What works besides Oxycodone?

Question

The medicine is worse than the pain in the morning!
The Doc gave me Percocet and Endocet, both are Oxycodone with aspirin or acetaminophen. It works great for my lower back pain so I can sleep but in the morning I am kneeling in front of the toilet wishing I would die from heaving and making my back worse.
Is there some other pain killer that won't upset my stomach to the point of barfing every morning?
At this point I won't take the meds but I lay in bed wishing I could sleep and knowing I will hate myself in the morning if I take a pill.

geminigirl1963 · Accepted Answer

I can understand your reasoning for trying to go to bed shortly after taking the meds.  Something you could try, that wouldn't require a change in that "routine" is to raise the head of your bed about 4-6 inches.  You can do this either with bed risers that you can purchase at places such as Walmart, or you could get yourself a sleep wedge to put behind your back in bed.  The cheaper of those two things would be the bed risers.  I don't recommend just trying to prop up on extra pillows in bed because a) they tend to move during the night so they wouldn't be doing what they would be meant to do (keep your chest area raised up slightly so that any acid in your stomach doesn't back up) and b) propping on extra pillows actually tends to put more pressure on the abdominal area simply because of the positioning you are in when using the extra pillows.  This additional pressure could actually cause more nausea, etc.  The bed wedge would avoid both of those problems.  You can get the bed wedges at places like Bed Bath and Beyond or online at places such as Dr. Leonard's.

You may also try keeping somethign like saltine crackers beside the bed to nibble a couple of even before you get out of bed in the morning to help "coat" your stomach with a little something.  I, personally, find that coffee is very hard on my stomach and can sometimes cause me to vomit - especially if I drink it on an empty stomach.

One last suggestion - maybe try eating/drinking something different than the cookies and milk with your meds at night.  The cookies are probably ok, but I'm wondering if maybe the milk could at least be causing or adding to some of the problem.  Again, this could just be me, but I know if I have milk (either a glass of milk or on cereal) at night, the next morning I'm extremely nauseated and sometimes vomit.  I don't know if the milk kind of "curdles" in my stomach overnight with the stomach acid or what, but it wil happen every time I have milk at night.  Just another idea to try.

Of course, if you're still finding that you're having trouble with the meds, most definitely talk to your doctor about switching you to something else.  While all narcotic pain meds (and many over the counter ones) have the potential to cause nausea and sometimes vomiting, some can be easier on the stomach than others.  It's also possible that the nausea and vomiting could be a slight allergy to the medication, so changing to something else might make a difference in that respect.  

If you find that any oral medication gives you the same problem, you may want to discuss with your doctor the possibility of putting you on the fentanyl patches.  Since the medication is absorbed through your skin, it bypasses your stomach and may help you avoid the stomach issues.

Best of luck and please keep us posted on how you're doing.

sandee1818 · Answer

You can also have your medications compounded and that way you have a choice of what the fillers are. I know this has helped a lot of people. You have a choice of what the drug is mixed with.
My Pharmacy just started doing this and I will be taking advantage of it next month:)

GaryPL · Answer

Thanks Sandee, It almost sounds like the old days of the '60s when we had to ask what it was cut with. I guess when they ad aspirin or tylenol it might provide some additional pain relief but with some of us who are already on heart meds or other daily doses we have to be careful.
Fortunately I have a great Doc and he understands my concerns and knows I am not looking for a legal high. I just think my stomach does not do well with pills.

sandee1818 · Answer

Something to consider... All medications have what is referred to as fillers in them and some cause serious side effects. Everyone is different and some can take certain medications with no problems while others do react to the fillers used. I am one that can not tolerate certain fillers added and have to avoid certain brands or generics due to this. Try different brands and generics to find one that agrees with you.

GaryPL · Answer

Thanks Felicia and a great thought. I have had liquid cough syrup with some powerful codeine in it and it never bothered my stomach at all. I had no idea they made the pain medication in liquid form and minus the added analgesics.

I don't tolerate acetaminophen very well at all and I already take aspirin daily as prescribed by my cardiologist. I have to be very careful with any medications I take and I had to adjust the heart meds when I knew I was taking a pain pill, if I knew far enough in advance. It has been a true learning curve for me because I am a carpenter working with all kinds of sharp tools. What was once a minor scrape or cut is now a big deal that I go through a few times every week with my blood so thin.

