Question:
Anyone find time released (oxycontin)medications to be effective?

I have fibromyalgia,which was much relieved after wt. loss. but now has returned full force,trying to work with Pain Management Specialist Dr. to find long lasting medication. I get no relief from time released meds at all - trying to find anyone who has had successful pain management . Thanks    — ppane35 (posted on November 21, 2005)

November 21, 2005
I had an RNY three years ago and have found that nothing time-released works properly anymore. For major pain such as post-op pain or knee pain following my upcoming surgery, I generally go for liquid Lortab because it absorbs fast. Jen RNY 11/12/2002
   — Mrs. Rich

November 22, 2005
A multiprong approach has worked for me. I must admit that NOTHING totally relieves me, but this has the best track record. I have a TENS unit with large butterfly electrodes. I wear it most of the day. I take mobic and lortab. If you have Medicare, they will pay for a home spa! Yup! that is right! Contact TheraSpa, that is the very best thing for fibro. A little home remedy never hurts. Take 2 lg tubes of extra strength deep heat and 1 jar Emu mix together. Wonderful on soreness and pain. Also look into a new drug called LYRICA. It was specifically made for fibro. God bless, Deb
   — losinit

November 22, 2005
hi, I haven't had wls yet but I do have chronic pain issues. I also have some GI problems so I gave up on pills long ago. I have found that Duragesic works really well for me. It is a patch... I wear it for 3 days then take it off and put a new one. The medication in Duragesic is called Fentanyl. Actiq is another form of Fentanyl. It comes on a stick. It's like a lollipop. This may not be an option for you if you are watching your sugar intake. I belive each dose of Actiq has about the equivalent of two teaspoons of sugar. I don't think they have a sugar free version. You are supposed to suck on the Actiq lollipop for 15 minutes and the medication is absorbed through the mouth rather than being swallowed and absorbed by the GI tract. These meds might work better for you since they don't require the stomach/intestines to digest the medications. On the downside, you have to already be on a fairly high dose of opiate medication to be able to use the patch or the lollipop. If you would like to email me to talk about this further, feel free to. My email address is [email protected]. Best of luck, Sid
   — mrsidknee

November 24, 2005
Hi, I have fibromyalgia also. My surgery date is Dec. 9th,2005. I have a rheumatologist that put me on Celexa and Elavil. These meds are antidepressants but somehow they hit the pain receptors in the central nervous system and after two months, controlled the pain and got rid of the chronic fatigue. You may need to see that type of doctor who specializes in fibro. It works well for me and takes away the pain. The Elavil, taken at night, allows me to sleep like a baby and was added to the Celexa because the fatigue never left me. How was your pain after surgery? I have a terrible time with severe pain from surgery, and was told that is because I have fibromyalgia. How was your fibromyalgia pain/fatigue affected after the WLS? Any trama can set off my fibro. Have you been to a rheumatologist? Did you go the antidepressant route? LD
   — LD

November 26, 2005
To LD, Thanks for the info. For the first year after surgery I did very poorly for pain control. After the actual surgery I alternated liquid Demerol with the liquid Lortab. After I lost about 175 lbs-half my pre-op body weight the fibro settled down and I was on tylenol and Lexapro only. I have taken Elavil in the past my doctor says absolutely not now because of the side effects (constipation, he worries about an obstruction). I had this fibro flair from 2 very serious back to back infections, one I was on a ventilator for 10 days in ICU. I have the Duragesic patch now and it helps the most of anything so far but have found that I still need alot more than people with out fibro. I want to ask for the Actiq too but right now he has me on Percocet for break through pain. My doctor has seen studies about fibro and pain control and he uses a weight loss drug called Meridia because he feels the surveys show that people with fibro have this unrelieved core pain so they can't adapt to normal pain levels/pain control. He says that after a few months patients actually start lowering their own med doses. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks. Good luck with your surgery-you sound very informed and will do well.
   — ppane35

December 18, 2005
Hi. Let me tell you what happened to me, it might be helpful to you. I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia from a rhumatologist, who had his head up where the sun doesn't shine. He basically told me, well, you have fibromyalgia, so just live with it, oh an here's your bill, that will be $200 for the consult. That was not acceptable to me. No one should have to live with pain. These days most docs will just say "fibromyalgia" which is their take on saying it's in your head, and if you're in an HMO, it's their excuse not to spend any money. Big help, right? I went to a different rheumatologist, and she helped me quite a bit. She actually did something. She had me take a blood test, and there is a test from your blood test where they can check to see if you have rheumatoid arthritis, which I had. Once I found out that I had that, then I was prescribed Arava and I take that with Enbrel. Now that I take those meds, I don't have to live with fibromyalgia pain. On bad days, I take a celebrex and I also take prescription pain med, liquid lortab. All I can say is, the difference is like night and day... and I can carry on having a normal life. I'm still affected by cold weather, but once you know what you have, you can adjust accordingly. I rarely have to result to the lortab. This may or may not help, but at least it's a step in the right direction. If your primary doc isn't helping you, seek the advice of a good rheumatologist. Don't just settle on "living with it" and being labeled with having fibromyalgia. Yes, I do have fibromyalgia secondary to RA, but when you solve the main problem, the fibromyalgia will not cripple you with pain. Happy holidays to you and yours, and I hope you feel beter soon!
   — suitfugue