# Can You Get Pain Killers For Crohn's Disease?



## towlsmoke420

Do any of you get prescribed pain killers for your crohns disease / IBD?


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## DustyKat

My children have not had extended periods of pain since being diagnosed with Crohns but on the rare occasion that they have had acute pain they have both been prescribed Endone (Oxycodone). 

Dusty. xxx


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## Keona

I have been on Dilaudid and also the same as above.  I try not to use any as it can cause additional problems with the intestines... 

I hope youre not in pain...


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## Lydia

Doctors tend not to prescribe them unless you are in the hospital with an acute flare. A good GI will want to relieve the inflammation, and not mask the symptoms with narcotics. However there are some people in which the medications do not work, and that is when they will prescribe narcotics.


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## Lisa

My GI has NEVER prescribed any type of pain killers (outside of a hospital stay).....


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## ekay03

My gp gives me hydrocodone for pain. I have had cd for 20 years. I know my body, and my disease up and down, back and forth. Personally I will accept no less from my docs then for them to treat my pain. They can relieve the pain and keep track and treat inflammation. It just involves a bit more time and work on the docs part.


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## towlsmoke420

thanks everyone!


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## rob72

If it's the worst pain ever, a morphine injection is the only answer.

Hospital for that.


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## tiloah

My GI will not prescribe me pain meds, but if I need them I am supposed to ask my primary care doc. I never see my primary care doc, so I have never asked. I was given Dilaudid to recover from the pain of surgery, but my pain was far, far worse before surgery. I am not taking the Dilaudid now, but if I had the pain that I was in before I had surgery, I think I would take it.

For what it's worth, Crohn's is one of six diseases for which medical marijuana can be prescribed in Washington State, to treat the pain, nausea and increase appetite, I believe.


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## Ari

I was on codeine before my op, don't need it now


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## vickie_x

I too get prescriptions for codeine (though a prescription tends to last about 6 or 8 months as I use it that rarely). That and paracetamol are the pain meds I use when needed  x


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## fromthegut

I liek what Lydia  said about a good doctor. There are good doctors and not so good doctors but the best DR of all is ME !! 
 I had a DR in emergency many years ago give me Dilaudid for pain I was having.  I was only on it for about 1 1/2 days when I called a alternatvie therapist who helped me take a drug free route. I was actualyl suffering from Post Traumtic Strees Disorder. I had gone through a lto of trauma.. physical and emotional and it was comign to the surface.
 This actually happened *after* I had a good reaction to medication. I really needed to cahnge ym life style and deal with some emotional stressors.  One of them being death of a family member. There was lots of trauma there.
  Sadly I have not been able to find  healthy way to make a living. I am currently dealing with some emotional abuse going on where I live.. not in my apartment but very near.  I pray that if and when these issues get resolved I will be able to handle work.. and or school. 
     I have not taken any pain medication in over 6 yaers. I did occassionaly take Tylenol. I've also never had surgery. The biggest issue I have is financial stress by taking an alternative route... no rehab for this girl...and  I am not very mobile... not becasue I can't but my livng situation makes it so. I'd like to move.. but finances prevent me from that.


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## Hazardous?_3

Where I live prescription pill abuse accounts for 60% of the crime and pill mills are everywhere. My GI and GP wont Px any pain killers unless I go to the hospital. And honestly unless I need them bad enough to go to the hospital I'd rather deal with it as the side effects and judgements arent woth it. Still waiting for med pot in florida (never gonna happen).


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## jlm

rob72 said:


> If it's the worst pain ever, a morphine injection is the only answer.
> 
> Hospital for that.


Agreed, 10 of morphine is all that really does it for me. if I'm in a ton of pain it's normally followed with vomitting so anything I take doesn't stay down. But my GI prescribes morphine in tablets for when I'm home.


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## Lydia

When my pain is so bad that I feel I need narcotics, then its time to go to the hospital for this girl. At home I take tylenol, and use a heating pad, or take hot baths. If its really bad I take pred to cool the inflammation off. While on pred we come up with a new plan to treat the disease. 

