JACE

I just got online for the first time today a little while ago so I just got your post. Thank you for responding. What is your pain like when you don't take the ms contin? Have you found other meds to manage the pain? like high doses of NASID's such as Motrin,Naproxen, Celebrex? possibly in conjunction with a muscle relaxant like flexeril?  It is true, there are those who need to be on meds throughout their life and not because the doc wants the kick backs. Have you ever condifered ultram? I know it is an opiate but it does not bind quite as "tightly" to your mu opiaye receptors like hydrocodone does or most other opiates and it doesn't bind to the other two types of opiate receptors at all making it less addictive. However, it does not give you the high that other opiates do ( I have come across maybe a handful of those who can get high from it. Being that it probably won't get you high that can eliminate the cravings if you choose to taper it. It also increases serotonin and norepinephrine, the combination of the three has been extremely effective in pain relief without many of the side effects. I'm just trying to throw out some alternatives for you since you are going to come off of the ms contin. Let me know if you need anything hun ok? or if you have any other alternative treatments for pain management in mind. Are you exited to be getting off the ms contin?

xoxo- D.

[minnie11]

Still suffering withdrawals from stopping Ultram c/t 12 days ago, I just wanted to add that I think it would be extremely risky to replace any pain medication with Ultram. I myself have experienced that it is a really good pain medication, when it was prescribed to me for dental pain, and even though it is correct that it doesn't provide a high as such, it does create dependency and after just one month you will need more and more in order to obtain the pain-killing effect that you obtained initially. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy to go through what I am going through at the moment, so unless it is to be taken for a very short period of time, I would avoid Ultram.  
Just my two cents. Take care.
Minnie

[DutchessGolden]

yea, taking any opiate will create dependence it's just a question of when. Usually within 7-10, sometimes 14 days but many people experience mild w/d symptoms after a 5 day course. Jace has problems with the discs in 50% of his lower back so it's not always feasable to be able to control the pain with NSAIDs and/or muscle relaxants. Ultram only seems to work on my dental pain too lol It doesnt seem to help with any other kind of pain.I have quite a few patients that have switched to ultram and benefit greatly from it. Often times the biggest problem is the high, taking more meds than you need so you can get high, craving the high, it's kind of like a heroin addict and the needle. Many heroin addicts become just as addicted to the needle as they do the drug and will shoot up all kinds of other drugs if they dont have heroin, even shoot up saline solution jusr to have the needle in their arm b/c they associate the needle with getting high. My patients that have switched to ultram are, for the first time in a long time thinking clearly and functioning like they did prior to the meds, taking the amount prescribed ( you will build a tolerance to almost any medication over time) the important thing is to only take what you need to relieve the pain or at least keep it manageable. And my patients who take benzos or tricyclic antidepressants or even SSRI's have been at least 50% better on ultram being that it increases serotonin and norepinephrine.

Withdrawal c/t from any opiate from ultram to hydrocodone to demerol and morphine is going to be insanely miserable b/c in essence they are doing the same thing- causing your body to stop producing its own endorphins because the meds stimulate the production of endorphinsso when you stop your body has yo learn all over again to produce endorphins on its own. Long term use of opiates caues the brain and spinal cord to increase the number of opiate receptors so even when your body starts producing it own endorphins again there's not enough to "fill" all of the opiate recepors. This is one reason why opiate w/d can feel worse aftere you started to feel better. And JACE is tapering as ct off opiates can be dangerous as far a causing permanant damage to the cardiopulmonary system, the central nervous system, and intestines. Though opiate w/d rarely poses any immediate threat, it can still cause irrebersible effect throughout the areas of the body where you have opiate receptors (the ones I mentioned above. I do have patients that stop c/t but I cannot ethically advise anyone to do it b/c it can be damaging and its not that opiate w/d cant cause death b/c it can but it i very rarely fatal and usually in unhealthy patients when it is fatal.

xoxo- D.