Oxycontin users--need advice asap

[Lou1973]

Hello. I have Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia and Interstitial Cystitis and daily pain.  I've been able to continue working.  I've hit a crisis this weekend and don't know what to do.  Any advice would be really appreciated.  Here's what's going on:

12 years ago after surgeries, a variety of different drug trials, etc. I was finally refered to the Swedish Pain clinic in Seattle and they started me on Oxycontin 10 mg twice a day.  This was primarily for the IC which if any of you have it, you know can be horrible.  I was suicidal with the pain.  The doctors at Swedish felt that the combination of the MS and IC were debilitating enough for me to use the Oxycontin. After starting the medicine I was able to go back to work and lead a normal life.

After a year they turned me over to my regular internist to manage my pain medicines.  I've been on the same dosage for 11years.  I haven't had any trouble with abusing the medicine.  The doctor also gives me a small amount of oxycodone 5mg that I take for break through pain and I usually only use maybe three or four of these per month, if I get overtired and the MS kicks in or if I eat or drink something that flares up the IC. I can usually manage the fibromyalgia since I'm also on Cymbalta and take ibruprofen for that. So overall I'm not on high dosages of medicine, but I've been using them a long time.

Well, each month I call the doctor about 5 days before I'm out of medicine and he mails the perscription to me since the pharmacy will not allow doctors to call in narcotics.  I've never had a problem with this.

Monday I called and left a message and didn't hear back so I thought the perscription was in the mail.  Thursday the nurse calls and tells me the doctor is on vacation and won't be back in the office till Monday so the perscription won't be mailed till then!  I explained to her that I've been on the medicine for a long time and I'm concerned about what will happen.  She said take iburofen.  I said that I wasn't concerned about the pain.  I can get through two days of pain.  I'm concerned about the withdrawal!  She said, (very snotty) that if I'm more worried about the withdrawal than the pain that I shouldn't be on it anyway!!!

I think when I tell him my doctor will be surprised at his nurse.  I asked him last time I was in his office if I needed to be weaned off the medicine and he said he thought it was a toss-up.  That the other meds for the pain of the illnesses I have,have a lot of side effects so he didn't think going off the oxycontin was the best idea.  Unless he's suddenly got religion or has changed his mind I can't understand why he'd think the staff should leave me high and dry.  I tried calling back again to see if I could get his partner in the practice to perscribe for me and got HIS nurse.  Apparently both doctors went on vacation at the same time!

Once my husband and I went on vacation and I forgot the medicine.  Within a day I was sick with what felt like a really bad flu combined with having a million ants crawling under my skin.  We had to cut the vacation short and drive home.

I could use the short-acting oxycodone.  I have plenty to last the weekend.  But I have no idea how much to take or how often?  I asked the nurse that and she wasn't at all helpful.  I even called a drug abuse line and they told me that it was shocking that my doctor left me like this but they couldn't give me advice on dosage because of legalities.  They said to go to the emergency room at the hospital and they would probably perscribe enough to get me through the weekend.  But I'm not going to submit myself to that because I'm afraid I'll be treated like a drug abuser which I'm not.

I don't know what to do at this point.  I have two oxycontins left for tomorrow and then I will have Saturday and Sunday to get through till Monday.  I wish I knew how to take the oxycodone to get by.  Once I get an apointment with the doctor I'm going to find out how to wean off all of this just so I will never feel so embarrassed and trapped again.  I only started taking it so I could go back to work and I couldn't continue my job with the kind of pain I have on a daily basis.  But the government has made it so hard for those of us in pain to get legitimate medicine that I'm tired of all the crap.  There must be a better way to manage this.  

I'm tempted to try to wean myself off the medicine this weekend but I have no idea how to do it or how long it will take.  Do I just take an oxycodone every 6 hours?  Do I take one oxycontin a day and see what happens?  

To make matters worse I sprained my ankle a week ago because of my MS balance problems and I'm walking with a cane.  So I'm having pain anyway.  Which is another reason why I know i may need to get off the oxycontin.  Should I be hurting this much from a sprained ankle with all the other stuff I have?
Please advise.  I'm feeling a little panicked right now.

[robert992000]

I have been on oxycontin since 1996 and now I take 3000 mg a day,I have to stop I have a hard time to breath and the insurance stop paying,this is not a joke I have to stop in the next couple of days (i am going to be out of oxy),what should I do PLEASE HELP.I am 52 years old and the oxy's are prescripe by a doctor for and old injury,again HELP ME I dont know what to do.

[bmdad]

Welcome to the forum! So sorry for what you are going through. The good news is that you are only on 10mg twice a day. That's a fairly low dosage so it wouldn't take too many of the oxycodones for you to get by. We are not allowed to give dosing instructions on here. If we do, the mods just delete the post. I was also prescribed oxycontin for awhile. Before the oxycontin I was taking oxycodone. They were 5mg and I was instructed to take 2 every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain so I was taking 10mg every 5 hours or so. When my doctor switched me to oxycontin I was started with the 10mg.  He upped it within a week because I felt more relief from the oxycodone immediate release. Get the picture? Oxycontin and oxycodone are the same type of narcotic. The difference is oxycodone has acetaminophen. That is the one thing you have to watch. They say not to take more than 4000mg in a day and now it is recommended not to take more than 3000mg. So that is what you mainly have to watch.
Have you considered trying to hold off on the oxycontin until you have to have it? You may be able to make it all weekend by only taking the oxycodone. If not, just go as long as you can until taking the oxycontin. Try not to worry. You will get  by just fine.
I think it's great you have decided to get off of the pain meds. Many of us here live with chronic pain and have learned to deal with our pain with over the counter meds. With the pain meds, our tolerance ends up growing and before we know it we have to keep upping our dose. Eventually no matter how much we take we can not get any pain relief. Even though you are not an addict, you are dependent. It can be uncomfortable when coming off of them. You came to the right place for support. There are many wonderful people that will cheer you on and help you get through the withdrawals.
There is also a great pain management forum here on medhelp. You should check it out also. You might get some ideas on how to handle your pain due to the conditions you have.
Just hang in there and try not to worry. All the brain needs to keep from withdrawing is opiates. It doesn't care what kind it is getting. Just watch the acetaminophen and don't go over the recommended daily dose. If you are still feeling rough, don't be afraid to go to the er and explain your situation. They are obligated to help.
Please stick around the forum so you can educate yourself on withdrawals so you know what to expect when you decide to detox. There are supplements that can make you feel better when going through withdrawals.
Best of luck to you!

Brian