff marshmallow Man.

I have chronic lower back pain due to degenerative disc disease, Spondylosis as well as Spondylolisthesis. I took the 21 day Prednisolone pack because the three Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI) didn't last the six months that they were supposed to. I've gained probably close to 20 pounds due to the ESI and Prednisolone.

well i can dream can't i? a side effect of getting a full head of hair would be nice. heh