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Weird Reaction to Oxycodone
Wash
Sweet ChristmasRegistered User regular
Sweet ChristmasRegistered User regular
So, back in January I was prescribed Oxycodone for dealing with gallbladder attacks (I had gallstones, but as of January 23 I've been sans gallbladder so now all is well) and at one point decided they were needed. I popped two and waited, but my discomfort didn't decrease and I ended up with a headache and some dizziness. At the time I felt maybe two pills was too much (even though it said to take 1 or 2 on the bottle) and tried vomiting them up, which left me with a headache, dizziness, and a sore jaw.
Suffice it to say, I didn't touch them after that. Similar headaches popped up for a little over a month after that. At the time I had been dealing with a sinus infection, and had been getting the odd sinus headache, as well as a stuffed nose. Also, I'd been on low doses (20-40mg) of Accutane since October, which might account for dryness in my nasal cavities (the only reason I think this is relevant is because that seems like it might aggravate a sinus infection). When I finally had my gallbladder removed they pumped me full of antibiotics, and for a while after that my head was completely clear (plus I hadn't taken Accutane for a while leading up to it) which seemed to indicate "it's just a sinus infection". All the same, it sure felt like the Oxycodone had worsened things.
My doctor and my dermatologist seemed in agreement over the cause of this problem being the sinus infection, though tonight I'm not so sure. After I had my gallbladder removed they gave me Tylenol 3 which solved the pain problem (unlike Oxycodone) and didn't have any of the weird side-effects I'd initially linked to the drug. At this point I was pretty certain Oxycodone hadn't contributed to the headaches and weird nasal pressure feelings I'd been having.
Last night I was sore and tired and figured it'd be easier to sleep if I took something. I went for the Tylenol 3 but I guess I grabbed the wrong bottle. Anyway, same thing happened. My head had been fine for about a month - sinus infection should be totally gone - but the headaches, focused just above my eyes, and the pressure sensation situated around my nose and in-between my eyes and 'round my temples has been recurring since last night. They're not terribly painful headaches, more like annoying, but generally it feels like someone punched me in the nose or sides of the head.
Basically, what I'd like to know is could a prescribed dosage of Oxycodone actually do some damage? Is this normal for Oxycodone? Is my concern valid or am I just blowing this out of proportion?
Suffice it to say, I didn't touch them after that. Similar headaches popped up for a little over a month after that. At the time I had been dealing with a sinus infection, and had been getting the odd sinus headache, as well as a stuffed nose. Also, I'd been on low doses (20-40mg) of Accutane since October, which might account for dryness in my nasal cavities (the only reason I think this is relevant is because that seems like it might aggravate a sinus infection). When I finally had my gallbladder removed they pumped me full of antibiotics, and for a while after that my head was completely clear (plus I hadn't taken Accutane for a while leading up to it) which seemed to indicate "it's just a sinus infection". All the same, it sure felt like the Oxycodone had worsened things.
My doctor and my dermatologist seemed in agreement over the cause of this problem being the sinus infection, though tonight I'm not so sure. After I had my gallbladder removed they gave me Tylenol 3 which solved the pain problem (unlike Oxycodone) and didn't have any of the weird side-effects I'd initially linked to the drug. At this point I was pretty certain Oxycodone hadn't contributed to the headaches and weird nasal pressure feelings I'd been having.
Last night I was sore and tired and figured it'd be easier to sleep if I took something. I went for the Tylenol 3 but I guess I grabbed the wrong bottle. Anyway, same thing happened. My head had been fine for about a month - sinus infection should be totally gone - but the headaches, focused just above my eyes, and the pressure sensation situated around my nose and in-between my eyes and 'round my temples has been recurring since last night. They're not terribly painful headaches, more like annoying, but generally it feels like someone punched me in the nose or sides of the head.
Basically, what I'd like to know is could a prescribed dosage of Oxycodone actually do some damage? Is this normal for Oxycodone? Is my concern valid or am I just blowing this out of proportion?
