hi all , have been told i have bone secondaries and bad pain in shoulder and arm and my breast surgeon has put me on slow release morphine 10 mg, has anyone else had this dont really like the thought of it but arm was so sore …hugs xxx
Hi, hope you don’t mind me replying as my info is always second hand, but this may help…I post on the triple neg sec thread on behalf of my friend Heather. She had slow release morphine for very bad pain due to met to lymph node in her back. she said it took away the pain and gave her a little ‘lift’ emotionally which was badly needed at the time. she took it approx 3months, then slowly came off as tumour in her back had responded to chemo. She had two or three very low days and felt the difference in her mood, she was offered antidepressants to help but decided against it. It took a couple of weeks but then her ‘mood’ stabilised. She said the benefit she had got from the morphine when she was in so much pain definately outweighed the difficulty coming off them.
Hope this helps,
Kim
Hi. I had morphine when my spine was v bad and a top up liquid to have for breakthrough pain. It worked well. I was on it for about 7 months before nd after spinal sugery. I came off it slowly nd it was ok. My gp referred me to the pain dr at the local hospice to oversee it as they were the specislist. I do hope you get some relief.
Hugs
Sadie Xx Xx
thankyou both, will see how i go xxx
Hi fairyqueen,
I’m a bit of a junkie when it comes to the dope LOL. I have struggled with pain over the past 3 years and seem to have tried so many different pain remedies including slow release morphine. Like Kim says of her friend - it took a few days to stabilise her mood. I have found with any of the drugs it does take a little while for the body to adjust, sometimes with tiredness or nausea. I found I didn’t particularly get on that well with morphine so I switched to Oxycodone (as part of a trial initially). Not sure if I have this right but I think Oxy. is a synthetic form of morphine and is preferred in the USA to MST (morphine). I got on with it better. Have since moved on to other pain meds but not relevant to your question. As a couple of posters have mentioned - when you come off it you need to do it slowly. If the slow-release morphine doesn’t do it for you it may be because there is an element of nerve pain as well so if your doc suggests upping the slow-release it may be worth asking if he/she thinks that could be the case. Some of the meds that help with the nerve pain are gabapentin, lyrica, or amitriptyline. There are probably others. I do hope you manage to get some relief - you have my sympathy cos it can get you down if it goes on and on.
Dawn
xx
thankyou dawn thats a big help xxx
I’ve been taking morphine for about 3 weeks now for my spine mets and also really problematic knees - no known reason but sometimes they are worse than my back, and when they both start together and my hips and thights join in - it’s not nice… Have been gradually adjusting to get the level right. Cos of my problems with dihydrocodeine the MacMillan nurse was quite insistent I didn’t go onto straight morphine but Oxycodone (Oxycont as slow release and Oxynorm for breakthrough pain). Dawn’s right, it is synthetic, and because of this acts in a different way.
It’s bit scary being told there is NO upper limit on dosage - I started on 5mg am and pm, and for the first days it was delightful after the tramadol failing me, but I’ve gradually upped it to 20 each end of day and - touch wood - haven’t taken any breakthrough for 3 days now - as you can tell, it’s still early days yet. I was also told paracetamol behaves very well with this - they compliment each other apparently, and somehow taking ‘just’ that you don’t feel quite so ‘ill’ - or maybe I’m just mad …
Nina
Hi Nina,
Am not sure about the ‘no upper limit’!!! Do you want to sleep all day & night LOL. I was up to 60mg twice a day but still needing oxynorm during the day for breakthrough pain. Had lyrica added into the mix but those two together really make you sleepy! I certainly found I tolerated it better than morphine (as MST) but after a while I couldnt face any more increase in dose so switched to fentanyl. So glad that it is helping you with the pain. Sometimes it is so hard to find something that works for you.
Like you fairyqueen, at first I really hated the thought of touching any of these drugs and needed quite a bit of convincing from the macmillan doc that it was right for me to be taking the stuff. I find some days it is a struggle to stay awake even when I have had a good nights sleep so was prescribed dexamphetamine!!! so really feeling like a junkie now! I try only to use those when it is fairly important to be fully awake! Hope you get on o.k. with the meds.
Dawn
xx
I think what they mean by no limit is you can work up to whatever you need to control the pain - the fact you’re comatose is beside the point!! I must admit it’s great not needing sleeping pills anymore - but I do yearn for an afternoon nap and try to resist!!
