Has anyone had trouble getting off pain meds?

[debbei]

I have to say that I am embarassed bringing this question here. My surgery was Oct 15th. I came home taking 14 pain pills per day, as prescribed. I've slowly cut back, and am not on 2 short-acting pain pills per day, oxycodone 5mg. Actually, I take one every 13 or 14 hours at this point. Each time, I try to push it a little further, even if only 30 minutes. I've been trying for a week to get myself off completely, and I just can't do it. I'm getting withdrawl side effects like hot/cold chills, muscle aches, insomnia, and just generally feeling 'lousey'. After I take a pill, within an hour or so I feel perfect. It took me a while to figure out what this was, at first I had no idea.

So today I called the Dr.'s office and they're calling in a prescription for Clonidine. Has anyone taken this? The Nurse Practitioner told me that it lowers your blood pressure, which I'm a little concerned with since my BP is on the low side of normal anyway. My next door neightbor nurse will come over this afternoon and take my BP before I take a dose, just so I can know where I started.

The NP also said this doesn't happen very often, but when it does, this is what they do. I can't believe I'm addicted--me who hates to take any meds whatsoever. HOnestly, I feel like a junkie. I don't know how drug addicts do it.

Thanks,
Debbe,
Your Neighborhood Junkie

[CHRIS WBS]

My doctor is very adamant about over-prescribing meds. His nurse told me he has seen too much addiction in patients who were formerly treated by other doctors. I came home taking four Percoset a day which was cut to two. After two months he would not prescribe narcotics and I was taking Tylenol 3. After three months I did not have a need for any type of pain med.

[Singer]

hi Debbe, I'm something of an expert on this one, as I was on Oxycontin for almost 8 months. It is much harder to get off the short-acting Oxycontin than the long-acting (12-hour) dose, since your body has a much sharper up-and-down cycle with the short-acting drug.

In my case, I was on the long-acting drug as well as the short-acting....so when I stopped the short-acting drug I was buffered a bit by the long-acting Oxy. Even then, it wasn't pleasant. Going off the 12-hour dosage was not as bad, even though I felt weird for about 3 days.

Don't think you're addicted. You're dependent, and there's a difference. As long as you are following your doctor's orders and as long as you're not requiring larger and larger doses of the drug, you are not acting addictively.

Dependence happens to a lot of us.

[debbei]

hi Debbe, I'm something of an expert on this one, as I was on Oxycontin for almost 8 months. It is much harder to get off the short-acting Oxycontin than the long-acting (12-hour) dose, since your body has a much sharper up-and-down cycle with the short-acting drug.

In my case, I was on the long-acting drug as well as the short-acting....so when I stopped the short-acting drug I was buffered a bit by the long-acting Oxy. Even then, it wasn't pleasant. Going off the 12-hour dosage was not as bad, even though I felt weird for about 3 days.

Don't think you're addicted. You're dependent, and there's a difference. As long as you are following your doctor's orders and as long as you're not requiring larger and larger doses of the drug, you are not acting addictively.

Dependence happens to a lot of us.

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your note. Yes, I was on the long-acting as well (1 pill, 2x a day) and I weaned off them a few weeks ago. That's when I started having these side effects that weren't fun at all. I know, I definitely don't have the 'addictive' type personality, but it just bothers me that my body thinks it needs these meds. I"m going to pick up my new RX now.

Thanks,

[LynnMarie74]

Hey Debbe - this is another of my fears....my family does have addictive personalities in it...w/alcohol & drugs,so naturally, Im a little concerned w/having to take them. I myself, do not have any issues like this, but its still freightening. Im sure you will be ok. You're wise enough to realize that you are dependent on it, which is excellent. Now you know what you have to do. You are a strong women and I have all the faith in the world that you will do just fine getting off of them all together. Good luck Debbe!

[debbei]

Lynn,

Thanks for your kind words. I haven't decided if I'm going to take that medicine I picked up today. I'm a little nervous because I have naturally low BP. My neighbor (nurse) took it this afternoon and it was 98/68. The pharmacist said it just might make me a little dizzy if the BP goes too low. I don't know...I might just try to do this on my own after all. I went 14.5 hrs between my last 2 doses and I didn't feel too terrible. I would have gone longer, but I had to take my son to a college meeting tonight and I didn't want to break out in a cold sweat at the meeting. SHEESH. At least I'll be able to sleep tonight because I won't start feeling crappy till some time tomorrow morning.

[LisaMS]

Hi, Debbe,

I agree, you're not addicted, it's just that your body has gotten used to having these medicines. At 5 weeks I tried to go from 20 mg oxycodone extended release (every 8 to 12 hours) to 10 mg and then to nothing in a few days, because I thought I was feeling so well. I started feeling jittery after a couple of days and even started crying uncontrollably one night. It was really weird--felt like I was going through some sort of detox program. I was miserable!!!

