Morphine

Hello, this is my first time here.I have been on pain meds. for
9 1/2 yrs. Getting ready for my 9th surgury in 2 wks. I want to get off the pain pills.I went off them last year for 2 months and the Dr. wanted me to go back on them...Dumb me...I told my Dr. last week that i wanted off of them because i was going throught
w/d's.  He said that he was more than happy to write me presc.
Right now i'm on 15m morphine (2 or 3times daily) and a patch, plus 800m os ibupro....they had me on prococet for 7yrs.then methodone for 2 yrs. then oxycotin 1month..now morphine...in the last year the meds have not been working..as soon as i started taking the morphine, i went into w/d's....the dr. told me i would not be in any pain for the surgury because he would give me something....Well i not going to take any..I want off the drugs.
I don't have any craving for them, just hate the wd's...Why doesn't the Dr. want me off them??...The surgury - Im have an spinal cord stimulator put in.(2nd one)..It helps the pain..Has anyone heard of drinking green tea (found in the supermarket)for detox?

[Bodymechanic]

I am not sure what your question is, but I don't believe the green tea will work for an opiate addiction.  It will definately help if you are trying to give up drinking coffee.

[mrmichael67]

It sounds like you might not be getting enough morphine.  After so many years on meds, 15mg three times a day sounds awfully low.  After first pass through the liver, there is only about 40% of morphine left for the body to use anyway, so your body is using somewhere around 20mg a day.  How much of the other stuff were you taking?

[Thomas03]

MrMichael's right. That doesn't sound like very aggressive pain treatment. I'm a long-time, all-purpose, equal opportunity opiate addict and I can put away obscene amounts of oral morphine.

I think you're jumping the gun on getting off opiates. Why don't you give yourself the best possible chance of recovering from your surgery by allowing the doctor to control your pain? Patients who receive good pain control have dramatically better post-op recoveries. Believe me, your monkey will be there whenever you decide to stop the drugs. Opiates properly used are remarkably benign in all respects save habituation.

I don't know you but I'll advise you anyway to demand effective pain treatment and concentrate on recovering from surgery. Then contact a pain management doc and an addictionologist to help you deal with detox comfortably and safely. The drug buprenorphine is turning out to be great for opiate detox as well as pain management. It may control your pain while not imparting an opiate high. As a drug fiend, that last characteristic knocks bup off my hit parade, but I must concede the stuff sounds like a terrific solution to chronic pain and opiate dependence.

So, give yourself a vacation from guilt. The fact that you're human means you are susceptible to opiate addiction. That doesn't mean it's a great career move to become a junkie, but it's no moral failure, either. You couldn't be more normal, and don't let any medico treat you otherwise. Good luck.

Thomas

[recentlyengaged]

Does anyone know about opiate agonists/antigonist such as nubain?  I am kicking my oxy habit.  After about a week do you think I could try this to see if it is a less addicting way to help with withdrawal and other issues?

[theGolden1]

What kind of a pain condition do you have? Is it fibromyalgia?
I hope I'm not out of line asking this question, but I have heard about the spinal thing being used for fibro ...

[freezing]

Wow Thomas, that has to be the most helpful and well articulated post I've come across.  Thank you.  Although, I am still afraid the monkey will get worse as time progresses, no?  I mean, you have to increase to maintain pain control, no?

Trickker, my methadone w/d's, while staying on substitute opiates for cervical degeneration, have persisted for well over four months so far.  I have heard six months is the magic timeframe.  Hopefully, things well be easier after that.

Good luck and well wishes.

[trickker]

Thanks everyone, I've just been on meds for so long and had heard that green tea helps to get it out of your body.  I'm having w/ds taking morphine and if i'm having them plus the pain, I was just wondering-why not get off them.While on the methodone for 2 yrs.it has slowly stopped working in the last year. I'm wondering how long the w/ds will last taking the morphine and the clonidine
patch. Any suggestions would be helpful..
                                          
Thanks so much...Trickker

[kilo]

I haven't posted here lately, but like many on this board I too have w/d, relapsed, w/d, etc... I'm currently on day 5 of w/d, after being clean for about a month. Just took a few vics last week, then a few more, that's all it took for me to be back in frank withdrawal. I've been in the healthcare field for 20 years, and my advice to you would be to steer clear of Nubain. You are correct that it's a combination of agonist/anagonist properties, which could trigger withdrawal symptoms in a short period of time. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Nubain must be IV or IM injected. You don't want to screw with syringes and sharp objects.

Take Thomas' advice, you have a relatively short habit, and moderate in intensity. Your withdrawal will most likely not be as severe as someone with a longer addiction. For me cold turkey is the only way. Tapering down just did not work for me...where there are pills I will take them until they are gone. As Thomas mentioned it will feel like a 3-5 day super flu. I can tell you that day 5 is a walk in the park compared to day 2 & 3. After day 5, for me, it's all in your head. You would be wise to listen to Thomas' advice, his wisdom comes from trial, pain and experience.

You are a young man with a very bright future. You have the love of a person who is willing to spend her entire life with you. She probably knows more about this then you think she does. It's your call, but I would be upfront and truthful, all the way. My friend, you made a mistake, we all do. Now go fix it.  Peace

Kilo

[trickker]

I was in a car wreck and broke and twisted everything in my ankle. That's why I opted for the spinal cord implant from my pain control Dr. It helps with the pain, but it will only last for 5 to 8 yrs. Then have it removed and get a new one..Before the wreck, i was wide open and on a natural high. I don't know if the pain or the meds have really brought me down. That's why I want to quit the meds, plus I don't want to keep uping the dose.
But the w/ds are bad..I would not wish them on anyone...I will stay on the morphine until after my surgury in 2 weeks.Everyone here has been so helpful...I just wish the Dr. would listen to my wanted to quit the meds.
                                 Trickker

[mrmichael67]

I didn't notice you wrote you were on a patch in your original post.  I would imagine that is Duragesic.  How much of that are you on?  Is the morphine for breakthrough?  I can understand your wanting off the meds, but there is a way to do it and a way not to do it.  You should take care of first things first. Try to get the pain under control, get the surgery, and hopefully you will heal.  Then, you can start the weaning process.  Your desires are commendable.  I just don't like to see needless suffering.  Pain meds, WHEN USED PROPERLY, are a good thing.

[mrmichael67]

I am glad to see the dosage increase help things.  I just thought the patch was duragesic as it isn't common to be put on catapres while still on opiates.  It is usually given in this instance to relieve wd symptoms.  If he is giving you enough morphine, then there shouldn't be a need for the catapres.  Unless he is giving it for another reason.  I would honestly think twice about jerking your blood pressure around if not necessary.  The heart is not something to mess with.  Have a talk with your doc about it.  It is nice to see some good news.

[trickker]

I've been on pain meds for so long..I had the implant surgury about 6 or 7 yrs ago. It's time for a new one and it does help the pain. My surgury is Thursday. I was on the methodone, it helped for about a year. Since last summer I can tell that is was slowly not working. The doc switched me to oxycotin (40m 2xdaily)
It didin't do nothing. So he switched me to ms cotin (15m 2 or 3x
daily.That is when I when into w/ds..He put me on a catapres (1m)
good for one week. He said I could still take the ms cotin...Well I still didn't feel very good..Yesterday he up my ms cotin to 2at one time every 12 hrs. That seems to work..He knows that after the surgury, I want to quit the meds.I might have to take some on
occation.(I hope not much).I just hate the w/ds..I hope I can get off them..Last winter I quit on my own and afer 2 months, I still didn't feel myself...I wish I knew how long it takes....I would not wish w/d's on anyone..
                                   Trickker

[trickker]

I put the patch on last Thursday and it's good for a week...I still have it on ( it might not be working ) I have another one but I haven't put in on yet. I wanted to see how the increase was  going to work.. Doc said that if the increase didn't work to try  the oxycotin, if that didn't work try the methodone.. He said the methodone would take longer getting into my system..It seems like taking it every 12 hours (ms cotin), it is not lasting long enough and I start feeling really tired after 4 or 5 hours..other than that I'm ok..It is really nice to talk with someone about this..Thanks for all the help..
                                      Trickker

[mrmichael67]

If you need to get any info from me or anything, just email me at ***@****.  I have been there.

[mrmichael67]

I find it incredible how the doctor wanted you to try the oxycontin or methadone if the morphine he had you on didn't work.  Any of them would work at the proper dose.  Doesn't he get that?  It isn't the drug, it was the amount you were getting.

[trickker]

I know what you mean..I don't understand it either..I took the patch off Fri. still taking the morphine. Every day I feel better.That is something else I didn't understand(the patch and morphine together.If the patch is a blocker..I think the doctors don't do alot of research on drugs or something...And I've been seeing this doc for 9 yrs. So he knows me..Just think, he will be operating on me Thursday...Wish me luck..
                                        Trickker

[athena]

I haven't posted here in quite a while but I just had to tell you to stay away from the nubain!It is extremely addicting.My Dr. had me on it about 10 yrs ago and said it wasn't a narcotic.It has to be given IM and the W/Ds from it were horrendous!I was only taking 20 mg twice a day and it took me a year to get over the cravings!Please try another route...