The last two times I had a colonoscopy, they had to give me the maximum allowable dosage of Demerol and Versed to knock me out. Although I finally "went under" both times, I remember waking up during both procedures at painful parts of it. The first time, a few years ago, I remember doing some moaning and groaning. But the one I had recently was a nightmare. At one point, I woke up screaming and remember it vividly. But I was out like a light during the rest of it.

Could this be due to the fact that I'm on numerous medications and have developed a high tolerance for certain medications? The only pain medication I'm on is Buprenex,(sublingually for depression,) which I know can counteract other narcotics. I also take Fioricet, a barbiturate, fairly often for tension headaches. However, I was not yet even on Buprenex when I had the first colonoscopy. Here's another odd thing. Around the time of the first procedure, I also had an endoscopy where they look down into the stomach. They anesthetize you much the same way as for the colonoscopy. But this time, I "went under" immediately and did not wake up during the procedure. I had another one recently, (while being on Buprenex,) and "went under" immediately for this one too and never woke up during the procedure.

The other meds I currently take are Effexor, Remeron, Tricor, Cytomel, Synthroid, Prevacid and Niaspan. I'm on very high doses of Effexor and Remeron, (for depression,) and wonder if that is necessary due to tolerance as well. Also, I just recently was put on Zyrem, (legal GHB,) for Narcolepsy in addition to everything else. Even with the GHB, I need to be on the maximum dosage to feel anything. During the clinical trials a few years ago, just half the dose was working for me. Needless to say, I'm going to be scared to death the next time I get a colonoscopy. And what if I need surgery sometime and get a general anesthetic? Could I wake up during that as well? Or supposing I was in an accident and was in the hospital on a pain killer such as Morphine. Would it even be effective? Comments please.

Sandman

Sandman,

Great questions... Yes Buprenex will block Opiates. Demerol will not work. It's like taking Narcan and Demerol or Morphine. I'm not sure but maybe VERY LARGE doses of morphine will displace the buprenorphine, but I really don't know.

The barbiturate in Fioricet effects the GABA receptor and has cross tolerance for Benzo's. If you take a lot of Fioricet benzo's won't work as well. FYI it takes a long time for the tolerance to reverse at this receptor.

This is exactly why I have stopped taking it. I also switched from Buprenex back to morphine so I am not blocked in the event of an accident, surgery etc.

Until someone can come up with a good answer as what they need to do for pain THAT WORKS while on BMT I will not take it.

Effexor is bad stuff at high doses. Unless you are seriously depressed and all other paths have been explored I recommend against it. A simple Google search for Effexor Withdrawal yields a pile of info, not much of which is pleasant reading if you are on it.

I put it in the last resort category.

Bup4pain: Thanks once again for long sought out answers. My depression was indeed very bad and the doctors had tried virtually every anti-depressant and every combination of them. The combination of Remeron and Effexor finally worked. But it would be very risky, according to several doctors, to go off of it at this point. There is a high probability that if I needed to go back to it, it would not work. The worst part about Effexor is not having any sex life. But I finally decided that not being depressed anymore is worth the trade-off. (almost anyway) I did try cutting down the dose of Effexor, with my MD's permission but noticed a huge change as far as my energy level. So I'm still at 375mg daily.

As for the Firoicet, is there something else I may be better off taking for tension headaches? Although I've been taking it a few times a week for many years, two tablets still has pretty much the same effect as it ever has had for pain. Sometimes for a particularly bad headache, I'll take an extra 1/2 tablet. Also, although the instructions are one tablet four times daily, just the two or two and 1/2 tablets initially is all I normally need for one day. (One tablet never did anything for me, even the first time I took it.)

Sandman

I found that 2 a day would develop tolerance with me. That's all I can say.

Defining how many is to many is very difficult. Some place around 30 a month. That's my best guess. Could be higher or lower depending on the person and other drugs taken.

I feel for headaches Aleave and Advil and even Excedrine works wonders sometimes. A buprenex induced headache was almost impossible to get rid of for me. I HATED THEM!

