Slow transit time on Narcotics??

Hey guy, my doc that did my surgery is a great guy. I talked with him today via the nurse on the phone and she told me that I needed to get off the Vicodin I take every day for cronic back pain. She says is slows your trasit time and will damage what is left of my intestines...Has anyone ever been told that? I dont know what to do I try and only take 2 10/325 mg vics a day and I can barely make it through on that.


.he said to go on Ultram, but I have tried that before and it did absolutely nothing for my pain.



I have had 2 Lower Lumbar surgeries, and one spinal cord surgery, but the lower back is all the problem. I cant sleep with out them and my back kills me all the time and more so in the winter as I am sure I have arthritis and scar tissues built up. I am trying to get them to MRI my back to see if I have broke something loose as I have blacked out so so many times in the past 21/2 years....so any suggestions??



Hope you all are doing well



Leslie

Sue  You know I had CI along with everyone else, and I wonder if all the 11 years I have been on alot more heavy meds than the vic's,  I am just thinking that all the years of being on Fentenal, Morphine, Oxycodoine, for at least 7 years of those, if that is what caused my problems to beging with...??

thanks sue

Leslie

Wakabo
  I know what ya mean it takes alot to knock down my pain.  I had a knee replacement 4 years ago and I told my doc that I was on 6 vics a day and one 25mg. and one15 mg of Fetnal patches daily and would he be able to do the surgery and control my pain and he said yes....OMG was he wrong, I was begging them to put me in a coma cuz I felt everything it was the worst 3 weeks of hell I ever had...  then after I go see him for a follow up and he said he was amazed at all the suffering I had to go through cuz he threw as much meds as he could at me..and still nothing.  He said well I will know now to make people who are on such heavy meds to be off of them for a good bit of time before doing the surgery.

I tell ya there was no where to go to get away from that pain...YIKES....

I dont know that it actually damages but definately slows down the transit time, but I never had any issues till I started having back surgery and on all those heavy meds so in my mind I think it had something to do to my colon not working any longer..

Leslie

maybe they meant it will do damage to the intestines b/c it causes slow transit time.

Have you tried acupuncture or ultrasound therapy?

Leslie - If you are not having problems with constipation then I see no reason to change pain meds. I take vicodin daily for fibromyalgia and it has not caused any problems nor has my gp, pain doctor or surgeon said it was an issue. I've tried many other forms of pain meds but vicodin and morphine (low dose, extended release) are the only meds that touch the pain.

Val