Wash on
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I spoke to two, I just want another opinion on it. I even called a Pharmacist, and she said my reaction was odd. I simply want to know if it's possible I could have harmed myself with this stuff.
Internet opinions on medical matters are like assholes, only professionals have nice ones and they're not giving you a private show. I understand the attraction in seeking out assistance here, but this is really something you need to talk to your doctor about, barring that get a second opinion from another doctor. Hell get one anyways just to be sure.
No, I only spoke to them after the first incident. They completely discounted the Oxycodone, and any connection between it and the headaches/pressure. I spoke to a pharmacist tonight about it, and even she thought what had happened was odd. So if they can't tell me what's going on, try anywhere that might.
Also, forgot to mention this earlier: the first time this happened my doctors were sure what was going on was just a sinus infection, but even they thought the amount of time it'd gone on was strange.
edit: yeah, I intend to make an appointment with my doctor in the morning, and maybe stop by a clinic just to double check things. Oh, shit, that's another thing I forgot to mention: I went to a free clinic before I saw my doctor about this the first time, and was given sinus meds that didn't really do the trick. So that's 4 medical professionals unable to figure this out. *sigh*
You mean like permanent damage? So incredibly doubtful as to be laughable, especially with only 2 tabs that would have been completely cleared out of your system in 24 hours. Damn near all drugs have a side effect potential of headache, but they go away once the drug is cleared. You got some other shit going on. Seriously, with all the crap you got going on the Oxy is the safest thing you have taken besides Tylenol 3. Accutane is fucking brutal. You had surgery, major antibiotics, not to mention anesthesia. Probably other crap going on you havent remembered or mentioned.
Start by writing all this down on paper, and keep adding to it as you remember more, and go back before the Oxy to when the gallbladder problems started.
Some people are not able to metabolize oxycodone due to either a deficiency or a complete lack of a liver enzyme. What this means is that these people will receive little or no pain relief from oxycodone. What doesn't make sense though is that the Tylenol 3 did work for you. The codeine in T3 is metabolized to morphine by the same enzyme that metabolizes oxycodone. If you are lacking in this enzyme then the codeine won't be changed to morphine. It could be that it was simply the acetaminophen that relieved your pain.
The Accutane you are taking has been known to cause headaches in around 13% of patients so this may be the cause of your discomfort though the sporadic nature of your headaches doesn't seem to indicate a pattern. Accutane has a whole laundry list of potential side effects and I would attribute any weird or uncommon reactions to it rather than oxycodone.
I don't believe that oxycodone would cause the headaches you are having but the dizziness is very possible with any opioid pain reliever. I would recommend you dispose of the oxycodone since it seems to be doing more harm than good in your situation.
Don't be concerned about any permanent damage with the oxycodone. The doses you've taken are fine and the drug is out of your body fairly quickly. The only other thing I will add is that you shouldn't be drinking any alcohol while taking the pain medicines and especially while you are on Accutane. The combination of alcohol and accutane will make you very, very ill. Remember that this includes things like cough medicines and Nyquil since they may have a large amount of alcohol in them.
Regarding alcohol: I haven't had a single drink since I started Accutane, nor have I touched any narcotics. Clean as a whistle. I don't think Sinus meds would count though, right? Tylenol Sinus Pain and Congestion isn't going to get me feeling worse, right?
There are also rare paradoxical reactions to opioids - some people will report a worsening of pain, or a headache, with one opioid and not another. I've seen a couple of case studies like this. Nobody really knows why they happen - there's some speculation, but that would be outside of the scope of H/A. But these cases come from the "shit so bizarre that writing about it gets you published in a medical journal" file.
So it's unlikely that the oxycodone caused your headache, but not impossible.
I agree with Raif, though. It doesn't seem to be helping you, so don't take it.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
If you took 1.5x the maximum daily dose of Nyquil, all at one time, that would be the equivalent of drinking one beer. The alcohol in a normal dose of Nyquil is cleared within minutes of entry into the blood.
It's a good thing I've never wanted to abuse smack.
