opinions on 2 different pain meds

[freebird63]

First off I have to say my pain doctor is a quack and have quickly come to realize that he really does not care about the level of pain I am in.  I am in the process of switching pain doctors, I really hope the new  doctor I am going to see will be better.  But here is what has went on, my doctor has tried me on a number of different long acting meds and he only goes up so far on the doesage and then switches me to something else.  Well last month he took me off the oxycontin, I was taking 3-- 20mg oxycontin pills a day along with 8--- 15mg oxycodone for breakthrough pain.  So instead if increasing my dose of oxycontin he just takes me off it and leaves me on the oxycodone but increases me to 9 pills a day.  I must say this last month has been hell.  I am not sure if they have gotten the request for my records from my soon to be new pain doctor, but tomorrow when I go in I am going to either have beg or plead with them to put me back on a long acting pain med.  I already know that if they would increase me to 60mg oxycontin that it would work.  But I have been wondering how many out there have tried both of course not at the same time, but I was curious about the difference between methadone and oxycontin for long acting pain relief.  I already know my pain doctor does not like putting people on methadone, but at this point I am willing to try anything as my pain has gotten much worse since my back surgery in January, this weekend has really been bad.  I wanted to go to the ER but we all know that does not good because they all seem to view you as an addict wanting a quick fix.  But on two occasions within the last month the pain has been so bad that at one point I passed out from the pain and this weekend the pain was so bad it was causing me to throw up.  
But can anyone give me their opinion on the differences between methadone and oxycontin????
I don't relish having to pay $629 bucks for a months supply of oxycontin.  But then I also wonder if they already know I will be switching pain doctors if they will even fill my perscriptions????  I would think legally they would have too.  I just know I will never have another back surgery again after my last experience, the first two nights after my surgery I was in so much pain at night that I was crying, I know they were giving me 90mg of morphine and then percoset.  I don't know how much more of this pain I can handle, I use to think I was a pretty strong guy, not when it comes to back pain.  Thank you for any opinions that can be provided.  Chuck

[freebird63]

I can honestly say I have no trust in my doctor.  They did have me on 40mg oxycontin for a while and then he pulled me off that and put me on Opana and that didn't work or at least the doesage was not enough.  This has been a 3 year nightmare for me.  I went in today and seen his PA and  he wanted to put me back on 20mg oxycontin 3 times a day and I said no it was not working.  So then we started talking about the fentanyl patch and when they took me off it they were going to bump me up to the 100's, but I couldn't afford it.  So his pa says he will start me out at 50's I told him that would not help.  They added a couple different meds to my list and he went ahead and went with the 75's on the patch.  My doctor has a bad habit of just pulling me off meds and then letting me fend off the withdrawls with no help.  Many times have went almost a week without any sleep because of withdrawls.  But as soon as my new pain doctor gets all my records I have to keep seeing this one.  But maybe this time I might have the right combination of meds to help with my pain.
I also know that morphine does nothing for me and my pain, prior to my surgery they had me at 60mg of mscontin 3 times a day and that did nothing for the pain.  I have been seeing this doctor since 2008, I have never called because I ran out early.  There is so much more I could say, but thats way too much typing for me right now.  To be honest methadone scares the heck outta me, but have heard some people say it works real good for them.  Who knows, just have to keep my fingers crossed that maybe I finally found the right amount and right kind of meds for my pain.  Wish me luck.

[nurseaudrea]

Are you thinking about switching to Methadone due to the cost of the Oxycontin? If that is the case there are other long acting meds that are much better than Methadone. I have heard so many horror stories of others, and one of my own, that I would never take it again unless it was the last med on Earth for pain. What other meds have you tried? I also noticed you were taking 90mg. of Morphine after your surgery. Why does the doctor have you at such a low dose of Oxycontin? Have you asked him to increase that? It seems that your breakthrough meds, at 8 pills of 15mg of oxycodone a day is more excessive than the 20mg of Oxycontin. Sounds like it is backward. You get 60mg of long acting Oxycontin and then 120mg of oxycodone throughout the day. Sounds like that needs to be reconfigured. Maybe you could ask your doctor to go to 30mg of Oxycontin and then lessen the number of bt meds to 6 pills a day. That would still be the same amount overall. You say you know if they put you on 60 mg it would work. I think the doctor might have a problem with that because it is a huge jump from 20mg to 60mg. You are going to have to work your way up and find the right fit. How long have you been seeing this doctor? Do you have trust in him? Is there a good patient/doctor relationship there? Sometimes patients are afraid to tell their doctors what they need to hear, and in that case if they are never told then they cannot help you. You have to be your own advocate. If you don't trust your doctor then you need to find one that you do.

Hope this helps
Audrea