Painkillers and antibiotics...

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
Pretty please seeking very brief clarification on a couple of scenarios.
I don't go into detail in the narrative/speech, the drugs are just mentioned in passing.
It's July 2009, if that helps.

1a). Illegally-obtained Percocet. According to my googling, those 650mg oval-ish yellow pills are the strongest? Character 1 needs them for a serious injury sustained whilst being a Very Naughty Boy. What would be the maximum daily dosage, and would the occasional extra pill have serious/life-threatening effects? I understand that Percocet is addictive - he takes it for about a week and then throws out the left-over pills.
1b). Heavy-duty antibiotics. To ward off potential infection as he really does NOT want to seek medical attention. Just the name will suffice.

2). Not sure = not mentioned by name!
A bottle of "painkillers" is currently mentioned in a flashback. Character 2 had a significant head injury, broken ribs and other fractures from a serious car crash. He was given painkillers on being released from (the) hospital, but declined to take them (in denial about severity of injuries, fear of addiction, etc). What might he have been prescribed? Again, just the name will suffice.

Many thanks in anticipation,

LPH.
 
Last edited:

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
Cheers me dears. Meant to mention that these drugs are for the US-based part of the story, so don't know if they'd do things slightly differently across the Pond?

I had Flucloxacillin 500mg last winter for an infected toe (not of the ingrowing toenail variety). You would not have wanted to get stuck in a lift/elevator with me. ;) Sorted the dodgy toe pretty sharpish though.
 
Last edited:

RKarina

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
298
Reaction score
37
Location
Charm City, USA
Website
rochellekarina.com
1a - no clue.

1b - Cipro or Levaquin are fairly heavy hitters in the non-penicillin relative range. Both are broad spectrum, though I don't believe either is commonly used for MRSA-type infections, while Flucloxacillin is - however, Flucloxacillin is not a broad-spectrum antibiotic. The difference being - broad spectrums act against a wider range of bacterial families, while narrow-spectrum antibiotics have a more limited (and more targeted) range of bacterial families against which they are effective.

2 - depending on the severity of pain and injuries, and the attitude of the treating doctor. Naproxen is Aleve - works like Motrin/Ibuprofen, available over the counter as well as prescribed. It's non-narcotic, and non-addictive, and very commonly suggested for mild pain management. And no one would ever be afraid of getting addicted to it.
Something that might have been prescribed for more serious pain/injuries - vicodin/hydrocodone. It is addictive, usually used for moderate levels of pain management, and would come with the "don't want to take this..." for side effects, addictive qualities, etc.
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
Big thanks!

Let's just say Mr Bad Guy has a contact who can get him the drugs he needs. If I was in his shoes I'd go for broad spectrum antibiotics, as who knows what nasties could have got in. I'll do some more googling on that one.

Vicodin is looking good. Mr Good Guy would know it has the potential to be addictive and he's the sort to avoid anything like that. Or, could he be prescribed Percocet? Either way, he'd stick to the likes of Advil/Tylenol, tempting though the prescription stuff is.

Update: Found info stating maximum daily dose for the yellow Percocet pills is 6 per day.
However, what would happen if he sneaked an extra one or two?
 
Last edited:

waylander

Who's going for a beer?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 24, 2005
Messages
8,345
Reaction score
1,594
Age
65
Location
London, UK
Big thanks!

Update: Found info stating maximum daily dose for the yellow Percocet pills is 6 per day.
However, what would happen if he sneaked an extra one or two?

Rather depends on his build - think about dose per kilo of body weight. If he's a big guy then a couple more are unlikely to give him a problem, if he's smaller.....
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
My "worry" is that Percocet contains paracetamol (acetaminophen), which ain't good for the liver in high doses. Same applies to Vicodin.

Medical folks:
Are there any painkiller pills out there which DON'T contain paracetamol/acetaminophen?! I need him to be taking more than he should for a few days. He has to get rid of the first stash in a hurry and then track down a new supplier for 3-4 more days of pharmaceutical relief. Would oxycodone fit the bill?

Ahhhh, the joys of fiction...
 
Last edited:

asroc

Alex
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2012
Messages
1,537
Reaction score
293
My "worry" is that Percocet contains paracetamol (acetaminophen), which ain't good for the liver in high doses. Same applies to Vicodin.

That's why the maximum dosage is there. The recommended and dangerous doses of acetaminophen are pretty close together. Many cases of acetaminophen poisoning are due to combination narcotic abuse. So if the character often takes a couple more than the max, his liver and kidneys might just fail in a spectacular fashion and cause a pretty unpleasant death (which is why the FDA doesn't much like Vicodin and Percocet.)
Are there any painkiller pills out there which DON'T contain paracetamol/acetaminophen?! I need him to be taking more than he should for a few days. He has to get rid of the first stash in a hurry and then track down a new supplier for 3-4 more days of pharmaceutical relief. Would oxycodone fit the bill?

Ahhhh, the joys of fiction...

Oxy works and is frequently traded under questionable circumstances. (Most drugs like those are more commonly known by their most prominent trade name, which is case of oxycodone is Oxycontin.) Also hydromorphone (Dilaudid), oxymorphone (Opana) or tramadol.
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
Cheers for the extra drugs!

Mr Good Guy - a.k.a. Mr Fed (whom asroc will have nightmares about for weeks) - was prescribed Vicodin, which he refused to touch.