I flared this week and did end up taking some pred while I waited for my GI to call me. I now get remicade every 6 weeks in hopes it wont wear off.


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## scoutfinch

I asked my GI once about painkillers (was majorly flaring for an extended period and was really hoping that he would be able to give me something that could take away all the pain instantaneously) and he basically said "Sorry, no."  As Lydia mentioned:



> A good GI will want to relieve the inflammation, and not mask the symptoms with narcotics.


I guess I have a good GI.


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## Mountaingem

My GI says if you're in that kind of pain, you should be hospitalized. He won't prescribe them because he says they can mask the symptoms of an abcess or other serious complication.

My Rheumatologist will prescribe Tramadol or Vicodin, both of which make me vomit so I don't use them unless I'm desperate.


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## AndiGirl

The only time that I was given strong pain killers for a flare-up was in the Emergency Room.  The Morphine injection and Morphine Drip (IV).


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## Aloysius M

The short answere is yes but in general my pcp and gi are very stingy with the pain meds. I get the most relief from pain and symptoms when I'm on prednisone, but there are times when I get horrible days and need something to take the edge off. After explaining this to them and the fact that I need to be able to pass a pre-employment drug screen since I'm looking for a job right now they lightend up a bit.


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## stevereds

my Dr. presribes them when I need them. usually vicodin or percocet when I am in extreme pain..the pain is usually always fistula relayted on my butt..lol.   When I have many active abcessed fistulas down there, I cant even sit down. walking is a chore,  you  name it.  The Butt controls almost all movement, and when the skin is inflamed..ouch.


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## Rebecca85

I have a pack of codeine for emergency use. I very very rarely get pain bad enough to take it (I have taken 7 pills out the pack, and I've had it since last April!) but it's nice to have around. Like on holiday, I drank some fruit juice with breakfast and a few minutes later I was doubled over. The thing was, I was on an excursion so I couldn't go to bed and sleep it off or anything. So the codeine allowed me to enjoy my day, by nightfall the juice had passed through and I was fine again. Intense pain was my main symptom, for the most part it's triggered by a specific food. If the pain didn't pass in 12 hours or so, then I would go to the hospital. But usually the pain is short lived, and hospitalising me would be a waste of time.


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## Snookums

I am one of the ones who doesnt suffer too bad with d, but suffer terribly with pain.  Unbearable pain and I make sure I am never caught short as it usually is at its worst at night.  I have oxydodeine and endone on hand, they cant be taken together.  One is a slow controlled release and I generally take that when I am having ongoing pain.  The endone is a more instant pain killer and take those on onset of pain.  I take panadol daily as it was recommended to help with headaches I was suffering from salofalk (anti inflammatory ).  I am someone who never use to like taking any pain killers but I do what I have to do to make it through each day as comfortably as possible.


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## kateel

I was given 10mg pills of vicodin, however I try not to take them...or I try to cut them in half. 10 is STRONG!!

Also, for what it's worth, you can get a medical marijuana card here in Michigan if you have a Crohn's diagnosis.


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## vonfunk

My GI has never prescribed painkillers.  I've gotten them from the hospital, my dentist and the surgeon. But never my GI.
And even then whatever they prescribed doesn't do anything to me any more. After surgery I was given hydromorphone, for it to do anything I need to take what adds up to the equivalent of 30mg of morphine.


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## xoxava

At age 14 I was put on pain meds due to kidney problems and took them everyday. So when I got crohns this led to mild pain killers not working for me. I only get relief from severe pain from 2 shots of diluadi d at the er. They usually send home a rx for percocet which aren't as effective due to higher uses. But I only take those when I'm in pain but not enough for an er trip


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## Graf

From the constant pain I told my GI and he wrote a script for Percocet for me. I realized how and why so many people get addicted to prescription pain-killers when I realized there were 60 in the script and I could refill them every other month. I tried a few and did not like them. I got light headed and would get a nasty headache.


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## stevereds

when my fistula's are acting up, they are very painful. I can't sit down, or walk normally either, the pain killlers do help some.  I think it depends on what type of crohn's you have.  I don't take the  pain killers for cramping.  Only for the  painful inflamed fistula's...
Which is the type of crohn's I have .