Best advice is to avoid alcohol while on accutane. I'm not sure why you want to debate ethanol levels. There's plenty of alternatives to Nyquil out there I was just giving an example. There may not be enough ethanol in a normal dose to equal a beer but that doesn't mean it won't cause an adverse effect with the accutane and make the patient nauseated.
Absolutely yes, but usually to your kidneys. Oxy, like all opiates, is bad for you. It's not meant to be something that you just take forever because. The way you wrote your post it makes it sound like you've got a huge supply of it.
Maybe talk to your doctor and see if he can put you on a weaker substitute/different formula. Darvocet was given to me post-op and it had far fewer side effects on me than some of the heavier stuff. It's weaker gram for gram, but if your long term choice is kidney failure and vomiting, or some light phantom pains from your gall bladder... well, you decide.
Also you shouldn't be taking heavy opiates just because you want to sleep better. That's the last step before addiction.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Get out a pharmacokinetics book and start doing some math, because you are way too hung up on the whole "% EtOH in NyQuil" thing and not looking at the dosing or total amount taken in over time. Yeah accutane is processed by the liver, just like alcohol, but if you think the liver taking 10 minutes to clear some EtOH is suddenly going to spike Accutane levels you are nuts. Secondly, the effects of alcohol on Accutane are not as great as you have blown them up to be.
No. And stop pulling shit out of your ass. You'd be dead of respiratory depression before Oxy is going to damage your kidneys.
Accutane inhibits the enzyme that converts acetaldehyde to its next metabolite. Ethanol -> acetaldehyde -> etc.
You are thinking that alcohol inhibits an enzyme that metabolizes accutane but it's the other way around. Acetaldehyde is the metabolite that causes the unpleasantness we associate with hangovers, not something you want in great quantities in your body.
I really regret mentioning Nyquil now. I admit that it probably won't cause an adverse event but why take the risk?
This is only partially true. Oxycodone is safer than some opioids for the kidneys but more dangerous than others. You can't lump all opioids together on this particular topic. It's also deeply ironic for a number of reasons that you go on to mention Darvocet, not the least of which is that of all the commonly prescribed opioids, Darvocet is actually one of the hardest on the kidneys. (Also, the FDA has been pressured multiple times to take Darvocet off the market because its pain control capabilities are rather weak compared to its side effect risk, including addiction risk.) [Obvious but necessary disclaimer: I am not a doctor.]
In general, if oxycodone doesn't work for you, a doctor is usually going to try codeine or hydrocodone (Vicodin) next; if those don't work, hydromorphone (Dilaudid) is usually next in line; if Dilaudid doesn't work they might try Fentanyl patches. And if that doesn't work then they're probably going to refer you to a pain management specialist who can navigate whatever weird thing your body is doing with opioids. But your mileage may vary and every doctor will adjust that vague plan based on professional experience and patient need.
Anyway, this is bringing the discussion to a level beyond the scope of H/A. The most troublesome long-term side effect from opioids is addiction, not kidney damage. But risk of addiction alone is not a reason to avoid opioids. It is a good reason to keep honest and open communication with all your doctors about what you're taking and how they affect you. It's when you start hiding things from your doctors that you get in trouble (like when you're bumming pills off of a friend without telling your doctors, or when you go to one doctor to get a prescription without telling your other doctors). Of course, there are other risks besides addiction, but those tend to be a little more varied between individuals (some people get nausea, some don't, for instance) so again it's a good reason to talk to your doctors.
So what does this all add up to? Talk to your doctors. Make sure every single physician you see knows everything you're taking and how it affects you.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
In short, different strokes for different folks. Next time you need pain medication, be sure to tell the doctor prescribing it to you that oxy does nothing but make you sick and that tylenol 3 works better.
The majority of opioids are not harmful physically. The most risks posed by most common opioids is actually acetaminophen.
The common side effects of opioids are nausea, dizziness, and sedation. If you're feeling any of these, try to lower the dose. Oxy is alot stronger than codeine. I am just guessing right here but I would say its approximately a bit over 10x as strong.
This probably doesn't help at all though. But have you ever used a higher than normal amount of similar drugs?