Question about taking pain medications (oxycodone)
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Hi Caroline I too was reluctant to taking the oxycodone. In fact I was given Oxycontin (controlled release) for around the clock pain and then switched to the oxycodone (instant release). I have realized that it is best to stay on top of the pain as most of us have heard it’s harder to manage if we let if go too long. Abdominal pain is still my only symptom with my ICC and the oxycodone has really been a relief for the pain. I do take a natural laxative Senacoat to help with the constipation. I also eat before or with my meds because it can make me feel a little nauseous and sometimes suppress my appetite if I don’t . I take 10mg 2 sometimes 3x’s a day depending on my pain. I would imagine start at any dose she is comfortable with and if she wanted to start off smaller that would be fine and she could adjust accordingly. I started with 5mg but noticed my pain is better controlled with 10mg. Blessings and good luck.
PorterCaroline –
I have taken Oxycodone off and on for years due to a fouled up knee surgery years ago. I can definitely say I an NOT addicted to it but it makes life so much better at times. The medications are usually prescribed as every 4-6 hours AS NEEDED for pain so you only take it when the pain is really to a point that it makes you uncomfortable. If at night seems to be the worst then maybe just one at night before she goes to bed and see how that does.
The other way is to use that pain scale of 0-10 with 0 being no pain and 10 the worst pain she ever has….pick a number that she doesn’t like it getting higher than like say 4 and dose as it gets to 4 or is at 4. Keep track of when she takes it and how well it works ie she took it a 9am at a 6 and it made it a 2. That helps you decide when you need to ask for an increased dose.
There is nothing wrong with asking for an increased dose either, it does not mean addiction it just means your body is having more pain and it will take more to achieve the same effect. Your body also gets used to the pain med so it may take more to achieve the same results.Biggest side effect is constipation and there are a variety of over the counter things you can do to counteract that. The other one that happens occasionally with some people is that it makes people jittery and awake rather than tired and sleepy. If that happens ask for another med. The first couple of times she takes she should monitor carefully how she feels and definitely not drive until she knows how it affects her.
I am a big fan of using pain medications when one is in pain. There is so much negativity about pain meds due to the media (some of it understandable and justified) but there is no reason for one to be in pain. Always remember if you have any effects that you don’t like on one medications there are others.
Hang in there and we are always here if you have any questions.
KrisV
Thank you, Mary! So are you taking it 2-3 times a day then? Do you know if you *have* to stick to that dosage or if it would be fine to take it just once a day? Also, my mom was thinking maybe she would cut the pill in half. I was told that would be okay as long as the pill was not a time released product. How would I know that?
Do you mind sharing what some of the adjustments you had to make were from taking oxycodone? If you’d rather not in a public forum, would you mind emailing me at carolineyang@gmail.com?
Thank you again!
CarolineCaroline,
When I first started experiencing pain, my doctor put me on oxycodone, 5mg every 4-6 hours as needed. I, too, was reluctant to take it and felt I could deal with the pain. The doctor explained to me that if I let the pain get out of control, it makes it more difficult to manage. Also, the pain saps a lot of energy from you which you don’t need when dealing with this disease. It still took me awhile to get use to taking the oxycodone but I did.
I didn’t have this issue with the 5mg oxycodone, but some people have an issue with constipation. So if your mom decides to take it, she needs to talk to her doctor about that possibility and maybe start a regimen of laxatives/stool softeners with the pain med.
Love & Peace,
MaryMy mother generally doesn’t like taking medications, so she hasn’t been taking any painkillers since her chemo treatment started about a month ago even though she was prescribed Oxycodone (5 mg 1-2 a day every 4-6 hours).
However, she says she has a constant pain in her middle abdomen and the place where she got her stent surgery. The pain level is around 3.5. She does have a high tolerance for pain, but when I just talked to her, she said she’s always thinking about the discomfort, which is making her feel irritable and unhappy (sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night because of the pain). She was initially concerned about getting addicted to pain medication, but I told her that maybe a happier & healthier state of mind is more important at this point than that worry (we also had a good laugh at the possibility of my mom becoming addicted to anything).
So now, she’s open to trying Oxycodone, and I told her that I would check with you all first. Her ONC would say yes, of course take the pain medication, but I would still like to know: What has been your experience with this medication? How often do you take it, and what has been your experience getting off it?
Thanks,
Caroline
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