Tylenol shortage = Pain med shortage

Murrmurr said:
And it's not a wee little bit o'pain. :LOL:

Thank you, Blessed.
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Have your docs ever mentioned giving you fentanyl patches?
A lady friend of mine that used to live across the street from me used those for her fibromyalgia pain.

Although, fentanyl is getting such a bad rap right now.
 
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dobielvr said:
Have you docs ever mentioned giving you fentanyl patches?
A lady friend of mine that used to live across the street from me used those for her fibromyalgia pain.

Although, fentanyl is getting such a bad rap right now.
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One of my cancer bouts introduced me to fentanyl patches. I have a high tolerance for narcotics but these were way too much for me. I had to beware.
 

dobielvr said:
Have your docs ever mentioned giving you fentanyl patches?
A lady friend of mine that used to live across the street from me used those for her fibromyalgia pain.

Although, fentanyl is getting such a bad rap right now.
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We talked about it a couple years ago, but I'm not sure it's a good match for me, anyway. My mom was Rx'ed them for fibromyalgia, and the very first time I applied one, she passed out within seconds. I ripped the patch off but I couldn't get her to come around and had to call 911. Obviously not the right dose, but also I think it just isn't a good fit for some people. And because it's so popular on the street, it's on shaky ground with the FDA. I won't be surprised if it gets phased out.
 
Been There said:
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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I will never be ready to give up taking these narcotics until I die or medical science finally comes up with a non-narcotic compound that doesn't have severe side-effects. And I'll probably die first.

I have had this problem for a very long time, since a very serious fall from a very high place about 30 years ago. I was routinely given various pain killers post-surgery, including morphine, Percocet, Dilauded, and Vicodin. They killed the pain but it's no good if you mostly sleep. On Percocet and Dilauded and a few others in the inhibitors class of drugs, I mostly sleep and when I'm not sleeping I'm stumbling around, so I have to use my walker.

I really do appreciate your knowledge, experience and advice, but I've been dealing with my spine issues for a long time, I know what the issues are precisely, and I know my body and what it can and can't tolerate.

My doctor trusts that. She has increased and decreased my Norco dosage several times over the last 5 years because I asked her to. She knows I don't want to get the dose so high that I can't do what I want, like foster-parent an infant and shoot hoops with the kids at my old apartment complex and walk all the way to the mailboxes without having to take a break or pay for it later.

Morphine isn't as huge a jump as you think. It was the temporary field pain-killer-of-choice in the military for ages. Vicodin/Hydrocodone was also intended specifically as a temporary medication, however, when the cause of your pain is not curable, then the word temporary doesn't apply. Certainly addiction is likely, but doctors will use the word chronic when they mean incurable. A person who needs morphine or hydrocodone permanently isn't reduced to a drooling idiot. Chronic severe pain will do that.
 
Jules said:
I can’t find any ban in the US or Canada. We had a recall of some peppermint flavoured one last months, no ban. I’m confused.
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Gaer said:
Me too! The stores still sell Tums!
What? When? Why?
@Murrmurr, Could you tell us what's up with this?
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They banned an ingredient. Aluminum, I think...I don't remember. So if you can still buy it, it isn't the same formula. Some pharmacies don't carry it anymore because of the controversy decades ago, and rumors and misinformation. Oddly, Rolaids had the same ingredient and they quietly removed it without getting any mud on their reputation whatsoever.
 
Murrmurr said:
Tylenol shortage = Pain med shortage
I don't need the Tylenol that's in my medication, I need the Hydrocodone part. I take Norco, which is a mix of Hydrocodone and Tylenol.
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I feel for those whose pain meds are held hostage by the inclusion of Tylenol. I Personally have never known Tylenol to actually alleviate pain on it's own, without having an actual pain relief medication like codene or hydrocodone included.
In 2009, an FDA panel considered a ban on acetaminophen, but then voted narrowly to ban only two drug combinations: Percocet and Vicodin. shrug.gif
 
Nathan said:
I feel for those whose pain meds are held hostage by the inclusion of Tylenol. I Personally have never known Tylenol to actually alleviate pain on it's own, without having an actual pain relief medication like codene or hydrocodone included.
In 2009, an FDA panel considered a ban on acetaminophen, but then voted narrowly to ban only two drug combinations: Percocet and Vicodin. View attachment 258415
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It's kind of cazy, right? And my liver doctor advised me to avoid Tylenol and take Ibuprofen instead, so I was a bit dismayed when my doc Rx'ed a pain med with 325mg Tylenol in it, and it's for 3X/day. Pure Hydrocodone would be healthier, but doctors are under pressure from the FDA, as I'm sure you know.

And I'm worried about that, bc I've got to talk to my doctor now about changing to a different drug all together. I just know I'm not going to get something effective...the effective drugs are on the FDA's No-No list. And the OK list is filled with drugs with worst side-effects than addiction. New pain medications target brain neurons. If I wanted to f*ck with my brain I'd have been trippin on LSD years ago.
 
Conce said:
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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That's not true.

China produces Tylenol and an ingredient in Tylenol, and yes, they are hording it in that they aren't exporting it right now. Most of it was sent to the 301 Hospital in Beijing, their most advanced medical center. 30 to 40 percent of Beijing's 22million people are sick with Co-V, including some of the CCPs top officials, and the 301 Hospital is where the CCPs top officials go for treatment.
 
