Allergic to morphine

[Jennifer375]

I was hopeful to get some advice from those who have 'been there done that' for my own future refference should god forbid I ever need it.

In my early 20s after my first c-section it was discovered that I am allergic to morphine atleast as it was delivered by the pump/drip after surgery. I got NO relief from the pain at all and after the nurse turned it up for the third time, my breathing started shutting down leaving me clinging to the edge of the bed desperate to get a deep breath in.

Flash forward 13 years... I went through the experince of chemotherapy for non-hodgkins lymphoma. I was given low dose vicodin the entire therapy and because of the way the doctors acted, as though I was young and should be able to deal with it,,I really didnt advocate for my own pain management well at all. NHL has a high reoccurance rate and while iv sworn up and down Id never do chemo again,, I want to be here for my kids  (ages 9 and 10 now) so I probalby would with the help of a pain managment specialist.

So, after coming acrossed this forum,  I wondered if anyone knew the better medications available for those who are allergic to morphine. I seem to do alright with medicines like percocet, BUT it doesnt really kill my pain, just makes me not care. It also seems to cause nausea and some unwell feelings like Im sick. I have only taken it twice, once after my last c-section and once recently when I came down with pnemonia and the lining of my left lung became very inflammed and painful.

Thankyou for any suggestions and advice you may be able to share with me from your experince, my gratitude and apprication.

[Chali26re]

Hmm, how odd...
I seem to remember a post of yours praising the incredibly powerful nature of "plant medicines"...like mushrooms and marijuana.
So my suggestion for you is, take your own advice.

[HARRYBEADS]

  Hydromorphone or dilaudid is used just for this purpose.There are other pain meds that are not narcotics that can be used depending on what type of pain you have.

Let me know more about your pain.

Harry

[Jennifer375]

Thankyou for the information and heartfelt responses, it is greatly appricated. Jaybay,, Iv always suspected that i was OD'ed because after the nurse turned it up three times , the doctor finally came in and immedialty had me pulled off the drip and put me on oral meds. I was finally comfortable after that but dont know what he gave me.

*Bows in deep apprication for the suggestions and encouragement to stand up for myself*

[Jaybay]

Morphine and codeine are made from the opium poppy.  Many people are allergic to these meds and do better with synthetic opiates like hydrocodone, percocet, fentanyl or methadone.  You may not have had a true allergic reaction to the morphine, rather, you were simply overdosed.  The same thing happened to my sister with demoral.  Everyone reacts a bit different to these meds, depending on their own metabolism and the cause of the pain being treated.  You nailed the way most of these meds work: the pain is still there, you just don't care any more.  

If it turns out that you have to go through this again (God forbid!) don't be afraid to ask for a referral to a pain management doctor.  As you've already learned, you have to either be your own advocate, or have a family member do the job for you.  Nausea medication has improved greatly since your list round of chemo, so don't be afraid to ask for help with that either.  

[call1]

I have been on pain management now for over 20 years, & have had everything but the kitchen sink (so to speak). From the time my kids were born to the time they graduated, I struggled to stay lower on the pain scale so i could do things with them. I have never gotten any kind of substantial relief from Extended  Release Tabs like MS Contin, Oxycontins, but about 12 years ago my doctor came up with the idea to use Methadone. I LOVE LIFE AGAIN! When i first started, the first two months were hard because i was always sleepy, felt drugged, couldn't do a darn thing but cry all day, & have thoughts I didn't like. Once my blood levels evened out, It was like night & day. What i like the most about Methadone is it is not Time Released. Its got a long half life (12 hours). The best thing for me is I'm at a does where i don't have to take extra to just get to sleep. Its hard enough for chronic pain sufferers to find a doctor that won't treat us like we're drug addicts, seeking our next fix. But when i had doctors who didn't know what they were doing, taking extra's to just get to sleep at night can cost you a good doctor/patient relationship. I hope this helped some

[sandee1818]

NEVER BE IN PAIN WHEN YOU DON"T HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You go to your dr and tell them you need more pain mngt and if they refuse find one that will treat you because you have a legidimete need for it and should notbe refused!

[Jennifer375]

I didnt write this very clearly,, to clarify,, I was given ONE weeks worth of vicodin for the week immediatly following chemo treatments,, nothing for the other three weeks of each cycle, but I didnt pursue it either because I kept telling myself it wasnt 'that bad' and I was being a wimp.