I have had several heart attacks and have 2 stents in my heart. i also have stents in both legs. this is due to vascular disease. i have chronic back pain and have been on lortab 10 for a couple of years - 2x a day. they don't seem to help anymore. i also take plavix,asprin,and a number of other meds. any ideas on what i should ask my Dr. for to help with the pain?
What is the strongest pain medication I can take for chronic back pain?
Question posted by fortunate on 7 Oct 2009
Last updated on 10 May 2024 (10 weeks ago) by speedo16
101 Answers Page 2
If the back pain is nerve pain you can try one of the following:
percocet
morphine sulfate immediate release
morphine sulfate extended release
If the pain is from the musculature you do NOT want to use opiods. You want to use an anti=inflamatory drug.
Good Luck.
RH
Unfortunately I am not sure for your exact question. The stongest drug I was sent home with was oxycotine. Now I am on a Fentnly patch. I have Epilepsy and 10 brain seizures after the doctors found I had stage 3 Brain cancer.
Lizardoli, just wanted you to know that my heart skipped some beats reading your post, sending you prayers and comfort and strength and Light,
SeeknFind
The strongest mess you can get for pain is OxyContin ,oxycodone,and hydrocodien
Lortab is fairly lightweight when compared to some others. It's hydrocodone and Tylenol and I would pay attention to how much Tylenol and aspirin you're ingesting. A couple of years on the same dose is usually going to cause less effectivity because we build tolerance over time, and 2 years is a long time. Just tell your Doc what you're taking isn't helping as much anymore and hopefully he'll change it.
Ask your Dr about neurotin or tramadol same med
Hey R189 , Nurontin is in no way near being the same med as tramadol. However, they are sometimes prescribed together for chronic pain. Nurontin is a drug that was found to aid in the relief of pain resulting from nerve damage. Example: diabetics suffering from neuropathy. This medication was originally prescribed for Epilepsy. As with many meds it began with one purpose and was discovered accidentally to be highly beneficial for many others . I take it for Fibromyalgia ( cheap & truely helps). Now for Tramadol... Tramadol is the generic name for Ultram. Ultram is non-narcotic pain killer but it is very effective for some types of pain in all people. In some people it works so well it is amazing. It is a very sophisticated drug in the way it is designed to mimic the way opioid drugs ( Hydroecodone , Oxycodone, ect.) work in the brain. But with Ultram your chances of addiction are 0 physically however, there are some people who can create a psychological dependency for them.
This can be more about the pain relief Ultram has provided where so many other meds had not. It is a fear of pain returning that creates the dependency. It is also wonderful for recovering addicts who cannot use Opioid derived pain killers. For these people an accident like a broken bone , or injury at work that others would use Vicodin for could unravel their hard fought sober lives. It is great we have these nowadays. Now as to the incorrect answers given everywhere on this site... Really people ? Many of you need to stop fooling yourselves. This is like some silent & twisted intellectual version of American Idol ! Some of you think you can sing ! But your coming off tone deaf. I get embarrassed for those wanna b singers and can't watch the show. I'm more embarrassed for you silent twisted intellects who don't take the time to check your answers to ensure they are fact before posting them ! This bad... You are sitting at computers & smartphones and you can't take 30 seconds to ensure that you are not perpetuating the flow of ignorance on the Internet? Please people this is important stuff here... God Bless us all because He knows we need it ! ;)
Have you tried morphine? I have chronic pain, level l3-s1 fusion 3 years ago, was finally put on morphine 30mg in am 60mg in pm oxycodone 10/325 1 4x a day. There is help, finding the right Dr. Have you tried a tens unit or trigger point injections? Prayers are with you to find help, pain is a horrible thing to live with!
Fortunate,
You have had a lot of great answers. I would recommend some of the same things. I have very bad back pain too. I have Aynklosing Spondylosis. I would agree that you seek out a Pain Management Doctor. This Doctor is the best person to deal with your pain complicated by your other health issues. May I ask you though. Have you ever considered a Spinal Cord Stimulator. I have one and it works very well relieving pain. Some people swear by it. It is a device made by Boston Scientific. Google it and you can read all about it.
I hope you get some answers and feel better soon.
Karen
My cousin also had this done. Is this where they put a device in your back and you have a control mechanism outside your body that can control this device to give you pain relief. Like a tens unit only inside your body? I would love to have this done.
Whatever you do if you try Ultram ER make sure you know what your getting into because it is very addictive no matter what the dr.s say, and withdrawal is a killer, literally.