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## MysteryLocket

pill wise they give my hydrocodon/apap with the dosages always alternating.
And in the hospital they give me Dilaudid or morphiene.  they seem to take a liking to morphiene for three er visits then dilaudid for three er visits (i've noticed this pattern - and i've been in the hospital a lot over the year just because of my crohn's. and issues residing with that such as hypokalemia, dehydration, anemia, whatever they call low magensium -i forget..)
Anyways.. my doc rarely prescribes pain meds. as it's usually the er that sends me how with a script for pain meds. my doc thinks i should see my gi for that, but my gi thinks thats not his place and i should see my doc for that. so.. yeah.. lol 
but they do help when i need them.


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## kllyeve

I was going to ER so many times in such great pain that my GI gave me Tramacet for at home and Percocet as well.  If the pain is moderate - bad I take a Tramacet and go lie down with the heating pad.  If I take tramacet twice(once every 4 hours) and no pain relief happens - then I take a percocet.  If the one Percocet doesn't make the pain knock off - then I head to the ER.  I was waiting up to 5-6 hours in the ER for any kind of pain relief at all - vomiting from the pain and everything and no one would take me seriously so at least with at home medications I get pain relief sooner.  On top of the Crohn's I have repetitive partial small bowel obstructions either due to scar tissue from Endometriosis, the GI says my Crohn's isn't bad enough to be causing this all by itself.

I refuse to be in great pain but am careful to use painkillers sparingly so they will stay effective as long as possible.  I am having more testing done to asses my situation as the painkiller usage has increased the last few months - it was one factor that led my GI to do another colonoscopy and to change my meds to entocort.


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## ekay03

I am glad to see so many people being proactive regarding their pain control. There is no prize for the most stoic of us. Ya. your prize is your pain! Too many people have been told it is not in their best interest to take a pill for pain. I could go on about this but we have all heard it before ad nauseum. Of corse it is up to each individual to decide how they want to handle this situation. Nobody should suffer simply because their medical team is imho, either too lazy, too busy, or simply uninformed as how to prescribe. Alas the tides are slowly turning in regards to crohn's and pain control.  Hang in there people. The doctors are doing better and better at acknowledging our plight!


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## LindaS

My GI will prescribe vicodin for me, as well as treating the inflammation.  As much as I'd prefer the inflammation to go away instantly, it takes time and sometimes trial of several medications and/or dosages, and my GI & I don't think I should be in pain while I wait.  That being said, I don't particularly like the way vicodin makes me feel, but when my pain is bad, I take it, because it does help.


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## ekay03

LindaS said:


> My GI will prescribe vicodin for me, as well as treating the inflammation.  As much as I'd prefer the inflammation to go away instantly, it takes time and sometimes trial of several medications and/or dosages, and my GI & I don't think I should be in pain while I wait.  That being said, I don't particularly like the way vicodin makes me feel, but when my pain is bad, I take it, because it does help.


Good for you and your doc!!! See folks it can be done! LindaS  I don't like the side-effects of the hydro either. It give me a headache. Not a bad one, but it is annoying, But they help w/ the crohns pain and my post surgical pain (1 week today since my last cutting) Also osteopenia is kicking my backs ass!


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## towlsmoke420

What sucks is that so many doctors fear of drug seekers that they become blind to people that are in actual need of the pain medication. It is such a shame that I and many other CD patients have to wait out pain instead of getting medication that was made for our needs. 

I am not a pill junkie. Hell, I hate the feeling it gives me. It just sucks that when I am in pain, Doctors will deny me the right of relieving pain.


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## MAD

Hi I'm one of the unlucky ones that have both CD and UC I take Tramadol for the pain in Flare ups also marijuana it really helps, but I hope it legal there because it's not here, for any other pain I take Codine. Good luck with everything.


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## ekay03

If you are able to keep the same doc for several years. They will get to know you and w/ that comes trust. At least that has been my experience.


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## allieinwonder

I am on Tramadol for my chronic upper left quadrant pain. I only take it when absolutely necessary, but lately my pain has been so high that I am taking it more often (after trying to fight it for a few hours, tylenol, etc).

