Hey guys, thanks for responding. Codeine itself is an opiod just as the other narcotic pain killers. They are all converted into morphine once it enters your brain. Codeine is the weakest of the opiods. Hydrocodon is a step up, morphine a step up, oxycodone a step up from that, then hydromorphone,oxymorphone, and fentanyl based drugs beyond. Nucynta is completely unique. Nothing else chemically related to it on the market, except maybe tramadol but very weakly related.
+Lyme, i posted this in the chronic pain forum about nucynta.
" have been on nucynta now for a week. 50 mg three times a day, although ive taken up to 5 with excrutiating pain. Its a strong drug. Much stronger than tramadol. Doesnt feel at all like tramadol although its dual action like tramadol. I was off percosets for about 3 weeks as my pain was significantly less so my tolerance was reset(although i dont think this drug is cross tolerant). Takes about 20-40 minutes to kick in but it definately hits you pretty good right away...unlike the slower come on of oxy. I'd describe it as having an equivalency of nucynta 50mg = oxy 5 mg as per analgesia. The pain melts away very effectively and you will get pretty high off of it. It is sedating for the first hour - 2 hours..and then it wears off and you feel almost perfecty normal but pain free for the next 3 hours. Afterwards your pain will start creeping back in. I believe its exactly as effective today as it was last sunday. even with percoset/oxy, i notice some tolerance even after a week. I also don't find i crave the drug as much as oxy. And the come down off this drug doesn't appear as nasty. I am going to keep with it and hopefuly be able to write an update over the next month or so and note tolerance and addiction potential.
I think the bad rap its gotten is due to the cross tolerance issue. I dont believe there is cross tolerance between this drug and traditional opiates. So I believe when a person who has been on pain meds for a substantial amount of time switches to this drug, they go into withdrawal frm their original drug. I took a few weeks off of percoset so i came in with clear baseline.
Good:
--Very effective at pain reduction. As soon as you feel it, watch out, hits hard and fast and pain is GONE.
--Sense of well being/euphoria especially after the 1-2 hour initial hit. The first 1-2 hours are very relaxing and you will be high(at least for the first week). After, you begin to come too again, think clearly, have energy, yet pain is still completely gone.
--Seems slower at building tolerance than other opiates. I'll report back by next week as that will give me a clear understanding of tolerance as by the second week i do have a tolerance on most opiates ive been on.
--No itching
--Not cross tolerant(imo a good thing because you can switch to a different drug now without having to start at high doses)
--Less physical craving for the drug. With oxy, after about a week, I find my mind wanting the drug and its a battle to keep on schedule. With this drug, i believe becasue of the less tolerance building, i dont feel the need to want more.
--don't really have a hangover but can be tricky to tell with my condition
Bad:
--At first can hit too hard. Make sure you try it on a day off initially.
--more nausea. Ive noticed on about 100 mg you get decent nausea for about 30 minutes.
Thats all I can think of right now. I'll post more as I learn more. Questions let me know.
I think its a great drug IMO at this point.
Vin
"
And for your question, I have been in touch with my doctor and he said to expect this. I was very very sick the previous few weeks and then i stopped antiobiotics for a few days and ended up even worse! We both believe this to be a necessary evil. I am just quite sick and this goes with the turf. The nucynta has been a lifesavor. I function much better on it than vicoden, percoset, oxy. Tried Tramadol in the past, the ER version... it took some of the pain edge away in the beginning but just isn't strong enough for me. After a few days you really don't get too high from nucynta anymore, and since it acts like an antidepressant also, my energy level and mind is quite a bit more clear.
Today I am feeling a bit better, i didn't wake up early from pain!! It was creeping in slowly but i popped a nucynta and feeling better. So this is the first day without excruciating pain in a few weeks. Have to see if my afternoon fever breaks also.
Hope you are all having a nice Sunday :)
Vin