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Fri 27 Feb, 2009 11:05 am
I have this awful, nasty tasting, goopy throwing cough and have had it since Monday. Just got prescribed Tussionex, which contains hydrocodone. The only cough syrup I take because it's the only one that works.
I also have a sore throat and have since Monday. Which the stupid doctor I talked to on Wednesday failed to note apparently, which I'll get into in a bit. I am taking 800mg of ibuprofin for throat pain every 6-8 hours.
I am sitting here feeling really funky (like my head will literally drop to the desk if I don't make a conscious effort to hold it up). I decide to check some stuff out. I've taken Tussionex before and know it's a narcotic. I know it contains hydrocodone. What I didn't know is how much. 1 tsp of Tussionex, which is my dose, contains 10mg of hydrocodone. That is the equivalant of 2 pills of vicodin! So on top of 800 mg of ibuprofen 3 times a day, I am taking the equivalent of 4 vicodin pills (I take the cough syrup every 12 hours)
It never occured to me that this "cough syrup" had pain killing properties.
So two things:
1- My throat must be REALLY sore because the cough syrup isn't taking care of it and I am taking more pain meds. Off to fill my antibiotic now.
2- What the hell was the doctor thinking not mentioning this to me? " Oh by the way, you might not want to take lots of Motrin with this stuff?" Is it just me or does this seem not real great for my kidneys?
While it is reasonable to say that Doctors need to pay attention to your meds, you have a responsibility yourself. I'm not blaming the victim here, i'm just offering you what i think is good advice. Any time a physician prescribes a drug for you, or recommends an over the counter med, tell the Doctor what other meds you are taking, including over the counter meds, and ask if he or she knows of any contraindications or chemical conflicts with the regime.
I don't know if there is a contraindication with taking Tussionex and ibuprofin at the same time--you need to contact your physician about this, or contact a nurse-call system. But your Doctor can't read minds, and if he or she is the least bit harried, it's not likely that he or she is going to exhaustively discuss with you contraindications with over the counter meds. You need to bring that up yourself. How did you expect your doctor to know you are regularly taking ibuprofin? Did you mention this? If you did, and if there is a contraindication, then you've got a legitimate beef.
Well, not regularly taking it except for when I am sick with sore throat, which is one of the reasons I went in to begin with.
Not the victim here, just wondering....
She was a twit.
Besides, how many cough syrups do you know of that contain pain meds? I don't know much about pharmaceuticals and figured that a cough syrup wouldn't contain enough vicodin to knock me on my ass.
We all have to be our own doctors nowadays. Most of them are overwhelmed and can't focus on details. I would not have thought ibuprofen would be good for throat pain - just as well if take that out of the mix. It might suppress some aches and pains, but throat inflammation is another story. I think anytime you are given a prescription drug you should look it up for side effects and possible conflicts - including herbal conflicts. It sounds like you have a weak immune system and once you get off of all the drugs I suggest you start exploring ways to keep your white blood cells stronger. It's always hard when you have a baby that goes to daycare (I think of places like that as petri-dishes for diseases), but start by getting rid of processed foods and concentrating on eating plant based fresh or frozen foods rich in antioxidants (not grown in Chili, please). Also become one step away from OCD by washing your hands often when you are out in public. You can even carry around handi-wipes. I think a little dirt is good for us, but other peoples infectious germs are better left behind. Hope you feel better soon.
@Bella Dea,
Did you mention this to your physician?
@Setanta,
The sore throat? Yeah.
And she isn't my regular doctor. He was on vacation.
She gave me a script for antibiotics but told me not to fill unless I still didn't feel better in a few days.
What kind of doctor does that? I didn't fill it because I hate taking antibiotics but now I think I have to because I am no better and still hacking up nasty crap.
Oh and yes, Motrin takes care of a sore throat.
I only took it because I figured the sore throat was from the cold. I wonder if I have strep now.
Naproxen sodium is a good anti-inflammatory, and is sold over the counter with the trade name Aleve. You don't need to buy the branded product, it is sold in "generic" over the counter preparations, too. You can also always find online resources to check the over the counter meds you are taking.
The site "Drugs-dot-com" is a good place to find this kind of information.
You can read about naproxen sodium by clicking here. You might also want to check out ibuprofin.
You can read about ibuprofen by clicking here.
Drugs-dot-com may not give you exhaustive information, but if you put the drug name in their search window, they'll dredge up all kinds of references you can check out.
Wait, why are we talking about Naproxin and Ibuprofen?
When I say Motrin, I mean ibuprofin. I am not brand loyal.
And Naproxin is very hard on the stomach. I only take that when my tendonitis acts up because it seems to be the one that works the best for it.
Was going to recommend Aleve as well.
Actually, i meant did you mention to the Doc that you were taking ibuprofen. My remarks have been addressed to communicating with the Doc about the meds you take, including and especially the over the counter meds.
I'm fortunate, i'm a strep carrier, and i almost never get a sore throat, so it's really just a shot in the dark to recommend naproxen sodium. However, i use it in any situation calling for an anti-inflammatory, including febrile conditions, so it might work for your sore throat.
Ok, is it the drugs or has this thead taken a weird turn?
@Bella Dea,
You are absolutely right about naproxen sodium--the most common side affect is stomach troubles.
@Setanta,
Ahhhhhh I see.
Sheesh. I am totally out of it.
So you are saying naproxin is better for a sore throat than ibuprofen?
Well, you're pretty damned weird . . . but i think the thread is OK.
@Bella Dea,
If you're taking ibuprofen, then adding more ibuprofen is not a good idea.
Alternate ibuprofen with acetaminophen.
@Setanta,
No, I didn't mention it. I honestly didn't have time. She ran in, checked my vitals, gave me drugs and practically plowed over a nurse on the way out.
I was very unsatisfied.
Well, I know Hydrocodone and ibuprofen can be packaged together in the same pill, so I wouldn't worry as much about drug interaction.
They also work in different ways - hydroc is a neural-based pain reliever, Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory iirc.
Cycloptichorn
@Bella Dea,
I had this happen once, but my doctor was a bit more thorough explaining why and also because I was going on vacation in a few days to the Carribbean.
My doctor explained it like this - if you have a virus then anibiotics will not help and the illness should be gone in a few days, if it isn't gone in a few days then it could be bactorial which an antibiotic will help. Since I wouldn't be able to come into the office before my vacation, she gave me the prescription and told me only to get it filled if I wasn't starting to feel better.
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