I completely agree with you ekay, we have a right to ease our pain. I have been prescribed tramadol since last september and I take it responsibly. Of course, I'm not on a treatment plan, so right now easing the symptoms is my only option. My GI here, at first, was telling me to stop taking it, but once trust was established and he learned more and more about my symptoms he re prescribed it for me (I didn't even ask, he just said here you are going to need this).

I've found that tramadol is good for chronic pain, but only takes the edge off when it is really bad. At one point I was prescribed percocet, and that stuff helped the pain a lot, but had the woozy narcotic effects too. I think it just depends on the person.


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## KMM13

My doctor has also said, "if you're in that much pain, you should go to the ER."  I have received Dilaudid a couple times in the ER.  But, I got sick of ER visits!  With my stricture, she allows me to wait out partial bowel obstructions at home for 24 hours...she prescribed me Tramadol to deal with those, with the caveat that if it doesn't resolve itself, I need to check myself in...


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## Travis7

*Pain meds*

In my experience In the er and during hospital stays the best drug for pain is dilaudid. It's about 7 times stronger than morphine and it only takes one to two mg apposed to four mg of morphine. Highly addictive though, I had a rough time accepting that I had to wing off of it the first time I had a hospital stay because my body felt at ease with no pain or discomfort.   If your pain level is up around the eight to ten mark there is nothing better to totally wipe out the pain. Though it's great to feel no pain at all, I would suggest paying close attention to how often you ask for it. If taken responsibly it's great, if your calling the nurse every few hours you probably need to wing off pretty quick.  
I've also found a GI cocktail to be affective at times. The nurse has to mix it up and let it sit for a while, why I don't know but it's opium based and after you drink it you can actually feel it flowing through your bowels numbing it along the way. I've only come across a couple of doctors who have ordered it though. The main thing I've learned through it all is to not let your self get to spaced out on narcotics because it's easy to forget how much you've had and what kind of affect it's having on you.  
I currently take hydrocodone four times a day, it's not good for the liver or the intestines but it's the only thing that slows the bowels down and gives me comfort, Its worth the risk to me, otherwise I'm just miserable.


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## ekay03

*opium based GI cocktail?*



Travis7 said:


> I've also found a GI cocktail to be affective at times. The nurse has to mix it up and let it sit for a while, why I don't know but it's opium based and after you drink it you can actually feel it flowing through your bowels numbing it along the way. I've only come across a couple of doctors who have ordered it though.


Hi Travis7  opium based GI cocktail? In over 22 yrs w/ crphns I have never heard of this. Please tell me more about this. I dont need it, My crohns is well under control and no pain. But a an OPIUM based gi cocktail. Sounds like an oxymoron. Since gi docs dont like to treat w/ narcotics. I guess I am just being nosey.


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## Jessica

Tylenol-3 and Loratab 10 for me.  Only as needed, but my doc refills them without question.


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## steph38

I have Crohn's all over and cannot take Vicodin or Percoset and Morphine does absolutly nothing. For me I have Crohn's all over so when it acts up like now I have to take something mild becuase of work, so my dr prescribes Tramadol and when I go in the hospital it is Dillaudin. I agree when my fistulas act up as they are now, it hurts to sit, stand, walk everything so I find myself taking tramadol every 6 hours but hate theway it makes me feel.


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## ruthyp

I take Tramadol and paracetamol, i have always thought paracetamol was a useless painkiller, however when taken with Tramadol it works wonders! Sometimes thats the only way i can get myself out of bed! it really does work x


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## allieinwonder

I agree with you ruthyp, if I didn't have tramadol I would have to cancel lots of plans due to my severe pain! I'm so glad my doctor understands that. I also like that I have taken it for a year now and I am not dependant on it and it is still effective. I still cant wait to be able to be treated so that my pain goes away because I am healing, not because i have taken a narcotic substitute. With the way it makes me feel, yeah it kinda sucks, but i can fight through that much easier than my typical severe pain!