I know Advil, even three of them, won't help my headaches. I think I'll try the other two or even ask the pharmacist what works best. Can the OTC meds also cause you to have "rebound" headaches? If I wasn't so damn neurotic, maybe I could just learn to relax for tension headache pain control.

Sandman

At last, something I know about that I may can offer some knowledge. I am posting on the pain pill board cause I am trying to get off lortab and will being going to doc this week to get on suboxone or something. Anyway, the xyrem (legal GHB)is probably why you wake up when you should be knocked out for surgery. I was addicted to G for three years and quit in July. I traded it for lortab. I was put under for minor surgery and knew I should have told the doc I was on G but didn't. Because what it does is (for people that don't have Narcolepsy) anyway is it will knock you out then you wake up wide awake and ready to go. I woke up too soon and go up from recovery and they were shocked. I got lucky that I didn't wake up during. You really need to explore the way xyrem works with all that other stuff you take, because that alone is a hell of a drug. I don't know how if affects people who it is prescribed to but I know it is one hell of a drug. It alone is suppose to cure depression, help with alcohol withdrawel and tauted as miracle drug. BUT the bad thing is it is highly addictive at least the original stuff that was sold in the health food stores before they outlawed it and Xyrem pattened it so they could make a fortune on it. I remember going to the dentist being on G and he said he gave me enough novicane for the whole office and I still felt what he was doing. Does your Narcolepsy effect you that bad to you definte need that? I mean I would probably love to have it legal but I always worried if something ever happened and got operated on again that I was going to wake up in the middle, it just effects you that way. Plus that was one hell of a monkey to get off and I am wondering it that is why I having such a hard time getting off Lortab because G "f'd" with my dopamine so much and pain receptors and everything else. Go to the google groups and do ghb search and pull up that group, lots of people would kill to get that prescribed to them or go to I think it is probably project ghb board and read some of the info there. My guess it is the xyrem esp. since you were just recently prescribed it. Research it more before you get too much into it.

GREAT POST!

OK...here's the story. First of all, I was just put on the GHB a few months ago, long after my most recent colonoscopy. Here's something else that few doctors know unless they are sleep specialists; The GHB is given in such a way that it definitely is NOT addictive! First, Xyrem is the most tightly controlled drug on the market. It is only available from one central pharmacy in St. Louis. (They Fedex it to me.) The usual dosage is 4-9 milliliters at bedtime just before turning out the lights. Then, a few hours later, I wake up and take another dose which is already prepared and sitting bedside. Following these directions, YOU DO NOT BECOME ADDICTED! I was in on the clinical trials for well over one year. The doctor had me stop "cold turkey" and there were NO withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. All sleep specialists know this. But I recently told my psychiatrist I was on it and he totally freaked out about addiction and all that crap. My "sleep doctor," (both a psychiatrist and neurologist) is one of the best doctors I think I've ever known. He told me to have the shrink call him so that he could enlighten the guy about Xyrem. But apparently his ego was too big, (or perhaps he didn't care,) as I gave him the doc's phone number but he never bothered to call.

One thing I definitely will do is to talk to my Narcolepsy doctor about my tolerance problem and will ask if this will add to it. Perhaps he'll tell me to go off it a few days before a medical procedure but I'll have to ask him. And yes, I do need this medication as nothing else, such as stimulants, has really helped me. Xyrem has turned out to be a miracle drug for narcoleptics. I've been to Narcolepsy conferences and have talked with many sleep specialists. Not one, has had anything but good things to say about Xyrem.

As for Xyrem (actually "Orphan") patenting it to make a fortune of it, that remains to be seen. First of all, they took a really big gamble. They spent a lot of money on research and clinical trials knowing the FDA may not even approve of it because of it's high potential for abuse. Also, there are relatively few narcoleptics as the disease is very rare. Many of those people won't even need Xyrem. I'm just recently starting to feel the benefits of the drug. (It takes up to three months to start working.) I'm experiencing less daytime sleepyness, fewer "sleep attacks" and less cataplexy.

Sandman