pain pain pain

[Guest guest]

Has anyone been weaned off the oxycontin. I'm down to 20mg bid and my lower

back is killing me. I didn't sleep at all last night because of the tingling.

I called the pharmacy this morning and he said that my body is feeling things

now that the medication covered before. Is this true?

Sincerly,

Patty Duley,

Office Coordinator

L. Doering, MD

Louisville Oncology

3991 Dutchmans Lane, Suite 405

Louisville, KY 40207

(502)899-3366 ext. 142

.jensen@...

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[Guest guest]

I was told to wean off pain meds by cutting down step every 3

days...for example, 30mg x times a day for 3 days, then 20mg x times a

day for 3 days, 10mg x times a day, then 10 mg twice a day for 3 days,

then 10mg once a day, then every other day, then 5mg every other day

To span over 2 to 3 weeks or more..

[Guest guest]

Hi Patty, I have a friend who had disc replacement surgrey and got

hooked on Oxycodone (which is the immeadiate release version of

Oxycontin) and he got off it too quick and suffered withdrawal. He

went to see another doctor that told him that the way to ween off meds

is 5 days of 30mg, then 5 days of 20mg...and so on. One day weening is

definetly too quick. Hope you feel better...Jim

[Guest guest]

Patty, you are weaning off way to quick from OxyContin. I was on it for

2 1/2 yrs and I also went through a tough withdrawal process. I was up

to 80mg 3 times a day for a while. I was also on Percocet and OxyCodone

at the same time. I was told by my pain management team to wean off 10mg

per week and I was also given Clonidine to help with the withdrawals. It

is really hell to go through. For over one week I averaged 1 hr or so of

sleep per night. I had such restless legs and hot & cold all the time.

All your joints will ache also. It will feel like you have a cold

because your nose is always runny or stuffed up. As soon as you take a

pill all the withdrawal symptoms go away. I also checked with other

people who have been on OxyContin and some said to try Green Tea Extract

and Kava Kava Extract. I tried it and it did help some. You can get it

at most health stores.

You really need to talk to your doctor and tell him what you are going

through. He should be able to help you get through the withdrawals and

taper down slowly. I hope you are hanging in there!

Darren

[Guest guest]

Darren,

My pain doc just called me back about an hour ago. The nurse said that even

though I am tapering down quickly that the drug is still in my system. And you

are right about as soon as you take a dose of the medicine the withdrawl

symptoms go away. I did ask about taking my Oxycodone 5mg at home from previous

surgery and she said that was ok. I can't tell if my lower back pain is from

surgery of withdrawl. Another thing is I can't sit still I feel like I want to

yell and scream. I have a desk job so that is hard to do. I haven't got much

work done today. I work for Louisville Oncology a part of Norton Cancer Care.

I am feeling dizzy also. If I can just make it to the weekend. My son

graduates high school Saturday. He is the only one in his graduation class that

is going to start a job right away. It is for a 4yr apprenticeship in HVAC. He

went to a trade school his Jr. and Sr. year at high school. He accumulated 12

college credits. The company that is hiring him said that he will be paid for

going to school to become a journeyman. He was just inducted into the National

Technical Honor Society on May 13, 2005. The prinicipal said that 's

apprenticeship was worth $25,000.00. WOW!!!

Patty

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I am jumping into this discussion late so I apologize if it is

redundant.

I was pretty much on some kind of narcotic pain medicine for three

years non-stop. Due to occassionally misusing a medicine (self

treatment, upping the dose during a bad spell), vomiting up the meds,

have a patch die early, or failing to get a refill script in time, I

have gone through withdrawal a number of times. I also would change

meds when one would no longer work well or would start cause vomiting

and so I would wean down and change meds. Eventually after a year and a

half following my total pancreatectomy my pain level changed to

something that no longer required constant medication, and so I weaned

off of the meds then. I am pretty experienced with the whole process,

at least in terms of how that process impacts me.

