March 12, 2008 - 3:37pm
Hey all, had a great session with my PM doc, and we settled my long acting pain med and ended up switching my 15mg oxycodone IR script to Fentora 400mcgs, also known as Fentanyl buccal tablet.
He described it as the cadillac of breakthrough pain medications, lol. I am excited and hope they work, they are supposed to be potent enough to even quell my migraines, and they take effect in only 8-10 min!!! I am on a trial Rx till monday, but I do have some questions/concerns. For an IR breakthrough med, I can only take it once every 12 hours, so what do I do if it doesn't cut it? I def can take another one... Also I don't know if my insurance will cover it, its supposedly expensive, so he gave me a voucher this time.
If anyone has taken or knows of it let me know, its the IR form of the patch.Thanks guys
-Enigmuh
March 12, 2008 - 5:07pm
#2
High Potency
This is the pill/dissolving pill form of the duragesic for ir relief, my doc wrote every 12 because of the potency, but i can take it more often. Apparently its just really strong and i shouldn't need a second one...hopefully
March 12, 2008 - 7:22pm
#3
Fentora
Hi Enigmuh!
Your doctor is correct, it is one of the BEST breakthrough meds around. However, it is VERY expensive and most insurance companies refuse to pay for it for non-cancer pain. The one great thing is it does hit your system fast, however it doesn't last long AT ALL. When I was taking it, it only helps for about 1 1/2 hours TOPS. For a migraine this wouldn't be a problem. However, for breakthrough pain, you can easily take 12 per day and its not worth the cost per month. That's the reason I didn't like Fentora. I am on Dilaudid for breakthrough now and I like that it last 4 to 6 hours vs 1 1/2 of Fentora.
Best of luck and let us now how you do!!
FLGIRL
March 12, 2008 - 7:25pm
#4
Fentora prescribing
Fentora prescribing information says that if the patient needs more than four doses of breatk through pain medication the maintenance opioid needs to be reevealuated. And that the patient must wait atleast 4 hours inbetween Fentora doses. Just so ya know. Its kinda cool that its fizzy too.
March 12, 2008 - 7:50pm
#5
LOL
Thank you solo, i didn't know i couldn't take it w/in 4 hours even if i needed it, oh and It definately fizzes for a bit lol, and as we speak i was forced to take my first dose. The warning handout stated it was for Cancer patient breakthrough pain, and i dont have cancer, but i'm glad i have cancer grade! I dont intend on taking it more than 2 times a day max now that my long acting as been finely tuned...unless i have a migraine that lets loose some rediculous havoc 
.
Now FLGIRL, My insurance company said it was like 27$ a pill, and this time i had gotten a free voucher/coupon for one 28 pill Rx (really cool if you ask me). My insurance company also stated that they WOULD pay for up to 120 a month, definately 60 at any of the strengths (100,200,300,400,600, or 800 mcg's) so i'm stoked about that.
I will see how long the relief lasts, and i do hope it is longer than an hr and a half ! Otherwise the next breakthrough that we would try would be the Dilauded, so says my doc. My doc is like my best friend, and during my appt today we realized that we know the same people from highschool and back in Denver, so he wont let me suffer. i will post how effective it is and how long it lasts so others may get an idea from a second point of view.
-Enigmuh
ITS FIZZING!!!!
March 12, 2008 - 9:15pm
#6
ok, i'm very dissapointed,
ok, i'm very dissapointed, it hit, and hit hard. got amazing relief for an hour or so like fl girl said, but now my pain is creeping back in. for the price this stuff doesn't do what it should i was really hoping to get a lot of hours of relief and be able to go to sleep easily for once in the past few weeks. but i got nada. Is it safe to take something else, like i have a few of my 15mg oxycodones that i saved just in case this happened. i'm goin to trade em for something that actually works tomorrow, i have to.
-Enigmuh
March 12, 2008 - 9:59pm
#7
Fentora
Hi Enigmuh!
Sorry to hear that you had the same problem with Fentora that I had. You would think for the price of that med, that it SHOULD last all day. If you can hold to them, you should because they would work awesome to break a migraine spell. Otherwise for other breakthrough pain, it stinks!
Hope you have better luck with another med. Thanks for updating us.