I feel for you... I was rear ended in a car accident on 3/5/10 and was hit so hard it was as though I was standing still... long story short I am now permanently/legally/physically disabled living on government assistance; what a joke - 80% pay cut from my last job. Anyhow, for myself, I have been put on so many pain meds experimentally over the last couple of years (had minor problems before the accident; overwent physical therapy & chiropractic until I was permanently damaged in the accident) and found that oxycodone (like a stronger version of vicodin i think) is the only thing that works for me and doesn't make me sick. My pain mgt. doctor(s) (am on the third one and finally found a good one) have had me on the following: dilaudid, opana (morphine based), tramadol, vicodin, prescription strength Motrin, Soma (muscle relaxer), xanax and Halcion (these last 2 for sleep).
It has truly been like hell on earth as I NEVER had to deal with constant medication for any reason whatsoever. Regarding the chronic pain, the only "cocktail" that finally worked out for me after countless visits & revisits to change up the scripts due to reactions, sickness, lack of results, etc. was oxycodone ("Roxicodone" is the designer name for the 30mg tabs I take) for the pain and xanax before sleep (1/2 to 1mg per night). The Halcion will help you sleep but my personal experience was very scary so be forewarned... I would wake up the next day finding half eaten plates of food or leftover cereal I never finished but did not remember ever getting up to eat!! Very scary feeling; I could have started a fire or something... sleepwalking. One morning I woke up with a scratch over my right eye which eventually turned a bit black & blue over my brow... I still to this day don't know how this happened... I say "NO" TO THIS DRUG!
Be sure to let the doctor you see know what ever else you are taking as drug interactions can be LETHAL!I hope this helps you... be sure to let the doctor you see know what ever else you are taking as drug interactions can be LETHAL! EVEN UPON THE DOCTOR TELLING YOU IT IS SAFE TO TAKE WHATEVER IS PRESCRIBED TO YOU, CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF! DOCTORS ARE NOT GODS OR AUTOMATIC ENCYCLOPEDIAS... THEY MAKE MISTAKES BECAUSE THEY ARE NOTHING MORE THAN HUMANS... DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AS WELL TO PROTECT YOURSELF. I have a friend who's mom was literally KILLED in a hospital on Staten Island (the WORST place for serious medical care - if you live in the area and have a serious health issue, trust me, go into the city) due to drug interaction - with an ANTIBIOTIC of all things! Be careful... be safe... :)
good luck and I hope the best for you... :)
Regards,
-Anna
I would hate to make a comment with your heart history. However, the strongest drug I've used for pain is fentanlyl. It's 100 times stronger than morphine. About 8 years ago, the Russians pumped it into a hostage situation as a gas. It killed or rendered unconcious the bad guys... and most of the hostages. In comes in 25, 50, 100mg patches lasting 3 days, or in pill form. I'm not using it now because what would I do if my tolerance built up? What next? So, I use morphine now & will wait until last resort. This drug can be dangerous if used improperly; moreover, the patches have burst in the past & killed people from od. Make sure & read about it & talk to doc about ALL questions you have
Good luck.
Tomba
for one thats how it starts the pain meds you get eventually your body gets amune to.but take my advice to heart because kicking my addictions to percocet and oxycontin,was the hardist thing i ever had to do in my life.if you look at the back ground of this medication they call it hill billie heroine.with the same side effects and problems it causes.it first started when my doc prescribed percs for pain from carpotunnel in my wrist,i do construction so eventually i got pain in my lower back,the results from the xrays and mri's concluded i had a buldged disc and a psuedoarticulation in my sacrum,the pain became so imense i started with the oxys.and after taking these meds for over five years i noticed my life was spiraling down hill,i was taking more of the meds i was prescribed,then i started buying them off the streets and found myself taking three times more a month then prescribbed.my body was getting worse and when i was out i couldnt ...
move,did'nt eat did nothing with my family.and became very irratated at every thing and every one,i noticed this drug was taking over my mind,nothing made me happy,my sex life was shit.every thing sucked.i have been off these drugs for almost a year now.and although my back kills me i do some stretches and exercise,and now i feel good about myself.i wont even take a Tylenol now because of the fear of falling back into that addiction.and i am a buisness owner and operater so i want to keep on track.and after my divorce and custody battle,and watch my life fall apart i know this is a terrible thing.and i would do anything to help people to not fall in that same boat.i would rather deal with pain then go through that again.and im kinda getting sick of starting over in life again.so ask your doctor about a pain clinic and get a refferal and look into a localized steroid injection.thats what i am doing.well good luck friend and please take my addvice.you wont regret it
My husband has similar problems as you & mostly he just bears his pain whuich I don't reccomend. He can be a "bear" to live with like this. They can give you Neurontin which is a seizure med that helps with pain if the nerves in the back & other places.Methadone is another med used for chrontic pain, but you must go to a pain clinic to get it, & personally my exerience with is was horrible. I switched back to hydrocodone, but they will have to monitor you heart so don't know how much they would give you. Is you breathing ok?Most narcotic meds can slow the breathing down so you have to be careful. Hope this can help you. I would suggest you have your doctor refer you to a Pain Center near you & get evaluated. This would be your best route. Best of luck to you. As a back pain sufferer for 44 years, I know of your plight...
