Spondylosis

Post your questions about pain management for our experts here.

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MichaelG
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Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:56 pm
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by MichaelG on Thu Oct 05, 2017 5:00 pm

Spondylosis

hi i suffer from chronic Spondylosis of the spine the medication i am on 225 Lirica, 25mic Durogesic DTrans fentanyl i also attend Mr Jos Keveney in Bon Secour Hospital for Pain Management lately i am trying to get off the patches by cutting them in half can you offer a replacement treatment in place of the patch.

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Arthritis Action
Posts: 97
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 1:27 pm
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by Arthritis Action on Mon Oct 09, 2017 7:22 am

Re: Spondylosis

Hello,

It is a very good idea to look at ways that you can reduce your pain medicines, especially fentanyl patches, as if you still have a lot of pain then clearly these strong opioids (morphine-like drugs) are not working well and they can have a lot of side effects including long term addiction. Cutting the patches down in size can help, as can increasing the number of days in between changing the patches. Changing to a weaker form of opiod such as codeine taken as a tablet, and then gradually reducing the strength of this can also help. You should not suddenly stop the fentanyl patches as you may well have unpleasant withdrawal effects.

At the same time as reducing your medication, you could try self-management strategies for osteoarthritis , including relaxation strategies, perhaps meditation, for example mindfulness or distraction techniques, some gentle exercise and trying to improve your sleep quality as well as reducing the stressors in your life, if possible. Talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy can also help improve your mood and help you deal with unhelpful or negative thoughts. Good luck.

Dr Wendy Holden
Medical Advisor to Arthritis Action and Consultant Rheumatologist

Arthritis Action
56 Buckingham Gate London SW1E 6AE
020 3781 7120 http://www.arthritisaction.org.uk

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Stephen Kelly
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Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2016 12:12 pm
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by Stephen Kelly on Mon Oct 23, 2017 3:07 pm

Re: Spondylosis

Spondylosis is quite a broad term that generally refers to some type of spinal degeneration. Therefore, it doesn't necessarily explain what is causing your pain. Have you considered seeing a local chiropractor/osteopath/physiotherapist who might look at your problem from a slightly different perspective?
Kind regards
Stephen
Stephen Kelly
Registered Chiropractor (BSc Hons, MSc, DC)
http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... _kelly.php

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