Take care,
FLGIRL
March 12, 2008 - 10:10pm
#8
Break through medications
Break through medications arent intended to last long. They are intended to take the edge off a sudden and unexpected increase in your normal pain level, that should be controlled by your extended release medications.
March 12, 2008 - 10:24pm
#9
Solo
Solo,
I realize that breakthrough meds are meant for BREAKTHROUGH pain, that was a joke. I have been in pain management for 12 years and am WELL aware of the difference between your main pain medication (ER) vs breakthrough medication. It just that the price for Fentora as a breakthrough pain med, it should last at least 4 hours.
March 12, 2008 - 11:34pm
#10
I understand the point that
I understand the point that BT meds are to bring the pain back down to managable levels so the the LA med can do its job, however, when the med works then suddenly stop and the pain resumes right where it was prior to my taking the fentora, i just can't have that. Having chronic pain compounded with chronic migraines is rough because if i do have breakthrough pain, i HAVE to take care of it fast or i'm really in a bad spot for days to come, and when that happens nothing stops them except my trips to the hospital. I am trying to stay away from the hospitals, i should be a resident by now due to the fact i am in there so much, ???$* i was just in there for 3 total days fri - mon taking care of my last breakthrough. I am looking for a BT med that does its job for longer than an hour, and in that time i usually try to sleep so my LA can really help. I take Midrin and cycle between imitrex and frova for non narcotic assistance for my migraines.
it would be a different story without the migraines, they really throw a wrench in this process of relief. i hate complaining about it, but i hate the pain even more.
-Enigmuh
December 3, 2008 - 3:48pm
#11
Fentora
Hello..name is new to group. I take Fentora 400 mcgs also. 200 didn't do it for me. More the dose longer it lasts says my pain doc. Fentora (Fentanyl is 80 times more potent than Morphine they say, but oxycontin is more potent than morphin to I think) I take it for breakthrough cluster headaches and it has been a lifesaver. It terminates 90% of mine within 6-10 mins. But boy are those the longest darn minutes! I have arrachnioditis from too many steriod cervical injestions, I was malparcticed by a doctor taking fentanyl illegally while working he had 4 duragesic patches and he had his own central line...cloaded his judgement. He lost his license and I am trying to recover. I seem to feel fentora a little longer than 1 1/2 hrs..perhaps 2-3 but that's me. I wonder if it depends on how long one has been on meds to. I just started big gun stuff 7 monts ago with Kadian (now 240 mgs /day), oxycodone (mild beakthrough), soma and fentora.
I realte 100% with you Enigmuh (that's a fitting name ha ha ) that the migraines are horrific. Since I have damage to the lining of my neck and brain the burning pain I feel is like nothing I can explain. It is tough...hang in there. You have a good doc..makes all the difference doesn't it! Like you if I don't get it stopped..I am out for days..man it is so time critical for me...
Dempsey
January 22, 2009 - 1:59am
#12
confused
First off, the poster is confused and confusing me. They first said they changed their long acting pain medicine from 15 mg of oxycondone (which is nothing) to 400 mcg of Fentanyl buccal (which is the second highest dose) so right off the bat that sounds odd because my doctor is thinking about putting me on that next week and if you get a conversion of 15 mg of Oxycodone to 400 mcg of Fentora then I will be prescribe 4 600 mcg tablets at once. So I think your doctor did a poor conversion since you are only supposed to start out with 10% of your long acting medicine. Anyhow that is not the confusing part. The confusing part is this person says they are switching their long acting pain med of Oxycodone, which is not a long acting pain medicine, to Fentore, which is also not a long acting pain medicine. The long acting pain medicine of Oxycodone is Oxycontin and the long acting version of Fentora is Fentanyl (which is also prescribed in mcg and the highest patch available is 100). Then the poster says he doctor said "Fentora is the Cadillac of breakthrough pain medicine" (which would make sense because Fentora is not a long acting medication like Fentanyl, and is a breakthrough pain medicine which means when your pain spikes and your Oxycontin, Fentanyl, Etc is not covering the pain because it brokethrough (hence BREAKTHROUGH), then you take a short acting medcine (usually lasting 3-4 hours). Now Fentora is a good breakthrough pain medicine in a sense because it is the fastest acting and is real strong but it only lasts for 30-90 minutes which is terrible. So I think you need a new Pain and Palliative Care Doctor to manage your pain if he is calling Fentora the Cadillac of breakthrough pain meds. Maybe if he said Fentanyl is the Cadillac of Long-Acting pain medicines, then he would be right. So you said your doctor told you that you could only take a dose of a certain amount of mg every 12 hours which is wrong because that is what most people do for Long-Acting pain medicine unless they are on a 3 times a day regiment which would be every 8 hours. So to answer one of your questions or at least the only one that makes sense would be yes you can take a higher dose of whatever breakthrough pain medicine you are on if you have given it the right ammount of time to kick-in and still have pain. That is when you immediately have your doctor paged to discuss the events that had taken place to make you take extra breakthrough pain medication and would probably be a good time to see him in person (make an appointment with him/her). So I have had Cancer (ALL - Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) for almost four years now. I have had chemo, intense high dose chemo therapy and radiation along with a Bone Marrow Transplant. I have been on every pain medication you can think of and my house is basically a pharmacy. I definitely know what I am talking about.