Nina
Hi Ladies
I read with interest all your comments about different types and levels of pain relief. I do my bit to support Pharmasutical industry having lymphodema which causes nerve pain on bad days. The thing that bugs me though is sister in law who says as I take the appropriate dose. “I couldn’t do that I don’t believe in taking tablets.” I still haven’t come up with a cutting enough reply any suggestions?
Regards Chinook
That’s a pretty insensitive remark Chinook. I didn’t before I had breast cancer either! But maybe that isn’t cutting enough LOL. Just tell her she is very fortunate not to have the sort of pain that needs to be controlled.
Nina why are you resisting 
(I have just woken up from mine).
Dawn
xx
Hi Fairyqueen, two years ago was the worst time of my ‘cancer life’. I got a tumour in my shoulder, and it was agony and was put on the Oxycodone then slow release MST. I hated being on it and got the worst constipation ever.
What actually sorted me out was a one off dose of radiotherapy for pain control. The following day I noticed that the pain was easier and it took about 6 weeks for the pain to resolve.
hope this helps
Love Jane
Good timing this thread just coming up the latest post list again. Somehow it’s easier posting somewhere existing than new…
I was doing fine-ish until this week, when the pain’s been a bit harder to control and I’ve felt quite low physically. Woke on Wedneday with dry mouth haveing been breathing that way and wondering if I have the makings of a cold. But other things are odd too - I feel a bit like I did when I was chemoing - but that was 2 years ago!
Really picky appetite, no drink tastes right, fancy something liquid but don’t know what, a bit of thrush, lots of naps (yup, I have succumbed!) all very vague and hard to describe - and sounds pathetic when you do!! - but not lending itself to feeling on top form shall we say.
Last night was bad - heat kept me going - Dreamland heating pads on back and knees/thighs, until I took my bone pill at 8.15 and clock watched for 30 minnutes til I could take everything else!! Am I being paranoid with the ibandrandic acid in thinking painkillers thru night are going to count as breaking the fast? It’s so insistent on no pills til after the magic half hour in the morning.
Have left a message with Macmillan nurse but any advice from those who’ve been there appreciated. Whil e th eMacmillan nurse seems best of the medics there’s nothing quite like practical experience
hi
not on morphine as yet,gp keeps trying to push me that way but have resisted so far.Only way I have managed with painkillers and ibandronic acid is to take last lot of co-codemol and diclophenac at midnight and then take the ibandronic acid pill around 7-7.30 am so I could take the first lot of painkillers and have a cup of tea at 8am.
Had my first zometa this week, and after 2 years of ibandronic acid it is totally liberating to be able to take painkillers when I need to and have my morning cuppa in bed-without sitting upright!Maybe you could switch to iv instead of oral.
Hope the morphine gets a bit easier.Unless onc comes up with another pain reducing plan I feel I may soon have to give in and start on a morphine based pain relief.
take care
Lucinda xx
hi Lucinda and everyone. Please don’t think that having to use morphine is giving in - it’s not really that different pharmaceutically from codeine, and is safe when used properly-I take slow release morphine for bone pain and breathlessness with top ups as needed, and apart from needing laxatives, have had no problems with it. Wishing you all a pain free weekend.
Nicky
Hi Nicky,
Lovely to see you posting !!! How are you doing ?
Julie xxx
please don’t dismiss Morphine, sometimes people are frightened of using it and feel it is the last resort. It is a very effective pain relief and is particularly good in symptom control management. I think the mac nurses are more experienced than the GP re: symptom control issues. It is a specialised area. We need to keep on top of the pain, and not dip up & down. I feel very strongly that people should be made comfortable and not suffer unnecessarily. It is excellent in helping with (shortness of breath symptoms).
Sorry if I have barged into your link! Shelle x
hi
sorry all was not in any way dismissing using morphine,I am not that brave when it comes to pain.Just at the moment I am managing the pain
and it may sound silly but I feel it is one desision I sort of have some control over.
I was just really trying to sympathice with the difficulty of taking painkillers alongside ibandronic acid and it’s restrictions.
When I need advice on morphine i will be back asking all you lovely ladies for help.
Love and hopefully a painfree weekend to all.
lucindaxx
Chinook - I did have someone say the same thing as your sister in law said to me when I was using painkillers such as co-codamol, or tramadol or oxycontin during chemo.
I simply said ‘oh really, you wouldn’t take tablets for pain? Personally I don’t understand that whole masochism thing’
It shut them up.
Elinda x
have sent a pm
nicky