Allergy to Opiates??

[Michelle Maree]

Has anyone else gone crazy since being put on Opiates?
I have been on 40/50mg of oxycontin now for 6 months and it has totally wrecked me. Granted I was in a hell of a lot of pain before going on them and thank god for its existance But since I have been on them I have aged heaps, more than before my pain was under control.I am extremely moody, edgy, have trouble sleeping, dry skin/hair, constantly thirsty.Now I look like a druggy. And when I go for car rides longer than about 15 minutes I am bound to puke. All in the space of 6 months.
When I was first put on the stuff I thought it was the answer to my prayers. I was able to sleep in my own bed again after sleeping on firm couch cushions on the floor for months. I started going for walks again in the park. But after a few months I became tolerant of it and my movements started restricting again and I am only having enough just to cover the pain.

Could I possibly have an allergy?? Or is this kind of thing not unusual.
Michelle

[Michelle Maree]

Does anyone know how much the average heroin user takes as compared to 50 mg oxycontin. Would I be taking as much or more than a street user? I can only find a morphine to oxycodone converter.
I know my posts are pretty negative at the moment but I am in a bad place right now concerning the organisation of much needed surgery . I promise to be better in the future.
Michelle.

[Katie]

MIchelle, don't ever, ever apologize for your posts. We understand the position you are in and have nothing but empathy.

I have posted before about weird reactions to most pain medications. Fentanyl but me on the floor, vomiting and almost incoherent and my friend called an ambulance. Lyrica made me very loopy and the oxycodin/contin had the same mixed results. If I had continued with them, I would have been totally worthless.

I'm now on ~300 mg/day of short acting morphine, as even the long acting does not work with me. It's very weird and the doctors can't explain it, so I am constantly going through mini withdrawal symptoms each morning if I sleep past two or three hours. But it is the only medication that works.

Can you try a different med? There's no rule that you can only have that one. I had to find a pain management doctor who would try all the different ones with me, thank heavens, because my family doctor was pretty useless.

Give that a go. You are not crazy...many people have bad reactions to medications. That's why they have that long list of possible side effects after each one There have also been studies which show that red heads really have weird effects from pain medications. I can dig it up if you like.

[Michelle Maree]

Thanks Katie,
I think I will see about trying something other than oxycontin. The thing is I find it very effective as a pain killer. I have a feeling I would be the same on all of them though, because they are all related,they are all opiate narcotics.
I have died my hair red before, but no, I am no redhead.

[Katie]

They are all narcotics but they all seem to affect me differently it seems. And hopefully you as well. How about Lyrica, which is not a narcotic, from what I understand? Or amytriptilene (sp?), which is used more as an anti-depressant, but which is also used as a pain-killer. It did work for me, the little I used it, but it gave me a very rare side-effect...terrible nightmares. My PM doctor confirmed that this was a risk, and I was one of the lucky ones.

You might look into these as well. I found from my pain management doctor that there is something out there that will work; we just have to keep trying.

And the fact that you are not a redhead must account for your even temperament that you mentioned in another thread Unlike me! But I think the study said that patients can also carry the gene for red hair without showing it much, if at all, which could still make them susceptible for this anomaly. So it seems that redheads more than blondes have more fun, depending on how you describe it

[Katie]

Michelle, maybe take the time to look at this thread, which is posted below in this same page. "Weird complications from pain medications? "

While I started it and listed my problems, there are several other posters who have given their experiences and are very interesting and unique. I never would have expected the reactions that they had to the different medications.

Good luck in your search to find something more suitable for you. It can be quite an adventure, but I was willing to take it to avoid some of the worst side effects. All the best, and please keep posting about your updates if any.

[Maria]

I started w/MS Contin back in '01. It worked very well at a low twice daily dose tho I had "morbid constipation" w/it, was terribly thirsty much of the time (cotton mouth) and really bad bilat burning in my shoulders and in my knees by the 5th month on it. Switched to Methadone ( 5mg bid- tid) and have been on this dose for 8 years (still have gut motility probs tho not to the degree w/MS Contin) and have done pretty well w/it.

I don't know whether you'd respond to every opiate drug as you do to Oxycontin tho I can certainly understand how you're not happy w/how feeling in general.

Good luck finding what might work for you.. it's such a drag we have to go there at all, still I hope something will work out for you. Talk it over with your PM/prescribing doctor if you've not already.

[Michelle Maree]

I just wanted to thank these lovely ladies who responded to my threads.
I have much appreciated your advice.
Best Wishes for the future,
Michelle.