Am I the only one for whom Vicoden does not work?

[Beausoir]

I am 3 weeks post abdominal surgery, total hysterectomy with muscle repair.

I have been incredibly painful. Painful to the point of gouging my eyes out or tearing my hair out.

Vicoden does not work for me. It's like I am immune to the stuff.

Anyone else immune to Vicoden?

(BTW, my surgeon went on vacation right after my surgery. I have phoned and phoned and no one is willing to get me some relief.)

[pitohui]

1. haven't tried it but i have had trouble w. percodan

there is a minority of people for whom the opiates don't work, which is very scary thought, since they are still by far the best painkillers around

i'll light a candle for you, don't know what else to do except to visualize a painfree night's sleep for you

the state of pain relief in this country is a downright disgrace

keep calling that damn doctor's office and have a relative drive over to the office and see if another doctor in the practice can help, this is ridiculous

[ChoralScholar]

2. I've heard of people being immune to certain pain relievers.

I hope someone can get you some help soon...

[LeftyFingerPop]

3. yes, i have heard of the same thing happening. Hopefully, a different class of pain-releiver

will do the trick.

[grasswire]

4. it doesn't seem to work for many people

Can you ask to speak to the doctor who is covering for your physician? Don't you have a followup visit of some kind? You need some care. Insist on it. There is no reason for someone to have to endure that kind of pain.

[Lyric]

5. Were you on a different painkiller before you got out of the hospital

after your surgery? If you were on something much stronger then, your body might have gotten used to a higher dose of opiates than Vicodin can provide. Go to the local Emergency Dept. and tell them you're having terrible incision/post-surgical pain and can't seem to get in touch with your doctor. They'll take care of you.

[Missy Vixen]

6. Beausoir, this is NO GOOD

Vicodin does not work for me, either. I can only hope that you can get yourself some Percocet. It works like a dream. If you can't find your doc tomorrow, please ask Mr. Beausoir to take you to the emergency room. If you're in pain, you're not healing. Right after that, I'd seriously consider filing malpractice against your physician.

In the meantime, gorgeous, I hope this brings even a teeny bit of relief... Dr. Feelgood should be showing up there any minute.



Julie

[leftofthedial]

7. send me all the leftovers

and I'll test them for you

[Adsos Letter]

8. No...I can take multiple doses of that stuff

before it finally just puts me to sleep. I think it sucks as a painkiller.

Now Demarol is another matter...

and now that I have read the thread I will add my encouragement that you seek more help. There should be a doctor on-call for your regular doctor. Bug him until he gives you a referral (and a prescription).

[truedelphi]

9. You need to be seen by somebody

Could even be a post operative infection.

Visit a different clinic or doctor's. No one should be inpain for three weeks.

[Adsos Letter]

10. truedelphi is right about the possibility of post-op infection

it is becoming very common in hospitals and is a very serious matter. Call the emergency room if that is the only way you can get some attention.

[truedelphi]

32. Later last night I realized another possibiliity

That everyone should be aware of - counterfeit drugs.

I was on a medication to slow bleeding during my menses. If I got the meds at the Safeway Pharmacy - I needed six of the tablets to even affect my system on a minimal level. (This was Three Times the recommended dose!)

When I switched to the Long Drug Store Pharmacy - I needed to do only the recommended dosage.
And the relief was maximum relief.

THis doesn't meant that Safeway even KNEW that these pills were ineffective -possibly due to stocking counterfeits?

So get you prescription filled at a totally different place. Even if it involves your doctor writing a different script.

[MonkeyFunk]

11. It doesn't do much for me, either

and I hate that vicodin cough syrup they give out now instead of the old codeine-based stuff.

[mduffy31]

12. Vicoden doesn't do anything for me either

Whenever I have surgery, and when my patients aren't getting relief from it I always ask the doctor for Percocet and it seems to do the trick.

[Maraya1969]

13. You may not be taking enough. The pharmacist can tell you what

is a safe dose. And when I have taken it I take a benadryl with it because it makes me itch.


Hope you feel better real soon. :hug:

[Crabby Appleton]

14. Works for me - take it occasionally for ruptured lumbar disks nt

[seemunkee]

15. I found it pretty useless

Now Percocet, thats another story. Damn I love those.

[murielm99]

16. It didn't work for my son, either.

He called me and asked me why it was not working, as if I should know. Actually, I think he just needed someone to talk to in the middle of the night when he was in pain.

I told him not to take any more and risk overdose, and to call his doc. I can't remember what else they gave him.

Some people just don't get relief from it. I am so sorry your surgeon went on vacation and left you hanging. Do you have a primary care doctor? Maybe he or she can help.

[slj0101]

17. I had vicodin for a tooth extraction a few years ago.

It was no better than an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory.

