Exalgo for Chronic Pain User Reviews

• DOC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 19, 2014

"I was a Corpsman with a 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion, and I was wounded in Iraq by an IED. I broke 2 vertebrae in my neck, 2 in my back, 5 herniated discs, a lot of nerve damage, and shrapnel. I was wounded on January 8, 2008, and have been on Percocet 10mg for 6 years. I have had over 60 surgeries, 200 injections, and physical therapy. I have had no relief from pain. I had thought about suicide because I hurt so bad. So I quit my pain doctor and went to another. He looked at all my documentation of injuries and treatments. He said simply on my first day, 'You have paid your dues. I'm going to give you 30 12mg Exalgo ER a month with 120 oxycodone 10mg for breakthrough pain.' I have only taken the Exalgo for 4 days and I feel no pain."

• David
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 23, 2014

"I have been taking narcotics for chronic pain for about 25 years now. I started with Tylenol with codeine and have progressed through just about everything (morphine, oxycodone, Dilaudid, Oxycontin, Fentanyl patches, etc.). My pain management doctor had me on 60 mg of Oxycontin 3 X daily, and it worked (somewhat) for a while until I developed a tolerance and it too became ineffective. So the doctor switched me to 16 mg of Exalgo 2 X daily. I was resistant at first, mainly because of reducing the number of doses per day, but after I took it for a few days, I was amazed. I don't wake up in excruciating pain anymore, and even though the effects are subtle and come on slowly, it works better in controlling my pain than anything else I've used."

• Bubba...
• June 9, 2013

"I have been in so much pain over the past 2 years. My neurologist has tried EVERYTHING! I have taken every medication there is. Every narcotic available. Nothing has helped except my oxycodone 15x5 a day, and it just took the edge off. My doctor put me on Exalgo along with my oxycodone for breakthrough pain, and I started to feel normal again. I was told I have small fiber neuropathy along with a list of other horrible things, and I can say without a doubt that this medicine has been a miracle for me. I have gone from not being able to walk from time to time and being in so much pain to feeling normal again. Don't get me wrong. I still hurt, but hey, I can handle this hurt! What a blessing!"

• RedDawn
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 25, 2013

"I started taking Exalgo in June 2011 for chronic kidney/flank pain. I started with 8mg once a day. Increased to 12mg in March 2012. Then increased to 16mg in July 2013. I call Exalgo my miracle. I like taking the ER pill rather than popping pills all day long. I've tried so many different opiates, but I much prefer Dilaudid to all the others. I also take 4mg Dilaudid (hydromorphone) as needed for breakthrough pain. Best of luck to anyone suffering from chronic pain, it's a terrible way to live, but Exalgo definitely increased my quality of life. I hope it can do the same for you!"

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2012

"All I have to say is, give them a bit of time to work. Especially if you were on high doses of another opiate. Your body will not even feel them for the first 4 or 5 days. I was taking 3x40mgs of methadone along with 6x15mgs of oxycodone per day for 4 years until I had a heart attack. My doctor sent me for an EKG and my 'QT' interval was in the 500s along with leg and body swelling, tightness in the chest along with severe constipation (most likely from methadone). Once they got me weaned down from the methadone they prescribed 2x16mg Exalgo per day keeping the oxycodone as breakthrough. I started taking them as directed with no relief, and I felt nauseous with afternoon headaches. On the 4th day, I started feeling more relief. Give it time."

• Himmy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 3, 2013

"I've been on Exalgo for about 3 weeks now and the difference is amazing. I have chronic pancreatitis, and the pain from that is just unbearable... the worst I've ever experienced. I had been taking 15 mg oxycodone on an every-8-hour regimen with 2 mg Dilaudid as needed for breakthrough pain. The oxycodone had lost its effectiveness, and I was having more and more pain that was becoming more and more difficult to control. When my doctor suggested Exalgo, I agreed to try it. Once my insurance authorized it, I got the prescription filled. I had to take 2 mg Dilaudid every 4-8 hours for a few days while the Exalgo built up, but once it did, my pain went from a 7 to a 3 on the pain scale. Wow."

