First post--want/need help withdrawing from Oxycontin

[NoMoreRx4Me]

Here I am. How I got here is another story, but I've got to get past this hold on my body and my life. I have been on Oxycontin for three years, with OxyIR and sometimes Norco for breakthrough pain. Every time I want to decrease dosage, I have another injury or problem.I was in an MVA, and have had several surgeries. My husband went through withdrawal a year ago from MS-Contin. He had started to turn into an old man taking the pain pills. It was hard watching him. That's part of the reason I've been slow to acknowledge that I've got to try to get this thing kicked. I know I'm going to have trouble, because even now I start to have wd symptoms between scheduled doses. I take 40mg Oxy every 8 hours. I take it at bed time and wake up 5-6 hours later, feeling jumpy and tense. I almost always feel sick. Fatigued, sweaty, etc. I plan to going to my pain doctor once I get back in the US on 12/10. Until then, I want to try to decrease dose myself. Is this wise? I heard you cannot break Oxycontin in half, because it will go into your bloodstream faster and cause more problems with addiction. Is this true anyone? Thanks for reading this...I'll be back on here once I start my detox....

[bmdad]

If you can taper down to a lower dose before jumping off it will probably help. Since you are currently taking one every 8 hours maybe you could start by taking one every 12 hours if you want to start cutting back before you get back to the states. Once you are able to get in to see your doctor you should talk to him/her about a good taper plan. What will probably do is drop your oxycontin down to the next lower dose which would be 30mg. Once your body gets use to the drop in dose he will then probably drop you down to the 20mg, and then the 10mg. I was prescribed oxycontin in the past and when I was ready to taper off I had my doctor switch me to norcos and I tapered with them since they are a weaker pain med. It was by no mean easy but I tolerated it okay. One thing you may want to try is to just use the instant release and use those to taper. I feel it is hard to taper off of the oxycontin due to the fact that it slowly releases the medication in to your body. If you just take the instant release you will be able to control your intake a bit easier.
As for your question about cutting the oxycontin in half, do not do this! Doing this will just release a bunch of oxycodone in to your system at once. It will not be time released then and it will wear off in 4 hours or so. Instead of having the 40 mg slowly release in to your body you will get the whole amount all at once. You in turn would be taking way more than what our body is used to.
There have been others that have went cold turkey off of a much higher amount but that is something you need to talk to your doctor about. You have to make sure you don't have any other underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure. Normally it is safe to do so but it really depends on your health. I have tapered before and if done correctly it can really keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay. Some people think it just prolongs the withdrawals but everyone is different. You just have to find what works for you. It does take a lot of willpower to taper so if you ever find yourself not sticking to the taper plan, you may just have to bite the bullet and go cold turkey. You have to remember that while tapering you may not feel great but would feel so much worse if you just went cold turkey.
Just keep a positive attitude and know that as each day passes you will feel a bit better. This forum can be so helpful as everyone here is so caring and will give some great advice. Post on here and post often even if you just feel like venting. Everyone will listen and help you stay on track. Best of luck!
Brian

[worried878]

Can u talk to ur pharmacist about IR?  IR as a rule means Instant Release...time released pills should not be broken cos u get the whole dose at once vs over hours..instant release pills have no coating to "time release them" so as a rule they r ok to break..many will be scored so u know it is ok..but ask ur phqarmacist..cos he will know..ER means extended release and these r not ok to break
Communicating with ur dr is the best thing u can do..he can help u taper off plus give u safe drugs to help
keep us posted..if u need anything let one of us know..the forum is a great place to be..there is an article on tapering in the health pages too..keep posting

[avisg]

I dont know about braking the 40s but you do really need to taper down .I am sure there are others that know more about the oxys risks. It was not my DOC but I have taken my fair share .However when you get up the 40s and 80s I have not .