My friend who's a doctor said I had come down too fast. So I went back to 10 mg every 8 hours for a couple of days, then every 12 hours, and now I've been off for 5 days. In the evening, I sometimes get achy and take a 5 mg oxycodone (those are instant release and only last 4 to 6 hours), but not every night. This seems to be working. I'm 7 weeks out now, and driving and even working a little.

I sure hope that you can get past this quickly--judging from my "withdrawal" experience, it's not fun!

Hugs,
Lisa

[debbei]

Hi, Debbe,

I agree, you're not addicted, it's just that your body has gotten used to having these medicines. At 5 weeks I tried to go from 20 mg oxycodone extended release (every 8 to 12 hours) to 10 mg and then to nothing in a few days, because I thought I was feeling so well. I started feeling jittery after a couple of days and even started crying uncontrollably one night. It was really weird--felt like I was going through some sort of detox program. I was miserable!!!

My friend who's a doctor said I had come down too fast. So I went back to 10 mg every 8 hours for a couple of days, then every 12 hours, and now I've been off for 5 days. In the evening, I sometimes get achy and take a 5 mg oxycodone (those are instant release and only last 4 to 6 hours), but not every night. This seems to be working. I'm 7 weeks out now, and driving and even working a little.

I sure hope that you can get past this quickly--judging from my "withdrawal" experience, it's not fun!

Hugs,
Lisa

Thanks Lisa,

I'm down to a short-acting pill every 17 hours. Today I'll go for 19. That last hour or so every time, I feel as you described. I'm hoping to be done in a week or so.

[LeeJo]

I'm really glad you are aware and working on this. A woman in my family was on Oxycontin for chronic pain. She ended up taking more and more until she got kicked off the medical insurance for prescription abuse. She then started getting oxycontin on the street, and eventually ended up in a heroin/crack cycle. She passed away 3-1/2 years ago of a heroin overdose, on her daughter's 15th birthday. This is not something to take lightly. I will keep you in my prayers as you try to get off your meds, and please don't be embarrassed to ask for help. If my family member had asked for help at that point I really believe she would be alive and well today!

[discombobulated]

LeeJo...I'm so sorry for your relative's suffering and your loss. It's uncommon, but definitely a good reason for doctors to be reluctant to hand-out a lot of meds at once. I'm so sorry your family went through this tragedy....


Debbe - hate to hear you've come up against such an obstacle! But you sound like you're doing great, going that little bit longer between each dose. I'm sorry it's been rougher than we all hoped for you, but I hope you'll be off the pills & feeling well very soon now. And I'm with the others - addiction & physiological dependence are very different things. This is a mass of chemical reactions in your brain & body that you are not in control of, & you're doing great with what's been thrown your way. Please keep us posted - & please don't feel embarrassed about this - I'll bet it's more common than we'd think, & I have no doubt that your post has helped others who didn't want to post about having a similar problem.

Best wishes to you. Take care.

[joanne mclaurin]

Addition least of my worries

I wish I could find something to relieve the pain I am having. I have posted before, so the background is there. Tried the injections, did not work. Tried the slow release morphine - helped some, but could not keep my eyes open when I got home from work, sometimes caught my self asleep at the computer at work. My pain management doctor tried to prescribe a drug that wouldx help keep me awake, don't recall the name right now, but the insurance company flat denied it and wanted me to go to a sleep clinic. The doctor and I both tried to explain that we know why I am falling asleep, to no avail.

Anyway, sort of in a hurry, but wanted to reply. Since I cannot take the morphine, I am taking ultram and percucet (excuse spelling). I am always in pain from my neck down to my legs. If the pain does subside some, I feel so exhausted I do not want to do anything. Still trying to work, but it is getting more and more difficult and I keep asking myself "why am I doing this?"

I am taking drugs so that I can work and go home and collapse. The scoliosis specialist did not recommend revision surgery.

Gotta get on the clock for now.

[debbei]

Update

again, thanks everyone for your replies. I'm down to one short-acting pill per day, as of today. Although this morning I didn't too much of the physical side effects, I was ready to rip anyone's head off who got in my way. Or even if they didn't. I was just CRANKY CRANKY CRANKY!!! Hubby thought I was PMS'ing, but I wasn't.

Hopefully within a week I can be totally done! I'm tired of feeling crazy.

[JenniferG]

You've done marvellously, Deb!

Glad you haven't needed the other med - it might have given you something else to deal with.

[Susie*Bee]

I'm so glad it's going better for you now, Debbe. Hooray! Just so some won't worry too much about the drug thing, everyone is different and some may need those meds longer. I took hydrocodone (Norco) for several months, along with gabapentin (Neurontin) and I didn't have any problems weaning off them. But my surgeon's nurse had me taper down on both strength as well as length of time between over several weeks.

[debbei]

I think I did it!

today will be 3 days since my last pain pill. I was able to sleep through the whole night last night without waking up achy and restless. The chills are gone. Thank GOD! And I did it without that nasty blood pressure drug. Last week I was starting to think I was nuts and I thought I'd never be able to quit on my own. I can't believe that how far I came in just one week.

Oh--and I met my informal goal of being done by my 3 month post op date.

Thanks again,