opana?

Hi mtg and sorry your having some trouble. I pretty much just went thru the same thing! I've been on methadone for 13 years and the last few all I found myself to be was a big blob of existing flesh!! Didn't go out anymore, didn't do any of the things I've always enjoyed doing. So I decided to "take back my life " and I got completely off and on Butrans and Norco and feel human again.

Now as for Opana? I can't think of one person here that's taking it! That in itself says a lot to me. I will say the few that I can recall trying it had trouble with pulling the 12-24 hrs pain relief with it and anything different is off label dosing and the insurance companies aren't paying.

I think they had extremely high hope for Opana when it was released in it's original form but shortly after the halted manufacturing and changed the composition due to none other then the addicts abusing it, and when it was re-released it's not done as well.

Unfortunately when they change a med by adding another med or altering to prevent abuse we seem to see a drastic decrease in it's effectiveness?

That being said we are all pretty individualized in how well a particular med works or doesn't, Opana could turn out to be a sufficient coverage for you.

I very much suspect however, that you'll see some w/d symptoms making that change. Opana's lagging, slower, release wont likely fill the OC's shoe's!

Was that your only choice given? Not exactly why your Drs veering away from the more widely used meds to treat CP?

Good luck and I hope you find some relief soon!!

Opana is closer related to morphine than oxycodone. more of a sedative effect then the stimulant effect you get from oxycodone and oxycontin. opana is a lot stronger than oxycodone about double . good choice if the oxy isn't working anymore, also longer halflife

I just got mine filled yesterday & if i didn't have insurance the er would cost $1,240.49 (name brand) & the ir would cost $820.44 (generic)!!!! With our insurance & a discount card i pay $15.00 for the er & $7.00 for the ir. They do make a generic er but our insurance has all er meds in the highest tier so with the discount card its cheaper for me to get the name brand!

if I had to pay for my meds 10 generic Watson 100ug fentanyl patches is 610$

Opana ER and Opana are great. cost for even substandard generic unrealistic. NICK

Anybody transitioned from methadone to opana er? I transitioned from methadone to percs (no buprenorphine/suboxone at all) and man what a nightmare the last 3 weeks have been. I'm supposed to still use percs for breakthrough but it seems like too much for me. I'm still having "jerks", body spasms, an horrible insomnia. Anyone with similar experience, comments? "How long do I have to deal with this until I can feel some semblance of "normalcy"?! Very tired and frustrated. Having a lot of nausea and can't take Phenergan, it wires me out. I also have hard time getting solid food to feel like it's out of my esophagus and really down in my gut. Also feels like everything is a chore to digest. Desperate for some insight and any concerns others may have with taking opana and percs together. Thanks in advance.
-Mike

Thanks Trix for chiming in. By OC I think you mean oxycontin? Since have found that Opana ER can take 36-72 hours to work full time in system. I'm starting to feel better at about 26 hrs on it with percs as needed for b/t pain. I think hydroxyzine in Benadryl. No benzos or nausea meds have helped during this process. Pickle juice has worked some though. Trippy sensation you had. Maybe a warning not to swim in shark infested waters (lol). Thanks for the suggestion, its really appreciated. -Mike

Blessmymess.......I'm glad to hear the opana er is kicking in & helping you. I have taken methadone, oxycontin, morphine & exalgo & the opana er & the ir for bt has by far worked the best for me!!! I hope you continue to feel better!

Hello again,
I don't think Hydroxyzine is in Benedryl, as it is a prescription medication - I could be wrong, I never use Benedryl so I'm not that familiar with it. I do think hydroxizine was originally formulated as an antihistamine, and nausea is an off-label use for it, so maybe Benedryl has very small amounts of hydroxyzine? Mine are the 25mg tablets, and when my nausea is really bad I sometimes take two of them (dr. is fine with that), but most of the time just one does the trick. I've had nausea almost every day for 3 1/2 years, so I sympathize with you - it's no fun! I can see where it would be really hard on your back.

Thanks for additional thoughtful info. I'm trying to get my potassium from raw green vegies and juicing kale and celery. Bananas constipated me and hurt back more with gas and bloating. Whole grain toast with avocado and fresh tomato has also been wonderful. Also using liquid calcium magnesium. I'm going to supplement that with the pills now that you've shared with me. Hope you have friends and family to share thanksgiving with. It's really an awesome holiday and the national origins of it are seen in this forum. Kinda cool topic to google. I can compare mutual support of pilgrims and native americans to those of us from diverse backgrounds and cultures coming together for a mutually beneficial outcome.
-Mike

Luie wrote: opana is a lot stronger than oxycodone about double

Re: that statement - it's true that on a milligram basis - it's about double - meaning, about 40mg of Opana equates to about 80mg of Oxycontin.

However, I really caution about saying something is much stronger than "xyz" drug.... For me - Opana didn't work at all. No pain control at all - I was on it for a short period (both the ER and IR versions) - I was giving 30mg of the ER, 2x per day (if I remember right). I had no pain control - so went back on oxycontin/fentanyl.

So - Mtgman - I hope it works for you! You really just won't know until you give it a try. :(

That said, I do believe it's good to "rotate" meds when you've been on something a long, long time (and my PM wholeheartedly agrees). Have you considered just trying the Opana IR - to see if works at all? That way you aren't switching your long-acting quite yet - until you know if you get any pain relief from the instant release meds.

Have you tried the fentanyl patches? That's another thought.

Take care --Tina

Unc: What to you change from to the opana? My docs been a stickler to work with. Have appt this Tuesday. Mike