Tylenol shortage = Pain med shortage

leastlongprime said:
Too much milk products give me leg cramps. Really bad leg cramps.
Half glass of milk (lactose free or A2a2); 1/2 serving of yogurt; Couple of small slices of cheddar; 1 tums (is really taking a chance). A full vitamin and mineral pill with a smaller portions of above.
Every person's chemistry is different;
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Holy cow. I used to live on Tums. And then the stomach ulcers healed. Before Tums was banned, thankfully. :)
 

leastlongprime said:
2 aspirins or NSAIDS will cause an gout episode.
1 aspirin will give me to have nose bleeds and I endanger myself with internal bleeding.
Some times my blood is very thick, don't know why, and I need to take a few days of 1/2 baby aspirin to thin the blood out, for me to easily get a blood droplet for the glucose meter.
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You should discuss in what ways you can avoid these problems. I think many of us have conditions or illnesses that we can improve by diet and exercise. Even simple medications. Pain is a whole other thing when caused by something you have no control over whatsoever.

I understand and respect the problems you have. @Murrmurr fell off a cliff that caused severe damage to his spine. He has had many surgeries that may have helped some but have not eliminated the pain he has to go through daily just to have a half decent life. This is not something he can avoid. It is a result of an injury.
 
Blessed said:
Tylenol and other OTC pain meds do not help people with chronic hard core pain. Almost always we need something that contains a narcotic for pain relief. @Murrmurr is one of these people, he does not want it, there is just no option. Without it his life would be very limited.

When will the time come that people in chronic long term pain have access to the drugs we need just to function. I am talking about just getting out of bed, being able to cook, clean, shop for food, just the basics needed. No one chooses this, it is caused by disease or by suffering a horrible life altering accident.

Pleae give me a minute and be patient, I am about to get up on a high horse.

People with diabetes get insulin, people with cancer get chemo. People with painful arthritis, back problems, accidents that cause irreperable damage that all lead to chronic pain are denied drugs to help them. It is ridiculous that anyone should have to suffer because of those that have to use these medications. Why were they invented, to help people with chronic pain. Now, with the opoid crisis innocent people are denied those things that make life tolerable. As we get older there is the chance that you will suffer from chronic pain, are you fine with that or would you expect your doctor to help you? Okay, I am off the horse. Please comment as needed. I would prefer to hear from others that also suffer from debilitating pain.
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I'm not in that category, but I do agree with you.
 

charry said:
i have a drs phonecall appt on the 6th jan about my husbands pain,
we seem to have tried everything , even morphine, but nothing helps
im not sure hes tried tylenol yet ...
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If morphine doesn't help, Tylenol won't do him any good at all, plus it's bad for your liver.

Maybe he needs a higher dose of the morphine, or maybe Vicodin, or maybe an "up-take" drug. Those are drugs that inhibit your brain's ability to recognize pain....but they make me feel really drunk, so I don't like them.

Anyway, it really depends on the TYPE of pain. I'm sure your husband's doctor will help him get some relief.
 
Jules said:
There’s been a shortage of children’s pain meds for many months here. Then it happened for adults.
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I'm sure you know, people mainly want Children's Tylenol for if they need to bring down a fever. With this being cold and flu season, parents and grandparents are buying it up fast.
 
Murrmurr said:
And it's not a wee little bit o'pain. :LOL:

Thank you, Blessed.
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When my husbad was sick with cancer, he tried many things, hydrocodone, oxycontin, morpine. I am sure they gave him other things in the hospital of even higher strength. Like fentanyl etc. after surgery.

The things we could have at home without nursing care were those first few things. He found the thing that worked the best, least side effects while controlling the pain was hydrocodone. That is what we always had on hand for headaches and body/bone pain after chemo. At the time of his death, he was not in any pain, still just taking hydrodone as needed. A nurse was coming a couple of times a week checking his blood. They called me at work after a visit and said his PT and INR were off/bad and he needed to go to the hospital. Went home, got him dressed, son and I put him in the car. He was admitted to ICU, I s till to this day do not know what caused the problem in his blood.

