Question:
Weird reaction to painkillers...

I just had my surgery last Tuesday, 2/18 and had a strange reaction to the pain medication after I came home from the hospital. The medication is the Codine elixor and I felt like I "ODed" from it. I woke up freezing and immediately took my temperature and it had dropped to 93 degrees. Is this a normal side affect from the medication?    — Charla K. (posted on February 25, 2003)

February 25, 2003
my friend felt like she was on lsd or something she saw things that were not there!!!! eekkk!!!
   — janetc00

February 25, 2003
Different pain medications affect different people in different ways. I've had tylenol with codeine prescribed for me many times and it works great for me. However, I had demerol in a PCA pump when I had my gallbladder out. The hallucinations I had on that were the weirdest thing I've ever experienced. I can't believe that people take drugs on purpose so that will happen to them. Anyway, ask your doc if there's something else they can give you. Another pain med might take care of the pain and not have any side effects for you.
   — garw

February 25, 2003
Always mention this whenever they ask you about medication allergies, even though they might not consider it a real allergy it should be noted your reaction to this med. Let your doc know for sure.
   — ZZ S.

February 25, 2003
Everyone has a different reaction to pain meds and you never know what reaction you'll get until you try it. I knew I'd have problems from past experience but my surgeon said they'd try them out on me anyway and I would be in the hospital so they could monitor me. Anyway, I was on morphine, demerol, roxicet, and tylenol with codine and it ended up I couldn't take any of them! I was a complete mess, I was itchy to no end so they had to keep giving me injections of benedryl. And, this was all in a 3 day period in the hospital. I finally ended up refusing to hit that pain button because at one brief moment I came to my senses and realized it was the medicine that was making me feel soo bad. I nearly passed out several times and I actually thought I was going to die it was soo bad! After I quit that medicine I was just fine. When I came home I took regular tylenol for pain if I felt I needed it. Too bad I spent money on filling those prescriptions for pain meds that are now just sitting in my cupboard unopened.
   — Dee ,.

February 25, 2003
I had a similar problem on days 6 - 10 after surgery, but I had already discontinued the medication. My temperature dropped dramatically and even with the heat on as high as it would go I was still shivering under a huge stack of quilts and blankets. Definitely check with your doctor if you feel like you are experiencing side effects from the medicine.
   — Lydia S.

February 25, 2003
Be careful with codiene or other pain killers. I was getting terrible pounch pains like gallbladder attacks since around the time I was using codiene pills. I had to stop. (I can't even seem to tolerate much needed arthritus meds). I'm afraid I may now have an ulcer. Anyway, careful with this stuff. Everyone is different of course, but we could get into trouble with some medicines.
   — Danmark

February 27, 2003
SAY NO TO DRUGS!!!!!!!!!!! I took too many painkillers following surgery and ended up back in the hospital for 4 days. One of the side effects of the narcotics many of us are given post op, either in the pumps or by injection or mouth, is that they slow down the gastro intestinal tract. I completely impacted myself, by taking too many percosets whenever they were offerred. They made me feel better in the short run, but I was home for less than a day and went back in through the ER, ending up w/ suppositories and enemas to relieve the problem. Took 3 more days until I was straightened out. I hear that this is not all that unusual.
   — Fixnmyself