Hello, my cookies. I have a few question's. I have severe kidney stones, tmj,endometriosis,
severe cyts and all kinds of other stuff. My main pain source is the stones and kidney problems I have, that give me constant pain. Anyway Just saw my first PM Dr. . He was wonderful, yada yada yada. He gave me methadone( my first time on this med) and Oxycodone for BT pain. He told me on second visit might as well take both med's three times a day. Question is why BT med's? Why two differnt kinds of med's? Why not just take 2 pills of same brand 3 times a day? I realy am not sure why I have a BT med. Is it not good to take the same med twice, and thats why you have a second brand for BT? I told him the tmj and endometriosis, cysts and other female problems I have that I could handle, for I am having a hysterectomy in 3 months. I cant wait for that, it will take care of alot of pain and emotional issues I have. Anyway why not the same med when your pain comes back, why a BT seperate brand? I was syptom free from the med's until a few nights ago, but I find I cant sleep on these med's, I sleep for 30 min then wake right up. But I am very very sleepy. Is this normal? If so what over the counter med can I take or is it not even good to take something. Maybe PM Dr.'s perscribe sleep med's? Why do Dr.'s not want to give that type of med anyway? They say it's addictive, BUT what in the world do people get addicted to in sleep aids? It doesnt make you stoned, and it just makes you sleepy. Do people get addicted to sleeping??? I never understood that addiction. Anyway hope all these questions make sense. Oh yeah what is LA meds and SA meds stand for that I keep seeing people say Thanks for any answers's, hope I dont sound to silly, with my silly questions, I am a natural blonde so you will have to forgive me... :rolleyes: ..

Hey Mil,

It is very common as a pain patient to receive two pain meds. Usually you will have one for LA and one SA. In your case, Methadone which is considered and LA med due to its half life, and then oxycodone for BT pain.

Basically people with chronic pain need around the clock pain relief. Hence the "chronic" part. So a doc may prescribe an LA med like Methadone, Kadian, OxyContin, etc. These meds are either time-released by the way they are manufactured, or have a long half-life in the case of Methadone.

However, many people with chronic pain will have spikes in their pain and this is when you may require a BT med. Some people have spikes daily and others weekly etc. It depends on you and your specific injuries/conditions.

BT meds should really only be used for just that. Really your LA med is what should be providing most of your relief. When you have BT pain, then you use your BT meds. If you find that you are using the same amount of BT meds each day then there are a couple of things or questions to ask your doc. One is that your LA med is probably not high enough if you are using a lot of BT meds. And the other thing is, with BT meds, if you are taking the same amount everyday, then they become part of your daily intake of meds. So when you have BT pain, you will require even more to get relief.

When you are prescribed BT meds, the doc will usually write either a daily dose, maybe 3-6 per day or PRN (as needed). But just because you are prescribed 6 daily, usually doesn't mean that you have to take 6 a day with BT meds. Of course check with your doc, but most docs would prefer that your BT meds intake is limited, so that they will work for you in the future for BT pain.

As far as the drowsiness, that is from the Methadone. It is one of the side effects to Meth and probably one of the most frequent complaints. I don't take Methadone, but there are many on this board that could give their personal experiences with it I'm sure, and how they have handled that issue.

And finally, another reason two different pain meds are used is for better coverage of pain. Without getting to confusing, opiates and the different families bind to different receptors. These receptors basically due different things as far as pain, relaxation, sedation, etc are concerned. So by using different opiates, your pain will be covered better. Thats the short version anyway.

I would talk with your doc about the BT meds. Most docs don't have a problem if you want to decrease something as long as you speak with them first. I will tell you that Methadone is not something to self medicate or change in anyway. Be sure to always contact your doc about any changes in that med before making it. Its not like other meds or BT meds that can change or are given as an "as needed" drug. Its very important to follow the instructions of that med.

Hope you start feeling better soon. Hopefully I didn't confuse you too much....

Take Care

One thing about Oxycodone. For some people, myself included, it actually is more stimulating than other opiates. For example, my long acting med has just been switched back from Kadian to 100 mcg DURAGESIC patch. Now, the patch (and the Kadian) both make mae a little drowsy. But the Oxycodone more than makes up for that. I can get by with only 3-4 hours of sleep with no problems.

Don't assume that you are going to be sedated. If you are one of those who get energy from the Oxycodone, you might find yourself with more energy than you expected.

Alan

So which is actualy stronger? The meth or the oxycodone? I know med's have different effects from person to person but, which of the two is stronger? The oxy makes me sick to my tummy but the meth doesnt. I am pretty impressed with the meth to be honest. It for sure lasts longer. The meth is 5mg and the oxy pill is 15. I took a drug called dilaudid(spelling?) once and the meth seems to be alot like the dilaudid. Is the meth stronger than dilaudid?. I know its difficult to compare but I would like some what of a comparison please. Thanks so much for responses :p

Oh yeah I forgot to mention, that the oxycodone is realy starting to make me nauseas. The first two weeks I was fine ,but now I am nauseas constantly. If I wanna try something else,will the PM Dr. usualy get mad or disaprove? What would they normally replace it with.OK hope this makes sense, I am trying to write this in the bubble bath on my lap tap.