Oxycodone and percocet use.?

I have been in Pain Management for 4 yrs now because of severe nerve damage (sciatic) and frankly heard so many opinions that my head used to swim trying to decide what was the "best" way to go.

There are a couple things that I think are important when making a decision that will absolutely effect you long term. Being 22yrs old you will want to look into what makes it easiest for you to get back into the swing of things with the least amount of pain.

30mg of Oxycontin isn't really that large of a dose over a 24 hr period, for best use of the drug try to make sure that you stick with 8hr intervals precisely. The medication is extended release. Percocet is Oxcodone and Acetaminophen and not very strong at all, if you are worried you could always replace this drug with 3 or 4 Tylenol Extra Strength because it is Acetaminophen that way you aren't doubling on your narcotics.

Usually when 2 narcotics are prescribed is post hospitalization care one is the primary and the other is recommended only for break through pain (extra pain)

I can tell you from my experience with Oxycontin though that if you will need pain management for a long period of time (years) it isn't a great idea. There are much better drugs for long term care.

But for a recovery period your mixture isn't too bad, just make sure that when you are ready to get off of the Oxy to either have your doctor whine you off of them or do so yourself because there will be a physical withdrawl and it is rather uncomfortable if you stop cold turkey!!

Nerve damage takes a while to repair itself there are drugs that are made particularly for it such as Lyrica and Neurontin, you might ask about those if you find that your not getting enough nerve pain relief.

I cannot speak to your mother's case as I do not have all the information. However, Percocet is oxycodone, as is oxycontin, so one is not stronger than the other, oxycontin is just longer acting. The benefits of a longer acting formulation are that there are less peaks and valleys in the pain control. This means that most people can be controlled with a lower dose, which is delivered consistently. When trying to stop the medication, it can also be easier to decrease the dose in a twice per day dose, than a 4 or 6 time per day dose formulation. The physiologic dependence is no greater with oxycontin than percocet. However, due to the consistency of the dose, there is less of a psychological effect, and often less addiction behavior. I hope this information helps. But for information specific to your mother you would have to talk to your mother. Her physician will not necessarily discuss the issue with you unless you are in a guardian status due to meidcal privacy issues.