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## kenny

I had a once a day Morphine pill with a Breakthrough fast acting morphine pill for support when I was pre surgery for  3 months. It helped with the pain of the drain line sticking out of my side and the ruined section of bowel. I lived on liquids for that 3 months as I was unable to process anything solid, even mashed or mushed. 

I was on the Oxy's first but they were nasty for my emotional state. It was hard enough coping with the sickness without that craziness added to it. The Morphine was just as good at controlling the pain and seems easier on the old Braincells.


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## mike316atl

My docs asks me if I need pain meds everytime I go. I have been prescribed Tramadol and hydrocodone for my crohn's so far. I feel like it helps with the pain, but it doesnt make the cramps go away.


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## mike316atl

My docs ask me if I need pain meds everytime I go. I have been prescribed tramadol and hydrocodone for my crohn's so far. I feel like it helps with the pain, but it doesnt make the cramps go away.


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## steph38

Mike316atl, 
Yes, the Tramadol does help take the edge off the pain but does not make the cramps go away. I tried the hydrocodone and could not take it, it was too harsh, and made me sick. I hope between the 2 they help!!!


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## mike316atl

I have found that pain medication really can't take the pain away. It just makes you not think about it as much.


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## steelerfan

*Was on percocet*

When I was hospitalized I was given Dilaudid.  I have to say it was wonderful.  When I left I was prescribed Roxicet.  The main reason though was because I had horrible back pain.  I continued on the roxicet but I didn't really like the effect.  I was then given the tablet form, percocet.  Strangely, this caused me constipation while the roxicet did not.  This I think caused me big problems and may have initiated a flare with the disturbance of the intestine.  I haven't been the same since (2 months) I am off of the pain killers for over a month.  The back issue is possibly sacroilitis and the pain meds were wonderful for that.


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## scottmyster

HI there , i  now all  about pain that crohn's can bring on  i have had crohn's for 21 years now and when i am in pain. i just recently had a flare up and now on preds and a number on other meds to count, but when i am in pain i take oxycodone. it was precribed to me by my gp. and it works but all are not a like their pain is different mild to severe. so take what is best for you and talk to your doctors about pain relief. best wishes


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## jrsn

I  have been prescribed Bentyl to take as needed; helps with the stomach cramping but doesn't completely eliminate.  Hard to work while taking because of the drowsy effects.


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## kllyeve

My GP prescribed a muscle relaxant for me as I was experiencing all over body pain and we weren't sure if it was stress related, related to the Crohns, or fibromyalgia.   It works like a charm. Once a day about supper time - I can sleep and am in much less pain overall - including my intestines.  This has reduced the amount of Tramacet I was taking.
My job has a policy that you cannot come to work if you are under the influence of prescription or non-prescription drugs - so reducing my tramacet use means I don't miss so much work.


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## MissMandy

I have been taking Oxy for over 2 years now and it did wonders for my pain, and also made my BMs solid and and not going everyday. MY insurance just changed their policy this month and my dr is refusing to fill out the paperwork to get it covered for me, and switched me to hydrocodone/apap instead, even after I told them that doesn't work for me. I am seriously pissed off because I have been in the bathroom everyday at least once a day with loose stools and pain since I stopped the oxy. I am on Humira and I thought it was working but apparently it's only kind of working and the Oxy was helping it. The nurse basically told me that since I am on the Humira I shouldn't need the Oxy anymore. I wanted to scream at her really?! Just because I am no longer pissing out my ass everyday doesn't mean that I don't still have pain every day! UGH!


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## Emmy85

steph38 said:


> I have Crohn's all over and cannot take Vicodin or Percoset and Morphine does absolutly nothing. For me I have Crohn's all over so when it acts up like now I have to take something mild becuase of work, so my dr prescribes Tramadol and when I go in the hospital it is Dillaudin. I agree when my fistulas act up as they are now, it hurts to sit, stand, walk everything so I find myself taking tramadol every 6 hours but hate theway it makes me feel.


