Pain management:?

Question

Im in pain management and I have a herniated disk at L5 I was taking vicodin and it worked great now he wants me to take MS Contin I dont want to. What do I do?

Answer 1

It's your pain and you have some room for negotiation. There is a good argument that if something is working you should stick to it.

HOWEVER

With respect to pain relief medications, your body will undergo changes and you may find that in the near future what is working currently no longer works as your liver becomes very good at metabolizing the drug you are using.

MS Contin is a long acting oral morphine which is very good for chronic pain situations. It may well be worth a try. On the other hand, your body will eventually get used to the MS Contin as well.

You would do well to explore alternative means of pain relief - eg. massage, TENS, hypnotherapy ...

Discuss your wants and needs with your doctor. It's not like your doctor is going to force your mouth open and pop the MS Contin in there - you cannot be forced to take a medicine you don't want to take. Your doctor, hopefully, has your best interests in mind and so you should at least consider their suggestions.

Answer 2

Vicodin (hydrocodone) breaks down into the body into morphine and much of vicodin's pain killing ability is due to the morphine metabolites that come from regular hydrocodone usage. Most pain management Drs prefer longer acting drugs like MS Contin rather than relatively short acting Vicodin which because of it's shorter action supposedly has a higher abuse potential than MS Contin. Also the Vicodin contains tylenol which can damage your liver when taken daily or with even small amounts of alcohol. You need to discuss your concerns with your Dr and ask him what are his concerns that caused him to suggest the switch to MS Contin. Listen to what he has to say, but in my opinion if you are going to be taking a pain med for an extended period of time, then MS Contin is a much preferable choice than taking vicodin and all that Tylenol each day.

Answer 3

A long acting pain med (MS Contin) is better suited for chronic pain since you'll have stable levels of the med in your system... when using short acting meds like Vicodin, the med peaks, wears off, then it's time to take more.
According to my pain doctor, once you're on the proper dose, the only time the medication needs to be increased is if the pain increases. I've been on the same dose of a long acting pain med for 2 yrs now. I do have a medication for break thru pain but for the most part, my main medication handles it.

Try the MSContin. If prescribed at the right dose, you'll get all day pain relief instead of the ups and downs of Vicodin and similar drugs.
Good luck to you
Nicole

Answer 4

It can be very effective in the treatment of pain, but i don't care who you are - you will develop a tolerance (just like w/vicodin) and you will need more and more to treat the pain... after 7 years on pain meds - i was taking oxycontin and norco in lethal amounts from various pharmacies and doctors just to get the same relief and never got it.... my adivice - search for something different. I use yoga, chiropractic treatments, massage, and essential oils now and my pain has been very managable - much better than before. You can get real relief from natural remedies, but it will be worse (detoxing off the vicodin and letting your natural pain fighters kick back in) before it gets better - BUT it does get better.

Answer 5

The question is why don't you want to take MS Contin, IF there is a valid reason - for example it makes you nauseated or does not work then tell the Doc that you want to stay on Vicodin.

Maybe he is worried about addiction and he does not want you to stay on the same drug too long.

Ask the doc why he wants to change, then talk to him (or her) about your concerns.