hydrocodone

[mcbride]

Hi everyone. I am having instills once a week. I have posted on the instillations forum about seeing no results yet. In fact, everything is getting worse. I have never had to get up at night with IC, which I knew was very lucky having IC. Now, I am getting up in the night with stabbing bladder pain running to use the bathroom. :toilet:

Anyway, about a month ago my uro prescribed Hydrocodone for my pain. This is the first time medicine has gave me relief from the pain. :woohoo: The label says take 1-2 tablets every 4 hours for pain as needed. I am in constant pain everyday. It is a consant cramp/pressure in my bladder/abdomen area. I can't even walk completely well. Anyway, I take 2 tablets when I am in pain. I take this dosage anywhere between 2-3 times a day.

I plan on talking to my dr about this next week. I want to know if you guys take hydrocodone and how often do you take it. I am not addicted to it by any means. I am just worried that since it is narcotic, my dr might take me off it and then i'll be in pain again. What do you guys think? :help:

Thanks,

Stephanie
NC

[IC SARAH-CPP]

Well I also take hydrocodone and it helps me SO much. I take between 6 and 8 a day when I am in bad pain and since these days that is all the time, I take them everyday. It always amazes me how fast the pills go!! If I get a script for 100, I can be out in two weeks!!! Luckily my doc is SO awesome about giving me more. Many docs are NOT cool about this though, so I am hoping you don't have one of those. I heard the spiel about addiction SO many times and I finally got the point of (i know this sounds bad!!) that I didn't even care if I DID get addicted to, as long as anything helped me. I was so desperate! However, my doc was very clear, and I have done a lot of research on this, that chronic pain patients VERY RARELY geyt addicted to their pain meds, when they take them correctly.
I would just go in and tell the doc that the pills really helped you, they didnt get rid of the pain, but helped, and that you need more. Dont down play the pain and behonest about how much you take and how bad it hurts. If he says no, I might think of asking for a referral to pain mgmt.
Hope this helps and I am glad to hear you have relief from the pain!!
love Sarah

[rhea]

Stephanie-I take Hydrocodone during the day so I can work, then at night take something a little stronger...When it works, it works wonderful but Sarah is right, some docs don't like writing rx's for it because it is a controlled drug and they are in fear of DEA coming down on them. My suggestion is like Sarah said, tell you Doc how well they work and if he/she hesitates at all then have them refer you to a pain management doc. Good luck...

[Thoney]

Stephanie,

I take Oxcotin once in the morning and then again at night, during the day for break-through pain I take Vicodine. I also worry about addiction, from what I understand...as long as you are taking it to relieve chronic pain and not to get high you won't get addicted. I still worry about it, but have decided I would rather go through re-hab then to live with the pain. My Uro won't prescribe to me, so my Primary Dr. has agreed to be my pain management Dr. and she is (so far) very good about refilling my scripts. She gives me 60 Oxycotin and 30 Vicodin (strong strength, 3-4 a day when needed) per month, so I try to be very careful when I take them...so they last...I have been in a flare now for over 3 months.

Hope this helps. Hang in there baby!!

[Julie B]

Hi there...........I take one every night............I documented when I took it, and eventually my doctor even gave me a three month supply at a time. Many doctors are taking a new look at how they prescribe for pain...........in our favor. My question for you is the instillations............I can't have anything messing with my urethra..........could it be the catheter? Could you be allergic, or could it be too big? Your doctor may be able to help you with this...........

Hugs Julie B

[donutgirl]

I agree with Julie. It sounds like you have something else going on. When I tried instillations, I burned like crazy and felt worse. Turns out it was the lidocaine. When the uro. tried marcaine, it was much, much better. Let your doctor know the problems you are having. In response to your question about hydrocodone I am a 24/7 pain ICer. Pain and urgency are my main symptoms. I could not get by w/o my hydrocodone. There are different strengths, maybe you need a higher dosage? Just be sure to always communicate well w/ your doctor.

Good Luck!

DIANE

[SheriG]

Hi everyone..Just a note about hydrocodone. I understand that you fear addiction, but my doc says if you take it for real pain, you should not become addicted. Also, when taking hydrocodone, it is very imporrtant to know that there is tylenol in each tablet. If you take more than 4ooomg/day (equals 8 extra strenght tylenol) it can damage you kidneys, so please be careful. Hugs and best wishes to you all! Sheri :)

[hoping4acure]

Well Stephanie,

I agree with everthing. Talk to your doctor. It sounds like it might be the cathedar. Dont EVER down play your PAIN, the pain is real, and you do need pain meds. I am a pain patient, and thank god my dr. is good about it. A heating pad helps me through times like like!

Hope everything works out for you.

