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Posted 3/15/2013 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
I have also been online since I got home from the Drs last wednesday researching nucynta, theres alot about it but it seems mostly negative as far as actual people taking it, glorified by those who have "tested" it an approved it for our consumption!! I was told it has far less longterm side effects, given the fact it was only ok'd in 2009 by the US how many "longterm" studies have there really been in those 5 years? Is five years long enough to even test longterm usage? I think not!! Most of the "scientific" info i read reads as if nucynta was NOT intended for a primary drug but rather to enhance the effect of the old opiate standbys, ie; oxycodone, morphine, hydrocodone, ect. That being said taking this by itself has made it the absolute WORST drug I have EVER had the misfortune of being prescribed!! I feel drunk, disoriented, unstable, moody, and like im shaking from the inside out! Not to mention it took 4 days to get a PA so i could start taking it! I never had to go through that with oxycontin which cost more than 3X what nucynta cost! Now im wondering if it was because its so controversial not because its expensive?!!
Posted 3/15/2013 10:12 PM (GMT 0)
Just keep in mind Hurtandconfused that most of what you read online (anywhere on the internet) is going to be slanted in the negative in a large way. People who are happy with things usually do not spend their time posting about it..

So, while I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with Nucynta, many others have had great success with it. Just like with any pain medication we take, it's only meant to be one small part of our treatment plan.

This is why I don't pay any attention to personal stories about any new medication that I am about to take...not because I don't care...but because I don't want it to influence me in a negative way. I only quickly glance at the possible allergic reactions in the pharmacy paperwork as I know that many of the regular side effects usually end up going away after a month or so. We are all just so different and I like to go in with a positive attitude and then if it doesn't work, then I just move to something else:)

We hope that you decide to stick around HW and share more about your own journey with pain. Please feel free to start your own New Topic to tell us about yourself...

Post Edited (Snowbunny21) : 3/15/2013 4:26:41 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/16/2013 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for replying, I want u to know though, that I was truly excited to try something new. I didnt start the research until I took the 1st pill and after about an hour I started having really strange effects from this. As soon as i could focus and keep my train of thought I got online!! I didnt find this site until today so really the only opinion i had was that of my Drs. I was told several untruths about this dug by my Dr which I am VERY upset about as well! I got most of my information from Tapentadols own site which is how I uncovered the real facts. I was not made aware of ANY of the side effects this drug can produce, as a matter of fact I was told that it had way less severe and way less period than any other opiate. I have been on opiate therapy for 5 of the past six years, not for the past year then this. Honestly I NEVER had any side effects from oxycodone except bein almost pain free, but this stuff is like what ive heard from the "60's" halucinagetic drug stories from people of that era!! I dont believe this is a state of mind that i can operate a normal life in.
Posted 3/16/2013 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
I have been takin nucynta ER since October and I think it is the best drug I used in over 6 years of chronic lower back pain. I am tapering down since I had SCS done but having an easier time than with fentanyl patch last year. Any questions, lmk.
Posted 3/16/2013 8:16 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Greg, it’s good to know that you have found some solution for your pain that is working well for you. I hope this has long term affects.
Posted 3/16/2013 1:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hurtandconfused....I appreciate you sharing more...

I truly wasn't trying to diminsh anything that happened with regards to your side effects...

I was just trying to say that we are all just so different and even though you experienced this, others will have great luck with the med.

When I first started on MSContin I had some awful nausea, fatigue and headaches, but thankfully that all went away within a month and I've been on the medication for years now.

None of us are trying to be "pain free" with taking an opiate medication. Being that most of us have chronic pain, the medication takes the pain down a tiny bit, along with all the other modalities/treatments I use each day/week/month and this adds up to about a 5 or so on the pain scale. I get up to a 7 on bad days....

But if we were all attempting to be pain free with our meds, our tolerance would go through the roof quickly and keep requiring more and more medications....

I'm glad that Oxycodone works well for you. I was on Oxycontin for years before the patent ran out for the generic and that is why I switched to the MSContin. I use OxyIR (short acting Oxycodone) for my breakthrough pain.

It's really up to each person to work with their Dr. and see what works and what doesn't but to have a realistic expectation about what a medication is supposed to do. **I am speaking in generalities with that, not directly in response to anything you wrote:)

And just so people understand, many Drs. who prescribe the medications may not know all the side effects of each one so it's best if we talk with our Pharmacist as they are the ones who have that knowledge. Same thing with asking them if our meds interact with anything else we are taking. As well as we can read the insert that comes with our prescription, or as you did, go to the website of the manufacturer and read up on it.
Posted 3/16/2013 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hello HurtandConfused,

I'm sorry to hear that your new med is giving you so many side effects. I have been taking Nucynta for 45 days and so far it's doing a good job of either eliminating the pain or bringing it down to 1 or 2.

Prior to starting this new med, I was taking oxycodone both short and long acting. I was taking 180 mgs each day, I was becoming tolerant so it wasn't helping that much with the pain. I switched Dr's and when the New Dr saw how much I was taking he went ballistic. I had to tapper down to 100 mgs each day.

The Dr wanted to get me down to 80 mgs before switching to (N) Nucynta due to the side effects but I told him I couldn't tapper down anymore due to the pain so I started taking N on 2/1/13. I take 100 mgs IR 4 times a day and MS Contin 2 @ 15mgs. I also take Gabapentin but I try not to take them as they make me too tired.

Are you taking a higher dose or taking other meds with the N? Also, I remember the first 5 days of starting N, it did nothing for the pain.

Please keep us posted on how you're doing, hopefully your side-effects will subside or try another med.


Blessings,
BC
Posted 3/17/2013 11:42 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you also for replying. No I'm not taking anything but Nucynta, I'm taking 100mg 3X a day. Thats what the bottle says? Kinda weird directions, but a year ago I was taking 135mgs of oxycodone a day. I got off all meds for a year becauseof the HUGE drug scare in my state and people overdosing ALOT in my area. Its a very scarey thing to have something in your possesion that some people would kill you for in a heartbeat!! But anyways, I hope anyone taking this drug has better luck than I am. Thanks for all the encouragement it definately means alot to me!!!
Posted 3/18/2013 9:56 PM (GMT 0)
…Njbackpain…I have to say the same thing!…best med I have been on ever for back pain….however, I think I need an adjustment here soon, as I have begun to struggle a bit. I'm also currently on a starting dose of Lyrica…and will ask to have it bumped up as well.

I wanted to repeat again, that it takes some time for this med to build up in your system, and if you are starting on a low dose and do not see results…I would urge you to up the dose before writing it off as a non effective med. I have done the same when trying some of the nerve meds like Cymbalta, Gabapentin…and now Lyrica.

SE
Posted 3/19/2013 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
HurtinandConfused,

Maybe your dose is too high?

Unless I start really low and work my way up to the mid-high doses, I get really horrible side effects. I've never taken Nucynta but I imagine its like most other meds- if your body cant handle the amount you're putting in, its gonna rebel like crazy.

Maybe lowering the dose will give you less side effects and more pain relief, then when you're more used to it, increasing as needed for pain might not affect you so strongly.
Posted 3/19/2013 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
…..my dog is laying across where I usually type on my wireless keyboard….making this a challenge for me LOL

Hurt…I too suffered some of the fogginess and detached feeling, but it has gotten better over time. If you really cannot handle the side-effects after a while, then you may indeed want to speak with your Dr, and discontinue it, and seek a different med. I would not expect to see you suffer, and I'm sure your Dr won't either.

SE
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