Changing from Zapain(co-codamol) to Tapentado... - Pain Concern

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Changing from Zapain(co-codamol) to Tapentadol slow release


Hello All,

I'm not a regular user on here, but I've now been suffering with chronic pain for nearly 3 years, I'm 32 years. I have a bulging disc at L5/S1 and a Tarlov cyst, I've had a failed nerve root block Aug 2016, pain clinic dismissed me, had my last one hope at Southahampton Neurology for possible spinal nerve stimulation. They wanted me to complete chronic pain course( Which I'm currently on, 3 weeks in a lot of contradicting themselves, cannot get mindfulness, too much talk science side of things) and change medication. I take 60mg Zapain x4 a day, 300mg Pregablin x2 a day, and 75mg Amitriptyline a day and laxido sachets when I remember. So I am now on maximum pregablin and neurology suggested a patch or tapentadol slow release, they said and other gps have to wean myself slowly off zapain and slowly build up tapentadol at same time. Now my GP who I like to deal with same one said I can change straightaway stop zapain and move to tapentadol!?! He says they are similar meds so won't matter he also said they don't like to give out tapentadol.

Now has anyone chaged from zapain to tapentadol or similar especially stopping zapain instantly. When I came off of naproxen they said i could stop but i had to re take and wean myself off as I felt terrible.



16 Replies

Tapentadol is more expensive than other opiates. I have been on them for 18 months and find them the most effective so far. They also help with mood.

laylag in reply to deejames

heya I'm on much more than you and I'm on zapain pregabalin 3x300 mgs try like me and the precursor to pregabalin called GABAPENTIN youl need to take that 3x300mgs together after 9pm thereabouts the drugs will work and youl sleep etc ive got ank sp diss and also acute fibromyalgia assaults stress etc and hardly go out if I do the abuse dsabilty hatred starts etc and walking is seriously painful so at night the morphine slow release called either oramorph you can buy it for 30 days supply if they wont prescribe on the internet from canadiaans etc or buy zomorph or morphine sulphare but I get zomrph 10mgs 3 a day from the go and pain clini so use yor miney from dla to keep yourself free from pain and if you don't get it then apply disability living allowance do not trust your gp ir other idiots from probably india they contadct themselves ad cause you more pain theyre getting off on your ill health because zapains nothing its just 30mg x 500 paracetamol solpadeine is better its soluble don't be afraid to speak up as that's a crock that we are weaning you off etc the strip they've got you on I'm invesrgating that might be sr morphine try my regime and that patch sr I'm surw its morphine ask them to put you zomorph 10mgsx 3 per day thheyl be shocked you've got balls enough to stand upp their crap.

deejames in reply to laylag

laylag. I am sorry but I have no idea what you are on about. Do you have a question for Pain Concern ?

You appear to be advocating buying medication from the internet. That seems like a very risky and unwise course of action. Opiates are dangerous medicines that need to be treated with respect.

morphalot in reply to laylag

Laylag I'm sorry your message has confused me too. One thing I noticed though seems to be that you're using oramorph as slow release morphine. This is not the case. Oramorph kicks in straightaway, it is not slow release. Also the thought of buying opiates over the internet really scares me. It could be cut with anything, you could think you're buying from a pharmacy whereas it could be street dealers. Don't mess around with opiates. Gabapentin isn't really a precursor to pregabelin, it's a cheaper, dirtier alternative. I couldn't take it because of the side effects. Take your pregabelin according to the prescription, not saving your doses to take at night. I'm really concerned at home little you seem to respect your own body as you are really putting it through the mill. Apologies if I have got the facts wrong, but I found it a difficult to follow your letter. Hope your pain improves, you sound in a bad way x

In the US and canada, oramorph is a form of modified release morphine, so he isn't wrong there.

In the UK it is an instant release morphine liquid.

Gabapentin is a precusor to pregabalin. It isn't really cheaper now - a couple of quid difference, and it isn't dirtier. Why talk nonsense ? It is however more potent mg for mg, and blood levels are more linear based on dose.

I certainly wasnt meaning to talk nonsense! When I was on gabapentin 6 years ago a doctor gave me the information I have it in my post above. It gave me horrible side effects, the same as a number of other people I know. Sorry if you think I was talking nonsense

sorry it comes across as harsh but it isn't true, and pregabablin came off license in the last year or so, so yes 6 years ago the cost would have been much more.

Interestingly in studies gabapentin seems to be slightly more effective than pregabalin.

I didn't think your reply to me was particularly harsh, but I do think the one to laylag was. I almost reported it, then I thought perhaps you had some condition that made you behave in that way.

So it was true.

No longer taking amytriptilene because dry mouth became unmanageable. Also caused constipation. Might want to check out spinal decompression treatments at a chiropractor.Shop around; don't all charge same price. Might want to get the book Treat Your Own Back by an Aussie. Can't remember name. These exercises and decompression treatments greatly helped my sciatica. Learned that bike riding motion aggravates pain. Also bought Amazon's choice for a pillow for stomach sleepers.Sleeping on stomach relieves sciatica. Know what chronic pain is like! It's easy to take a pill; but, you have the awful side effects with it.

morphalot in reply to Tenntom56

My dry mouth was awful - I go through an incredible amount of chewing gum!

Hi Diane sorry to hear that things are not so grand for you at the moment. I was on Tapentadol for about 3 years, given to me by the pain clinic for sciatica. It was brilliant for pain relief and I'm not disputing that they were very effective at reducing the pain that i was feeling. However I started to get very bad migraines that lasted for 18 months. I was advised by my neurologist to stop taking them to see if they were contributing to the migraines and unfortunately they were. I have been without them for 7 months, I have not been totally pain free from my back pain but i'm able to function better now. I would also say that you will probably still need to take the laxido for a while as Tapentadol bunged me up a little. I hope that this medication works for you

my doc took me of mine did not need to be weaned of i just swapped over there was no problem with it as my doc said the same as your doc he was right but i went for the spinal nerve stimulation. but they would not do it as i have my neck has gone and the same at the lower back the reason was it only was meant for the pain in one place the lower back so i would still have to take meds but he did tell me that people have had it and came back a week later asking for it to be taken out as they were crying in so much more pain than they had before they had it fitted and the other things like being paralyzed and death i'm sorry to say i did not have it so i am on 2/ 30.500 zapain 2/ 50mg tramadol and 4/ 300mg gabapentin this lot 3 times a day just touching the pane

Painnumber9 in reply to dapar

I have had CRPS since 1991 & tried just about everything including the spinal implant at the upper (neck level) 4.5 years ago.

I'm sorry to say they lied to you, it is quite possible to treat your neck and lower back (thru the sciatic nerve ) at the same time.

This is because although I have the upper level for chronic nerve pain in my arm (feels like whole arm is in boiling oil) & when it was fitted at St Thomas hospital they hit the sciatic nerve so it works down my leg at the same time (even tho I've nothing wrong with my leg)

Hope you get another crack at it.

Hope it helps

I do not have any knowledge about stopping zapain straight away. Tapentadol is a very good pain relief, it helped me along with duloxatine and pregablin, I did not realise how effective it was until my G. P told me to reduce the mg, I'm now in the same pain I was in before I started taking them. Whichever way you do this, I hope it works for you.

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