The next morning I was at the hospital, he was awake, alert, holding a conversation, asking to go home. At noon, I told him I was going to go down to get something to eat. I had just sat down at a table with my tray and I heard a code called for his room. His lungs had collapsed, they could not get him back. I still do not understand, I thought when it got really bad, he would slip away, go to sleep....it all happended so suddenly. We had been told from the get go it was terminal, they gave him about 8 months. We had made it five years of sickness, chemo, clinical trials.....I do not think I will ever understand.

Sorry for spitting all that out, in some way if just helps me to get through this time of year. It has been twelve years and it still feels like yesterday.
 
leastlongprime said:
Too much milk products give me leg cramps. Really bad leg cramps.
Half glass of milk (lactose free or A2a2); 1/2 serving of yogurt; Couple of small slices of cheddar; 1 tums (is really taking a chance). A full vitamin and mineral pill with a smaller portions of above.
Every person's chemistry is different;
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Welcome to the forum. Do you take potassium? I used to get terrible cramps in my feet that would literally stop me in my tracks. Since I've been taking potassium daily, for several years now, I hardly get them at all and when I do they are mild and leave quickly. As with any supplement, check with your doctor and pharmacist if you have one about taking it.

Re the OP: Hopefully you'll get what you need soon Murr and I hope medications will be readily available soon, especially for parents who have sick babies. My son was a sickly little boy (you'd never know it now) and I would have been frantic if I couldn't get what I needed for him during those times.
 
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Murrmurr said:
I'm sure you know, people mainly want Children's Tylenol for if they need to bring down a fever. With this being cold and flu season, parents and grandparents are buying it up fast.
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This has been going on for months and months. It’s all the kids’ products that are low in stock. The pharmacies ration them. Now it’s adult OTC meds too.
 
Murrmurr: If you don't get your daily dose of Norco, don't you worry about getting withdrawal symptoms? The half-life of Norco is about 4 hours. After that, the RLS may begin, along with sweating, nervousness, continual yawning and some people will become nauseated, but being nauseated is not necessarily a symptom of withdrawal.

Norco, compared to some other opiates or opioids, depending on what you wish to call them is one of the more milder pain relievers compared to Heroin, Fentanyl and even going down the scale to Oxycontin, Dilauded or Percocet. Norco or the lesser form of Hydrocodone are all highly addictive. I saw a person in the military begin to pull his hair out of his head because he was suffering from a very severe case of withdrawals. I rushed him to the infirmary where they immediately gave him Narcan. I used to carry it with me in case I would run into someone having withdrawals. It's easy to obtain.

Many former addicts take Suboxone, which is a combination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone. It comes in a variety of doses and is usually given sublingual or under the tongue. The problem is finding a doctor that is allowed to prescribe Suboxone. Doctors need a special license to be able to prescribe it.
 
@Been There I find that all interesting information. I would understand that they can all be addictive but for a chronic pain case needed to have a some what normal life.

I have heard of Suboxone but I understood it is for addicts to opoids during withdrawal but not as a pain reliever. I don't think this applies to @Murrmurr, he is not withdrawing or trying to quit taking hydrocodone. He is a chronic pain sufferer that will need his medication for the rest of his life. Not a choice, a need, so he can live some kind of life.

We as people, who are not in that situation should not judge or think less of a person that has no choice but to take pain killers every day. He is not an addict, he is a person suffering pain, that at this point can't be fixed after many back surgeries. This is not something he choose, it is the reality of his life.

It is sad to say but there are many out there that suffer everyday with chronic pain. Since the opoid crisis many of our older generation have been denied medication that would give us a better quality of life. I would be included in that number. So I ask, do you have a chronic, everyday pain condition. If so, what kind and how do you function everyday. I would like to know because I have not been able to figure out how to get past it. It is all I can do just to get the basics of life taken care of.
 
Been There said:
Murrmurr: If you don't get your daily dose of Norco, don't you worry about getting withdrawal symptoms? The half-life of Norco is about 4 hours. After that, the RLS may begin, along with sweating, nervousness, continual yawning and some people will become nauseated, but being nauseated is not necessarily a symptom of withdrawal.

