weaning off oxycodone

Hi, this is my first forum entry & I hope I'm doing this right. I went to a doctor for severe pain in my back & legs & was given oxycodone for the pain. This was about 3 months ago & the first visit he gave me 50 30mg oxycodone . The next visit to the dr. he gave me 70 30mg pills which I continued to take as the pain was really intense. I realized I wasn't feeling right when I got up in the morning until I took the oxycodone. I told the dr. that I was going to be out of town for at least 5 or 6 weeks & he gave me 170 of the 30 mg oxycodone until i could see him again in July. I wanted to know the best way to taper down from them(hopefully, I have enough to do this )& from reading different posts I could see alot of people going through the same problem with this drug. If anyone out there has any info regarding the best way to bring myself down without having to go through extreme physical & emotional trauma( I realize that I'm not going to be feeling really well for a while after I'm out of the medication.) I'd really appreciate the input. I have klonopin for the restless leg & sleeping issues but, any other info on this would be of great help. Thanks & I hope if anyone else is going through this same problem that it passes quickly for them.

Soundslide,
Welcome to the chronic pain forum of Healing Well. This is a great place for support, but we aren't doctors and can't give medical advice.

I know this may sound a bit harsh, but personally I can never support withdrawing from medications without some type of medical supervision. Your doctor was good enough to precribe you medication for while you were away; not a lot of doctors do that. I have to wonder why you're not calling his/her office to ask for advice about withdrawal. That would be my advice to you.

If you have any kind of a pain contract, you're likely violating it by discontinuing medications on your own, and that will make it very difficult for you to get pain medication in the future and you well may need it.

Please give your doctor a call and explain your situation. It sounds like you started to be afraid of addiction? Is this why you're discontinuing the medication? We all will become physically dependent on opiods, but that is different from addiction. However, if you have any concerns about addiction for other reasons then it would be wise to discuss that with your doctor and see what other options are available to you. It sounds like you may need pain medication of some sort in the future. Also, if this doctor wasn't a pain management specialist, when you return home asking for a referral to one might help give you more options.

Take care,

PaLady

Post Edited (PAlady) : 6/2/2009 4:42:12 PM (GMT-6)

Soundslide,
I'm so sorry to hear about your father. I hope you can find a doctor there to help you because if it were me (and I've been there with both parents already) I wouldn't want to have my quality time interrupted by withdrawal symptoms and pain.

There is so much stigma and misinformation about pain medications, that unfortunately even someone in pain, like yourself, may forego relief because of fears of addiction. Dependence and addiction are different, and as long as you follow your doctor's prescribing orders you will not be considered (by anyone who knows what they're talking about) as being an addict.

I don't know what type(s) of pain you have, and whether there are other non-narcotic options, but a good pain mangement doctor could help you assess that. If you explain to the doctor there about your father - and the fact your doctor is on vacation (he really should have someone on call!) - I hope someone will help you. Sounds like you'll have enough emotional pain; you don't need the physical on top of it.

Thanks for understanding my post, and now I can understand your situation.

Take care,

PaLady

Sound,
I may not be reading correctly or misunderstanding something but were you /are you following the dosing directions of the doctor? I get the feeling that you aren't, and forgive me if I am incorrect, but you seem to hint at it, but not directly say it, so I wanted to ask before going further....
Sandi

I hate to disagree with some in the post, but people react differently to pain medication. The only person who really cares about you in the realm of pain management is you. My prescription is for 7.5 mg oxycodone 3 times a day IF NEEDED. I've never taken more than 2 a day.

My advice is to take less than the prescribed dose if it helps you, and you can stand it from the outset. You do this my cutting pills in half. When you feel like you want to reduce the medicine, taper off the doses by cutting pills. It may be a no-no to some, but it worked for me over the past 3 years. I have a standing order for nerve blocks and epidurals. I don't need the pills as much for 8-10 weeks after a shot. I know what the midnight withdrawal feeling is, so when I'm tapering off, I get a small dose of a cut pill at bed-time. Instead of 2 a day, I go down to 1.5 a day for a week. Then, 1 per day for a week (2 halfs). If you're going to travel alot, using less meds allows you to keep a stock for when you need it and can't get it.

soundslide;

                 the best way is to start tapering down slowly, so if you take 4 a day go to 3 for several days and then to 2 for the same time until you are off of the meds. the worst thing you can do is to just stop cold turkey, the withdrawal symptoms are horrible and you will not like it at all, so do it right and taper off slowly. Wishing you luck, Sam

Hello Soundslide,

I have been on the oxy roller coaster for a number of years. My doc recommends a taper off rate of 20% per week. Perhaps a little less in the first few weeks. Like 15% per week and then creep up to 20%-25% per week as you can tolerate it. It really isn't too bad that way. That's 20% reductions from the last resduced dosage.

As for splitting, Oxycodone IR is scored for cutting and it is OK to cut per my pharmacist. No coatings involved there. If it is Oxycodone ER or Oxycontin, NO cutting is allowed. Again, from the pharmacist.

In general, any tablet that is already scored at the factory can be cut but check with your Dr. or pharm. just to be certain.

Modelmaker

Soundslide, I want to welcome you to the forum. I don't know what type of pain you are in, but I am sorry to hear that you are in pain,regardless. This is a great place for support and encouragement. If you stick around, I am sure you will soon agree.

I am very sorry to hear about your father being ill with cancer. I have not personally gone through that,but I am certain it must be very hard on you. I am glad that you are going to be with him. I am sure it will mean alot to him and it will be something you won't regret doing,although it will be very emotionally hard on you. My father passed away when I was 6. My mother is still living but she has COPD and her health isn't very good right now. I do hope you have a good support system for yourself to help you deal with this.

I understand you wanting to get off the oxycodone. It is a choice that you have to make for yourself and be comfortable with. But I do strongly recommend that you only do this with a doctor's supervision. If you are going out of town, and your doctor is on vacation( I have never heard of a doctor going on vacation without someone to take his call),your best bet is to find a doctor available where you will be. This is very important in many ways. This is your health and your well being we're talking about. Are you planning on getting on another medication? Are you planning on just "dealing" with the pain? If you are a chronic pain patient, you should be on some sort of medication to help you be as comfortable as possible. If you are not getting relief from what you are taking, there are many other options available to you. As far as addiction is concerned, if your medication was given to you by your doctor and you are taking it for a medical necessity, I just don't feel you are addicted. Medications are used to treat your symptoms. You take them for this reason. It isn't the same as being an "addict".

It isn't any of my business. And I am sorry if I crossed the line. I am just concerned for you being left untreated and dealing with withdrawling from a medication that may have been helping you. I am concerned about you feeling like an "addict" for taking it.

Good luck to you with everything. I do wish you the best. Take care of yourself. And I do hope everything works out well for you.
Anice