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Posted 7/31/2008 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
has anyone here had an itching while using there pain meds.?

I am on flexeril naproxen and percocet.

I have been trying not to take any unless i need to as i hate pills.

The last week though have been getting alot of mussle spasms so have been taking the flexeril as prescribed and the last few days have been taking the percocet every only at night

Last night had a really bad night so i took the percocet at 12 and again at 6.

Last couble of days have been very itchy and not sure if its cause of the meds or not. Not usu an itchy person.

Also early this morn when i took Percocet again got really dizzy after taking them dont know if it was intensified because i had not slept all night or not but also had this weird feeling every time i nodded off like my heart would stop just as i was nodding off and it would jolt me back awake.

It is the second time i have had that feeling... The other time was when i was admitted to the hospital a 2 weeks ago and they gave me a shoot of morphine for pain. It is a bit freaky.

As well i feel like i have the shakes.

Any one else ever experience any of these things...

God some days i really feel like a hypochondriac

 

Posted 7/31/2008 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
Itching is a side effect of opiate medications. Normally it will eventually stop after your body is used to the medication, but some people always itch from opiates.
Posted 7/31/2008 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
Lady,
Itching can also be an indicator of an allergic reaction. You really should ask your pharmacist or your doc. But what concerns me the most is the feeling your heart is stopping. I definitely think you should call your doc today and tell him/her about all these symptoms. Do you have any sleep apnea? These meds all have a depressant effect on the CNS and the respiratory systems. It may be that the flexiril (which is a very potent med) and the perc. (also very potent) are too much for you at the doses you're taking. I wonder if you have any underlying cardiovasular issues?

Please call your doc today and check this out.

PaLady
Posted 7/31/2008 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
The other thing with Percocet is that it has caffeine in it. That could be what's causing the shakes. The caffeine also often increases the itchiness. I think oxycontin is roughly the same drug, but without the caffeine. Not positive about that.

Percocet & IV morphine are both pretty strong opiates. Maybe a weaker drug would lessen the side effects.

For short stays in the hospital, I've started asking for Torodol in place of morphine. You can't have any stomach problems & you can't take it for more than a couple days or you'll get stomach problems, but it's an anti-inflammatory drug so you won't get the itchiness.

If you can't go with a weaker med, fentanyl tends to cause less itching than most other opioids. They can give it to you through IV, transdermal (Duragesic), sublingual (Fentora) or transmucosal (Actiq).

If not, you could try Aveno lotion or oatmeal baths (don't use the instant kind, get the old-fashioned stuff). They don't help much, but they're better than nothing.
Posted 7/31/2008 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone i will give my Gp a call and see if i can get in to see him today.

Feel like im goin crazy somtimes have good days but when you have bad they seem to be really bad sighs.

and not sleeping does not help at all as im sure you all understand.

Think between Pt yesterday and trying to go back to work might have been to much on my body yesterday.

PT pushed me pretty hard yesterday well not on normal scale but for me lol.  Those setting step thing really left me feeling very week in my legs and kicked up the mussle spasms in my legs but and lower back last night.

Once again thanks for the advice

Posted 7/31/2008 10:52 PM (GMT 0)
Frances,
I've never heard of percocet having caffeine. My cousin is a pharmacist and I've discussed my meds with her in detail, and she's never mentioned that. She has said that these generally make people tired.

I'll have to ask, but I'm pretty sensitive to caffeine and I take it (percocet) at bedtime in part to help me sleep. If I have a cup of even light coffee in the late afternoon I'd have trouble sleeping.

PaLady
Posted 7/31/2008 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
Tspauld,
Thanks for checking! That's interesting information. I couldn't find any caffeine when I researched percocet/ oxycodone, but now I'll know to watch for it if I'm ever prescribed one of those "cousins"! LOL

PaLady
Posted 8/1/2008 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
My apologies.
I double-checked on the manufacturer's website & it doesn't list caffeine.
My GP had told me that when I had a severe allergic reaction to Percocet after my crainiotomy. Even after only a couple of doses, I was on two weeks of steroids to get rid of all the hives. Now I'm kinda wondering why I even had that reaction.