I'm the same, Ive had crohns since I was 12 and Im now 27 and they used to give me morphine injections when I was 12 and I'd still be screaming in pain so they used to say I was faking it til it was finally diagnosed. Morphine has never done anything for me. Im a nurse in an ED and I understand how hard it is to run around at work with the crohns pain and I sympathise with you. Personally Ive always found the best pain relief medications to treat crohn's are Endone and Tramadol. I find Endone (oxycodone tablet) to be the best when it comes to the sobbing and crying times and even though morphine injections are technically stronger, it just works in a different way chemically in the body. Tramadol has alot of bad psychological side effects so I try to avoid it when I can but I know its hard when you just want to rip out your abdomen. I really feel for you, I know how bad the pain can get and when I have a doctor Im working with that wont give enough pain relief to patients with IBD I pull them aside and give them a lecture. They just dont know unless they've experienced it themselves or have worked a long time and actually understand diseases like crohns. Unfortunately so many patients come into ED so frequently complaining and over-reacting about pain and they really have no idea what real severe pain is like so alot of doctors cant recognise the difference between true pain and people that over exaggerate so are reluctant to give out strong pain relief and prescriptions. I hope things get better for you!


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## mjr

Oh my, you guys are oh so lucky not to have intense pain every day. I've been in moderate to severe pain everyday for years. I will also be hugging the toilet without taking zofran everyday. 
My doctor told me last year I was in remission took me off pain medication and I became stuck in a hot bath daily for hours. I was off the pain medication for over 3 months before i emailed my doctor a typical day for me. I hear people talking about flares but don't understand as I am sick everyday. I have daily nausea that will cause me toilet hugging if I don't take zofran and sometimes that doesn't help. I wake up and the pain is bad enough my eyes water with the pain. 
I just started remi a week ago and honestly I have gotten worse. 
I am so confused. 
I had a capsule endo that showed edemas and 2 specific areas of strictures where the capsule got caught up for about an hour at each. 
I know I'm not a wimp but reading this category it makes me feel like I must be a wimp. I've broken bones and not required pain meds. I grew up sick with asthma and frequently had chest pains and required no meds. 
When I eat and sometimes drink my stomach swells up tight and causes a lot of pain. Without the pain meds to relax my bowel I simply cannot eat. 
Reading this I must be doing something wrong that makes it so I am not able to control this disease. 
I was first diagnosed with crohns after an obstruction and the section of bowel removed showed Crohn's disease. 
Sorry for the long message but how do you all deal with the pain of the disease. Other daily symptoms include nausea, hot flashes, cold flashes, migraines, diarrhea (used to get constipated), exhaustion, loss of concentration (a 30 min show will take me about 45 minutes to watch as I need to rewind frequently). 
Am I missing something you all are doing that helps control the pain. It gets much worse when I am mobile and pretty much forces me to be still. 
can someone shed some light on what I am doing wrong. 
Thanks


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## UnXmas

mjr: I haven't read the replies in this thread since it's an old one, but the amount of pain Crohn's causes seems to vary hugely from one person to the next, so you're right that you're not a "wimp" - you've probably just got bad pain or haven't been given effective pain relief. None of us are totally in control of our diseases.

I don't suffer that much with pain compared to many people with Crohn's, but even so I have a prescription for Codeine (a fairly strong pain killer) which I take on bad days.

It sounds like your problem is your unhelpful doctor! Can you see another doctor? There are also consultants and clinics that specialise in managing pain which you might be able to get your doctor to refer you to. Make sure they know it's an on-going problem for you. Since the type of medication that helps varies from person to person (just as the severity and frequency and type of pain varies) you might have to do some trial and error with a doctor in order to find what's best for you. You can't always get rid of pain completely, but there should be something that helps at least.


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## MaineMel

Talk to your pcp is what I get whenever I ask for pain relief.  The only thing that helps my Crohn's is MJ.  MJ is legal in my state of Maine, but my GI says.."The board recommends we don't prescribe marijuana".  He can push me pills that cause me to miscarry but he frowns upon mj.  He cares more about his reputation amongst his colleagues then his patients health.  All my friends have their prescription cards for the stupidest reasons.  Anxiety, bad joint pain, pre existing injuries etc.  I'm afraid that any GI I see wont help me get a prescription now because "the board doesn't recommend it".  If its legal in my state, why am I having a hard time finding a doctor that will help me?
It would save me a lot of money, it would be safer to purchase, and it really helps my pain.  Can anybody help me find a good doctor?