[reyd reid reed]

18. Nope...not just you

I don't necessarily think I'm immune to it, but it makes me sick to my stomach. When it was prescribed for my abdominal pain, it made me so violently ill that it made the pain worse -- so I quit taking it. Lesser of two evils and all that.

There are a lot of other pain relievers out there...call and demand that they help you. Three weeks out, I don't know what they'll prescribe, but there has to be something. Demand it.

[DS1]

19. It turns me into Dolph Lundgren in Universal Soldier

I feel absolutely nothing, and if I wasn't careful could probably sprint my way into a heart attack simply because I'd have no idea I was suffering any pain whatsoever

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

28. Demerol turned me into Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall

I thought I had run five miles in 30 minutes.

But in reality, I spent that 30 minutes tying my left shoe.

Interesting. Now let's tie the right shoe .....


At least I was feeling no pain.

[zanne]

31. It works, but when it wears off, I crash.

I have to use things like that sparingly, because while they're in my system, they work pretty well, but when they wear off, I feel like throwing myself in front of a bus.

[SarahB]

20. Make a bigger stink

You deserve to have your pain controlled. This isn't good practice to do to your patients.

:hug:

[xchrom]

21. never does anything for me -- except it does make me puke.

i hate that stuff -- give me percocet -- or morphine every time.

[SacredCow]

22. Haven't tried it....

But when my son was 2, he had to have hernia surgery and was prescribed "baby vicoden" for the couple of days subsequent. I can't say whether it eased his pain or not, but I am reasonably certain that it was making him hallucinate. He would stare into space for long periods of time and would periodically burst out laughing or get visibly frightened. So we pulled him off of it, and just gave him motrin instead (since he didn't appear to be in much pain).

[SarahB]

23. I used to work nights in pediatrics.

I had to talk a lot of kids down in the midst of opioid hallucinations during the night, "Your medicine makes you see things, but your safe" (stuff like that). They were ok though as long as someone could reassure them calmly. It definitely happens though.

[XemaSab]

24. You're not

It does nothing for me.

[no name no slogan]

25. No, it sucks bigtime

I took it for an abscessed tooth a couple weeks ago. Not only did it not work, it triggered a depressive episode that I'm trying to crawl out of.

I got more pain relief from four ibuprofens than I did from vicodin.

[riderinthestorm]

26. You need to see someone, 3 weeks post-op shouldn't still be THAT painful

that you are still in hair-tearing pain.

The most painful injury/surgery (a badly broken arm) I have ever had didn't respond to Vicoden (or 4 other prescription painkillers I tried over the course of 72 hours). The ortho surgeon was adamant that we work towards finding a drug that would work (he was just wonderful!). Finally 4 days post-op he directed me to come in to his office even though he wasn't going to be there, he would talk to the other doc via phone while they examined me.

I swear that doctor unwrapped the bandages and the pain was gone - even though the wrap wasn't too tight, it was too tight for me and the external fixators were torqued just enough that they were sending excruciating pain right down into the broken bones.

The doctor was right though: it just shouldn't have been that painful. If it is, you need to get re-checked and insist they persist in finding a painkiller that works cause Vicoden doesn't work for everyone. Also perhaps there is an infection or other post-surgical problem. Go see someone! Don't wait!

[mopinko]

27. GET TO A DOCTOR NOW!!

GO TO THE ER IF YOU HAVE TO. i agree with the comments in this thread that worsening pain at this point is a bad sign. are you running a fever at all? do you have visible sutures? do they look ok? getting redder?

did you have any other symptoms before surgery? like unexplained joint pain, or fatigue? people with fibromyalgia often do not get relief from pain meds, and do have extreme pain after surgery.

but, no one in the lounge can replace seeing a doctor. go to the er if your insurance will cover it.

[BlueIris]

29. I am violently allergic to the stuff. (Codeine allergy.) Have to use Percocet instead.

They didn't put you on generic drugs, did they? People, for the last time, GENERIC PAINKILLERS DO NOT WORK. Get brandname and use them. No one should sit around in pain.

[TheProphetess]

30. It usually works for me unless the pain is horrible

Then I need Percocet. You should definitely be talking to another doctor - either your primary physician or an ER doc to get better meds and to be sure you aren't experiencing complications. The surgeon should have some emergency contact protocol for his or her staff to follow.

[flamingyouth]

33. It doesn't work that well for me, either.

Percocet works much better.

I had Percocet after my first surgery for bladder cancer and Vicodin after the second (different surgeons). There was a noticeable difference in my pain, but at least I knew what to expect after the second one.

After three weeks, I'd say that this level of pain is not good. Can you call your primary doctor for relief? Maybe he or she needs to refer you to the ER. I hope you feel better soon. :hug: