May 21, 2009 - 9:11am
I tried to research this on the site, but still wasn't clear.
Is it possible to experience withdrawal effects from switching to oxycodone from hydrocodone? I know they are different chemically, I know they are both opiates, and I know oxy is stronger than hydro, but I have read both yes and no answers to this.
Going from 5mg hydro with ASAP twice a day to 5 mg oxy, no ASAP twice a day.
Would that cause any anxiety and/or withdrawal? Thanks.
May 21, 2009 - 9:39am
#2
Well I know it's a low dose
Well I know it's a low dose compared to many, but wouldn't my body have still gotten accustomed to the 5 mg twice a day? I have been taking that amount for about a year every day.
May 21, 2009 - 9:45am
#3
There is not complete cross
There is not complete cross tolerance amongst opiates, so you might experience mild "withdrawal" symoptoms, but certainly nothing significant. That is a rather low dose you're on. Lucky you.
Oxycodone can actually cause anxiety in alot of people, it's one of the side effects listed in the P.I.
Just something to think about.
May 21, 2009 - 9:59am
#4
Interesting... How does it
Interesting... How does it cause anxiety? I thought it was a depressant and that part of its appeal was to calm nerves caused by high levels of pain. How can a drug that can cause you to go to sleep and forget to breath cause anxiety and/or panic?
May 21, 2009 - 10:02am
#5
hydro to oxy
You shouldn't have any withdrawals, but it isn't impossible. Like you said they are slightly different chemically. Your body could get used to the hydrocodone and because oxycodone is a little different you could possibly have very mild withdrawals.
You could also have very mild withdrawals stopping 5mg of hydrocodone two times a day. Albeit very mild.
May 21, 2009 - 10:17am
#6
Body chemistry
it's called a "paradoxical reaction." Drug has effects opposite from what's intended/ common.
Compared to hydrocodone, lots of posters here will confirm that oxycodone gives them an energetic feeling. Oxy isn't a drug that is known for putting you on your back, except maybe at huge doses.
Read the information that came with your medicine.
May 21, 2009 - 10:32am
#7
That makes sense, thanks. I
That makes sense, thanks. I got that "energetic" feeling with Hydro... made me want to clean and organize.. the oxy kind of gives me that, but makes me feel more... out-of-it, I guess you could say.
I have always been lucky that my tolerance doesn't seem to shoot up. I am always happy with around 5mg at a time (with hydro, that is)
Also, I am not really comfortable with going above that on a daily basis.
I always feel bad for people who are above that and still don't feel much relief. My issue is just a mild (compared to others) back issue.
May 21, 2009 - 11:11am
#8
Some of the above are correct,
You shouldn't experience any adverse effects or w/d from the switch. Even when incomplete cross tolerance is taken into account, which is negligible in your case, I can't see w/d with this kind of ultra low dose switch.
And just to clear up a previous post, you would almost certainly have some mild to moderate w/d symptoms if you were to just stop taking your meds altogether after a year...even at such low doses.
May 21, 2009 - 11:45am
#9
Can you or someone explain
Can you or someone explain what Incomplete cross tolerance is? I am familiar with cross tolerance, but what is the "incomplete?"
May 21, 2009 - 11:57am
#10
Paradoxical reaction
Your body may just can't handle Oxycodone. I know with Demerol if I take even a small dose it puts me into a panic attack maybe that is what you are experiencing or maybe not. Just a thought. Good luck
May 21, 2009 - 1:50pm
#11
moorefeen
moorefeen, i previously stated that he wouldnt experience any withdrawals if he stopped the hydrocodone 10mg/day total dose. your right it is possible to experience very mild withdrawals from that if he had been taking that dose for a year. I made that statement after reading his initial post which didnt state he was taking that dose for a year. But the withdrawals would be mild. but the switch to oxycodone still wouldnt produce any withdrawals effects.
