Not sure what's going on. help?

[FxyO]

To start things off i take 60mg of Oxy a day and 60mg of Morphine a day to control my Crohn's pain. The problem is lately i have not been able to produce a bowel movement since recently being put on the morphine.

My question is, do i have an obstruction? Do i have a stricture? Would i be in complete pain if i had one? Or is it just the drugs causing me to have severe constipation (they are known for that) I have not vomited, and have had slight nausea but it goes away quickly.

Im just worried that i could be having a stricture or a obstruction of some sort and that my pain meds are supressing the pain. But i highly doubt a 15 mg dose would supress the pain i have had with stricture flares, those are so intense i cant even walk.

So am i just badly constipated or is it something worse? its really making me anxious.

 

[Jennifer]

How many days has it been since you've gone? My guess is that it is constipation caused by the morphine since it seems like such a high dose. You mentioned 15mg not working yet what about a dose between 15 and 60mg? That's quite a difference. What about 30mg or something around there?

What medications are you taking to keep your Crohn's under control? Having your Crohn's under control would help get rid of the pain entirely and you wouldn't need the morphine at all.

Before using anything to make you bowels start moving (like a laxative) I'd contact your doctor first. None of us know your history so its hard to say what the problem may be or what you should do other than to contact your doctor because you don't want to have an obstruction and you can't let it get to that point by masking your symptoms with pain meds etc. (not that you are but you didn't mention what drugs you're taking specifically for Crohn's).

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Keona]

Hi FxyO,
I have just went through something similar and it is distressing to feel like a walking time bomb. My guess is Crabby is right, as I was on dilaudid and perc's - not even remotely close to the dosage of opiates you are on...and it made me very constipated. I was given 3 different types of laxatives along with it... (im in no way suggesting you start without your doctors knowledge). Are you drinking a lot of water? What about your foods..what are you eating...? this can all contribute to the issue as well..but my guess it is the opiates. I would be shocked if you were not constipated to be honest.
Might want to contact the doc that prescribed them to you - let him/her know and see what suggestions they have.
Hang in

 

[bushydougie]

When I was first ill I was given codeine (which I believe has similar properties to morphine). This made me very constipated even on a low dose and I wouldn't have a bm for 24 hours then I would have d again. So it may well be a side effect of your medication but as others have said I would phone your GP and ge their advice
Take care
Sam

 

[beth]

With those doses I'd be most surprised if you weren't constipated up to the armpits! Talk to your doctors.

 

[FxyO]

How many days has it been since you've gone? My guess is that it is constipation caused by the morphine since it seems like such a high dose. You mentioned 15mg not working yet what about a dose between 15 and 60mg? That's quite a difference. What about 30mg or something around there?

What medications are you taking to keep your Crohn's under control? Having your Crohn's under control would help get rid of the pain entirely and you wouldn't need the morphine at all.

Before using anything to make you bowels start moving (like a laxative) I'd contact your doctor first. None of us know your history so its hard to say what the problem may be or what you should do other than to contact your doctor because you don't want to have an obstruction and you can't let it get to that point by masking your symptoms with pain meds etc. (not that you are but you didn't mention what drugs you're taking specifically for Crohn's).

Welcome to the forum!

about a week, what i meant was my first 15 of 4 doses a day (which like i said shouldnt mask the pain of a flare up / obstruction because when i have those im writhing on the floor until i can get to the ER), and im using asacol but it all it does it seems is prevent flare ups, not control the join / muscle / stomach pains that i have outside flare ups.

 

[Jennifer]

Sounds like you need a new medication added (IBD can cause all of those pains that you described when you're out of remission). Asacol alone may not be the best thing for you. To get my flares under control I would be on Asacol, 6MP (an immunosuppressant) and Prednisone (temporary steroid). You may need more aggressive meds. Since its been a week since you've had a BM, I'd contact your doctor before the weekend and ask them what they think you should do or what's going on. Call right away and keep calling multiple times throughout the day until they get back to you.

 

[FxyO]

Sounds like you need a new medication added (IBD can cause all of those pains that you described when you're out of remission). Asacol alone may not be the best thing for you. To get my flares under control I would be on Asacol, 6MP (an immunosuppressant) and Prednisone (temporary steroid). You may need more aggressive meds. Since its been a week since you've had a BM, I'd contact your doctor before the weekend and ask them what they think you should do or what's going on. Call right away and keep calling multiple times throughout the day until they get back to you.

oxy / percocet is great for my daily basis pain relief. i was taking 60 mg of percocet a day last month and had no problems at all with constipation. this month my doctor wanted to try morphine ER and i wanted plain oxy cause i didnt want all the tylenol. so you think i should just stop taking the morphine for a few days and see if it helps? and yeah i drink about 8 - 10 glasses of water a day.