Meds are going to run out early because other meds are not working as well as they used to. What do I do?

[jenny3485]

Ok, So I have a slipped disc (C7) It's absolutely excruciating. I have had it for a year now this month. When it first started my Dr. put me on percocet 5/325. 8 a day, 2 at a time. Then I had to change Dr.s due to my insurance. My new Dr. then lowered me to 6 percocets a day and started me on neurontin. I was also taking flexeril at night merely to help me sleep. I can fall asleep if I either have an ice pack or take some pain meds right before bed. The flexeril used to keep me asleep for about 4 hours. Then I would wake up and have to get another ice pack. That was about 8 months ago. It started not working that well so my Dr. moved me to two. Now that's not working ( At all). Also about 2 months ago I heard and felt a pop in my back. The same pop this all started from. Since then, the neurontin isn't working either. The only thing that is helping me is the percocet, but I dont' have nearly enough to get me through the month like it's suppose to. I have an appt. with my Dr. on Sept. 8th. But my meds are due on the 2nd. But I will be out tommorrow. I can't go to the emergency rm. because my Dr. made me sign an agreement for random drug tests, only use one pharmacy and only one Dr. Drug tests are fine, one pharmacy is fine. But what do I do tomorrow when my meds run out 2 days early because I have had to take them in the middle of the night because my other meds are not working. I am already in so much pain even with the percocet I have been taking. I am scared ******** of what tomorrow night will bring.

[sukker]

Hello Jenny i share your pain I was hit by a car on my motorcycle and suffered unstable pelvic fracture and a herniated L4 to L5 disc. I had surgery with 2 screws in sacroilliac joint and have lived in misery. living on opiates is a never ending struggle of when to take another pill. I have ran out early twice and its not pretty. I took Norco 10/325 4 a day for8mos. and now take 6 percocet 10/325 a day. Its still not enough and Im waiting for an injection on wen. my first one. I went to the ER once and got a lecture and told to call my doctor. the same ER I told the ambulance driver to take me to after the accident. There is a pain crisis in this country. I have almost went to a methadone clinic for relief but refuse to stand in line every morning to get my meds not to mention i would have to lie and say Im an addict to get treatment. Please be careful with your meds give them to your husband and let him issue them to you so you cant exced the dose. Its to easy to take an extra one when your hurting and cut your self short and in my case their is nothing you can do but suffer when you run out early. God Bless and Good Luck

[sandee1818]

Hi Jenny3485,
  I am sorry your in so much pain. I know the last thing you want to hear is that you need to make your medications stretch but this is your only option due to the contract you signed. You should call your Doctor and speak to the nurse and explain that your pain level is out of control and that the medications your prescribed is not helping. This is important as it will go into your record and when you do go for your appointment and discuss this with the Doctor he will see that you are having trouble. Do not tell them your out or taking more than prescribed as this will void your contract. Taking more than your prescribed is a definite no no in PM.
I do understand you are in pain and need more but you need to have your dosage adjusted , the best way to help yourself is to have the medicine increased or even ask about an extended release formula.
If your Doctor is not willing to increase your medicine or change it to a more effective one then it may be time to find a new Doctor. Are you seeing a PMP or a PCP?
Pain management Doctor's are better for treating pain as hat is their specialty and they are better equipped to do so . They are more aware of pain and what it does to us and our bodies and are more familiar with the medications and tolerance issues.
You may be better off to see a PMP if your not already.
I do hope you can make your meds last and tat your doing better soon:)

[jenny3485]

II am on Neurontin. That's also used for epilepsy. It was working great until recently. I unfortunately cant' find another Doctor. I have insurance provided by the government which forces me to one confined clinic. I have already seen a neurosurgeon. I am awaiting my first epidural injection on Sept. 20th. For me it seems like an eternity. I did call my doctor a couple weeks ago and left a message with her nurse about the pain meds and my muscle relaxer not working. She made an appt. for me but I have to wait two weeks. She said I would have to talk to my Dr. about the pain meds but she would see what she could do about the muscle relaxer. I called over a week ago. Then on Friday. Again today. She has not returned my call. I will have to take half doses of my meds. Even though it doesn't touch the pain, at least it will take the edge off a little. Thanks for your responses. It's nice to know I am not as alone as I feel.

[lindsaylinn]

I've been in this situation before myself before surgery. This is what I did, like the others here said, I broke them in half and when I took one I added an excedrin with it. Now I was still in bigtime pain but I made it. Also, run a hot bath several times a day until you can get them refilled. It's the only thing that would help me when the meds wouldn't.

[MamaAng]

Are you absolutely sure you cannot go to the ER?  My pain contract states that the ONLY doc that can give me narcotics is an ER doc and when my disk herniated from a small to large rupture after hours I went straight to the ER.  They put me on IV pain meds and sent me home on a Fentynal patch after the MRI showed what had happened, I saw a doc in my pain mgmt clinic the next day and they made changes to my meds based on what happened.  If you have to go to the ER, go.  I can't imagine throwing up is going to be good for your neck!

[JadedSweetheart]

If you have any meds left you should stretch them out for the next two days.  Taking only a half a pill at a time if you have to.  Going without meds when you're used to them is not comfortable at all.  
I agree with RunningMom, if this happens next month you should definetly call the doctor mid-month.  You should also make sure you tell your doctor that the meds aren't helping your pain like they used to and how you have to take them in the middle of the night.  Maybe he will be able to put you on something long-acting that will work all night long.  
Also, maybe he can put you on a different muscle relaxer for during the day to help with the pain.  I also have the weird twitching and jumping.  For me it's my whole body, although I also have herniated discs at C5-6, C6-7.  My doctor used an epilepsy med for sleep that also calms my mind and helps me sleep.  It's called Klonopin.  I don't suggest going in and asking the doctor for any med directly, but maybe an anti-convulsant would help you at night.

[RunningMom]

You are certainly not getting enough pain management.  You need to find yourself a new doctor who is not afraid to treat your pain with more medication.  I have the same thing and I too, wake up to change the ice pack in the middle of the night.  You can get yourself in big trouble for running out of meds early no matter what the circumstances are.  Please find yourself another pain managment doctor.

When your pain is this bad, please call the doctor in between appointments and let them know how bad the pain is.  If they don't treat you, it's best to look elsewhere.  Are you thinking about having surgery? Maybe you should find a neurosurgeon also.  The longer you wait, the harder it will be to control the pain.

Good luck.

[Mollyrae]

Hi:  That's the problem with Pain Meds. Yourt tolorence increases and you don't have enough to mae it through. In this case, it sounds like you'll just have to hang in there until you're able to get your refills. During your next appt. Why don't you ask him if there isn't something that can't be don't about the slipped disc. Genreally Surgery is required when you've put up with a back that has had no change up until now.
Sorry you're in this position.
My best,
Mollyrae

[jenny3485]

I also forgot to mention, I have uncontrollable twitching in my left arm. I always had it on occasion, but since my last incident where I ( popped my back ) which I am assuming that's my disc being pushed out just a bit more, seeing how that's how this all began, any how since then the twitching in my arm has started to twitch every night when I go to bed. Sometimes during the day, but mostly all night long. That also helps to keep me awake. Even when using my ice packs, the twitching remains and makes that much harder to go to sleep. Now this is going to sound really weird. My whole upper left side of my body sometimes jumps. Like how when you are dreaming that your falling and your body jumps just before you hit. Well before I am even asleep, sometimes my left arm and left upper side of my body will just... jump. Why. What can I do?