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## they call it a come back

Lydia said:


> When my pain is so bad that I feel I need narcotics, then its time to go to the hospital for this girl. At home I take tylenol, and use a heating pad, or take hot baths. If its really bad I take pred to cool the inflammation off. While on pred we come up with a new plan to treat the disease.
> 
> I flared this week and did end up taking some pred while I waited for my GI to call me. I now get remicade every 6 weeks in hopes it wont wear off.


Glad I am not the only one addicted to their heating pad


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## Julia12345

Hi,  i am havi g a flare up at the moment,  been twice hospitalised in the last 3 weeks.  They have taken me off co codamol and codein and put me onto targinact 10mg/ 5mg twice a day.(  Slow release ) and paracetamol 2 taplets  4 times a day ,  as it activates the targinact even more.    Pretty sleepy and light headed but pain relief at the moment


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## Julia12345

Was wondering if anybody else here has got experience with targinac? 
Hugs x


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## Julia12345

mjr said:


> Oh my, you guys are oh so lucky not to have intense pain every day. I've been in moderate to severe pain everyday for years. I will also be hugging the toilet without taking zofran everyday.
> My doctor told me last year I was in remission took me off pain medication and I became stuck in a hot bath daily for hours. I was off the pain medication for over 3 months before i emailed my doctor a typical day for me. I hear people talking about flares but don't understand as I am sick everyday. I have daily nausea that will cause me toilet hugging if I don't take zofran and sometimes that doesn't help. I wake up and the pain is bad enough my eyes water with the pain.
> I just started remi a week ago and honestly I have gotten worse.
> I am so confused.
> I had a capsule endo that showed edemas and 2 specific areas of strictures where the capsule got caught up for about an hour at each.
> I know I'm not a wimp but reading this category it makes me feel like I must be a wimp. I've broken bones and not required pain meds. I grew up sick with asthma and frequently had chest pains and required no meds.
> When I eat and sometimes drink my stomach swells up tight and causes a lot of pain. Without the pain meds to relax my bowel I simply cannot eat.
> Reading this I must be doing something wrong that makes it so I am not able to control this disease.
> I was first diagnosed with crohns after an obstruction and the section of bowel removed showed Crohn's disease.
> Sorry for the long message but how do you all deal with the pain of the disease. Other daily symptoms include nausea, hot flashes, cold flashes, migraines, diarrhea (used to get constipated), exhaustion, loss of concentration (a 30 min show will take me about 45 minutes to watch as I need to rewind frequently).
> Am I missing something you all are doing that helps control the pain. It gets much worse when I am mobile and pretty much forces me to be still.
> can someone shed some light on what I am doing wrong.
> Thanks



Hi ,  your not alone!  I am sufferring badly from pain from all kinds and directions.. Waking up with tears running down my face.. No fun,  been in hospital twice lately and they had me on morphene..  As i cant function on it they put me now on targinac.. Which is very strong and slow release taplets.. Its worth looking it up .. It helps me a lot and was main reason i was able to be discharge d from hospital last friday.. Better to suffer at home then in hospital .. Hugs x


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## Alliesavage

My GI has said narcotics are really bad for Crohn's, not to mention the last time I took a Lortab after being hospitalized they made me violently sick. I like tramadol for minor Crohn's pain. It does help you get through the day, but the sleepy foggy feeling has been bothersome lately. If it's really bad, I just go to ER and scare them with super high pulse and blood pressure due to the pain. Last ER visit I was given 2 shots of morphine, a GI cocktail, a shot of demerol and finally Dilaudid. They said my blood pressure stayed stable so if I continued to hurt they'd continue meds  It takes a while to find a great medical care team though. I know it did me.