I guess even doctors can be mistaken sometimes. My apologies for not checking it out for myself before posting.
Posted 8/1/2008 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
Frances,
That's ok. Remember you can have an allergic reaction to a drug for many, many reasons, and hives would certainly be one of the symptoms. There are so many "inactive" ingredients in the drugs, and if you get a generic then it really is hard to precisely know what's in it. I know I had difficulty with anything that has sodium in it - I'm very senstive to it. So I always go read the manuf. website or ask my cousin. Could it also be that you got one of the "cousins" prescribed without knowing it? I've never heard of those before, so I find this interesting.

PaLady
Posted 8/1/2008 5:23 PM (GMT 0)
PALady-
I do still have the label & it says "Percocet" but who knows what I actually got. Any more I open the bottles & check the markings before leaving the pharmacy because twice I've caught them giving me the wrong med (once it was way off- they gave me a bottle of pills when I was supposed to get the Actiq lollis so I don't trust them at all anymore to get things right). Now I look up the markings ahead of time & take it with me to the pharmacy.

I was kinda in a haze then because I had just had major surgery. I convinced my neurosurgeon to release me from the hospital only 24 hours after surgery. I was really out of it & relied on my family to take care of things for me.

I know I am allergic to caffeine, so that made sense but if it really was Percocet, clearly that wasn't the cause. Maybe they gave me the wrong med & that drug had caffeine in it. Maybe it was from some other ingredient. At least they got the swelling down right away & the hives gone eventually. Just to be safe, I think I'll still stay away from it, but you're right -- it could have been a different med altogether.

Thanks.
Posted 8/1/2008 6:04 PM (GMT 0)
Frances,
I wonder if it could have had something to do with the anesthetic still being in your system. If you had major surgery and went home so quickly, that stuff stays in your system - especially in your tissues - for quite awhile depending on what was used. And then combining it with other meds. could have been too much. Just a thought.

PaLady
Posted 8/13/2008 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
I have always had a problem when I increased my dosage of percocet, with my nose itching, like crazy. I recently increased it and durnig my sleep one night i rubbed my nose raw. It usually passes in a couple days for me.
Some one was asking about caffeine in Percocet. Percodan has caffeine, not percocet. It is only oxycodone and acetaminophen.
God Bless
Posted 8/14/2008 2:07 AM (GMT 0)
Ladyred-

It sounds exactly like the reaction I get to Percocet...The feeling that if I close my eyes and/or fall asleep I am going to die and then the flush from head to toes like a big caffeine jolt. My doctor now has it listed an allergy for me, stating that it is my body's histamine reaction to the Percocet that gives me the feeling of anxiety and flushing.
Posted 8/14/2008 2:16 AM (GMT 0)

Wow good to know Mochiah when i went to the doc he didnt mention anything about an allergic reaction he just changed my meds.  I have an appointment with pain management doc tomorrow I will add that to the list of things to talk about with him just to be on the safe side.

It was really a scary feeling like my heart was going to stop and like you said this rush that woke me back up, nice to know there is someone else that had the same experience makes you feel more sane!

Thanks so much for the reply

Lara

Posted 8/14/2008 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
My doc. says it is an intolerance, not a true allergy.....the rush that you feel is your body's histamine being released to fight the itchies and, while not a true allergy, could change and worsen over longer exposure to the drug. I remeber having Percocet after my tubes were tied and would vomit after every dose, but quite a few years went by before being put on it again and now I have the same response as you do....If I were to continue to take it my body would find another way to manifest it's dislike of the drug, so it's best just to avoid it altogether.

By the way, nice to meet you.
Posted 8/14/2008 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
Nice to meet you as well Mochiah and you dont have to worry about me advoiding that again as the feeling of my heart was stopping was enough for me to not what that ever again!

Thanks again

Lara

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