Mr Bad Guy is currently rattling with Ciprofloxacin and Percocet, although when he gets to Switzerland* he'll be hunting down Oxycodone. Not sure what the Swiss call the stuff so, unless I learn otherwise, I'll stick with that name for it. You can get it in Switzerland though, I checked (via google, not in person) and they're pretty strict about the stuff. If any of my US-based characters ever take it I'll call it Oxycontin. Not sure what we call it in the UK.

*Another enjoyable research destination!

:D
 
Last edited:

Draconess25

My Own Goddess
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
63
Reaction score
0
Location
Southwestern Illinois, US
Not that I'd recommend it, but my mom takes oxycodone and from what I can gather, it's one of the stronger opioids in pill form. All damage the liver though at some point, so if that's a concern, I suggest your character invest in cannabis or salvia. xD
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
He'll be off them in about a week as he's too much of a control freak. He might be a bad lad, but he's not into drugs and alcohol for precisely that reason!
 

Orianna2000

Freelance Writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
3,434
Reaction score
234
Location
USA
I have a severe chronic pain condition, plus I get migraines. And I'm allergic to Tylenol, and can't take Aspirin because it kills my stomach. Let me tell you, it's hard to find pain medications that don't include Tylenol or Aspirin! But there are options. For regular pain (not headaches), there's morphine sulfate (extended release), which lasts either 12 or 24 hours, depending on which type you get. It's generally given to people with chronic pain, though, not acute pain. For short-term use, Oxy might be prescribed. It only lasts 5-6 hours before wearing off. (I believe it's actually Percocet, but without the Tylenol. I could be mistaken, though.) There's also Fentanyl patches, which stick somewhere on your body and release the medication slowly, over a couple days. But Fentanyl can cause nausea and other side-effects, and if you have sensitive skin, it can cause problems, since it's a patch. There's also dilaudid and tramadol. My impression is that tramadol is a milder pain medication, and for some people, it doesn't do much, but dilaudid is stronger. It's what they gave me following my gallbladder surgery, since I can't take IV morphine. I was still in a LOT of pain, so I don't know how effective it really is, but supposedly it's "good stuff." Just not for me, apparently.
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
Just googled... Percocet is oxycodone and Tylenol (paracetamol). Cheers for the heads up.

Sounds like you've got a bad deal with painkillers! Touch wood I've never needed anything stronger than ibuprofen so don't know if I react badly to anything else. I remember my Gran being given morphine in (the) hospital a few years ago - she insisted there was a little girl in Victorian dress stood in the corner of the room, but also knew she was seeing things. We all had quite a laugh about it!
 

Orianna2000

Freelance Writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
3,434
Reaction score
234
Location
USA
When they gave me dilaudid a few years back--I forget what for, possibly when I had pleurisy (an extremely painful lung inflammation)--it caused me to hallucinate. I don't remember what I saw, but at least I knew it wasn't real. The first time I ever hallucinated, when I was a teenager, due to one of the (non-pain) medications I was on, I saw a line of cartoon animals prance into my room. There was a cat, and he had mice riding on his back, and they were dressed like circus performers. I knew they weren't real, because they looked like chalk outlines, drawings that had come to life. It was bizarre, but very imaginative! I was worried when they gave me dilaudid after my surgery, but nothing happened, thank goodness.
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
That must be the weirdest experience - knowing that you're hallucinating!
 

Carol

Registered
Joined
Nov 4, 2015
Messages
7
Reaction score
2
If he was in a car crash, wouldn't he need a tetanus shot? (U mention a head injury - was there bleeding?) And I think the broad-spectrum antibiotic would depend upon the region, and the infections commonly seen there (Amp/Cipro/Cef), and on the occurrence of resistance (keeps changing every few years)
I think Vicodin or Morphine (don't know about Percocet) if you want something addictive. Also troublesome it would be if the drug has to be injected (I remember Cuddy injecting Dr. House!) Guess u'll need to consider side-effects...
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
The car crash was "last year" and I remembered that I'd only referred to Mr Good Guy staring wistfully at a bottle of "painkillers" in a kitchen cupboard. I needed to be more specific and mention something strong, prescription-only and addictive because (in theory) I could mean Tylenol and the like. It's been re-edited to be a bottle of Vicodin.

Mr Bad Guy sustained a nasty injury because he was a naughty boy, although he's almost fully recovered now thanks to some illegal painkillers (Percocet in the US and then Oxycodone when he gets to Switzerland) and a little stash of antibiotics his contact also obtained... ;)
 
Last edited:

nikkidj

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2011
Messages
120
Reaction score
10
Location
Massachusetts
Just FYI, Vicodin is no longer available, at least in Indiana. You'll need to check if it's available where your character is. Neither is Lortab. The current hydrocodone/acetaminophen combination is Norco, available in hydrocodone strengths of 5, 7.5, and 10.
 

Los Pollos Hermanos

Craving the next chocolate hit...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
480
Reaction score
36
Location
England
Cheers for that snippet. I've done some googling and found this link:

http://www.painmedicationaddiction.org/states/colorado-pain-medication-addiction-treatment-centers

"In early 2011, a man orchestrated a string of Colorado pharmacy robberies, specifically demanding OxyContin and Vicodin."

Mr Good Guy was involved in the car crash (in NYC) in 2008 and was transferred to a hospital nearer to his Denver home twelve days later. He was discharged from there three weeks later with painkillers, which are only referred to in passing. However, if Colorado pharmacies still had Vicodin in 2011 I should be ok for 2008.

I think???! :D