Trying to get off Oxycontin before Surgery

[want20s]

I am currently taking 40mg of Oxycontin a day and up to 12 Norco a day for a buldging disc in my lower back. I am going in for surgery on the 12th of January and would like to be off (or very close to off) Oxy before going in. I have been on Oxy for about 2 weeks but was on MS Contin prior for about a month and have been on Norco for about 5 months. Reading some of the other posts I am a light weight since I am at a lower dosage for a short time but am still scared of all of this. I don't like the drugs but my back is constantly hurting. My Doctor is helping be taper off of the Oxy by lowering the dosage slowly and stopping the Norco. I get bouts with sweating and am very emotional right now and I beleive they are from the withdrawls. I have been through withdrawls from Norco before and it was hell. I am trying to do what I can so I don't have to go through that, but am not sure if it is avoidable. I am fortunate that my doctor is working with me when the Cemical Dependency Dept at my provider (Kaiser) told me he wouldn't do anything because the surgery is so near. Also, I am fortunate to have a wife that is supporting me through all of this. She is going to help me by only giving me the pills I need so I'm not a fool and take more just because I'm in pain. I have seen other posts about legitamate pain and taking these pills, but am not sure if I agree. These pills are so powerful and can control you in such a short period of time that it makes you wonder who gets the better of this; the patient or the drug manufacturer. I used to play football and was hurt a lot, hence the back problem, and I wish I would have stuck to the motto we had when I played. If it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger. I am sorry for rambling, but I am just looking for suggestions and some support. L

[worried878]

what is ur reasoning for getting off before the surgery?  as far as lowering your tolerence..usually does not happen once u have built it up....are they 10 mg of hydro?   that would be 160 mg of narcs a day if so which is substantial and would definitely throw most into wds if stopped...u can taper off of them and then see how it goes..or CT but at that dose it may be uncomfortable for sure...lumbar surgery is usually not super painful and people are discharged the next day if all goes well

there is a great article in the health pages on tapering and also the thomas recipe...tapering involves small doses thru the day/spread out..the 40 of oxy would need to go as it is probably extended release...writing ur taper out day by day helps too..good luck and u r lucky you have a supportive other...that means alot i think...when is your QUIT day?

[want20s]

My reasoning for getting off before the suregery is so I don't have to take that much after the surgery and won't have to deal with to much of the wd's while recovering from surgery. My surgeon is telling me I will be in the hospital for at least 3 days and should be able to go to work after a minimum of 6-8 weeks. I don't have a quit day, because of the surgery and them putting me on afterward's. As for tapering I am following what my primary care physian is telling me to do. Not sure why he wants to use Oxy's. I thought the same thing it would be better with shorter acting but he wants to use the Oxy's and yes they are the 40mg sustained release twice a day, then in a week he wants to go to 20mg twice a day. I know it won't be much fun, but I just don't like the drugs. I was never on anything stronger than asprin before this and was never told of the side affects (tolerance and wd's) if I had known I would have not taken them. These drugs are so powerful and at least for me the doctors are very willing to hand them out. I am lucky in that my wife is going to keep track of the pills so I don't take too many. I have not had a problem before but in reading a lot of posts it seems that once you start down the getting off these things trial, it is really easy to relapse and just take more to get rid of the crappiness of the wd's.

[worried878]

sounds like you have a plan!  and it sound workable since ur doctor is helping...it wouold make sense to do it that way if he is prescribing and overseeing this...most on here are doing this on their own....u r lucky to have ur wife to help and all....having someone to support u is worth millions!   do u think u r physically addicted or mentally as well?  either way the thomas recipe can help ur brain heal...good luck and it sounds like u will do this

[want20s]

I would say physically yes becase of the feeling my body is having, but mentally no. I know I don't want to be on this stuff and that is why I am going off before the surgery. I can understand a lot of people wouldn't do that because the surgeon is going to put me back on them after the surgery, but I don't like the way they make me and I miss the relationship with my wife and family/ friends like it was before these drugs, the drugs as we all know change the way you are and how you interact with those around you. Mentally all I am thinking is keep going a little discomfort is worth it because I will get through this and be better for getting off them.

[steveo30]

before your surgery you want the pain meds they give you to take you out of pain,if your tolerance is lower at that time ,the meds they give you will work better.it sounds like you really want off of all this,that great.good luck with your surgery

[worried878]

best of luck and keep us posted

[want20s]

Just wanted to update. Am now about 6 weeks post operation for the fusion of my L4-L5 done by XLIF. The pain that was causing the problem is pretty much gone. Can't say the surgery wasn't painful. They had to give me 13 shots of Dalaudid imediately after i woke up in a 1 hour period just to keep me from crying and for the next day and a half had one shot of Dalaudid, 40 mg of oxy and 120 mg of norco just to keep from going insane from the pain. But about the third day the oxy and norco worked and by the 5th day I got to leave the hospital. They had me on the 40 mg of oxy and 120 of norco for awhile then I started to taper down. Currently am at just 30 mg of norco a day and going down. Plan to be off by the end of this week. Hate the lethargic feeling but am glad to have to not rely on pain killers to feel ok. The worst side effect of the surgery was the temporary weakness and numbness of my left leg. That is due to the inscision and removing the disc from the left side and the pain that remained and still somewhat remains is from the 4 screws and 2 rods holding my back together. On a side note; when I researched the XLIF procedure all the sites said 4-6 weeks recovery. Well that is a best case scenario and if you have a job that requires little movement. For me it will be a 5-6 month recovery until I can return to work. Back to the getting off the norco, the oxy's were much worse but coming off the norco isn't that bad. I have been taking lots of vitamins and have started taking Hydroxycut, a weight loss supplement that also increases energy and it seems to help the lethargic feeling that is the worst part for me. I have been going down one pill every 3 days and seem to be doing ok. My surgeon is working with me on this and is incredibly helpful. I got lucky with him, he is 37 and is being moved to Kaiser South Sacramento to be the Head of Neurosurgery. If anyone has Kaiser and is in the South Sac area and has back problems ask for Dr. Silverthorn. He is awesome, not just at surgery but as a person too. I will post again next week when I am completly off the norco and let you know, but so far with the expection of a few days coming off hasn't been too bad. I just try to do some excercising, limited due to back, and keep faith knowing that getting off the meds is the best thing for me and my wife and friends. I am encouraged because I am getting some of my life back. Thank you worried878 for replying to my posts and hope to hear from you again.