It is quite possibly true that on a lesser dose of oxycontin you are

feeling more pain because your pain level maybe greater than you knew

and may require a higher dose to keep in under control. Remember for

long term pain the best way to manage it is to supress it by long

acting meds at the proper dose so that you hopefully never feel much

pain. You want to reduce the pain to something very mild that you don't

feel without careful observation. Otherwise you will have flare ups of

breakthrough pain that will require additonal meds to control and

ultimately this will be more likely to cause greater dependence on pain

meds. If you have real pain you should not feel bad that you require

medicine. It is true the body develops tolerance but tolerance is not

addiction. Addiction is misusing medication and having impulses that

you can't control.

It is also possible that your pains are actually withdrawal symptoms

from going to a lower dose. If this is true in a couple of weeks they

should pass. Time here will be an ally even though it may not feel like

it. When going through withdrawl ( I am not saying that you are, just

that it is a possibility) one has to narrow the mind's focus on time.

Don't get ahead of yourself. Just live as best as you can in the here

and now and breathe, relax, keep the mind under control. If, and I can

speak from much personal experience on this, one thinks about the

future too much, and how they feel now and believing that they will

still feel as bad as they do in the moment in the future it will break

your spirit, make you anxious, and push you to seek out additional

medicine.

If one is going through withdrawl from legitimate medicine used

legitmately, but they really want to quit or lessen their dependence on

narcotics they should share with their doctor what they are going

through and ask for medical assistance. You can be given various drugs

on a short term basis that will help you through the process and make

it more bearable. There are even drugs that can help that are not

addictive and don't make you drunkish or high. For insance clonodine a

centrally acting agent that is usually used for high blood pressure can

be given and it really does help cut down on the twitching, the

flushing, the unstable blood pressure, and so on, that really makes

withdrawl ugly. And that coupled with a low dose of ativan (which is

addictive) used a bedtime can make things soooo much better.

What ever the cause, I hope you will soon find more relief.

Namaste,

Bert

> Has anyone been weaned off the oxycontin. I'm down to 20mg bid and

my lower back is killing me. I didn't sleep at all last night because

of the tingling. I called the pharmacy this morning and he said that

my body is feeling things now that the medication covered before. Is

this true?

[Guest guest]

Agreed. Patty you are coming down too fast. I was on oxycontin 80's

for a few months when things were really bad. I came down too fast

too and wow the withdrawl was horrible. So I got in touch with my

doctor and explained the problems and went back up to the 80's and

started over. It actually required using the immediate release

oxycodone pills in addition to tapering down because the dosage steps

between oxycontin doses is rather large. I would reduce my dosage by

5 mgs every week. It took a while but I got off them without the

horrible withdrawl and I stayed off.

Good luck!

Bert

> Hi Patty, I have a friend who had disc replacement surgrey and got

> hooked on Oxycodone (which is the immeadiate release version of

> Oxycontin) and he got off it too quick and suffered withdrawal. He

> went to see another doctor that told him that the way to ween off

meds

> is 5 days of 30mg, then 5 days of 20mg...and so on. One day weening

is

> definetly too quick. Hope you feel better...Jim

[Guest guest]

Bert,

I am one day completely off the oxycontin. I am taking oxycodone 5mg to help

with the withdrawl symptoms. My mother is only giving me 5 at a time. She

doesn't realize that even though the dose says bid (My med before being on

oxycontin) that the doctor told me I could take it every 6hrs as symptoms

persist. The only pain I am having now is in my lower back. Numbness and

tingling. Otherwise I am not having any panc pain. I talked to a pharmacist

and he thought I was being weened awfully fast also. He told me the back pain

is probably the nerve endings. I am feeling things now that I wasn't before

while on the oxy.

Patty

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[Guest guest]

Thank you for your honesty. I previously had a problem with abusing pain pills

also. I started out by working at a dr. office that just threw away samples of

lortab and cough syrup with hydrocodone. I litterly went through the garbage

bag after the office closed to get them out. I finally admitted what I was

doing and was admitted to the hospital for detox. I was in for a week. I have

been very careful how I take my medicine. The thing with the pain doctor is

that they always count my pills and I can only get a refill 3 days prior to

running out by the date of the script. So if I took too many then I would run

out too soon and then would be one sick puppy. I totally know how you feel

about the pain medication. It is hard to work when you have back pain. Today I

have 2 icy hot patches on my back along with a pillow in my chair and a heating

pad. I know it takes time to get off this stuff but like I said I think the

surgery worked because I don't have the pancreas pain any longer.

Patty Duley