P.S. - You would never get long lasting pain medication such as Fentanyl or Oxycontin no matter how bad your migraines are. I take breakthrough pain medicine such as morphine, dilaudid, oxycodone, etc for my migraines which are caused by leisions on my brain. How do I know this? I know this because I had brain surgery and they biopsied one of the man lesions which were seen on my MRI and CAT scans
(edited to remove email address)
If you are wondering what I am currently on, It would be the following:
200 mcg of the Duragesic Fentanyl Patch (www.Duragesic.com) for my long lasting medicine
120-150 mg of Morphine Sulfate 3 or 4 times a day, averaging 540 mg a day, which I don't think works well or at all so I am going to switch to Actiq (www.Actiq.com),which is the lollipop version of Fentora ( I am trying Actiq first because Fentora is very expensive even with my insurance so I want to make sure 90 minutes of relief is worth the money). I hope I gave atleast one person some understanding of pain medication.
January 22, 2009 - 1:09pm
#13
Actiq is very expensive also
Actiq is very expensive also, my insurance pays between 4,000 & 6,000 for 120 800mcg x*#&ers per month. The generic is around 4,000 and the brand is 6,000. Luckily, I pay $10.00 for the brand and nothing for the generic. What I don't understand is why the price fluctuates so much almost seems like month to month on my statements, I don't worry about that too much since it only affects the ins. Co. not me. Oh, and Fentanyl is the active ingredient in both Actiq and Fentora as well as Duragesic (patches), all the same medicine, just different delivery systems. I also am on the long acting patches and take the Actiq and dillaudid for BTP. The concern with using the patches as well as Actiq or Fentora for BTP is building tolerence, but if thats not a concern, then yes the Actiq work, I find on average they last from 2-5 hrs. My script is for every 4hrs PRN, though I have had instances where the BTP was so severe it seemed they never kicked in, or only seemed to last 1 hr. My MD expects this to happen sometimes and makes allowances for these times in writing my scripts. My only true complaint with the Actiq is that they are very hard pressed and with the turning of them against the gums, I have gotten some very painful abrasions or something like that on my gums. There isn't anything you can do about it and the relief is worth that pain. Good Luck with controlling your pain, it sounds like your MD is doing everything possible to keep you comfortable. You'll be in my prayers.
January 22, 2009 - 2:16pm
#14
Good luck
For all of those who were on any of the delivery systems of Fetanyl. I was on Duragesic patches which were switched every three days. I've talked alot about them on these boards. Besides them working half way decent on the pain, they were a horrible delivery system in that they popped, fell off, tore, and did all but stay on and deliver the medicine. And when you do not have that 100 mcg (or how many every mcg you need in you) in your body, your body will know within minutes. Talk about breakthru pain, not relief.
I gave up on the patches, but now that all are talking about the fizzies, pops, and oral solutions, I am kind of re-thinking the whole solution. But, I think back to how one day without these meds sent me to the ER and I revert to sticking to my somewhat fucntioning plan. I'll find out more information today about these other methods today when I see my neurologist, but I do pray for your relief and do hope that you find something other than the Cadillac of medicine to relieve your pain. It is not worth it to your pocket book, your insurance premiums, your insurance company, our society, or your body. Too much of Fetanyl, in any form has caused Potassium levels to dip so severely that lead to death within hours. I know first hand, and if you don't believe me, look up that episode of "Snapped" with that Forensic Assistant who worked in the San Diego coroner's office (she killed her husband with two 25 mcg Fetanyl patches)!
