Back Again. Will the second time be more difficult to withdrawal from hydrocodone?

[Victim of Surgery]

After surviving a week-long hellish withdrawal from going c/t in January bollowing back surgery, I thought I was doing well. I went back to work and actually started feeling better. But the headaches never went away. Then, the doctor discovered 2 more ruptured discs, in my neck this time, and scheduled another surgery in March.

I was determined to get through it without the hydrocodone and my surgeon prescribed Esgic. A day after surgery, when they took away that wonderfully soothing morphine pump, I was left with just 2 Esgic every 4 hrs. By the third dose I was asking for more. Of course, they wouldn't give it to me any faster eventhough the pain was excruciating. I was surprised when they told me I could have some hydrocodone if I didn't want to wait for the Esgic. Decision time!

Well, I'm back on the forum, so you can guess which choice I made.

The first time, when I went c/t, I didn't even know I was going through withdrawal until the second day when the worst was over. I was extremely sick for 2 days and then pretty sick for 5 more. Then things started to get better. After the surgery in March, my doc told me I could wean myself off the hydrocodone over 30 days with no symptoms. Since I was taking one every 6 hrs, he told me to stretch it to 7 hrs for a week, then 8 hrs the next week, etc.

Two days after stretching it just 1 hr, I got really sick again with severe abdominal pain, nausea, a headache that wouldn't quit and muscle burning pain. I took an extra pill to get rid of the headache and went to 6 and a half hours for a few days. When I tried to stretch it to 7 again, the same thing happened. After only 3 doses of trying to stretch it further to 8 hrs, I was back in the bathroom moaning in severe pain.

My doc wants me to go see a new doc for "Pain Management." I guess it's going to be some sort of detox.

How long do you think it will take? 30 days seems totally unrealistic. Especially given my recent experiences. My disability is about to run out too because I'm pretty much healed from the surgeries. Can a pain mgt doc extend your disability beyond 6 months?

[slowlybetter]

How much hydrocodone are you taking right now?  And is your pain resolved?  It is a lot harder to come off of the pain meds when you are still in pain but if you aren't on a large amount of hydrocodone 30 days might be realistic.  Your doctor just might be referring you to someone to monitor you and give you meds to help get you through the w/d's.

I was just confused because you said you were about healed from the surgeries but I didn't know if that meant you were out of pain as well.

SB

[Victim of Surgery]

I think I still have pain. The trouble is, I only feel it when I try to cut back on the meds. I'm currently taking 1 10/325 hydrocodone every 7 hrs. I started back on the pills the first week in March, taking 1 pill every 3 hrs, then eventually stretched it to one every 6. Stretching to 7 was tremendously difficult. I don't think I'll ever get to 8 hrs between pills.

I hope that answers your question.

[slowlybetter]

Has your doctor considered lowering the mg such as going down to 7.5 mg instead of stretching out the time?  Or you could you cut the 10 mg tablets in half?  That way you would have a lower amount of hydrocodone in your system but still be cutting back on your meds.

Also, has your doctor explained to you that the more pain medicine you take the more pain receptors you develop so in effect you become more sensitive to pain.

Can you make it through the night without medication?

SB