Conce said:
Tums was not banned... ???
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They banned an ingredient. Aluminum, I think...I don't remember. So if you can still buy it, it isn't the same formula. Some pharmacies don't carry it anymore because of the controversy decades ago, and rumors and misinformation. Oddly, Rolaids had the same ingredient and they quietly removed it without getting any mud on their reputation whatsoever.
 
Murrmurr said:
They banned an ingredient. Aluminum, I think...I don't remember. So if you can still buy it, it isn't the same formula. Some pharmacies don't carry it anymore because of the controversy decades ago, and rumors and misinformation. Oddly, Rolaids had the same ingredient and they quietly removed it without getting any mud on their reputation whatsoever.
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Oh yes! Aluminum! This was also in many men's deodorants! I was very cautious when I was married, not to buy anything with aluminum in it!
Thanks for telling me!
 
Murrmurr said:
It's kind of cazy, right? And my liver doctor advised me to avoid Tylenol and take Ibuprofen instead, so I was a bit dismayed when my doc Rx'ed a pain med with 325mg Tylenol in it, and it's for 3X/day. Pure Hydrocodone would be healthier, but doctors are under pressure from the FDA, as I'm sure you know.

And I'm worried about that, bc I've got to talk to my doctor now about changing to a different drug all together. I just know I'm not going to get something effective...the effective drugs are on the FDA's No-No list. And the OK list is filled with drugs with worst side-effects than addiction. New pain medications target brain neurons. If I wanted to f*ck with my brain I'd have been trippin on LSD years ago.
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When I was on tx for Hep C my gastro doc told me the "only" pain med I was allowed to take was...Tylenol! At 70 now I cannot get any effective medication for pain unless I have some document-able structural damage that causes 24/7 excruciating pain. I will not take any NSAIDs, as they heighten heart attack and stroke risk. The SSRIs & SNRIs being prescribed for pain have a ton of side effects that make you wish you'd just gone to street drugs instead.
 
Boston Scientific has produced a spinal cord stimulator, which is not like a tens unit. It consists of leads that attach to nerves under the skin using sutures. Initially, the stimulator is attached to your back on the outside of your back for a week’s trial. The leads carry an electric pulse which interrupts the pain signal. If the patient gets relief from using the stimulator, it is then installed under the skin Implanted), so that the patient may shower, sleep on their back, etc. The only maintenance that should be required may be a change of the battery.

This stimulator has allowed thousands to come off of using narcotics and has been tested quite vigorously to the point that BS claims the device to be 85% effective. Maybe it’s worth to at least ask your neurologist about it. I don’t know anyone who has used it.
 
Been There said:
Boston Scientific has produced a spinal cord stimulator, which is not like a tens unit. It consists of leads that attach to nerves under the skin using sutures. Initially, the stimulator is attached to your back on the outside of your back for a week’s trial. The leads carry an electric pulse which interrupts the pain signal. If the patient gets relief from using the stimulator, it is then installed under the skin Implanted), so that the patient may shower, sleep on their back, etc. The only maintenance that should be required may be a change of the battery.

This stimulator has allowed thousands to come off of using narcotics and has been tested quite vigorously to the point that BS claims the device to be 85% effective. Maybe it’s worth to at least ask your neurologist about it. I don’t know anyone who has used it.
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I have heard of it but do not know anyone who has had the procedure tested and done. If it works I would be all about it!
 
leastlongprime said:
@Murrmurr #39.
I see the doc on the 27th for possibly more cortisone (last series was 365 days ago).
Anyone try Lyrica (Gaba-gabapentin)?
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I have been on both and neither of them worked for me at all. My Mom, after shingles, and a friend who had a below the knee amputation both took gabapentin, they did get some relief but it did not take away all the nerve pain they had.
 
leastlongprime said:
When I had shingles 43 years ago, taking 10 acetaminophens/day, does nothing to shingles' pain.
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No that would not help. My Mothers was one here face, on one side of the nose and that cheek. The pain from the nerve damage was horrible for her. She was 84 at the time.

She was living with me, she would shriek, scream in pain. The only thing that helped for a long time was a hot wash cloth laid on the area. I kept a big bowel on the counter. A huge stack of cloths, I could grab one, wet it and throw it in the microwave to get it hot in about 30 seconds.

The gabapentin to a long time to help but at least she stopped shrieking in pain, we still used the hot cloths. Is your pain after 43 years still the shingles or from something else?
 
Blessed said:
No that would not help. My Mothers was one here face, on one side of the nose and that cheek. The pain from the nerve damage was horrible for her. She was 84 at the time.

She was living with me, she would shriek, scream in pain. The only thing that helped for a long time was a hot wash cloth laid on the area. I kept a big bowel on the counter. A huge stack of cloths, I could grab one, wet it and throw it in the microwave to get it hot in about 30 seconds.

The gabapentin to a long time to help but at least she stopped shrieking in pain, we still used the hot cloths. Is your pain after 43 years still the shingles or from something else?
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The Tylenols were taken When I had shingles 43 years ago.
Post pain was fleetingly brief and tolerable, even though for 20 years. No pain medications taken.
 

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