January 22, 2009 - 5:49pm
#15
a year or so ago I was givin
a year or so ago I was givin a patch by a friend of the family because my doc. office had my appt down for a week later than I hoped for and was out of EVERYTHING!!! Well, He kept calling all night afraid for my safty and kept telling me "take it off, take it off" but I never listen. Well I felt Great the next day, everything went well, I worked out in the yard, I felt awsome, NO Pain, Nothing! Ha, that all changed when I took it off, I felt like I had been run over by a semi truck. I could hardly get off the couch. My home was a mess, I could barly get a water bottle out of the fridge I hurt so bad. I didnt remember anything except where my leg had been cut when I was fixing the fince. (I have horses) I had a deep cut, that I didnt feel because of the patch. I should have went and got it stiched but was affraid I would be tested and they would notify my doc. So I didnt go. I think it was the 75mcg patch. Well, Ill never do that again. Be forewarnd, IF not perscribed, Do not use.
January 22, 2009 - 6:38pm
#16
I want to add
to your post deanna....many drs are reluctant to prescribe high doses of narcotics because of the possibilty of a patient feeling fine and doing something that will harm them worse then they already are.
January 22, 2009 - 6:50pm
#17
Thanks
Goat, you hit the nail on the head! Thats very true because you know what your doing, you just cant feel it, so you end up hurting yourself in the long run.
January 22, 2009 - 8:58pm
#18
Enigmuh,Can I ask what all of
Enigmuh,
Can I ask what all of your pain symptoms are? Are you getting severe migraines? Cluster headaches? Something else?
April 3, 2009 - 2:10am
#19
the expense of Fentora
My husband has stage 4 colon cancer and has tried many different kinds of pain meds, but the best he has ever had is Fentora for the breakthrough pain. He just recently started taking it and I assumed it would cost about the same as his extended release oxycontin. I spent all day yesterday waiting for our insurance company to make a decision as to whether they would cover the cost of 240 80MCG tablets but I was absolutely flabbergasted when the pharmacy said they were $17,770 for that perscription. The price of a small car???? Why are they sooo expensive? They ended up letting me have 28 pills and will review the rest. My husband has suffered through so much pain and even though all of the nurses and doctors have told him he has the right to be out of pain, how can that possibly happen if pain meds are sooo expensive that ins. companies won't pay for them? Is Dilaudid expensive? How is it taken? I am not sleeping at night worrying that my husband will suffer. Dee
April 4, 2009 - 2:00am
#20
That price reminds me of the
That price reminds me of the cost of Migraine Abortative Triptans like Imitrex, Axert, Maxalt...
Holy Mackeral 17770? That is $75 a dose. Why does it cost that much? You know it shouldn't! Simply answer to that one sister, GREED!
April 4, 2009 - 2:55am
#21
enigmuh
sounds like you getting ready for a bad ride, my father had throat cancer an passed away in nov 99 while he was still alive i had some conversations with his dr s concerning his medicines, the dr told me that the 80 mgs of oxycotin was the lowest dose they usually started someone with in a hospice stage of cancer, basically the cancer does nt kill you, you are kept out of pain to the point that you overdose in the end, in my dads lasts 3 days i witness some strange things due to my fathers throat cancer not being able to sallow a pill the oxycotin was crushed an it was pushed into a feeding tube in his stomach this sedated him immedately, he would ly there an look with a glazed look upon his face, due to the constipation problem his bowels locked up, so did his urine his last day that morning he was barely able to urinate, his stomach was so swelled but he said he was in no pain, he could not eat, all we could do was moisten his mouth with a wet wash cloth at 10 am my mother administered him his last dose of oxycotin, about 6 hours later bile began to come into his mouth his nurse told us that it won t be long, about 9. 30 dad began labored breathing he was surrounded by all his family we told him we loved him an it was alright to go, that we take care of MOM an we all thanked him for his love, dad died around 10pm that nite the message i m telling you is this that hi concentrations of oxycotin are an where made for people with hospice situiations or extreme chronic pain, the jump from 15 mgs of oxycodone to the medication you re on now sounds like your dr was drunk or doped up hisself, why did he not up you gradually to 30mg oxy, to opana or avinza er, enigmuh you re playing russian roulette with a glock p. s. we later learned that the oxycotin should ve never been crushed, that dad got all the medicine all at once, this was when oxycotin 1st came out an not much information was available, i misread the doseage above but still beleive its too strong a increase
April 4, 2009 - 6:00am
#22
Fentora
April 6, 2009 - 12:10am
#23
Thanks for the Fentora Wiki
Thanks for the Fentora Wiki link straight...
