Fibromyalgia Blog: Abuse-Resistant Pain Killer Approved
The FDA has approved a new extended-release pain killer that's designed to discourage abuse. It's called Embeda (morphine sulfate and naltrexone hydrochloride).
Embeda is approved for moderate to severe pain, and could be an option for people with fibromyalgia pain who need around-the-clock treatment.
Inside Embeda tablets, there's a small capsule of naltrexone, and anti-addiction drug, that breaks open and destroys the "high" if the pill is chewed, crushed or dissolved (which is common in people taking narcotics recreationally.)
When you swallow Embeda, however, the naltrexone capsule is designed to pass through, with your body absorbing very little of the drug.
It's worth noting that some people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome take naltrexone, in very low doses. However, because Embeda is designed to release as little naltrexone as possible, it's not likely that it would be an additional therapeutic benefit.
The availability of a drug like Embeda is good news for all of us with chronic pain, because it may make doctors less hesitant to prescribe the drug if they know it's less likely to be abused by patients, or stolen by someone trying to get high.
In studies, Embeda was shown to be safe and effective for people with osteoarthritis, and also shown to be as effective as a similar drug that's already on the market. It hasn't been tested as a fibromyalgia treatment.
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About time they came up with something to replace all the narcotics they are going to be pulling/restricting! It definitely had me worried for a while.
I have always done well on Toradol. Any chance it could be approved for Fibro? Karen
Some people aren’t helped by Morphine, both my dad and I get no relief from it. Is this common in PWF?
Now will I not be suspected of being an addict? Pain medicine has it’s place. People should not have to live with the level of pain that we suffer from. Tramadol? Give me a break.
Why is Fibromyagic patients treated so differently?
A special narcotic medication to prevent abuse of the drug.
Why is that not available for anyone in chronic pain.
There is always possibility for abuse.
Besides all of my other ailments I feel as I’m a walking chemical. I do so hope a real remedy will be found. Lyrica made my vision blurry.
I’m on a Fentanyl patch and have been for awhile now. It’s the only thing that helps me manage my side effects and pain. It was up and down taking pain pills every four hours or so. I would feel better then an hour later all my pain was back with a vengence. The patch lets me function and help around the house. It keeps me from feeling incredibly sick and tired, and curled up in bed in so much pain I could barely move. My husband had to bath me for goodness sakes! If they take my patch away I cry when I think of how sick from the withdrawals and pain. Not that I’d love to get off my meds some day; I want it to be my decision. I don’t want to end up in some rehab just to go through hell because some politician liked Micheal Jackson! We are NOT DRUG ADDICTS!!!! WE TAKE IT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO!!! DURING THESE TIMES OF NO MONEY AND UNEMPLOYMENT, PEOPLE LOSING THEIR JOBS AND INSURANCE; DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE WANT TO PAY OUT MONEY TO HAVE OUR PAIN KILLERS! I’VE GOT ALOT OF BILLS TO PAY AND HAVING TO PAY FOR MY MEDS HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT, BUT I CAN’T JUST NOT TAKE THEM. THAT’S IS NOT AN OPTION. NOT JUST BECAUSE A CELEBRITY DIED FROM OVERDOSE, BY A DOCTOR! DOESN’T THE GOVERNMENT HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DO BUT PUNISH PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN BLOWN OFF BY DOCTORS FOR YEARS TELLING US THAT IT’S ALL IN OUR HEADS OR WE ARE JUNKIES! THANKS FOR MAKING OUR CONDITION EXTREMELY WORSE FROM WORRYING ABOUT LOSING OUR MEDS! GOD BLESS OUR POLITIONS.
