L5/S1 Nerve Root Injection

[Dave]

CL,

Norco is the same as Vicoden, except with less APAP.

A true Vicoden is 5mg Hydrocodone and 500mg APAP. Vicoden ES is 7.5/750 and Vicoden HP is 10/750.

Norco has 3 strengths, 5/325, 7.5/325 and 10/325. Since APAP levels over 4000mg a day can cause liver damage, Norco allows higher doses of Hydrocodone with less risk.

Justin, please correct me if this is not correct.

[KBear]

I'm on 10/325 also, for the lower dosage of tylenol. My bottle says norco; but I just say vicodin, since that's universally understood by all.

Also, Vicodin is sold under many names, depending on the maker. I have heard it called lortab, hydrocodone, and norco. I think there are more names; but none coming to mind right now.

Here is what drugs.com has for names of it: Brand Names: Anexsia, Dolorex Forte, Hycet, Liquicet, Lorcet, Lortab, Maxidone, Norco, Polygesic, Stagesic, Vicodin, Xodol, Zamicet, Zydone

[Justin]

CL,

Norco is the same as Vicoden, except with less APAP.

A true Vicoden is 5mg Hydrocodone and 500mg APAP. Vicoden ES is 7.5/750 and Vicoden HP is 10/750.

Norco has 3 strengths, 5/325, 7.5/325 and 10/325. Since APAP levels over 4000mg a day can cause liver damage, Norco allows higher doses of Hydrocodone with less risk.

Justin, please correct me if this is not correct.

Dave, you are correct.

Here's a recent article about lowering the maximum daily dose to 2600 mg from 4000 mg and other proposed FDA restrictions on acetaminophen --> Click Here.

Personally, I choose oxycodone hcl 5mg pills over anything with acetaminophen (APAP) in it--it's easy to get close to the daily maximum dosage when taking medications for pain, especially if you are sick and on over-the-counter medications that contain acetaminophen.

[Cindylou]

Oh, here's the answer. Thank-you.

[Dave]

OK. So I sit in the waiting room of their new multi-million dollar complex for 45 minutes. You'd think they could spend a extra couple grand on decent Steelcase or Haworth chairs. Not? I finally get called in to see my "hero" , that's what I call Dr. Hamati (he did a awesome job on my cervical problem) . He walks in, shakes my hand and asks how I feel. I tell him about 60% better. "That's about what I figured you'd get out of the injection" he says. At the level of degeneration I have, that's about all I'll get for now. He upped my Norco again, added Naproxen twice a day and scheduled another appointment in six weeks. At that time if I am still feeling the way I do, he is going to order an MRI and go from there. He also told me that the injections and meds are only going to mask a situation that will continue to get worse. In other words I will need surgery. I have to hold out until next spring for financial reasons. He said we could probably get there, but not much longer.

Ever have one of those days that just depress the out of ya, well today is that day. Besides my company changing management to some snot nosed know it all, to finally face the reality that although I'm not old, my back is ancient. I just gotta remember what I tell everyone else, "someone's got it worse". I know.....

Tomorrow is a new day and God willing, I will live to see the sunrise again.

Peace out my friends.

[Justin]

OK. So I sit in the waiting room of their new multi-million dollar complex for 45 minutes. You'd think they could spend a extra couple grand on decent Steelcase or Haworth chairs. Not?

So very true with many clinics.

He also told me that the injections and meds are only going to mask a situation that will continue to get worse. In other words I will need surgery. I have to hold out until next spring for financial reasons. He said we could probably get there, but not much longer.

Ever have one of those days that just depress the out of ya, well today is that day. Besides my company changing management to some snot nosed know it all, to finally face the reality that although I'm not old, my back is ancient. I just gotta remember what I tell everyone else, "someone's got it worse". I know.....

Tomorrow is a new day and God willing, I will live to see the sunrise again.

Peace out my friends.

Dave, sorry for your crappy day and the fact that you need another surgery next spring. Dr. Hamati is an outstanding surgeon and I'm glad that he will be helping you in the future. Please let the community know what we can do to help you between now and next spring.

As always, I can be reached by PM and email. Hang in there.

[KBear]

Sorry Dave that you need another surgery and are feeling crappy. It's very hard to try and stay positive when life seems to be falling apart all around you (and inside you). I always have my 'sad day' then the next day, decide to do what I can do to get better. Good Luck and I will be praying for you.

[Dave]

Pain is back with a vengeance. Taking 5-6 10mg Norcos a day just to function. I will be glad when Oct 6th gets here, so I can start to better understand what approach we are going to take to fix this broken down machine.


I started to read a bunch of older posts and something struck me. We are all always saying that this is a roller coaster ride, well I have come to the conclusion that this is absolutely correct. One day up and the next down.

One of my co-workers asked how my back was doing and I told him it's "FUBAR". After a good laugh, he said that it must take a very strong person to deal with this everyday. Hummm. Never thought about that but I guess it is true. If nothing else, this pain has taught me that we can handle anything that is thrown at us.

[daveinaustin]

Funny how we use "FUBAR," foo, and bar all the time in my field as well!

It's hell taking Norco 10/325 x 6-8 per day and trying to eek out a living, but we do what we have to.

Have you tried Flector patches? They are a strong anti-inflammatory (NSAID) that you can apply to your lower back. The combination of flector patches and Norco 10/325 has been quite helpful.

-Dave

[Justin]

One of my co-workers asked how my back was doing and I told him it's "FUBAR". After a good laugh, he said that it must take a very strong person to deal with this everyday. Hummm. Never thought about that but I guess it is true. If nothing else, this pain has taught me that we can handle anything that is thrown at us.

Dave, the FUBAR comment made me laugh out loud. Seriously though, sorry about your current pain. Your co-worker hit the nail right on the head -- you are a very strong person to deal with your pain daily. Hang in there.

Funny how we use "FUBAR," foo, and bar all the time in my field as well!

It's hell taking Norco 10/325 x 6-8 per day and trying to eek out a living, but we do what we have to.

Have you tried Flector patches? They are a strong anti-inflammatory (NSAID) that you can apply to your lower back. The combination of flector patches and Norco 10/325 has been quite helpful.

-Dave

Dave, daveinaustin brings up a great point about Flector patches. One nice thing about the Flector patches is that they work locally. :thumpup: