Posted by Mira Small (24.20.65.44) on June 04, 2001 at 09:11:47:
In Reply to: oxycontin posted by andy b. on July 17, 2000 at 18:01:28:
Hey, Andy, STOP breaking up your pills. It kills the time-release effect and THAT'S why they work. Time release morphine works on the area of the brain where chronic pain is processed and when you crush your pills, or break them, you make them quick release and it will only affect acute pain. This is not what you want as after 2-3 days nothing will work. There are people who have been taking time release morphine for 3 decades with continual effect. Please try to be patient with yourself and this medication and give it a chance to do what it does best. Also, are you talking to a pharmacist? They would be the ones to explain this better than I.
I understand how desperate pain can make you...I tried to check out twice - once with sleeping pills and once going through withdrawal from Valium and Percoset. MS Contin and Oxy Contin are much less toxic and easy to withdraw from if you need to. I've gone off them 3 times, but the pain for me is too intolerable NOT to take it. And believe me, I have taken every other pain medication known to the FDA. All the other pain meds are meant only for short term acute and post-surgical pain, so DO NOT take them for chronic long term pain relief effect. You will end up even more desperate and addicted and need more and more with NO effect. It's a hard cycle to break.
Be persistant and read as much as you can about time release morphine. Opinions are ~ bottom-line ~ pretty worthless. Find what really works for you, because time-release morphines are made to be effective for your specific kind of pain. (And mine.)