[Bianchi]

HI, I'm a newby here, just got diagnosed with IC, after about 3 months of pain, and no result from my GP, except for antibiotics. I finally went to a URO, got the first treatment of instillation, also Elmeron, elavil and Proset(?), which is like pyridium. Even though I told her I was in pain, she said I do not need pain medication, the installations should take care of that. I have another appt. tomorrow, I hate to beg for pain pills. I am not a drug addict. I'm 65 years old, and feel kind of embarrased to have to argue about pain meds with my young Dr. She doesnt even know me, this was my first visit. Any suggestions?
Bianchi

[ICNJess]

I take one at night to help me sleep, and at the most, I take 2 a day. I have been taking it for a year--and sometimes go days/weeks without it because I worry about dependence, and have yet to be dependent.

[hoping4acure]

Hi Bianchi.

As I said before, I don't think anyone should have to suffer with pain...and at you age? I think that is just wrong. :mad: Can you find another dr.? Don't be afraid to switch dr.'s. Some people go through 6 or more drs. until they find one that they can connect with. Being a URO....they should understand what great pressure and pain your in!

Good luck...keep us posted. :kissing:

Louann

[Bianchi]

Thank you all for your replies. I think I will have to be more assertive, if not, I will look for another Dr. Even if the instills help, it doesnt last a week. And so far I have had only one, but didnt help. I will go through with the rest of them, however.
This board is just wonderful, thank you all so much for your support, I was beginning to think maybe I am too sensitive and its in my head (the pain)
Bianchi

[michelesgirl]

Hi Everyone,
My daughter lives with constant pain..no urinary symptoms like frequency and burning..just pelvis,abdomen and back pain. She just lately has been experiencing what sounds to me like urinary retention...can't get stared urinating and has trouble keeping a stream going..but not painful. Anyway...she was taking 40mg oxycontin every 8 hours with 1 to 2 15mg oxycodone..(.NOT hydrocodone..that has tylenol ) for breakthrough every 4 hours This was making the day tolerable...she also has all the other meds..atarax, amitrypline,elmiron...
Now she has been cut back to only 40 mg every 12 hours....she isn't doing well with this..she is most definitely addicted to her meds...the dr says there shouldn't be a problem getting her off of them but I have a feeling it is gonna be tough. First of all..how can you decrease the meds when there is still so much pain ??
At least he changed her meds to oxycodone so no tylenol to damage her liver...so if any of you are on hydrocodone or percocet ask about being switched to oxycodone so you eliminate the tylenol but get the same affect...

Good luck...
Michele

[IC SARAH-CPP]

Hi Michelle,
Well the first thing I thought of when I read your post is that it sounds like to me that your daughter IS NOT addicted to her pain meds, she is dependent on them to function almost normally with the pain she has. The only way I can describe it, is to think of how a diabetic or a person with a heart problem takes meds. They need them to live and are not addicted to the meds, they are dependent on them. There is a BIG difference between the two. And addicted person uses the meds to obtain a feeling of being high or to escape from life and they show behaviors of obsession with their meds. A dependent person needs the meds to function and never takes more than prescribed to them, never shares or gives them away. A dependent person would get sick if they stopped taking the meds all of the sudden, but only because their body is used to the meds.
I am not sure from the post why the docs would descrease her meds while she is stil in pain, but it sounds like she needs to talk to them. Has she been formally diagnosed yet?? I know how frustrating pelvic pain is, I suffered from it for four years before they found out what was wrong with me!! Tell her not to give up though.
Love Sarah

[Sarojini]

If you're taking that much hydrocodone, you may want to discuss with your doctor the possibility of adding an extended release pain medication to your regimen -- two common ones are MS-Contin (extended release morphine) and Oxycontin (extended release oxycodone). You can take these daily, and then use your hydrocodone for "breakthrough" pain. It should help you cut down on the number of hydrocodone tablets you take. This is what I do, and it really helps (I'm on MS-Contin).

Just a thought!!

[Kimberly32]

Responding to Michelesgirl:

There is one medicine that you mentioned that has many people go into retention problems and that is Elivil or Amitriplyne* (sp). It is likely that, that particular medicine is causing her to have trouble urinating. Please check with her Dr. on this because if it is not allowing her bladder to empty fully that WILL cause her to have alot of pain and discomfort. Seems that most of the time we IC'ers get very uncomfortable when our bladder starts to fill obviously that is why we are in the bathroom 30 to 40 times a day. I hope that you will check on this and maybe taking her off it or just lowering the dosage will help her.
Best of luck to you!
Kim

[ICNDonna]

The others are correct. As long as pain medications are taken as directed, and taken for pain and not as a recreational drug, there may be a dependence develop and it may take some "weaning" when the pain is no longer there, but there is not what would be called addiction.

For Bianchi

You might try keeping a pain/voiding diary to take to your doctor --- if you indicate the time you urinate, approximately how much, and your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10 at various times during the day --- and don't forget to indicate if you can't sleep due to pain. If your doctor still doesn't feel you need pain medications, then I suggest you go elsewhere for a second opinion.

Sending warm healing thoughts,
Donna