• suziem
• January 4, 2014

"My pain management doctor switched me to this medicine 2 days ago. It's a miracle. I have been on everything. I was taking Oxycontin 80mg 2 x per day along with 30mg oxycodone every 4 hrs for breakthrough pain. I felt the difference within hrs. I suffer chronic pain due to my back. I've had 5 spinal fusion surgeries. "

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2012

"Worked great for my back pain but had a whole slew of bad side effects including Anxiety, panic attacks, mental/mood changes, suicidal thoughts. Never have been subject to depression or suicidal thoughts before. Had to be taken off the med immediately when we realized that it was what was causing me to have all these problems."

• ROB
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 3, 2013

"In chronic pain, since injury in 1999. Surgery did not help. Like many I was on different narcotics for years . Started Exalgo in 2012 and have found it does work. Some say it gives 24 hr relief, but I think it more of a 16-18 hr."

• New...
• April 28, 2015

"I am 5'. 105 lbs and was a carpenter for 6 years . I have a bad back 2 disc replaced in neck with a plate & 6 screws which gets cold and the pain goes right down my back . Have had 15 operations . Fibromyalgia and arthritis. Tried morphine and butane patches which made me sick. I take hydrocodone 10 mg 5 X day . Which only lasts 2 to 3 hrs. Grit my teeth the rest of the time (broken a few). I started Exalgo 12 mg yesterday and I started feeling better in about 2 hrs. This is a miracle, I don't hurt! There were times I didn't think I could go on and now I have a new lease on life . I hope it continues to keep working ! Happy gal!"

• Knigh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 5, 2014

"I just started on Exalgo ER 12mg's. After fooling around with Lortab AND morphine CR for years, which would only dull my pain( Shot out of the sky in Nam) as well as a major car accident, I have found or rather my fantastic neurologist decided to go with this. I have been able to sleep a full evening(8Hrs) and not wake up with a hang-over effect. I am after 26 years narcotic tolerant so I was quite skeptical about this expensive medicine. Well, I am a believer. I just pray that it will last a year or two before it becomes useless to me. An operation to repair my back only has a 80/20 chance of even helping me. 80% being the negative. If you are tired of the pill counting or a few days withdrawal which I have been through. Ask your Doc."

• DrDPC
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 28, 2014

"Works great, does last 24hrs at the right dose. Give the medication time if you are switching from another pain medicine to Exalgo, for myself I was on morphine sulfate 90 mg and Oxycontin 40mg. It took almost 2 months to work @100%. I was just about to give the Exalgo up and go back to my morphine and Oxycontin but now I'm glad I waited it was worth the painful wait since I have such great pain relief. I take 48 mg of Exalgo now and 60mg of Oxycontin."

• German...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 18, 2015

"I am a 30y/o German automotive technician, when I was 18 I was hit by a drunk driver. Broke my lower back in 2 places,my hip and knee. I was taking 40mg OC and breakthru meds every 3 hrs , I was doing decent until in 2008 I was involved in a head on collision which broke my neck in 6 places. The pain form that was worse than anything I had experienced before. My dr increased my pain med doses, we tried everything from MS Contin to Opana ER, nothing was able to keep my pain under control for long. Being an automotive tech just added to the misery. Finally Exalgo came out and now 16mg/day with 2mg instant release dilaudid for breakthrough, my pain is finally controlled and I have my life back and don't have to take pills every few hours!"

• lbp
• October 25, 2013

"I have CRPS stage 3 in my left arm and left foot. I started on 16mg a day of exalgo, then up to 12 2xday, now 16 2xday for 32mg a day. I found the 2x a day was the key for this medicine since its takes a long time to start so the next dose 12 hours apart really helped. I'm just starting the 32mg a day since my crps spread to my entire left arm so I'm hoping I don't eventually get to the 32mg 2x/day.. has anyone else taken that much?"