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## Tommy21bn

kllyeve said:


> My GP prescribed a muscle relaxant for me as I was experiencing all over body pain and we weren't sure if it was stress related, related to the Crohns, or fibromyalgia.   It works like a charm. Once a day about supper time - I can sleep and am in much less pain overall - including my intestines.  This has reduced the amount of Tramacet I was taking.
> My job has a policy that you cannot come to work if you are under the influence of prescription or non-prescription drugs - so reducing my tramacet use means I don't miss so much work.


Hi, what's the name of thd muscle relaxant?


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## Tommy21bn

Hi All, 

There's a lot of discussion of the effectiveness of Tramadol so I thought i'd share my experiences.

I was recovering from the first stage of the creation of an ileo-anal pouch and I was prescribed Tramadol by my local GP. There were various problems with the pouch and the operation to join it up was pushed back further and further until 2years had passed. During this time I had lost 5stone in weight and had become seriously addicted to Tramadol. 

Finally it came time for the pouch to be joined up and start to work. To cut a long story short it was a complete failure caused by undiagnosed Crohns disease. I dropped a further two stones and almost died due to organ failure. In addition, the surgeons accused me of being addicted to Tramadol. I had not realised what I was doing to myself to deal with the pain. I thought that my GP would be monitoring how long I should be on which drug. I had begun to realise that I couldn't live without taking the green and yellow capsules but I justified it to myself saying I needed them because I was in pain and the Dr had prescribed them. I was a nice white middle class boy; there was no way I was an addict.

So the operation failed almost taking me with it and whilst fighting for my survival I also had to withdraw from Tramadol. It was deeply traumatic; no other painkillers worked due to my addiction. Morphine/Oramorph were useless. It became so unbearable that I would reason that the Nurses were deliberately hiding painkillers from me. In the middle of the night I would run away from the ward and collapse in the corridor. In the end they sedated me and had someone sit at the end of my bed to ensure I wouldn't run.

I suppose the wider point that i'm making is that us Crohnies know our body better than any Drs or Surgeons. If we feel that somethings not right or something hasn't been thought about then we must speak up. This experience has taught me to keep a healthy distance from Drs and to ensure that everything is explained and I have my questions fully answered. Just be careful out there; experienced or not we can all end up in trouble without realising it.

Thanks for reading


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## Alliesavage

Tommy21bn said:


> Hi All,
> 
> There's a lot of discussion of the effectiveness of Tramadol so I thought i'd share my experiences.
> 
> I was recovering from the first stage of the creation of an ileo-anal pouch and I was prescribed Tramadol by my local GP. There were various problems with the pouch and the operation to join it up was pushed back further and further until 2years had passed. During this time I had lost 5stone in weight and had become seriously addicted to Tramadol.
> 
> Finally it came time for the pouch to be joined up and start to work. To cut a long story short it was a complete failure caused by undiagnosed Crohns disease. I dropped a further two stones and almost died due to organ failure. In addition, the surgeons accused me of being addicted to Tramadol. I had not realised what I was doing to myself to deal with the pain. I thought that my GP would be monitoring how long I should be on which drug. I had begun to realise that I couldn't live without taking the green and yellow capsules but I justified it to myself saying I needed them because I was in pain and the Dr had prescribed them. I was a nice white middle class boy; there was no way I was an addict.
> 
> So the operation failed almost taking me with it and whilst fighting for my survival I also had to withdraw from Tramadol. It was deeply traumatic; no other painkillers worked due to my addiction. Morphine/Oramorph were useless. It became so unbearable that I would reason that the Nurses were deliberately hiding painkillers from me. In the middle of the night I would run away from the ward and collapse in the corridor. In the end they sedated me and had someone sit at the end of my bed to ensure I wouldn't run.
> 
> I suppose the wider point that i'm making is that us Crohnies know our body better than any Drs or Surgeons. If we feel that somethings not right or something hasn't been thought about then we must speak up. This experience has taught me to keep a healthy distance from Drs and to ensure that everything is explained and I have my questions fully answered. Just be careful out there; experienced or not we can all end up in trouble without realising it.
> 
> Thanks for reading


I'm very careful when taking any pain medication. It CAN happen to anyone. Thanks for sharing your story. Sorry you went through that.


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