Opiods

Use this section to discuss your experiences with prescription drugs, iron injections, and other medical interventions that involve the introduction of a drug or medicine into the body. Discuss side effects, successes, failures, published research, information about drug trials, and information about new medications being developed.

Important: Posts and information in this section are based on personal experiences and recommendations; they should not be considered a substitute for the advice of a healthcare provider.
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pjmccoy1
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Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Below the Mason Dixon Line USA

Opiods

Post by pjmccoy1 »

Do all pain med's cause tolerance? Tried methadone only 5mg then cut to 2.5 for 4 days only and it completely eliminated late afternoon RLS (during sitting at sedentary job and watching tv) and nighttime RLS. Yippe..., However, extreme nausea and vertigo next day and husband had to drive to work. Cut to 2.5mg next 4 days and still had some itching, (subsided finally) dry mouth, nausea, motion sickness, started having TMJ--(probably teeth grinding) headache, but nausea and vertigo the worse part. I have to work so I had to stop. This is day 7 after stopping after only using for 4 days (2.5 mg) and still waking up with nausea. Cannot eat hardly anything still. Does Hydrocodone with Ibuprofen have less nausea? I've taken 5mg of that before it seemed to help RLS without nausea but didn't take it more than one day. Then maybe again 2 weeks later. The methadone also caused very dry mouth which exacerbates the burning mouth syndrome (BMS) I also suffer with... Help. Suggested oxcodone in liquid form allowing me to adjust to lowest dose but my concern is tolerance and needing more then getting nausea again. Also what RLS friendly anti-nausea drugs can I take? I cannot lose anymore weight and I have to eat something. Thus I'm in panic mode with dealing with RLS, nausea and afraid to try another pain med.
PJ, Heaven Bound

ViewsAskew
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Re: Opiods

Post by ViewsAskew »

No, they do not. The only study that followed WED/RLS patients found it quite rare for us to have tolerance or addiction.

That said, some of us seem to be more likely to get it. It usually takes many months if it does cause it.

Methadone has a long half life....but no idea how common it is to cause nausea for that many days after stopping it.

Any strong or strong-ish opioid should work. They all come with slightly different side effects. I can't tolerate anythign BUT methadone. Other people prefer other ones. The biggest issue is half-life. Some only work for a few hours - if you have symptoms longer than a few hours, you may have to wake up in the middle of the night for a second dose.

Taking anything with another drug in it - such as hydrocodone with another drug - isn't as good, simply because you do not need the other drug and you can have other issues because of them.

Anti nausea - Zofran works fine, but a script is required.

Have you seen a doctor? I'd be curious to check out the nausea lasting this long.

In terms of posting - I deleted your post in the other thread in case you look for it. It's best to only post once. People start posting in both places and it can get confusing.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

Neco
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Re: Opiods

Post by Neco »

Those symptoms are VERY disturbing..

Have you been on opiates previous to starting the Methadone? Methadone is extremely powerful, and should be dosed very carefully in people with little or not prior use of other opiates.
Or it could be you don't tolerate it well for some reason. Did you have an EKG done when you started with the Methadone? If not, you need to have this done. There might be a cause for concirn.

The only time I ever got sick on opiates, was when I would eat hydrocodone like candy, years ago. It was mostly nausea.

QyX

Re: Opiods

Post by QyX »

Nausea will go away when you take opioids for a couple of days. In the first days you could take some anti nausea meds.

Opioids do have some side effects but most of them will simply go away if you give it some time.

pjmccoy1
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Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Below the Mason Dixon Line USA

Re: Opiods

Post by pjmccoy1 »

Thank you for your replies. No I didn't have an EKG. Yes I am seeing a doctor. That's who Rx'd it. I seem to have a very low tolerance to med's and always have horrific side effects. I've never taken Rx'd opiods before this. Currently RLS has been bothering me since 3:30pm today. I may start back on the Valerian (calmlegs) RLS natural again tonight. The nausea is gone now. But it tends to start up as soon as I get each morning. Hoping tomorrow (which will be 7th mrng since I stopped) will be better. It has improved each day. I just know when I took Hydrocodone (with ibuprofren) a few times I ddin't get nauseous. I'm losing confidence in the process. I have to find a RLS expert closer to me. Last one was 8 hour drive and before that was 2 hours away. I am losing my mind.

Sorry about the double posts.
PJ, Heaven Bound

debbluebird
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Re: Opiods

Post by debbluebird »

I had nausea for about a month. I reduced my dose right away and took nausea med. Sorry, can't remember which one. Nausea no longer bothers me and I take a higher dose now. 10 mg to 15 mg spread out during the evening and night. If I take more then I itch. So I just stay at that dose. It's been three years now.

