I need some perspective on the amount of painkiller someone close to me is taking

[Mike 03]

I have a friend who has cancer, and after diagnosis he was taking 20 mg of Oxycontin. About nine months later he moved up to 40 mg. Now, eighteen months out he has been moved up to 60 mg.

I'm a huge proponent of effectively treating pain. I've written about this before here at DU. It's vitally important IMO to treat pain completely and without holding back. But just to get some perspective, since I don't know that much about opiate dosage, is 60 mgs a day a lot? Is it a little? Is it average, a lot, etc...?

Any insight would be valuable.

I'm just trying to get a sense of how much pain he is experiencing vs. the amount of painkiller he is prescribed and, in that vein, whether or not his doctors are using the "Big Guns" yet.

I would be worried if this was a large amount of painkiller, because I don't want him to get tolerant too soon, because I'm worried that we have a ways to go in terms of the pain.

Thanks.

ON EDIT: That would be 60 mg twice a day (morning and night). Also, I think it was more recently that he bumped up to 40 and 40, like perhaps three months ago or so.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. For a cancer patient,

60 mg twice day isn't a startling amount.. Don't forget that the drug comes in 80 mg sizes, so he's taking far less than he might be.

Besides, what difference does it make to you? If he's take 1,000 mg. a day and it eases his pain, what's the problem? That's what it's for - to kill pain. He will, though, have to take more and more since oxycontin is a drug that for which one quickly develops a tolerance.

What are his options? Not take as much and have pain?

Don't worry - he'll handle it. It's good he has a physician who understands pain management.