Interesting stuff there, ie:
The Moscow theatre hostage crisis, also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, where Gov. officials 'sedated' (and killed/maimed) hundreds of hostages along with 39 of their terrorist captors by 'gassing' the lot with a Fentanyl Gas.
September 25, 2009 - 3:12pm
#24
From what I understand that
From what I understand that was Car-Fentanyl; a even more potent opiate than plain jane fentanyl!
September 25, 2009 - 10:40pm
#25
jackie5
Regarding your comment about the Russian theatre thing. When the victims were brought out into the fresh air. Quite a few of the innocent people that died actually chocked to death on their tongues, because they were laid on their backs in their extreme state of intoxication.
September 27, 2009 - 2:38pm
#26
Fentora
I just read about Fentora and it states that it should be taken every 4-6 hours...not every 12 hours. Are you sure that's what the Dr. said? I am also thinking of switching from Oxycodone 30 mg. to Fentora....the Oxycodone isn't really working anymore and I need something that will work better. I take 120 mg. Methadone daily along with the Oxycodone for BT pain...Has anybody changed to Fentora from
Oxycodone? Any thoughts?
Rhonda
September 28, 2009 - 3:24am
#27
Due to he nature of fentanyl
Due to he nature of fentanyl the duration of how long Fentora will last may be much shorter than 4 to 6 hours. Most accounts I have seen will put that number at as low as 45 minutes to 1.5 hours! Perhapss the doctor said 12 hours because they don't want their patient to take more than two per day!
September 28, 2009 - 1:35pm
#28
Fentora and Fentanyl for cancer pain . . .
Hi all, Q here . . . I just wanted to add my .02 to this thread. I have severe pain caused by my life-extending cancer therapy. If I stop the therapy, I die. I did it once and I still think about it at times so you get the idea of how awful this stuff is. Anyway, my oncologist knows that Quality of Life is the #1 thing that is going to keep me on the therapy . . . he is now Rx'ing me the 72 hr Fentanyl patch and Fentora for BTP. These things are life-savers for me, literally. Yes, the cost is high but they do the job and that's what matters. If the OP is not happy with Fentora or can't afford it there are lots of other choices. I'm paying $250 p/m copay for #120 Fentora and $10 p/m for the Fentanyl. My dosages are immaterial as this is for cancer pain, but they are rather high. I guess that I just want to say that these drugs work for me as well as others with both CP and cancer pain. You never know until you try, right?
September 28, 2009 - 3:18pm
#29
The price for those are just
The price for those are just mind boggling. Its like the companies are "oh there terminal lets bilk them for everything they own now". Messed up if you ask me.
September 28, 2009 - 3:49pm
#30
The price of life . . .
I guess it's rather high. When I found out that the simple anti-androgen hormone, Lupron-Depo, injection I need once every 4 months to stay alive costs $7,000 a shot, I choked. That was from the Christus Hospital Group, real christian, huh? Then I did some research and found it for free, from the company that makes it! This is the sort of thing that a person must do these days, get off their collective azz and do a bit of work/research. You would be amazed at what's out there . . . Q
September 28, 2009 - 7:29pm
#31
Still its messed up though.
