I am suffering with severe chronic lower back pain and have been for almost 6 years, but for the past year the pain has been untollerable. I have been to 19 differant doctors in 6 years and have had 4 epidural steroid injections.

I have gotten 4 differant opinions on back surgery and all of them say that I don't need surgery, but there is nothing else that can be done. I have been through 3 differant physical therapy sessions and 1 month of swimming pool therapy with no good results except for worse pain than I had when I started.

I only got around 3-4 scripts written for Lortab 5mg and out of those scripts, I didn't get no more than 150 pills in the last year. I was having to go out and buy my meds off of the street just so that I could live with another day. I had fallen into depression and felt suicidal because of all of the pain and no doctors would help me with pain meds and that was the only thing that worked for me.

One day I went to re-up on some Lortabs and my buddy gave me a 10mg Methadone. I couldn't believe how much better this one little pill worked over 10-15 Lortab 10s. I had already gotten addicted to the Lortabs but not anything that I couldn't quit.

I finally got in with a very good pain doctor at a pain clinic and she started me from day #1 taking 2-10mg Methadones a day, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. I have been on this dosage since Sept.2002 and about 2 months ago my back pain started coming back. Just last week I went to my pain doc and she raised me up 1 more 10mg Methadone a day. I get 90 a month, but now I am getting worried about an addiction somewhere down the road. I have read a lot of info on Methadone and from what I've read, it takes a pretty large dosage and used for awhile before you could develope an addiction.
I have stopped taking my dosage in the past anywhere from 1-2 weeks and the only thing that I noticed was the pain started coming back after about a week and I have never had any withdrawals whatsoever.

If I was to quit taking Methadone, what other medications could I take in it's place. Hydrocodone don't work anymore and I can't take all of that Tylenol and I have never taken an Oxycontin + what about the addiction to Oxycontin ?

I really hope that someone can answer this question for me. I know for a fact that I can't go through the pain again, I would rather be dead than to have to go thru that again.

Thanks for any help!

God Bless!
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DragracerNpain
D@mn pain sux

[This message has been edited by DragracerNpain (edited 04-24-2003).]

#1 Texan,
I really appreciate your response. I know for a fact that I don't have a pinched nerve, because I don't have any of the symptoms such as tingling, coldness, numbness, etc. The problem with my back is called spondilitithesis (spelling may be off), anyway, between my L5 and S1 vetabraes my spine has shifted 2mm. From L5 and up has shifted towards the rear by this 2mm and when I bendover this splippage will increase from 2mm to 3mm.

Along with this slippage problem, the disk between L4 and L5 is slightly herneated and I do mean the very least and then the disk between L5 and S1 is slightly degenerated. The doctors has told me that the slightly bulging disk and the slightly degenerated disk is not a problem in any way for the time being and ALL of my back pain is coming from the slippage in between L5 and S1 because there is a grinding condition going on in that location.

The right hip pain is caused from a very slight problem with the joint between my pelvis and hip. I have helped this problem a little by doing differant types of hip stretches.

The pain in my shoulder has been very hard to find what is causing it. I have a little bit of bursidous going from my shoulder to my elbow, but as far as the shoulder pain itself goes, it is a very painful sensation right in the joint of my shoulder. Steroid injections help tremendously, but I still have a little pain in my arm itself which is the bursidous.

I saw 3 specialist about 5 years ago and they all told me that I may or may not have to have surgery sometime in my life and that I could probably escape the surgery as long as the problem in my back was stable and if I would take care of my back and lose some weight. I have been seeing a nuerosurgeon for the past 4 years. He is suppose to be about the best back surgeon around Alabama and he has talked me out of back surgery a couple of times. He has sent me for many x-rays and an MRI in which showed the problem in my back, but he says that there is no way that I needed surgery and as long as the problem was stable and I did back exercises and never bent over again the rest of my life that I would never have to have surgery. He said that about 50% of all back surgeries ended up having more pain than before the surgery and with the problem that I have, he could gauranty lots more pain than I already have and the problem would still not be fixed. If this 2mm slippage was to get unstable and move to 6mm-7mm then he would have to do surgery.

1goodgirl,
I really thank you for your reply. There is no way in this world that anyone could cope with the pain that I have had. The pain has been so intense at times, that I have really thought long and hard about taking my on life, but that is where God stepped in and took that notion from me. My mother has had to take me to the emergency room one day because I was hurting so bad, but they did nothing, so once at home I called a friend and had him to bring me some Lortabs over and that helped me for a couple of days. I was crying and pretty much out of my mind, the pain was so bad.

The Methadone has helped me big time and it has also helped me to stop taking the Lortabs by the handful at one time. I have not had a Lortab since September 2002. I know that Methakone is addictive, but it doesn't seem that addictive on small doses such as 30mg-40mg a day.

Risky Business,
Your reply is much appreciated. I always understood Methadone to be a drug that was used just for helping addicts to get off of Heroin and lots more drugs. I just found out about 9 months ago that Methadone was also prescribed for chronic pain. I was having to take Lortabs like eating candy just so I tollerate the pain enough to get thru life one day at a time. Now with the Methadone, all I take is 3 a day and I'm not harming my liver and always wanting more and more.

Thank you all for your replies and God Bless each of you.

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DragracerNpain
D@mn pain sux