May 25, 2009 - 4:21pm
#12
NorthCarolina28
just wondering which medication do you believe gives you more releif
I personally feel better an faster releif with hydro, I can only get the same measure of releif per say of a hydro10/650 verus a roxicodone 15
as you stated earlier the hydrocodone makes you feel more energetic, versus the knock down feeling of oxycodone
I believe you can have mild withdraws, but they should disapate after a few days, this may include waking in the middle of sleep , jumping
why did the Dr. not raise it to 7.5 hydro or did he give you a choice
May 25, 2009 - 5:06pm
#13
FeliksD
Paradoxical reactions usually only happen with high doses.
May 25, 2009 - 5:19pm
#14
What about switching from
What about switching from oxycodocone/oxycontin to hydrocodone?
If you take like 60mg of oxycodone a day, how many mg of hydrocodone would you need to take a day to avoid major withdrawls??
May 25, 2009 - 5:23pm
#15
no
i dont think u will have any wd the oxy is stronger so u should just feel better unless the oxy upsets your stomach then just eat before u take it.
May 25, 2009 - 5:30pm
#16
Paradox reactions
I have a classic paradox reaction to almost all antihistamines. Any of the ones that are supposed to make you sleepy like Benadryl--diphenhydramine?--make me climb the walls. It can be a metabolism thing and not just a high dose. It's a good topic though, I'd like to hear from any one else about their own paradox reactions.
Also, if anybody has a Pair a Docs joke, let's hear it!
Q
May 25, 2009 - 5:31pm
#17
herbalgerbals
60mg of Oxycodone per day would roughly be equivalent to 90mg of Hydrocodone per day.
I am not a doctor. Always seek a doctor's opinion. Anything I say is from my legal personal use or research.
May 25, 2009 - 5:36pm
#18
allgood
That's just not true my friend. They can occur at any dose. I will call you on this one my friend.
P.S. High doses would be more likely to cause side-effects; not paradoxical reactions. There is a difference.
Have a nice weekend.
May 25, 2009 - 6:12pm
#19
On the nose FeliksD
Once again, you are right on the money, guy. The affects/behavior side effect found outside of the therapeutic range of a lot of drugs can mimic a paradox reaction. Good call FeliksD!
Q
May 25, 2009 - 8:51pm
#20
So if I spoke to my doc.
So if I spoke to my doc. about wanting to get Off of oxycontin, since Im around 60 - 70mg a day of oxy, if she switched me to 90mg a day of hydrocodone, do you think that would be a safe / effective way to start my journey off the oxys? with minimal withdrawls an such?
p.s. IM SORRY if weve been over this, and I dont want to go in circles or keep bugging about it, so if so just tell me Ill shut up heh.
Yea.. just trying to find a good alternative to the oxys, creative plan to start tapering off, and still manage my pain.without a bad withdrawl/bodily addiction ya know?
May 25, 2009 - 10:11pm
#21
i d say she say
lets try suboxone or methadone, they are the drugs of choice for addiction
don t believe she place you back on hydrocodone, but she might consider it as a tolerance control
May 25, 2009 - 10:42pm
#22
Using the opioid comparison
Using the opioid comparison chart, wouldn't 60mg of oxycodone equate to more like 150mg of hydrocodone? That is just based off the assumption that hydrocodone is .6x the strength of morphine, and oxycodone is 1.5-2x the strength of morphine. I was just looking over the table before reading this thread.
May 26, 2009 - 2:30am
#23
To my understand now tho,
To my understand now tho, suboxone and methadone are just other opiates.. so its like replacing addiction for addiction.. so I dont understand how that works, is it becuase the withdrawls are such are easier to manage and taper then oxycontin? or being they dont produce a euphoric state? =\
And, yea maybe speaking about a tolerence maintenance will be more beneficial..
