Vicodin vs Kadian

[vegancupcake]

I have chronic pain (a peripheral neuropathy).  The only thing I've found that actually reduces the pain is vicodin.  I've tried tramadol, gabapentin, cymbalta, other SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, lyrica, physical therapy, massages, acupuncture, meditation, CT guided nerve blocks, medical marijuana, nitrous oxide, muscle relaxers, ice packs, hot baths, tens unit, topical lidocaine, and probably other things that I'm forgetting.  None of these gave me pain relief, and several made the pain worse.  Vicodin works, and it's made me a functional human being.

 

I take 7.5 mg hydrocodone pills once or twice a day.  Some days I can go without taking it.  My pain fluctuates from terrible to bearable, and I like the fact that I can choose when to use the medication.  It makes me feel like I'm less likely to grow dependent on it.  My pain doctor wants me to switch over to Kadian (extended release morphine), 20 mg in the morning and 20 mg in the evening.  This freaks me out.  I don't WANT to take opiates every day.  I'm scared that if I start that, I'll be on them FOREVER.  I know withdrawal is awful, and I don't want to have to deal with it.  With Vicodin, I can go days without taking it and not feel any problematic symptoms.  My pain doctor insists that sporadically taking Vicodin is no different than taking morphine every day.  I... don't understand that.

 

I'm not asking for medical advice here.  Just opinions.  I've been taking Vicodin for two years without any need to raise my dose.  It still works great.  Am I being unreasonable? Should I get over myself and switch over to morphine?        

 

 

 

[MrTastybutt]

Idk why your pain doctor would want to change what works. I don't think I'd be averse to kadian but I know I'd want to stay with something that works.

[dilemma]

I don't understand why you don't want to try it.  Vicodin is also an opiate, so if you aren't addicted to it, perhaps you won't get addicted to the Kadian.

 

It sounds like you're doc wants to try something that's extended release, and I don't think there's an extended release of Vicodin.  At least I've never had it offered to me.  When I had knee surgery last year, I was on extended release oxcycontin with occasional regular release.  Perhaps your doctor has found that Kadian to be less addicting than Kadian.

 

If you don't have to take Vicodin everyday, perhaps you wouldn't have to take Kadian everyday either.

 

If it were me, I would tell my doctor that I am doing fine on Vicodin and really don't want to change.  If he's insistent, tell him you'll try it, as long as you can switch back if it doesn't work.

 

Good luck, in any case.

[melissaw72]

Idk why your pain doctor would want to change what works. I don't think I'd be averse to kadian but I know I'd want to stay with something that works.

 

^THIS.  I don't understand why your DR wants to change something that work.  Kind of like the phrase, "Don't wake a sleeping baby."

[San]

I agree with pretty much everyone. A lot of great points in this thread. If it works now, why change it? If the acetaminophin is the problem, get it without.

 

If you can go days without it, I don't think you'd have a problem. You've certainly given everything a try, and you've found something that's helped. It seems to me like you're taking it as needed, and not abusing it in any way, taking it sparingly and responsibly, and that's very responsible of you. 

 

It might eventually poop out on you, or you could take it for the rest of your life. It seems like a big jump to go from that to the other drug. Can you talk to your doc and say "I don't think I need that currently, can we put it on the back burner, and if I need it, I'll let you know?"

 

You seem to have an opposite problem of many, some can't get proper painkillers, but your doc is giving you more than you currently need. It's definitely good that it'll be there when you need it.

 

Good luck, and best wishes.

[vegancupcake]

Idk why your pain doctor would want to change what works. I don't think I'd be averse to kadian but I know I'd want to stay with something that works.

 

I agree.  That's another reason why switching to something else scares me.

 

I don't understand why you don't want to try it.  Vicodin is also an opiate, so if you aren't addicted to it, perhaps you won't get addicted to the Kadian.

 

It sounds like you're doc wants to try something that's extended release, and I don't think there's an extended release of Vicodin.  At least I've never had it offered to me.  When I had knee surgery last year, I was on extended release oxcycontin with occasional regular release.  Perhaps your doctor has found that Kadian to be less addicting than Kadian.