Norco, compared to some other opiates or opioids, depending on what you wish to call them is one of the more milder pain relievers compared to Heroin, Fentanyl and even going down the scale to Oxycontin, Dilauded or Percocet. Norco or the lesser form of Hydrocodone are all highly addictive. I saw a person in the military begin to pull his hair out of his head because he was suffering from a very severe case of withdrawals. I rushed him to the infirmary where they immediately gave him Narcan. I used to carry it with me in case I would run into someone having withdrawals. It's easy to obtain.

Many former addicts take Suboxone, which is a combination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone. It comes in a variety of doses and is usually given sublingual or under the tongue. The problem is finding a doctor that is allowed to prescribe Suboxone. Doctors need a special license to be able to prescribe it.
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There's been a number of times I missed my "daily dose" because the pharmacy was closed or I didn't request my refill on time, or it wasn't approved on time, and I've never experienced withdrawal symptoms, only the return of compulsive leg-kicking and twitching, backache and back pain, neck pain and hip pain, and weird, painful contortions in my feet and toes. But no nausea or tummy aches, and I only yawn when I'm really sleepy, and then only sometimes.

My medication is time-released, so the half-life thing doesn't apply. Before I took the time-released version, relief would last a glorious 2 to 3 hours, and I was kind of ok with that. I mean, I appreciated every minute. But, you know, even when the effect wears off, the opioid is still in your system....for like 6 to 8 hours, depending on your physiology, it's just not effecting your pain.

"Norco ... is one of the milder pain relievers"

Yes, that's why I specifically asked for it back in 2010 and it's been my pain-killer of choice since. Recently, though, the damage in my spine is worsening quite a bit, so I'm considering talking to my doc about morphine. I already had her increase the Norco dosage, and I tried inhibitors aka up-take meds, but they made me feel drunk all the time and made me unstable. I literally bounced off the walls on my way to bed or the bathroom. And they weren't nearly as effective as the Norco has been (until about a year ago). I've had repair and corrective surgery, a thing called RFA, and several steroid/analgesic/anesthetic cocktail injections but you can only have like 3 or 4 of those in a lifetime because they fry the nerves and then the nerves repair themselves by growing more nerves. Awesome!...not.

BTW, I have a Narcan kit in my medicine cabinet. It's required by law. I'm supposed to teach my family and friends how to administer it, but instructions are on the box. And honestly, overdosing looks a lot worse than it feels, and super-overdosing feels way less. I'd have no reason whatsoever to be here if not for Paxton and Michelle. I'd have feeding and petting this freaking cat, and anybody could that, he wouldn't care. But here I am, a chronic pain sufferer, and I do not want be a cranky old turd to my wife and kids and grandkids and Paton because I feel like a massive, incurable toothache with a face and 2 legs. Addiction is not a concern.

Good work, Been There!
 
Blessed said:
The next morning I was at the hospital, he was awake, alert, holding a conversation, asking to go home. At noon, I told him I was going to go down to get something to eat. I had just sat down at a table with my tray and I heard a code called for his room. His lungs had collapsed, they could not get him back. I still do not understand, I thought when it got really bad, he would slip away, go to sleep....it all happended so suddenly. We had been told from the get go it was terminal, they gave him about 8 months. We had made it five years of sickness, chemo, clinical trials.....I do not think I will ever understand.
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He waited to die until you left the room. This happens all the time. They don't want us there when they actually die.
 
Murrmurr said:
There's been a number of times I missed my "daily dose" because the pharmacy was closed or I didn't request my refill on time, or it wasn't approved on time, and I've never experienced withdrawal symptoms, only the return of compulsive leg-kicking and twitching, backache and back pain, neck pain and hip pain, and weird, painful contortions in my feet and toes. But no nausea or tummy aches, and I only yawn when I'm really sleepy, and then only sometimes.

My medication is time-released, so the half-life thing doesn't apply. Before I took the time-released version, relief would last a glorious 2 to 3 hours, and I was kind of ok with that. I mean, I appreciated every minute. But, you know, even when the effect wears off, the opioid is still in your system....for like 6 to 8 hours, depending on your physiology, it's just not effecting your pain.