Still its messed up though. Sorry ranting :|
September 28, 2009 - 8:53pm
#32
It is messed up, K, but if we
It is messed up, K, but if we lose hope then we have Zero. There really are programs out there like Patient Assistance from Pharm. Cos. that ,if you work at it, will provide you your meds. I've been as angry as the worst of them but, it did me no good. That's why I'm all goody-two-shoes about hope 'n stuff. Anger is a good release, no doubt, it doesn't solve the problem though. I still throw a fit when I can't keep a calm head and it makes me feel a lot better to vent like that. I just don't want to advise others that it does anything more than provide you with temporary relief, that's all. I'm an optimist . . . Q
September 28, 2009 - 9:46pm
#33
oc and actiq
was on 240mg oxycontin that was like 2200.00 a month and 90 800mcg. actiqs which was 4200.00 a month. so those 2 were like 6400.00 a month, my copay was 40.00 total. that lasted 3 yrs. then doc changed everything said ins company pressure. it was for cp back kness and not cancer. felt kinda weird costing insur that much but then again they mess with so many peoples lives there was no guilt no more. funny can get 120 norco 10 for 25.00 or 90 ms contin 100mg er for 320.00. just shows that the pharmaceutical companies are raping the system. guy at work was on a med i dont know what it was or for what but not pain and it was over 7,000.00 for a treatment a month. believe it was a pill. 7grand for 1 pill? wonder if those were in the lil locked cabinet ya know witht the cIIs in them. this is just a lil glimpse at why this country is so screwed up right now, and belive me its gonna get alot worse before better. how many of us cant even pay our bills that have decent paying jobs at least thats what they say. tried getting assistance thru state for kids only and i am like 2 grand over the limit. but i have one check a week for 4 people. was on 20hrs ot for like 15yrs which was what i make in my 40hr check. may sound like im complaining but its like im laid off to except gotta get up and go to work every morning to. sorry bout long rant.
October 1, 2009 - 8:08am
#34
Rant . . .
OCRage, does that stand for OxyContin rage? Look guy, I totally understand your rant, OK? Here's a quickie of my story . . . 30 months ago I was diagnosed with a terminal but manageable cancer. Treatment is $7,000 a shot every 4 months plus about the same amount every month in Dr. bills and other Rxs for a total of $105,000 a year. This isn't for CP, it's for terminal bloody cancer. Of course, being a healthy, disgustingly so, self-employed 52 year-old man, I didn't have health insurance. I really couldn't afford the $1,100 it cost for me and my wife, anyway.
I lost everything I had except my hope and my will to live. I did a lot of research, the fruits of which I have shared on this forum. I now have great affordable HI and am on SSDI as is my long term disabled wife. This is because I did not give up hope and went out and found programs to help me. Not a one of them are govt. welfare programs either. I didn't qualify for the govt. programs at first because I had made too much money and filed all my taxes on time. By the time I was broke long enough to qualify I didn't need them. Good luck . . . Q
December 29, 2009 - 1:55am
#35
Patches, pills and lolypops..
Some of you have been around a while, some have not - some doctors know their stuff, some don't. My suggestion is - try something and see how it works. Everyone is completely different about how they react and respond to the medicine (responding verse reacting are completely different.)
In my case, I'm a technical engineer, which means I work with data centers, servers and networking and well, fairly bright. I've been on the following meds for almost 10 years. Here's my summary to help you understasnd of my situation, and what I've tried, both working and non working: 15 years of working with doctors, until I finally found a pain specialist that does nothing but help balance out pain medications until I'm pain free, or close enough to it, but also being able to contribut to society.
Of course, I could drug myself up to where I'd be useless, but that's not my goal. I have two completely missing discs, LFs1 and L4 - because of my young age - at the time 32, fusion was out of the picture - and now - after countless studies - fusion shows that you'll definately have problems later on - definately - European countries have been studying it for much longer than we have and almost 90% of the patients needed follow up care due to the problems it caused. So no thanks there. The other solution was disc replacement, which they have gotten perfected as of about a year 1 1/2 ago. Thinking on this one. The last option (besides the obvious of exercise, etc) is to take pain medication.
First though - it's imperative - that everyone understand Break Through Pain Medicine - verse pain medicine - By definition - break through pain is pain left through or what's not enough to be masked by your regular medication. If your pain medication is balanced correctly - you should RARELY need break through meds. Otherwise re adjust. With that being said - if your regular pain medicine is working - break through pain meds do NOT need to last long, and they aren't designed to. As Confused said, there really are two types - The fentanyl patch, for long lasting pain meds - which as he mentioned goes up to 100 - but I've seen many add a second patch - which I'm not recommending at all - Then there are items such as actiq and Fentora - the good thing is, actiq is now a generic form and quite cheap, even without insurance (still a lot, but cheaper than most things - I pay $25 per stick without insurance - still fighting that battle - if you know how to help me win it - please do). Here is what makes me so mad - My insurance company - let's call them "Aetna1" without making someone bad :) and my past insurnace company - oh, Aetna2 again. Aetna1 paid for my actiq and fentora and my co pay was like $10 for 90 of them, give or take a few. Now, being with Aetna2 (different company) those same medicines, I'm no longer qualified for - because I don't have cancer... so wait - It's becuase I don't have cancer, or because my second companies premiums aren't as high? I said "So...If I call my old Aetna rep back and ask them if my script would be covered, they would say no.. Right?" <click> they hung up. So I called under a friends ID number and said - My doctor is thinking of putting me back on Actic for a back issue, would it be covered? Sure would. But I dn't have cancer" - That's ok - if the doc ok's it, we're good.. So I call back Aetna2 and tell them this "Oh, well, that company was self insured by us, so we don't care what they do." So basicaly it comes down to money, and nothing more. Gee Thanks..