AMEN, Christine! All your comments are good. I have suffered with CFIDS/FMS for over 25 years. I see a specialist for my CFIDS/FMS and he had me sign a pain contract……I didn’t mind doing it, I had nothing to hide. However, my family doctor thinks I am taking way too much oxydocone. Actually, he would like me not taking ANY! I have tried to explain to him that I only take the pain meds so that I can function at least a little bit and that I do not take them to get “high”. If my pain meds were taken away I would end up bedridden again. Even with my pain meds I feel pretty useless. My husband does a good job of taking care of me and I am so lucky to have him. I, too, have the up and down pain control problem because I take the oxycodone every 4-6 hrs. I tried oxycontin, which lasts for 12 hrs. and it worked very well, but my CO-PAY was nearly $500!! I can’t afford to take it. I also tried the fentanyl patch, which also worked well, but, again, it is so expensive that I can’t afford to take it. I don’t think that we, or any person in pain, should be denied pain relief just because they are afraid we will become addicts and I think that it is a crime that they charge such high prices for our meds that makes it impossible for us to pay for them. I hope that all of you can find some pain-free time.
Karen,
I don’t think it’s likely that toradol will be approved for fibro. A lot of studies show anti-inflammatories don’t do a lot for us, in spite of the fact that most of us DO find at least some relief from them. The approval process is so long and costly that companies making older drugs, that have generics on the market, don’t often seek approval for new uses.
Karen,
It’s fairly common to get relief from morphine, but like everything, it doesn’t help everyone.
I don’t understand the mention in this article the some fms/cfs people take small doses of naltrexone it said
“It’s worth noting that some people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome take naltrexone, in very low doses. However, because Embeda is designed to release as little naltrexone as possible, it’s not likely that it would be an additional therapeutic benefit.”
The way I understand Embeda is that the naltrexone is only released if the pill is used in a manner that addicts and rec users would use it (crush,chew, etc). If like me the fibro pain is at times so unbearable, why would I want something that is going to reverse the pain control feature of the opioid therapy? So I am sorry but I just don’t understand the use of just a low dose of naltrexone for controlling fibro or arthritis pain alone.
Kadian was a godsend and I guess this is the next step out for the same thing but with a feature to stop the dark side of prescription meds. and for me it allows a long lasting pain control with less need for so much break thru meds which the other 4-6 hr pills do.
Guide Response: Actually, naltrexone prevents the high, but doesn’t counter the pain-killing effect. In a standard dosage, naltrexone is primarily used as an anti-addiction drug. In very small doses, however, it’s showing a lot of promise as a pain reliever for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and several other conditions, including MS and autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s). Here’s more information:
Low-Dose Naltrexone for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
~Adrienne
Sorry, but can you elaborate more.
Ok, this is kind of weird but I just ran across this YouTube video: Kesha Tik Tok
It’s a chick that calls herself Ke$ha (Yes that’s Keisha with a dollar sign lol) But she’s got this music video called Tic Toc and the lyrics are funny. It’s kind of a good song actually. At one point she says something like “I brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack…” maybe has a drinking problem. Either way check it out and let me know how you like it. Like it or hate it?
…And is it weird that I like it?
Now this drug is to prevent those who wish to abuse it to do so. But what if, such as myself, you are a person who is admittedly an alcoholic but has been sober for awhile and does not wish to risk this sobriety, but also suffers from severe pain due to Fibromyalgia. Guessing that since there is morphine in the drug, it is probably not a good idea for me to take this , but I find little relief from tramadol and muscle relaxers, and have tried Savella, Lyrica, and other drugs to no avail. God had a pretty sick sense of humor with me, I don’t want to risk my sobriety with any pain pills that are addictive, but at the same time, the pain is so unbearable at times, I don’t know what to do.
So basically my question is, if taken at normal doses orally, would this new drug cause any “high” that may cause it to be addictive? I’ve heard people say tramadol can be addicting but have found absolutely no evidence of that with my taking of it. Just looking for anything that may help but not risk my sobriety. Thank you for any input you have.
Does anyone know anything about recruiting for this company staffing I have been looking into companies that offer virtual positions. If anyone has advise about this please help….
Possibly someone can post me back quickly to help me make decision. Thank you