ViewsAskew
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Re: Opiods

Post by ViewsAskew »

Since you tried hydrocodone before, methadone isn't the first time using any opioids. That's good. That it resolved your WED/RLS symptoms when you took it, and at such a low dose, may mean that you do not need a strong opioid and that you can use a moderate one.

Maybe you could try tramadol. That might be a good solution.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

pjmccoy1
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Below the Mason Dixon Line USA

Re: Opiods

Post by pjmccoy1 »

I'm thinking about the tramadol again. It actually helped (50mg) at around 6:30pm but my RLS is ramping up earlier now... It did make me a little sleepy. Also experienced some weird breathing thing (while awake/relaxed dosing) on sofa. Very relaxed. I didn't gasp or anything. What concerned me more was some involuntary right arm jerks and a little in my right leg. That flipped me out. It didn't happen constantly just more like a tic. I still have some leftover tramadol. Neuro before last Rx'd 50mg tablets to take 2 but I only took lower dose. PCP added tylenol to that. I don't think I should take the tylenol long term but I did for about 7 days. Do Neuro's Rx Hydrocodone - Ibuprofren for RLS?
PJ, Heaven Bound

ViewsAskew
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Re: Opiods

Post by ViewsAskew »

No idea why they wouldn't - by ibuprofen still has some problems of its own, unless you already take it for something and this would replace it.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

Neco
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Re: Opiods

Post by Neco »

Keep an eye on those ticks with the Tramadol.

It may be nothing, as I experienced similar things with Methadone, but Tramadol carries severe drug interaction risks. If you are on any kind of anti-depressant (I forget the specific kind) you need to make sure there are no interaction warnings. I took tramadol for a while, years ago, but took an informed risk that didn't work out and ultimately ended up having a violent seizure. Odd twitches, etc. can be a precursor to something like that happening. Even Tramadol alone could likely cause them in some people, as if you take enough of it by itself the risk of seizure goes up a ton.

If its just occuring while you are in a prone / relaxed state, it is likely nothing though. Methadone would do that to me, moreso than any other opiate. If I were dozing off in a chair or about to fall asleep in bed, I would jerk back awake, like that falling sensation people sometimes get in dreams, etc. that wakes them up.

chuas2
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Re: Opiods

Post by chuas2 »

I've had some amount of luck with buprenorphine, and it's less likely to cause nausea and addition. Methadone didn't much work for me, but this is better than the morphine I was taking previously! Kris

pjmccoy1
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Below the Mason Dixon Line USA

Re: Opiods

Post by pjmccoy1 »

Can you be on methadone forever? Does anyone know what the longest time anyone has had successful treatment of methadone without tolerance and needing more. Do you just need more due to tolerance or because RLS has gotten worse?
PJ, Heaven Bound

ViewsAskew
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Re: Opiods

Post by ViewsAskew »

I do not think there is enough data to know the answer. Doctors have not given it that many years. In the research, people have been on it for over ten years.

We have people here who have been on it for over five years - no increases. Most people will know if they have tolerance relatively quickly - less than a year I would guess.

Even if you are one with tolerance, it can be controlled. First, you can stop it every few weeks for a few days. You can use something else for a few days, even a DA if you have augmented. I did this for a few years - it was excellent and I did not need any increases. The second way is as soon as you notice tolerance, you can stop it, use something else the same way.

It is very hard to decide if it is tolerance or increased symptoms. The easiest way is to take something else. if you are covered by it, then it is likely tolerance. If the other drug doesn't cover it, it's likely that your symptoms have increased.

In terms of augmentation, the doctors say that any increases in less that two years is likely augmentation, rather than progression. You might be able to apply the same logic.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

badnights
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Re: Opiods

Post by badnights »

Not sure why you would have been jumped from hydrocodone - a medium potency opioid - to methadone, one of the strongest. Why not stay on hydrocodone? (but pure, you don't want it mixed with ibuprofen, which is just more junk for your organs to get rid of)
Or move to hydromorphone, which is strong but has a much shorted half life than methadone. Or oxycodone. Or oxymorphone.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
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akita007
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Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 11:46 am

Re: Opiods

Post by akita007 »

About the methadone, I have second hand experience. My mother has chronic pain syndrome and the only drugs that work for her is morphine and methadone. She has been on those two drugs for about 10 years and she does very well on them. I am not sure of her dosage schedule but she does rotate them and I do believe she is stable on the same dosage for many, many years. My problem is I am allergic to both of those drugs..causes severe gastrointestinal pain like I am on fire inside. Really nasty reaction. I am side effect queen. If there is a side effect to a drug I will get it. (My mother is the same way except we react to different drugs, go figure) I have been through so many drugs/drug combos, I have about given up. The only one that does work for me well is hydrocodone and the feds went and changed it's classification and now my neurologist will not prescribe it. Really?!?! Anyway, not sure what I am going to do now.

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