January 18, 2008 - 11:53pm
First let me start off by saying hello to everyone ecspecially the top posters of this great resourse we call pharmer.org. I havent been to this website in a long time and miss the active forums and interesting discussions that happen here on the daily but I am not here to boast about my experiences here or to I.D. medications I am here for some help. For the people who dont know me I am a chronic pain patient due to multiple car accidents and have been on narcotics for a little over two years now and not from street dealers from doctors specifically my pain management doctors who currently have me on 20mg Oxycontin plus 10mg Oxycontin plus 180 10/325 percocet per month. Now the Oxycontin is prescribed as usual meaning 60 tabs for each dose so of couse two tablests each per day and if you break the percocet to dosages I take about six per day for breakthrough pain. Now my question is what would be the best method for weaning me off these medications slowly but surely. A IME has been done on me and the doctor that the insurance paid said I SHOULD be off these medications within six months the key word being SHOULD! I am dedicated to trying to get off these meds but if I cant seem to get my head around a sufficent method of doing so. I think the best method for me would be to cut 5mg every two weeks both to diminish the withdrawls and keep a progressive mindstate well doing so. Any suggestions, proffesional opinions and or comments are welcome im just an old poster in need. Please check my track record on here to get some background info and to see just how many people I have helped its just that now im the one in need of HELP...!
Thx
DPP
January 19, 2008 - 1:56pm
#2
I was a social worker for
I was a social worker for quite a few years involved in the medical field, now I am on the other side of the fence as a chronic pain sufferer. When first working in the social work field the first thing I saw was how each person reacted to weening of narcotics differently. Some did it quite easier than others and a bit quicker,on the other hand some had a terrible time taking many times longer and reacted with terrible withdrawls symtoms, some not being able to accomplish it at all. I have to say that at the start of this job I was told by peers how this would work and they had it correct. I can only say what I observed and hopefully the one's who are voluntarily weening themselves off deserve more credit than some probably get from family and freinds.Understanding family members and friends do make a big difference. Best of luck
January 19, 2008 - 8:42pm
#3
Thanks for the replies...
Thanks for the replies... ;-) anyone have any other comments and or suggestions The comments expressed by me on this forum are opinions and should not be perceived as recommendations or advice. Medical professionals are at best your main resource for anything medical.
January 23, 2008 - 5:43pm
#4
Da Purdue, I don't need to
Da Purdue, I don't need to read your old posts to know you have been a good poster on here. I have seen many threads and comments from you that have been beneficial to others, so it is nice to be able to offer some to you.
One of the first things I always make sure people realize when they are trying to ween off narcotics is that weening is solely to get your body off the narcotics with as minimum withdraws as possible. This means that you should not be getting that "nice" feeling from the meds anymore. You are no longer taking them for that relief you need, but instead only to keep from getting sick until you train your body.
If you are still getting a high or buzz from the meds then you are taking too much. Do not expect to get any kind of feeling from your meds anymore. The only feeling you should have is not being sick. Take as minimum as you can without going into actual withdraw. Now, on to a plan...
While one person suggested you have a variety of doses to work with and that you can break your pills, please do not listen to that advice. Oxycontin is an ER med and is not to be broken in any way. You must take the oxycontin full but you CAN split the regular IR oxycodone 10/325 pills.
I think six months is more than enough time for you to easily ween yourself off with no symptoms of withdraw, I would say you could do it in less than half the time. You have two different meds to get off of here; ER oxycontin and IR oxycodone. I think the first one you should concentrate on is lowering the oxycontin. You can't break these up so you will have to start with lowering by 10mg of oxycontin.
Your schedule right now is 30mg oxycontin (ER) in AM, 30mg oxycontin (ER) in PM, and 1 10/325 oxycodone (IR) 6x/day, correct?
Here is what I suggest:
1st week: 30mg oxy ER in AM, 30mg oxy ER in PM, 1 oxy IR 6x/day.
2nd week: 30mg oxy ER in AM, 20mg oxy ER in PM, 1 oxy IR 6x/day.
3rd week: 20mg oxy ER in AM, 20mg oxy ER in PM, 1 oxy IR 6x/day.
4th week: 20mg oxy ER in AM, 20mg oxy ER in PM, 1 oxy IR 5x/day.
5th week: 20mg oxy ER in AM, 10mg oxy ER in PM, 1 oxy IR 5x/day.
6th week: 10mg oxy ER in AM, 10mg oxy ER in PM, 1 oxy IR 5x/day.