Here's what worked for me: and is still working (minus the break through, as I can't afford it being a teacher at a K-12th school )
Morphine in the AM -
Morphine in PM
Hydrocodone through out the day as needed - 2-3 daily - 10/500 (lots of tylenol, so be careful) and the actiq was to help in those rare occasions that both weren't enough, which I have to say, was about bedtime when I was super tired, wore myself out and just over did it - The actiq sticks - 800mcg (not MG) worked wonders - withing 5 min, my pain was gone, I was sleepy and crawled into bed and went to sleep - occasionaly - my pain would be so great in the mrning, before my morning meds kicked in, that it enabled me to get dressed. Without two of those three - I can't bend over and put my socks or shoes on at all.
Here's what really irriates me - I work very hard - I quit a 70K job to help out a small church run K-12th high school, as their IT director has to move to another state, and felt like the right thing to do. We prayed about it, and everything seemed ok - except the one fact, that they only insure me, and not the family, amd y wife's job is part time at another church (dont get me wrong - I'm a fighting machine, ex military, rock climber, and you name it - I'm used to pain and working hard) but when I see lazzy people not working - just because they dont have to - and get the medicine I need and want for free - well - it's LAME!! Why should I work at all? Pride and self respect.
I'm rambling - I took some Ambien to help sleep and I'll re do this tomorrow. My goal:
Taking Morphine twice a day, and 2-3 times a day of 1 10/500 Hydrocodone is just about enough - if I take it ASAP when waking up. But without the sticks or Fentora pills, I'm hurting. Does anyone know where to sign up to get a free certificate for a 30 day sample? I had one, but they fly like hot cakes out of the PA's hands. I'd even buy a certificate - and get my dock to get me the script -(yes, thats legal - its just a coupon- you still need a script) I was told you could ask for them, but can't find the address. Or does someone have contacts to help with insurance / med plans, as my salary is less than 35k now without wife working full time - The school needs me and I'm called there - so I'm praying daily for help.
Actiq - 800mcg work wonders - if they are gone in less than 15 min, you are x*#&ing on them - dont - you are supposed to roll them against the liner of your side of your mouth to get the most absorbsion.. dont x*#&! then it goes into your stomach and wastes away and out - roll them against the liners of your mouth - under your tongue, lips, roof of your mouth - those work well -
Thanks for being patient - for listening - I'm 43, father of two daughters and going crazy - I need the break through for those really bad days - its just a couple of hours, but those are the hours that mean the most to my kids - I'm going crazy!
HELP!
Now then - So let's say - Your pain is manageable, except those rare times when it flairs up - SOunds like you?
Or are you the ones where you always seem to be needing that extra bit of pain relief through out the day? Sound like you? Well, if so - they get your meds re-evaluated because your reg meds are NOT working the way they should be - and the Break Through pain meds wont be able to do what you need them to do.
I know - I've been in both situations - and I know what its' like..
It's late and I'll retype all of this more clearly - but having several doctors as friends, I'll have them put their two cents in as well. In the meantime - here's something amazing that I found out:
I had been taking Actiq - which by the way, works much better than the Fentora = I have to say - no only because I can take the stick out of my mouth and re save it using it later, but it seems to act faster and work just a little bit longer.
