Pain management, methadone

[patcrawford1]

Hello fellow crohnies!

I wanted to know if you all had any first hand experience with pain management medication. I was recently put on methadone (10mg tablet every 6 hours) which is also used for opiate dependence and withdrawal as well as long term chronic pain. I was switched to this from suboxone (a similar drug) because I could not get pain relief from the suboxone during the accute pain.

I have read a lot about methadone, some good, some not so good! I cannot take short acting opioids like vicodin or percoset because they are too addictive.

If anyone else has been prescribed mehtadone could you tell me:
-has it been good for your chronic pain that comes with IBD?
-have you considered an alternative or found one that is better?
-how do you deal with the side effects?
-

 

[Jennifer]

Hi patcrawford1, sorry for the late reply.

I've never taken Methadone but I do take Tylenol 3 for arthritis pain. Other pain meds were too strong for me and made it so I couldn't function. Ideally its best to treat the underlying condition to prevent pain but sometimes it is needed especially in cases where you're waiting for a new medication to start working as some can take months to take effect or in other cases where the cause of the pain isn't easily treatable (for instance, complications after surgery or injury that doesn't require surgery etc). Are you currently on any medications for Crohn's?

I did a quick search on the forum for methadone and found a couple threads:
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=5799
http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=1146 (Methadone is mentioned a lot in this thread so please don't take offense, I'm not saying that you have an addiction).

Keep in mind that people usually come online when they're having problems and are looking for answers rather than sharing how well they're doing. Don't let the negative side deter you from something you may need. Let us know how it works for you.

 

[patcrawford1]

Good morning Jennifer!

Thank you for the input. I have taken tylenol 3 in the past and it does nothing for the pain

My meds are listed below. I've tried many different treatments, but without pain control, I still have significantly less function in life. Having abdominal and joint pain meant doing something like the laundry a monumental achievement!

 

[patcrawford1]

Forgot to mention my treatment for crohn's!

MEDS:
Humara (about to switch to Tsabri)
Luvox (SSRI for depression)
Methadone for chronic Crohn's abdominal/joint pain
Iron supplement, Multivitamins, Fish Oil
Flagyl (For a current bout with C Diff and partial blockage
Have already tried: remicade, 6mp, Pentasa.

 

[Hello2u]

Do you have pain management docs there? They gave me steroid injections in back and neck, it helps with the pain for a while. Prednisolone as well, although you can't take it for long.

 

[araceli]

Hello. I have a son that suffers from chronic pain. He tried a lot of pain meds. The ones he is on right now and are helping him are gabapentin celebrex(not good for IBD) and amitriptyline. I now the last one is sometimes prescribed for IBD pain. They do have side effects and you have to be under close Dr. supervision. I am not suggesting or advising you to use them. I do not like them but is the only way my son has been able to do good. I hope you find something that works for you with minimum side effects.