7th week: 10mg oxy ER in AM, 1 oxy IR 5x/day.
8th week: 10mg oxy ER in AM, 1 oxy IR 4xday.
9th week: 1 oxy IR 4x/day.
10th week: 1 oxy IR 3x/day.
11th week: 1 oxy IR 2x/day.
12th week: 1 oxy IR 1x/day.
13th week: 0 meds- successfully weened off!
Of course you can switch these numbers or weeks around a little, or if needed lower your IR by 5mg weekly instead of 10mg weekly. Anyway, this is just an example of a schedule you could use. I hope it helps, and good luck! Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help and don't be afraid to ask me any questions.
I'm a social worker, not a medical professional. All comments and thoughts are simply my opinion and experience.
January 23, 2008 - 11:39pm
#5
weaning off of pain meds
I am both a doctor and an addict. I think you should try Suboxone to get off the opiates. It's never a good idea to use your drug(s) of choice to detox. It will never work. If u never heard of Suboxone, it is a drug used to block opiate withdrawals and is prescibed by MDs in their offices, not like methadone where you have to go to a clinic everyday! It blocks the symptoms, and does not give any euphoria or high, so u feel "normal". There is a website that lists all the doctors in your area that prescibe Suboxone. Google SAMSHA (that's an international agency that deals with substance abuse issues) when u find that site search for Suboxone providers in your area. You will go to a private doctor's pffice and they will start you on the drug. It blocks w/drawals from opiates so u can feel normal and go on with your daily life. You can either stay on it for as long as you want / need or wean off at your own pace. It's an awsome drug - I have prescibed it to many patients and it saved their lives and I myself are on it now and is helping me to get my life back together.
January 29, 2008 - 6:35am
#6
weaning off OxyContin and Percocet
Tapering is doable. Use the secheule that was posted a few posts earlier.
I myself, tapered off of OxyContin at the end of December. I was only taking about 50 mgs daily and was on it for only 5 months. I started by cutting down to 45 mgs and then cut my dose by 10 mgs every three days or so. I also had some IR 5 mg tablets to drop by 5 mgs if I felt 10 was too much. I went a bit too fast and did have some physical withdrawal symptoms but they were minor. I didn't get the runs and my bones didn't get too cold feeling. I did have trouble sitting still for about 3 days. The hard part for me was the mental part. I had bad insomnia for about 10 straight days. At the end of the 10 days I slept a good 12 hours. I also felt mentally stressed. Keep in mind that I tapered too fast. If I had taken longer it would have been a bit better.
Keep a record of each dose. What day, time of day etc. Never back track. Once you drop the dose say goodbye to that dosage level. I finished my taper in 2 weeks (too fast but it did make the withdrawals not as bad as they could have been). At 15 mgs I jumped off and was feeling my old self in a little less than 2 weeks. I'm now 29 days free of Oxy.
Good luck. I this helps.
January 29, 2008 - 2:50pm
#7
JS57 I have to say your
JS57 I have to say your weening process looks very good. I put that in my favorites file's. I do have chronic pain but I would not mind cutting my daily doses in half. This would work. I think for many it would take this long and it is true that the weening IMO is easier than the mental part. IMO you have to get away from friends that are still using even if it means your own family. I do know some that had family members addicted and I was told that was the hardest part. As they say "Misery loves company" is very true I do use the words IMO a lot and purposley, just to let everyone know that those words are opinions.
You have such a good variety of strengths. You have 20mg, 10mg, and 5mg if your break the percocets in half. Since you have such a variety to work with, the best way to do it would be to experiment a little bit each day until you are comfortable. Most people usually try to taper either every few days or every week. Once every 2 weeks gives your body time to taper but it gets comfortable with the "new" Rx cycle, which makes it harder to taper when the next 2 weeks rolls around. There are also 10 day Suboxone tapers for people that dont need lifetime treatment. I wouldnt go this route unless you can afford it, and you fail at tapering yourself. You can also ask your doctor or the insurance doctor what the plan of action should be to get you off in 6 months time with minimal side effects. Hopefully atleast one of them has a plan set up that will cause you little to no withdrawal symptoms. I have heard of other people just being "cut off" because normally "you cant die from opiate/opioid withdrawals". Best bet, ask them there plan before you start worrying and experimenting. One last thing remember the medication Lomotil. Its an RX anti-diarrheal drug. This is one of the major withdrawal symptoms that people hate. If it gets bad when you start cutting back dont be afraid to ask the doctor for it.