But - here is the interesting story - for a month - insurance wouldn't pay for my actiq sticks - and I was taking 3 a day - as pain medicine (not break through - even though they are break through) but I was out in the middle of no where and they worked for me. After takking them for a month -I felt great - but then insurance refused to get me anymore - a month later (after withdraws and more) I started noticing that my break through pain wasn't as bad.. Then I noticed this - I took come actiq for several days, and when I stopped taking them - I had worse pain in my back then before I started taking them. For the record, i repeated this scenario a 4 or 5 times - w here I'd go without for an extended period of time, then take them again, and quit - before long - the pain in my back actually got worse - for a few days and then went away. Strange.
For me - the Fent patches didn't work well - due to the fact they kept coming off, gave me hot flashes and I'm a guy in my 30's and just made me tired. So We tried a variety of combinations - and gave this info to another patient and he's doing fantastic as well - Morphine every morning and evening - 30mg
December 29, 2009 - 2:32pm
#36
Rambling
yes you were, whatever you are on, it would appear to be too much..........are you 43 or in your 30's and are you kidding me? This is a Chronic Pain forum, we know what BTP is
December 29, 2009 - 2:39pm
#37
LOL, we have FAQ threads to
LOL, we have FAQ threads to help out new people like him.
Was there a question or a point in there somewhere?
December 29, 2009 - 4:57pm
#38
Does he want help or giving
Does he want help or giving help? For the record I'm on the Fentanyl patch and know how old I am. You make 35k but you don't think a Actiq lolly that is $25.00 each is expensive? Htmom
December 29, 2009 - 5:06pm
#39
If I had to pay $25 bucks
If I had to pay $25 bucks each, I'd be finding a different BTM!!! That's $3,000.00 a month, $1,000.00 more than you claim to make a year. If you are asking for help, I think I posted a bunch of patient help sites that help with med costs not too long ago, I will look for that post. I may have ment to and didn't, if that's the case, I will get them on here soon.
December 29, 2009 - 5:10pm
#40
Be smarter - re...
I found after being on Ambien several months ago, It is NOT a good idea to make posts in the middle of the night. Usually you forget them and what you wrote in them. And, sometimes they can make you look foolish. So, while under the influence of hypnotics it is best to save your post in Word or somewhere like so, and read it the next day with a CLEAR head.
Just a thought.
December 29, 2009 - 5:14pm
#41
He can look under Health,
He can look under Health, Drug Topics and more to the right. I thought I would save you sometime A mom. Htmom
edit/g
December 29, 2009 - 6:00pm
#42
I cant understand how someone
I cant understand how someone with a family support leaves a 70k a year job to go to a 35k a year job. If you are being called or convicted, go to church on Sunday and tithe. To me, my family comes before ANYTHING, there are ways to honor our good Lord with out financially suffering for it. This whole post makes no sense to me.
December 30, 2009 - 12:22am
#43
Thanks Pharmer Friends
I had wondered if it were just me..........nice to know we are ALL confused. Scary thing is that the OP said he had several doctors as friends that he was going to have "look over" the post. I sincerely hope none of the OP's friends are OUR doctors.
December 30, 2009 - 1:10am
#44
What the....Are you an
What the....Are you an engineer or a Kindergarten teacher? Was this written in the past or the present?
Should I call the hotline and report this post as an "adverse event" to the FDA?
Oh, by the way, it's really none of our business what BOX 1. of your W-2 form reads. I don't understand whycertain people feel the need to tell strangers what their yearly income is.
One more thing, did this poster actually run out of space in the thread, or did he O.D.? The post ends kinda' abruptly. I'm worried.
December 30, 2009 - 6:46am
#45
I can't believe so many of
I can't believe so many of you actually read it... I tried but couldn't get through it!
December 30, 2009 - 2:36pm
#46
I agree with MrsP, how did
I agree with MrsP, how did you folks make it all the way through? I lost it when he started ranting on people like me that can get HIS meds but don't work because they don't have to and they're lazy. That and the un-Christian attitude from a self professed Christian forced me to PM the guy with a few choice questions. Dag, I promise myself that I won't let these things get to me and what happens? Oh well, I enjoyed myself . . . Q
December 31, 2009 - 10:43am
#47
I'll leave it at he needs to
I'll leave it at he needs to take the advice of his member name.
He prescribed a breakthrough only to be taken q 12 hours? Are you sure you arent talking about the ER med every 12 hours?
I may be wrong, but it just seems that breakthrough meds are usually given every 4-6 hours, as most ER meds are only 8-12 hours in duration (except for Avinza and Duragesic)