Anonymous asked this question on 5/13/2000:
Hello doctor, I have been on the duragesic patch for 7 months now 100mcg. For severe back pain, I had 2 previous operations the last one was unsucessful. Now I have been experincing depression and anxity, I am no longer able to work age 34 mother of 4 raising by myself, waiting to get on S.S. disabilaty, so I have seen a psotheripst and a psychritest(bad spelling.) and was put on zoloft 75 mgs, this did nothing, then put on Effexor ex, this is working better(75mg) but then he said lets try Celexa 20 mg! Is there a link between the pain meds and the depression medication, as in they may not work as well since I have been on pain meds for such a length of time? I also take Deseryl for sleep. Asking for any help and advice on this, also, can the duragesic patch become less of a affect after being on it for such a length of time?
pain1 gave this response on 5/13/2000:
Hi
I am not a doctor but,,,, have had the same, or similar, problems as you speak of for 13yrs+ now, plus almost all the medications you speak of.
Because I am UK based our meds have different names, label names that is, but often the real drug names are the same...if too difficult to read for most of us.
Yes I do feel the patches lose efectivness when used long term. Also you have no way of knowing if they have been absorbed quicker than expected, due to heavy sweating of such like.. and therefore not giving you good cover. I will NEVER use them.
I do also see a link between the pain and depresion but not between the medications for each. I would advise you to seek further advice from anyone who has been on Celexa...I have heard all sorts of stories about it. I use Prozac for my depression, you may be more used to Paxil..they do the same type of job given they are from the same family...of course you can also get Prozac there.
I use sleepers too..Nitrazepam 10mg a night, plus Tranx...Dothapin 150mg a night and among everything else, like the Prozac I also use Morphine pills and medicine...M.S.T. tablets (they are morphine slow release) anything up to 120MG three time a day, huge amount more than the patch you have had..and even this is not perfect...the medicine morphine is called Oramorph..I use a strength of 10MG of morphine in 5ml of liquid..and I can take, n top of the morphine tanlets, anything upto another 60/80MGs a day. As you can see I have a lot of medication, but my problem may be worse than yours..that I have no idea about...I have had several failed operations, electronic implants fitted in my spine, injections, physio. pain management and the list goes on and on. I am now no longer seen as cureable...The degeneration is so advanced and continuing at an allraming rate. I also now have osteoarthritis..I too had my accident when I was 36 and also have three children..but I do have a a partner..my wife of 23yrs. That bit I have the advatage over you with. I am also financially settled because my accident was caused at work and so I got state aid right off, and a major compensation award. But that has nothing to do with your question.
So go back to the doctor/surgeon and demand better mediction. Nobody needs to be n pain these days and then there is pain management. Once you have control of the pain, as best as possible, that is the time to look for other forms of help..and then maybe you could get rid of drugs all together. Accept nothing that is of no help, accept no excuses or silly comments and stick to your guns and let them know you want to get on with your life...they can, and should, help. For a tiny cost you can buy a book on drugs which gives you heaps of info...look in to that too.
I wish you luck and hope I may have been of some use here.
Please do get back if there are any specific questions and I will be onbly too happy to help if I can. Oh yes there are also Drug Store sites on the web..they have a list of meds and their benefits and side effects too..
Dave (UK)
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