unusual facial swelling

[DawnDawnTiny]

I am 56.  I had L4-L5 fusion a year and a half ago due to a weightlifting misalignment.  I have 14 inches of titanium rods and screws in my back.  I have been on 2 percocets a day for a year and a half.  

I have been reading all the comments on the old website that started in 2000 and I hope that all of you were successful in getting off percocet.

In Sept 2010, the skin under by eyes (under the bags under my eyes) started to swell up.  I thought that maybe I was allergic to something (because it itched and if I touched/scratched it, it made the swelling turn red and more swollen).  (Skin swelling does not usually indicative of a food allergy (around the mouth, upset stomach, hives show food allergies.)
I didn't wear any makeup for over a week with NO result in less swelling.  So I ruled out makeup.
I have also ruled out shampoo, conditioner, and laundry soap.

Now in January, my facial swelling has gotten worse.
Now the skin down around my mouth and lips is swelling so my facial swelling is progressing.
My eyebrows are heavy and the skin under my eyebrows is swollen.  My eyelids are not swollen.

I had my teeth checked in December, to make sure that there was not an infected tooth.
My ankles are not swelling (swollen ankles indicates congestive heart failure).
Now my fingers are stiff and swelling up and my finger joints hurt first thing in the morning.  My toes feel stiff later in the day....and they look a little chubby.  I have always done 1 hour of cardio EVERY day and the water beads up and I for sure sweat around my eyes.

I have had difficulty swallowing for at least 6 months.  Now I am coughing so hard that it makes my throat swell up and it feels like it is touching each side.  So my throat swelling either from a cold or the pain meds????  I haven't noticed my tongue swelling as mentioned on some websites as a side effect from percocet.

I had to renew my thyroid meds, blood pressure meds and percocet meds with my Primary Care Doctor in November and my eye swelling was the only thing evident to him.  I also talked to him about my fingers being stiff at that time.  (Now in January, 2 months later than November, my fingers are worse.)  

I went back last week to my doctor because my symptoms are worse.  He checked my throat, my lungs, heart, my ankles, etc.  He prescribed a strong water pill.
After 3 days, my fingers are better, which makes sense because my face swelled first and THEN my fingers swelled second.  So my fingers are probably the first to take effect and then my face (I hope).  My doctor explained that the water pill only treats the symptoms and not the cause.  So I have done some blood tests to find out the cause (ruled out thyroid, ruled out Vitamin D deficiency, ruled out potassium deficiency, ruled out kidney deficiency).

I mentioned this unusual facial swelling to my best friend, Cathy, because I am scared.  Cathy brought it up to a friend of hers and this friend suggested that the facial swelling could be from my PAIN MEDS???!!!

After reading all the comments, I am going to try to get off percocet by taking a half of pill in the afternoon and then a full percocet at bedtime as opposed to taking 2 a day.  I hope that I can wean myself off of them in a week or 2.

Has anyone else had unusual facial swelling from percocet or any other pain med?  Would I suffer symptoms either right after starting on it OR after having taken it for 1 1/2 years?

[TetaElzbeata]

To me this sounds more like a Hashimotos flare up which could definitely be aggravated by prescription drug use. I would stop seeing your primary Dr. for thyroid symptoms and see an endocrinologist. The throat swelling, coughing, and facial swelling are classic hypothyroid symptoms and joint swelling goes along with vitamin D deficiency which is a related problem.

[petroglyph54]

Sounds like you are on top of it looking in all the right places. Don't know if this is related, but I've taken oxycodone for years comfortably but I am convinced I've become allergic to it most noticeably in the last three months. I too have the feeling that my throat is closing, and hard to swallow. I'm making a good effort to stop. I asked my doctor last week if I could acquire an allergy after 6 years of taking a narcotic. She responded that was exactly how to become, it seems that allergies are additive in our bodies. That's happened to me also with bee stings. I hope you will post anything you learn and also find another answer for pain!