Hope I can avoid the Oxy until the next episode but this getting old stuff is getting old quick!

feliciadragon · Answer

Something to think about if you do have to use the medication again :) I had gastric RNY bypass several years ago so taking any sort of pill usually upsets my stomach, I have to chew it (completely nasty for vicodin btw) and I still don't digest it completely and receive the full benefit. So my doctor put my on liquid oxycodone so that I could digest it easier and once I switched from the pills to the liquid I never had any issues with nausea. The liquid doesn't have Tylenol or acetaminophen added in and that may contribute to why it bothered my stomach less too.

geminigirl1963 · Answer

So glad to hear you're feeling better!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you also!

GaryPL · Answer

Ten days now and no more pain pills so far. What ever was out in my back seems to have slipped back in place and I only have a twinge of pain when I move in one specific way.

Saw my Doc yesterday and we discussed the nausea which he says is fairly common with the Oxy. He did give me the phenergren liquid but I have not needed it or the Oxy yet. He thinks I just strained the muscles there and the vomiting episodes kept restraining the same muscles. I can agree and I know I was pretty upset with the entire ordeal of having the medication cause the issue to be prolonged.

It is nice to have some energy and desire to get out and move around with very little pain this week.

Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas to you all.

GaryPL · Answer

I will be visiting regularly because this is a very helpful forum.

Continuing on the path of recovery is my goal and I might not have as much to offer in the line of knowledge as I will get in the line of learning how others deal with issues such as mine.

2 days in a row and feeling better all the time so I am a happy camper right now.

geminigirl1963 · Answer

So glad to hear that the dramamine has been helping.  Hopefully, like you said, without the vomiting this will now give your back some time to rest and hopefully heal thoroughly.

While we don't wish you to be in continued pain, we'd love to have you continue to visit, post and comment in the forum.

anickstairs · Answer

Gary...If it's long term Pain... "Cymbalta" a depression drug I actully use (and its been clasified for cronic pain by the FDA) worked well for 75% of my nerve damage. It takes a month of 30Mg then they up U to 60Mg then higher if you need it..I have heard of patients using up to 120Mg..Ask You pain  management team/

Good luck, My MedHelp poster...Anickstairs aka Omniman

GaryPL · Answer

Thanks Rockygurl2. I certainly hope I don't need anything stronger than what I am currently taking. To be quite honest, I hate taking pills of any kind. I am praying that what I have is a simple strain that the vomiting activity was restraining every morning. I don't know what other experience while "Praying to the porcelain goddess" but for me it is severe muscle contractions and the exact muscles that are already hurting.
Day 2 and the Dramamine is working. I actually didn't even need the pill last night but I did the same routine as the night before just to see if it would work again and it did.

My goal is getting over what ever is causing the pain and the need for medication.

After reading some of the horror stories here of folks who seem to have "Never ending Pain" I do feel like I am a Puppy. Never having had to deal with this in the past caused me to come here seeking advice but I hope I can be a temporary and very thankful visitor.

rockygurl2 · Answer

I am a chronic pain patient from RSD, and take the generic form of Dilaudid, Hydromorphone and it works well for me.  It's synthetic Morphine.  Morphine does to me what the Oxy is doing to you, but I have no problem with the Dilaudid and I take a hefty dose.  Hydrocodone is a lesser pain med than the Oxy, and there has been recent medical info about the efficacy of Darvocet which is worthless and Vicodin.  Vicoden ES is stronger, as it has Tylenol in it. Plus there are different levels of it.  Lorcet 10 is the same as Vicoden ES and they used to work well with my Dilaudid, but my pain became worse and rather than up the Dilaudid, which I reduced by 300 pills myself, I was given Oxycodone, which by itself has no Tylenol.  I used to take Dramamine for nausea, but found oral Benadryl works just as well, Then I discovered I can't take drugs that are in the Anti-Cholinergic family.  Induces Psychosis and it's about three days before I get my brain back, not fun.  First even occurred in a hospital when my first pain doc admitted me for eight days of complete bed rest.  I had given so many pills and IV meds, that by day seven, I was vomiting non stop, and he knew I couldn't tolerate the Droperidol or Compazine.  The hospital I was at, had standing orders that IV Droperidol was to be given for N/V.  I didn't even know what was happening to me, only that something was wrong.  It took them three days to figure out it was the Droperidol that caused the drug induced Psychosis. 

You might ask your doctor for Phenergren for the nausea.  It helped me a lot, until I developed the anti-cholinergenic drug induced Psychosis, and I never thought Phenergren was an anti-cholinergenic, but it too induced a Psych episode, so I avoid many anti nausea meds like the plague.