"Norco ... is one of the milder pain relievers"

Yes, that's why I specifically asked for it back in 2010 and it's been my pain-killer of choice since. Recently, though, the damage in my spine is worsening quite a bit, so I'm considering talking to my doc about morphine. I already had her increase the Norco dosage, and I tried inhibitors aka up-take meds, but they made me feel drunk all the time and made me unstable. I literally bounced off the walls on my way to bed or the bathroom. And they weren't nearly as effective as the Norco has been (until about a year ago). I've had repair and corrective surgery, a thing called RFA, and several steroid/analgesic/anesthetic cocktail injections but you can only have like 3 or 4 of those in a lifetime because they fry the nerves and then the nerves repair themselves by growing more nerves. Awesome!...not.

BTW, I have a Narcan kit in my medicine cabinet. It's required by law. I'm supposed to teach my family and friends how to administer it, but instructions are on the box. And honestly, overdosing looks a lot worse than it feels, and super-overdosing feels way less. I'd have no reason whatsoever to be here if not for Paxton and Michelle. I'd have feeding and petting this freaking cat, and anybody could that, he wouldn't care. But here I am, a chronic pain sufferer, and I do not want be a cranky old turd to my wife and kids and grandkids and Paton because I feel like a massive, incurable toothache with a face and 2 legs. Addiction is not a concern.

Good work, Been There!
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First, I’m sorry that you need to take anything for back pain. I have been there and have had my share as well.

I assume that if your pills are time release, then I would guess that you are taking ER, or extended release. Having Narcan in your medicine cabinet must be a California law. In Virginia, the addicts use Naloxone, which is all but one in the same. Anyone can get their hands on Narcan here. I used to keep it in my “Go Bag.” I often ran into Marines that served in the Mid East that would come home effected by drugs. I would help them the best I could, so they wouldn’t require hospitalization. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t.

I don’t have to tell you that going from Norco to Morphine is a huge jump. I have 2 friends on Morphine pumps or drips, whatever you prefer to call them. Neither friend can go more than 24 hours without taking a dose before they begin withdrawals. I am surprised that you haven’t been increasing your dose. The body does become immune to the low doses (5/325) pretty quickly and then the patient either has to take more or increase the dosage.

Before jumping up to Morphine, I would give Dilauded or Hydromorphone a try first. Taking straight Morphine is really hard to come off of. With you being in California, doctors are more liberal and easier to persuade. Before taking Dilauded, read the instructions very carefully. It an an antagonist and will cause breathing depression issues. Never drink alcohol with any of these narcotics.

When you are ready to give up taking these narcotics, you may need to go to rehab to help you get off of the narcotics. The best place to start is by calling SAMHSA. They will guide you and direct you to the right rehab center. You can do it on your own, but going to a rehab is much less painful.

I had severe back pain for almost a year when the Marine doctor put me on Percocet. After 2 weeks, I started to like it and stopped taking it. I told the doctor that I was beginning to become addicted to it, so he switched me to a Steroid, which isn’t a great idea either. I used it for 2 weeks and quit. Now I just put up with the pain. There is no surgery to help. If I run continuously after a few weeks, the pain will let up to where it is livable. Today, I go to my gym and swim Laos 3 days a week, which has really helped with reducing the pain level.

Anyone that has never had severe back pain has no idea how uncomfortable it is. If I just needed a disc taken out or operated on, I would do it, but mine caused by other issues that I’m told are inoperable.
 
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Blessed said:
@Been There I find that all interesting information. I would understand that they can all be addictive but for a chronic pain case needed to have a some what normal life.

I have heard of Suboxone but I understood it is for addicts to opoids during withdrawal but not as a pain reliever. I don't think this applies to @Murrmurr, he is not withdrawing or trying to quit taking hydrocodone. He is a chronic pain sufferer that will need his medication for the rest of his life. Not a choice, a need, so he can live some kind of life.

We as people, who are not in that situation should not judge or think less of a person that has no choice but to take pain killers every day. He is not an addict, he is a person suffering pain, that at this point can't be fixed after many back surgeries. This is not something he choose, it is the reality of his life.