May 26, 2009 - 7:53am
#24
Yes your right about the
Yes your right about the paradoxical reaction , can happen with benzo's too, someone takes a xanax or valium to relax and then they can't sit still and start snapping at everyone and get aggressive , I get a paradoxical reaction to Haloperidol , and it was one of the worst experiences I ever had , I could not stay still for more than two seconds and felt compelled to slam my wrists and arms against a wall or hard surface and I did causing fractures and severe bruising , and I also felt that my breath was not reaching my lungs , and everything felt restrictive , so I stripped naked shoved my head out an open window whilst slamming my arms against the wall, when the doctor came and asked what happened and was told I was given a " tranquiliser " the doctor's eyes nearly popped out of his head, atnd what does he get to ' calm me down ' Serenace Haloperidol again. It took me about 20 mins to persuade him to look up paradoxical effects of Haloperidol , and I'm glad he did an gave me a good hefty dose of Loraepam IV and a dalmane to go asleep, that did the trick ! Sorry I'm ranting on but you make an important point it is wise to know any paradoxiacal effects of drugs you may be prescribed. Thanks Feliks.
May 27, 2009 - 8:35pm
#25
oxy / hydro
Oxycodone is 1.5 times the strength of hydrocodone.
10mg hydro is equal to 15mg oxy.
May 27, 2009 - 8:43pm
#26
hydro
I can agree to that, as I said perocet never done Me no good till I hit the 15mg theshold, an thus be the reason why
May 28, 2009 - 7:35am
#27
As far as pain - I would say
As far as pain - I would say oxy works better for me..
As far as how it makes me feel, aside from pain relief, I would choose hydro.
I'm not sure why she switched to oxy, especially without the ASAP. She said something about tolerance for hydro, even though I told her it was still ok. She did the same thing with Ultram about a year ago. But when she asked if I wanted to go back on Ultram, I told her absolutely not. (Don't get me started on Ultram...)
I think her plan is to put me back on hydro in a couple of months.. I really don't know... you start asking too many questions about pain meds, and things start getting weird, I have found :)
October 15, 2009 - 5:55pm
#28
I am a nurse and i have
I am a nurse and i have seen cases like this, dont do anything to hurt yourself, i understand this is the worst thing you can ever go through mentally, so try and hang in there. heres a suggestion. if you have been using the oxycodone without a prescription and have run out, you cant very well wean yourself off if you have run out. but if you are close to the end of your withdrawal and cant take any more of the effects, yes you can take the hydrocodone that you said you have, and it is only because it and any other opiate pain medication have totally different chemical properties.but i would not recomend more than 10 mg a day. but you need to take it at one time since your high tolorance you built up to the oxycontin otherwise it wont help you. this should help you with the last day or 2 since those are the worst days of depression/angziety. hope i helped... :)
October 15, 2009 - 6:08pm
#29
Q, in a post above you say
Q, in a post above you say you react the opposite to antihistamines like Benadryl. Have you considered its related to your ADHD? Us people who have it tend to respond the opposite to certain meds with sedating side effects. Thats why ADHD & ADD medicines are basically amphetamines, uppers. Downers make up, and uppers calm us down and focus us. Im sure you know this already, but just curious as to if you thought that could be the reason you respond the way you do to Benadryl. Benadryl does not make me hyper, it just does nothing, no matter the dose. Tylenol PM would never put me to sleep, and Fentanyl gets me all rev'ed up.
Oh, to the poster above me, if you notice the time stamp, this thread is months old.
October 15, 2009 - 6:29pm
#30
The op never mention OC. I
The op never mention OC. I hope a nurse knows the difference between Oxycontin and oxycodone Ir. Is it me....? Htmom
October 19, 2009 - 2:21pm
#31
the op posted this
" 5 mg oxy, no ASAP twice a day." does that help decide if you are right? 
North Carolina28,
The dose that you are referring to is a an extremely low dose of hydrocodone and switching to oxycodone 5mg with no APAP twice a day, you will not experience any withdrawal whatsoever. Even if you were to just stop taking the hydrocodone and not start taking the oxycodone, you wont experience any withdrawals due to the fact that the hydrocodone dose is very small.