Pain med tolerance...how to ask md for higher dose

Building up tolerance in 4 months is a bit fast....if you continue at that rate, in a short time, you may find that doctors become uncomfortable with ever increasing doses.
Perhaps an extended release pain med might be a better option than increasing immediate release doses.
Almost all CP patients are switched to an extended release version of their pain medication to help keep tolerance in check and provide longer lasting pain relief.

I think your dr may get alarmed too if its only been 4 months on this dose. Most chronic pain patients are put on an extended release with something for BT pain. I would just talk to him/her & explain what is going on. Tell them you belong to an online support group & you have noticed most of the people are treated this way for chronic pain. Ask the dr if this is something he/she would consider doing with you to give you better & longer lasting pain relief. The guidelines these PM drs work with discourage drs from rxing IR's long term so I am surprised your dr does this.

Good luck.

What type of conversations do you have with your Dr? Did he imply that this dose should be satisfactory with your conditions? Have other options been presented and this is the med you chose to try initially? 10mg is a pretty good dose. Did you start out at a lower dose and then increased to the 10mg?
Sorry for the zillion questions :)

The reason I asked it that when I've started a new med, my Dr and I agree to start low, and then increase if necessary. There have been times where, a month later, the dose is increased. But, since this was something discussed during the previous appointment, my Dr agreed to the increase.

Instead of increasing your dose, maybe a different med all together would be more beneficial. Also, if you are expected to be on pain meds into the foreseeable future, a long acting med would be wise to add. Then the oxycodone would be just for break thru pain. At that point, 10mg might just work.

I'm sorry that you are hurting and unable to find relief. I hope you have an appointment coming up where a better plan can be put in place.

MsLouise,

I said physiologically not psychologically.

I am personally addicted to my pain meds, my body is dependent on them and requires a certain dose or I will go into WD. I use Fent patches & Oxy for BT and more.

I am no better or worse a person than an addict just because I get my meds via legal means. I am often perceived as an addict by others & treated just as poorly. For me the main difference is that I am not after a high. But if I do not use restraint my tolerance will go up quickly and my longer term pain management might be compromised.

For these reasons I caution new CPers to go slow & don't expect miracles. Pain can be managed to varying degrees but we should not expect to become pain free. A 50% increase in pain meds after 4 months is too much in IMHO, I am not a Dr. Additionally, a 50% increase in pain meds will likely not offer a 50% reduction in pain.

Cary

I agree wholeheartedly with Cary and as sad as it is to say it's unfortunately the truth as I see it. There is also a difference between someone chasing a high and an addict,many folks chase a high and never become addicted to their source of the high. People who can throw on a good drunk and never do it again for a year,risk takers those whose high is in living on the edge,bungee jumpers,sky divers,even those reaching Mt Everest,all chasing a high. A true adrenaline junkie but not necessarily addicted. There comes a time in an addicts life where the high is not possible and never reached and the only goal is to not be sick. Much like us,a time when the best we can hope for is some help with the pain and not be sick from lack of a med our body has now become accustomed to just like those addicted. They can only get so high and we can only get so much relief before the amount of the drug would kill us.

This is something we see way too much of here,too much too fast and your going to get to that place where the highest dose is only keeping withdrawal away and no pain relief. Many Cpers don't seem to think there is a ceiling,a place where too much is not enough and more would take your life. Just as a junkie can OD so can a CPer. Just because my Oxy is prescribed and dispensed legally for a legitimate reason makes it no less dangerous than the ones the dealer sells.

You will see us old time Cpers be quick to tell newer ones the first defense in fighting Cp is lower your expectations. Find everything and anything else you can to give even the smallest amount of relief,learn how to distract your own mind from the pain,then reach for your meds because if you reach for them first for 20 years your only keeping the sickness at bay with amounts that could kill you and still your in pain.

Statistics show a very high number of those addicts got there after being prescribed opiates in high doses for long periods by Drs who were negligent in dosing and now they're on the street trying to keep from being dope sick as the priority over the pain that started it all.

Like Cary said you have to practice restraint every single day to keep that from happening.

If you have a Dr that increases your dose,adds a new opiate every time you ask run!! He's doing you no favors and there will come a time when for whatever reason he won't be there to help anymore.