Been a while...

Hi everyone, I guess I've been coming and going now for about a decade.

I just wanted to check in, partly because of the covid isolation, partly because of a change in meds.

From 2007-2019, I primarily used Tramadol 300mg ER for my long-acting (plus oxycontin for a spell while writing a book circa 2013). By 2017, I knew the Tramadol had stopped helping with pain (thought maybe helped with mood).

I finally in the fall dosed out over a couple months, switching to Belbuca. Unfortunately, it made me drowsy at 300mg (below that, no pain relief).

I went back to Tramadol for a month to see what it did after a couple months off it. I had a couple good days, then nada.

So, last week my doctor put me on Xtampza 9mg bid.

There may be a "honeymoon" period with it, but I've been able to get substantially more writing done over the past few days. For example, during 2019, I'd be lucky to feel well enough to write for 90 minutes just after getting up. But with Xtampza, I've been able to write for 4 or 5 hours!

In addition, to my great amazement, I cleaned up our storage garage today! That was mostly breaking down about 30 cardboard boxes and organizing items on shelves -- about 2hrs work. By the end, I was in need of a breakthrough dose, but -- wow! I hadn't been able to do anything like that for a couple years.

One very surprising element in this is that breakthrough oxycodone doesnt help nearly as much. I usually take 3.75-5mg periodically through the day, but while it can reduce the pain, it doesn't help as much as the Xtampza. From the latter I get better pain control as well as something else, reversal of lethargy let's say.

Perhaps there is something about the slow and steady rate of receptir activation that triggers some other neuro-chemical activity.

As for Covid: I'm stocked up, getting my meals delivered from Home Chef, and working online (because my ability to write was waning, I applied for and was given a new administrative position). The up-side is I don't have to commute. But, the worry of course is the economic aftermath (or war, or some other global event triggered by instability).

I hope you all aren't too alone right now. I still have my wife, and a new dog (my wonderful Labrador died at 14yrs old last year). The new dog, a goldendoodle is about to turn 6 months old. She's a bundle of energy, usually very sweet, but can be stubborn.

Glad to read that you have found something that works! I sure hope this will be a medication that works for a very long time for you. It helps when folks come back with a positive story such as yours & thanks for posting this.

Keep well.