• Ps91
• September 21, 2015

"The pain management Dr prescribed morphine sulfate ( due to cost) rather than OxyContin . It was horrible. I felt loopy and sick with pain in my side . So a different Dr switched me to Exalgo SR .. What a relief! Ian finally thinking clearer . I take dilaudid for breakthrough pain and between the two , I am functioning much better. I think it is much better than OxyContin as well , because OxyContin always made me feel flushed and a bit dopey in a different kind of way. ( not as bad as morphine though) I am so glad I am getting pain relief without feel sick and doped up . I think Exalgo is a perfect match for me ."

• tonyp...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 28, 2016

"I was taking 80 mg. day of oxycodone (percocet 10 mg. + 325 acetaminophen per pill ) and finally found a pain doctor who is a psychiatrist and a neurologist as well as a pain mgmt. specialist and an addiction treatment specialist. He asked how long the percocet worked for me. I said 2 to 2 ½ hours. He said based on the number of years I had taken it (4) and the increases of dosages over those years (beginning of 4 mg. 4 x day to 8 mg. 6 x day over 4 years) that I had become tolerant to oxycodone. He put me on exalgo 32 mg. extended release once/day which is hydromorphone which is dilaudid and 4 mg. dilaudid/hydromorphone (the same drug but not timed release) for break through pain 4xday. It was pretty amazing. My pain just stopped."

• Shitty
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 12, 2015

"This medication has improved my quality of life!!! I feel so much better when I take this medication. My pain is down to a 3 from being a 10. Now if I can find a doctor to prescribe it for me, my life would be so much happier. Not having to suffer everyday....I wish."

• Tomli...
• April 15, 2017

"Take 12mg Exalgo after being on Methodone, Tramadol, and Fentanyl. It is a miracle drug! The pain is so reduced I hardly ever need my breakthrough painkillers. Side effects have been negligible for me. I will never come off of this medication willingly, because I don't believe a better treatment for currently exists."

• Hepzi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 19, 2017

"I was on Exalgo for several years. It gave better pain relief than Morphine but still constipating . During that time I kept having episodes of waking in the middle of the night with a fast heart rate and cold sweats which no one could explain . Then I developed severe abdominal pain and stopped eating with a thirty pound weight loss . While doing a bowel prep. for a colonoscopy I passed five Exalgo " Ghost" tablets in my BMs . ( Ghost tablets are the left over shell of controlled release pills ) . I realized that they were accumulating in my bowels because of my severe constipation. When I changed pain meds the Night Sweats and Tachycardia stopped ."

• LORID...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2016

"I started taking Exalgo about 3 weeks ago after 20+ years of trying every other opiate and non-opiate pain med with little to no relief, especially once I became immune to them. I've been on disability since 2010 and been seeing a PM doc since about 2009 and in March he talked to me about trying an IR. I researched my insurance and when I saw him in April we decided on Exalgo 24mg per day with 15mg roxi backer. They seem to be working ok, but doc told me to take both 12mg caps in the am together which I did for about a week until I read here that others were taking them at 12 HR intervals so I tried that and it seems as tho they are causing me to not sleep. I have been waking up about 4/4:30am every day since. Anyone else having issues?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2017

"I was on 30mgs Opana ER dailu and it was discontinued. My doc moved me to 8mg Exalgo/day. It's not working well, doesn't last 24 hours and every 2-4 hours I start getting chills and runny nose. I think I just might be on too low of a dose. Too bad I can't get in to my doc sooner."

• Who...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 1, 2015

"Very good and fast working"

• Mojo
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 14, 2017

"Ineffective. Hydrocodone works better for me."

• TMV
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 26, 2019

"Was on exalgo for chronic pain. Got zero pain relief from 32 mg daily dose. After taking it for a year, I went off it cold turkey with ZERO withdrawal symptoms and ZERO change in severe chronic pain."