Well, you have a better Doctor than I. I was on Lortab for only three months for my severe back pain and when the Lortab stop working my Doctor terminated me because she thought I was an addict. Now I'm still in pain, but I have heard that Oxycontin works very well, but you do have to be careful because of the heart problems. God bless you.
Well I have been in pain mgmt for over 2 years. I was born with a heart murmor and with age have developed aortic insufficiency and one day will have to have an aortic valve replacement. I also was born with nonoperative severe scoliosis which is why my doc opted to send me to pain mgmt after the Perc 10s he was prescribing me stopped working as well. Now I see a very good pain mgmt doc and being that regular morphine I had bad side effects with, he started me on Opana ER 10 mg twice daily with the Percs for breakthrough pain. The Opana is the best extended release med I have tried... It truly controls my pain so well, tho, he had to adjust the dose after a year of being on it.. I am now on 20 mg 3 times a day and it really has helped my pain to where I can now do things that I use to enjoy doing again. I know this question was posted a couple years ago, but I still wanted to share my experience with you all because I felt my experience still might be of help to someone on the board. Hope everyone is doing well with their pain issues...
Slydoe
As others have said, I have to stress to you that you make sure they do NOT give you a synthetic opiate (Methadone[dolophine], Buprenorphine [subutex] ) Partial opiates like Dilaudid (Hydromorphone) especially is good because it has no bad heart counteractions, but has short span is instant release and has a slighlty higher breathing supression rate. If you didnt see my last answer i have a rare genetic heart disorder that causes enlongated qt waves and even v-fib (sudden death) which has happened. With your heart condition and vascular condition nothing is going to be better then Morphine ER (ms contin) Twice daily and very low dose instant release morphine for severe chronic pain pops up. Morphine dialates your blood vessels and not only goes with some of your heart meds but helps them work better. It is also way better for a heart attack preventer and given while in heart attack (via instant release under the tongue) than aspirin.
It is given to you in the vein when EMS arrives on almost any heart call. As far as pain management dealing with your meds i dont think you need that, it would be better to have your cardiologist or vascular doctor deal with your pain. With what you take now i think 15mg ER 2x day (will constantly be in your system bringing pain level down and increasing vascular activity to a good rate 24/7) and 5-10mg Instant release about 4x day as needed for moderate to severe pain taken only when you NEED it. Morphine = most studied, lightest and most easily handled by most persons no matter thier conditon. they will give it to you at low dose for about a week to watch for reaction, i doubt they will find anything as it is such a good drug for ANY TYPE of heart patient, there is no need for codeine based salts, morphine is the best once you have to get away from the common lortab pain meds. I say bring it up to your cardiologist or vascular doctor, or whichever doc is prescribing your pain meds (as long as they have your records and know your vascular and cardiac situation) a well informed PCP even. Let them handle it pain management will want to do injections i guarantee you that and since your problem is not arthritis im assuming they wont be worth the bother and they are dangerouse, the steroids within them arent going to be good for your heart.
Anyways thats my take from someone with many heart issues as well as vascular caused by my sudden death where i was dead for 6 minutes until ems brought me back via deffibulator then i died again in ambulance and thats how they found the rare genetic dysrythmia confirming with EP studies later. My treatment is a installed deffibulator/pacemaker (2 lead) i cant even take heart meds cause they have long qt side effects my MAIN heart medicine decided by one of the best cardiologist teams in the country is Morphine it is also for pain though but morphine and my installed deffibulator is the only treatment they could muster up i also take valium and an antidepressent because of severe PTSD from some bloody things ive seen and the trauma of dying twice even though my anti depressent can cause long QT's they deem it necessary (psychologist and psychiatrists made this decision which was Ok'd by the cardio EP, surgical and IM teams) living life knowing your heart can stop with no warnin and never beat again when your young is not good for the mind every wierd beat scares the death out of me its a very insane genetic disorder to have, and nearly impossible to survive, study, and diagnose since it has to occur while your on an EKG which i got lucky it happened again when i died in the ambulance and they had me on the crash cart so the built in EKG caught the arrythmia waves given the hospital a go and binding them to make sure i get an EP study to make sure it wasnt the methadone or any other one of my meds to see if i needed a ICD implant or not, i didnt have insurance and was very lucky to get such an expensive test done and able to help the doctors study my heart when they make appointments to take blood, run tests and so forth to find out more information.
Related topics
lortab, heart attack, heart disease, pain, back pain
Further information
- Lortab uses and safety info
- Lortab prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lortab (detailed)
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