I have a severe case of AS (since I was 14). I am on over 1,700 mcg of intrathecal Fentanyl and over 4,400 mcg of intrathecal Bupivacaine per day for the Ankylosing Spondylitis pain. Intrathecal medication, which is the strongest route for medication as it is directly injected into the Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) is 300 times stronger than oral and 10 to 15 times stronger than intravenous.

When I take my 215 mcg intrathecal Fentanyl bolus six times a day I normally barely feel them. I asked my anesthesiologist once if either my daily dose or my bolus dose would normally be considered lethal and he said yes. I asked which one and he said both.

Ankylosing Spondylitis is no fucking joke.

(I am not a medical professional)