Stopping morphine-need advice

Hi,

I've got chronic pain they say is related to my IBD. I believe it is inflammation that causes it, as they say I don't have a true arthritis. I've been on various meds for it through the years...celebrex, bextra, darvocet and now morphine. My new GI wants to send me to a rheumatologist and recommends I get off the morphine.

One concern is that whenever I forget to take the morphine or try to go without it, I feel rotten, achy, can't sleep etc. So I am wondering if anyone has had success getting off of it and how long does it take to be done with withdrawal symptoms like these? I'm currently trying to space my pills further apart time-wise but I wonder if I am just making the symptoms last longer. The only reason I can even do this is because I am currently on prednisone which is keeping the pain under control.

The other thing I am hoping to do is try some alternative anti-inflammatory supplements rather than take on the risks of the prescriptions I've read about that would be used for arthritis/IBD. Anyone here try this kind of treatment? I don't think my pain is so bad that it couldn't be managed this way if it is truly caused by inflammation. I will also be trying to change my diet to help with this.

Any helpful advice is appreciated! Thanks!

There are a couple/three of ways to go about getting off morphine.

1. Slowly taper off the amount you are taking. If you take 4 a day then take 3 for a few days and then 2...etc.

2. Go cold turkey. The withdrawal symptoms should only last 2-3 days if you are taking immediate acting morphine or 4-5 days if you are on the long acting stuff.

3. Use a medication called Clonidine in the patch form. This helps with the worst of the withdawal symptoms. Talk to your doctor about it as it is only available as a prescription.

Hi! I was in your shoes a couple of yrs ago, I chose to d/c morphine ER to be able to have my second daughter. I opted to switch from 30 mg 2x a day to 15 mg 2x a day for a couple of wks. That's as far as I got, as I chose to not prolong the process. I was able to switch from morphine er to hydrocodone 7.5/ apap 325 (my breakthrough pain med) and weaned down to zero in a week or so. Was I uncomfortable? Yes, but I had comfort meds (Ativan for anxiety, Imodium for loose bowels,etc) and I told my husband what I was doing so I had his support. I used the mental exercises to get me through the pain increases and was able to get through a pregnancy with minimal opiates.

I hope you can find a new/better solution with your ibd pain.

Good luck and good health!
Krycek