It is sad to say but there are many out there that suffer everyday with chronic pain. Since the opoid crisis many of our older generation have been denied medication that would give us a better quality of life. I would be included in that number. So I ask, do you have a chronic, everyday pain condition. If so, what kind and how do you function everyday. I would like to know because I have not been able to figure out how to get past it. It is all I can do just to get the basics of life taken care of.
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What gets me- as I told friend who died last year- was treating individuals who need pain medication like they're common criminals (specifically referring to the drug testing). Not enough people are willing to scream loudly about these kinds of things, which is why they aren't stopped. (although a couple of years ago I read patients sued and won).

I don't know how widespread it is, but it's flat-out wrong.
And so is the requirement to buy Narcan- at out-of-pocket cost.
 
Blessed said:
You should discuss in what ways you can avoid these problems. I think many of us have conditions or illnesses that we can improve by diet and exercise. Even simple medications. Pain is a whole other thing when caused by something you have no control over whatsoever.

I understand and respect the problems you have. @Murrmurr fell off a cliff that caused severe damage to his spine. He has had many surgeries that may have helped some but have not eliminated the pain he has to go through daily just to have a half decent life. This is not something he can avoid. It is a result of an injury.
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Very much agree with you.

I understand OP's issue.
I understand the problem with pain meds.

As for back and spinal issues:
I find that acetaminophen is an effective for the minor pains and dental problems. Take 2 before going to the dentist and I am fine with just local. However, acetaminophen does nothing to the sciatic nerve pain... Cortisone pills have made a difference there. I have also tried acupuncture and cupping from a Chinese master and Physical Therapy. I've tried CBD, THC, MJ smokes, with small success but with unwanted side affects-haven't found the dosage yet.
Opioids and synthetics make me severely nauseous.
Heat therapy does give temporary relief, but all too brief.
 
Murrmurr said:
If morphine doesn't help, Tylenol won't do him any good at all, plus it's bad for your liver.

Maybe he needs a higher dose of the morphine, or maybe Vicodin, or maybe an "up-take" drug. Those are drugs that inhibit your brain's ability to recognize pain....but they make me feel really drunk, so I don't like them.

Anyway, it really depends on the TYPE of pain. I'm sure your husband's doctor will help him get some relief.
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Agree. Tylenol is the worst thing for your liver. And people consume them like gummybears.
 
chic said:
Agree. Tylenol is the worst thing for your liver. And people consume them like gummybears.
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I did many years ago, during my migraine years. I naively thought it was less harmful than the ergotamine or Fiorinal. Those took away the pain and made me high as a kite.
 
chic said:
Agree. Tylenol is the worst thing for your liver. And people consume them like gummybears.
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The AMA recommends taking no more than 4 Grams per day, which is 8 high dose of 500 mgs. per day. If anyone is consuming that many on a daily basis, they should be having their blood tested to get their numbers to find out if their liver is functioning properly. This is why people who take a statin drug gets their liver function tested every 6 months, or should be anyway.
 
Murrmurr said:
There's a shortage of Tylenol in the US. I'm assuming that's because it's being horded in China like TP was horded everywhere else during the pandemic. Tylenol is produced in the US but most of the ingredients are sourced from China.

So I'm having a hellova time getting my Norco Rx filled. It's bad enough I'll be having some horrible back pain but Norco also helps with my restless knee syndrome and extremely painful, crippling leg and foot cramps.

I asked my doctor to prescribe something else, temporarily, and meantime my pharmacist will see if another pharmacy has enough Norco on hand to fill my Rx.

hm. On the positive side, maybe I'll get a 2-ee this month.
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No. There is no shortage of Tylenol in the US. There may be a shortage in your village, but not the entire US.
And there are no reports of China hoarding Tylenol, or its ingredients.
Your prescriptions are hard to get or too expensive because our government is hell bent on supporting drug companies. There is no reason for any of us to pay exorbitant prices for drugs that are cheaply and readily available in other countries.
That said, I hope you get a 2-ee this month, whatever that is.
Cheers!
 
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