 

If you don't have to take Vicodin everyday, perhaps you wouldn't have to take Kadian everyday either.

 

If it were me, I would tell my doctor that I am doing fine on Vicodin and really don't want to change.  If he's insistent, tell him you'll try it, as long as you can switch back if it doesn't work.

 

Good luck, in any case.

 

He wants me to take Kadian every day, not as needed.  Rather than having short peaks of pain relief from vicodin, he wants me to have constant continuous pain relief.  I'd need to maintain a certain level of medication in my body for it work that way, so I'd be taking it both in the morning and the evening until I decide not to be on it anymore.  It's not really a question of whether or not I'll become "addicted" or grow physiologically dependent on it... I will. And eventually I'll need to take more for the same pain relief.  That's opiates for you. 

 

 

I have chronic pain as well. I take 10 mg of oxycodone up to four times/day. I'm like you, sometimes I take none, sometimes I take the max. The variables are far too complicated to explain. My GP is giving me these meds. I've been on the same dose for over two years now. At some point, what I'm doing is going to stop working. Then, I'll have to go to a pain clinic since my GP isn't comfortable giving me more than the current amount.  

 

I'd hazard a guess that the doc may want you off of Vicodin because of the acetaminophen. Acetamiophen is very hard on your liver. I used to take Percocet, which has acetaminophen. I had to change to plain oxycodone because of liver disease.

 

If it were me, I'd ask if acetaminophen is the concern. If it is, then maybe you can take plain hydrocodone. They don't like to give the plain because drug adddicts seem to like the plain pills more. Mine got stolen twice. I've got them well locked up now. If acetaminophen is the problem and the doc doesn't want to give you plain hydrocodone, then ask if you can keep a close eye on your liver functions. If your liver functions get bad or if hydrocode no longer works then consider changing to Kadian. This seems like a good compromise to me. Keep things the way they are for now but consider changing to Kadian if what you're doing now stops working. It's one of those "if it ain't broke don't fix it" things.    

 

My obgyn was prescribing me Vicodin initially, but she referred me over to a pain doctor so I could discuss possible surgical options and other magic pain control ideas that she hadn't thought of yet.  Swapping Vicodin for Kadian was his first idea.  I mentioned above in my reply to dilemma that his intent was to keep a stable amount of pain medication in my body at all times and to avoid the short peaks of pain relief that Vicodin provides.  I will ask if the acetaminophen is part of his concern.  Asking for plain hydrocodone could go either way, though; I'm a new patient, so I haven't earned his trust yet.  Example: I asked when I should start feeling the effects of the Kadian, and he replied, "It's not like Vicodin, you don't feel it!" He thought I meant the "feel-good" side effects. Not the pain relief. /facepalm  

 

 

Idk why your pain doctor would want to change what works. I don't think I'd be averse to kadian but I know I'd want to stay with something that works.

 

^THIS.  I don't understand why your DR wants to change something that work.  Kind of like the phrase, "Don't wake a sleeping baby."

 

 

I agree : (.  Is it really necessary to risk taking something that might not work quite as well? Especially during the busiest time of the school year... ( I did convince him to hold off the switch until at least June.)

 

 

I agree with pretty much everyone. A lot of great points in this thread. If it works now, why change it? If the acetaminophin is the problem, get it without.

 

If you can go days without it, I don't think you'd have a problem. You've certainly given everything a try, and you've found something that's helped. It seems to me like you're taking it as needed, and not abusing it in any way, taking it sparingly and responsibly, and that's very responsible of you. 

 

It might eventually poop out on you, or you could take it for the rest of your life. It seems like a big jump to go from that to the other drug. Can you talk to your doc and say "I don't think I need that currently, can we put it on the back burner, and if I need it, I'll let you know?"

 

You seem to have an opposite problem of many, some can't get proper painkillers, but your doc is giving you more than you currently need. It's definitely good that it'll be there when you need it.

 

Good luck, and best wishes.

 

I didn't really think I had a problem either.  And actually, during my last appointment he prescribed me ten Vicodin for the whole month.  I don't know if it was out of spite or what.  I'm really lucky that I have some leftover from my last prescription.  Still, I'll be in huge trouble if I have a bad month.