I was put on Oxycontin, which is getting more difficult to even find a Pharmacy that will fill it, initially the dose made me too sick, so my pain doc lowered it, and I woke up with no nausea and my pain level had dropped down to a level 4 which it hasn't been in years.  Sometimes, it just takes time for your body to adjust, and it sounds like you need your dose lowered and see if that helps and if it doesn't, maybe Oxy isn't for you.  One person commented on taking the med with food, which is a good idea.  I know waking up and praying to the porcelein goddess every morning isn't much fun.  Ask for Dilaudid or even Methadone.  I was on Methadone for 18 months and they just kept increasing my dose until it was well over the recommended dose. I always discuss my meds with my Pharmacist because they will take the time to discuss the side effects and possible other meds to ask your doctor about.  God Luck.
Rockygurl2

atonicat · Answer

Yay I'm so glad the dramamine worked for you. Either that or the no milk part. Either way it's great that you felt better this morning.

GaryPL · Answer

Just a quick update and thanks for the great advice.

I took the pill last night with just a big glass of water and a couple cookies. This caused a 3:30 AM wake up to hit the bathroom at which time I took a dramamine and went back to bed for a few hours. No nausea this morning---HOORAY!
I actually think the fact I did not have the heaves has allowed me a pretty pain free day because I didn't re strain the muscles as soon as I woke up. That entire act of vomiting caused my back such pain that I about passed out and I don't doubt that it was hampering the healing process for me.

optimus22mac · Answer

You've been given some great advice! I would take an anti-nausea with it...here we have Gravol OTC...but the dr can prescribe something also.  It really does help.  I used to take percocet, and would sometimes have to take gravol with it.

atonicat · Answer

I forgot to mention that you might want to try taking a sleeping aid like Unisom (or anything with diphenhydramine or doxylamine) before bed as they are antihistamines and help with nausea. That might help with the morning sickness you get. Or take a daytime allergy pill once you wake up so it wont make you drowsy.

atonicat · Answer

You sound just like me with the pain. I always tell my doctor that if I could walk around all the time I'd be fine. Once I stop moving everything just hits me and then the throbbing burning pain kicks in. That seems to stump my doctors.

GaryPL · Answer

Thanks geminigirl1963. I always have cookies and milk with the pill but I also try to get to sleep before it kicks in. They do tend to keep me awake if I am not almost out. As the pain and throbbing diminishes I go out.
My Doc changed me from the ones with aspirin to the ones with tylenol for exactly this reason. I get the same result in the morning from both.
I don't normally eat right away when I first get up but I might have to force some food down with my coffee to see if this will help.
I seem to be OK with pain once I get up and get moving for the day. It is only when I start to shut down in the evening, sit on the couch or go to bed that the pain gets the best of me. If I could stay active and on my feet 24/7 I don't think I would even notice the pain. Sitting and laying down is when it comes on strongest.

geminigirl1963 · Answer

Do you typically take the meds on an empty or near empty stomach?  If so, that could be at least part of the problem - especially if you're taking them and almost immediately going to bed.  It could be that they are causing some acid reflux (especially the one wiht the aspirin in it), which in itself can cause vomiting, especially in the morning after laying down all night.

You may want to try taking the meds with food and also waiting at least an hour or more before you lay down after taking them.

atonicat · Answer

It was my understanding that Vicodin (hydo) was weaker than Percocet (oxy) Maybe I'm wrong. I know they are both basically the same but how closely I do not know.

GaryPL · Answer

Thank you for the reply. No, I have only tried the meds the doc gave me, one with aspirin and the other with tylenol in it. I didn't know about the hydro stuff or any other pain meds for that matter. I could be wrong here but I think they are all codine based and it just makes me ill. I will try the ginger and dramamine to see if it helps. I only ever take these pills at night and just before bed so I can sleep. About a half hour after i get up in the morning is when my stomach revolts.

atonicat · Answer

Have you tried hydrocodone? Maybe the oxycodone is too strong for you. Have you asked your doctor about getting an anti nausea med? You can also get over the counter ones like allergy meds (Antihistamines) or I use Dramamine sometimes. Ginger also helps some people. When my pain meds make me sick it's always a sudden thing and it's usually an hour or so after I take them. So I tend to try and take something like Dramamine with my meds to help that a little.

What works besides Oxycodone?

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