Aa
What to expect from fast taper
I have been on oxycodone and oxycontin for 7 years due to compressed and herniated disks. I started at 5mg 4x per day. After all these years I am up yo 15mg oxycodone 4x per day and a 30 mg oxycontin at night. This is the 2nd time in 7 years I have found myself to be short before my next perscription by a substantial amount. I went from 90mg/24 hrs. to 30 over the last 4 days with restless legs and anxiety with chest pain. I have been using xanax to settle down and sleep. After 1 week of 30mg/day, I find I will need to drop to 10mg/day to make it to my next refill. I work in the healthcare field and don't want my chart showing me running out early. I was thinking of going the next 2 days with no pills. That would leave me with 15mg/day for 6 days til refill time. Is there a better way to do this. I know I am in for an uncomfortable time, but wonder if there may be a better way. I don't work the days I plan on skipping so that's where I was hoping to catch up a little. It's time to start a taper down plan as I don't like the feeling of missing even a single dose at the amounts I've worked up to over the years. I am hoping to avoid the laying on the bathroom floor part I have experienced once before. I really don't want to call the MD saying I ran out a week early. Lots of great posts and responses here led me to post here myself. Thanks!
Well, I didn't make it through the weekend pill free. I decided to taper down a little each day. I went from 70mg/day about 8 days ago to two 5 mg doses today. Last dose was 8 hours ago. I have been feeling it since going down to 20 mg/day. I'm at work right now waiting for 50 minutes to go by. Slowest day of my life. I'm thinking this WD is going to hit pretty hard, but I don't know for sure. Tapered fast. Eligible for refill on Friday. If I feel like I can make it-No more refills. If I feel any more freaked out than I do now, I think I'll have to start up on a smaller dose and taper again. Last 2 nights had to lay in the shower several times throughout the night. I take .5-1.0 mg xanax to sleep, but it only lasts a couple of hours. Me thinks I'm in for trouble ahead! Thanks all! URRRRGGGGGHHH!
wow! 240 mgs of oxy in 15 days of a taper..and no wd???? guess i have never tried it so i would not know//til u go there u wouldnt know..but my guess is u would feel like crudola the 4th day when u reduced ur dose by 1/3///but we r all different so who knows
and poeple who only use small amts at a time..ie 10-20 mgs a dose/orally..no snortin, shooting or chewing/ r not gonna do as much damage to receptors as those who take large doses at one time..ie someone who takes 20 mgs of oxy 4 x a day orally will have and easier time than someone who takes 40 mgs twice a day..and someone who swallows their pills will have an easier time than those who snort, chew or shoot their doses due to the large impact at one time on the brain..in reality long acting meds/unless chewed or snorted etc//will have an easier time due to the slow release than one who take a short half life med as it hits quick and is gone fast...but most addists do not swallow their long acting meds like oxycontin etc...so it is very dangerous to switch to if u r an addict...and chewing or snorting a slow release oxy of 80 mgs is like instantaneously taking 8 ten mg pills cos u break the slow release mechanism...gone really fast..in an hour u will be snortin more..due to the quick drop in the high
but i doubt u have doe any serious damage...and btw...5htp is great for seratonin levels..tyrosine works best for dopamine release..hang tight
and poeple who only use small amts at a time..ie 10-20 mgs a dose/orally..no snortin, shooting or chewing/ r not gonna do as much damage to receptors as those who take large doses at one time..ie someone who takes 20 mgs of oxy 4 x a day orally will have and easier time than someone who takes 40 mgs twice a day..and someone who swallows their pills will have an easier time than those who snort, chew or shoot their doses due to the large impact at one time on the brain..in reality long acting meds/unless chewed or snorted etc//will have an easier time due to the slow release than one who take a short half life med as it hits quick and is gone fast...but most addists do not swallow their long acting meds like oxycontin etc...so it is very dangerous to switch to if u r an addict...and chewing or snorting a slow release oxy of 80 mgs is like instantaneously taking 8 ten mg pills cos u break the slow release mechanism...gone really fast..in an hour u will be snortin more..due to the quick drop in the high
but i doubt u have doe any serious damage...and btw...5htp is great for seratonin levels..tyrosine works best for dopamine release..hang tight
Tapers have never worked for me, I pretty much went cold turkey and im on day 8 and feel almost normal now. But here is a tapering recipe ive come across on a few forums I post on. I know it says you will have no withdrawal at the end, but for some reason I doubt that.
This should be of great help to any of you who have been sick (all of us at one point or another, LOL) because of a "not so good" self-detox, or what have you...or even those who are interested in quitting (or drastically reducing their opiate intake and tolerance).
Okay here it is. And please take comfort in the fact that this is *the* method trusted and used within the medical community to help patients taper off their medicine *regardless* of the dosage. One could be using 20 milligrams of methadone (just one example) or 200 milligrams, and the method is the same for both. Also, this works for ALL opiates...and for ALL routes of administration.
Basically what we are going to do is reduce the intake, in milligrams, by a factor of "one-third" every fourth day.
Here's an example. John Doe uses OxyContin daily. He has a habit and is up to 240 milligrams per day, but he wants to quit for hatever reason. One problem, he is scared to death of getting "sick."
Here's what he would do:
Days 1 through 3: Take the 240 mg as you would normally
On Day 4, reduce this amount by one-third, so 240 divided by 3 is 80 (meaning starting on Day 4, John takes 160 milligrams)
Days 4 through 6: take 160 milligrams.
On Day 7, reduce this amount (160mg) by one-third, so that's 53 milligrams less. So starting Day 7 take 107 milligrams.
Days 7 through 9: take 107 milligrams.
On Day 10, reduce this (107mg) by one-third, so that gives you 36mg less which is 71 milligrams
Days 10 through 12: take 71 milligrams.
On Day 13, reduce this (71mg) once again, by a factor of one-third, so that's 24mg less, which is 47 milligrams.
Days 13 through 15: take the 47 milligrams, then on Day 16, reduce again by a factor of one-third.
And so on and so forth until you reach zero, or darn close to it. i realize that a couple of calculations above involved decimals, but it's impractical to take "37.66 mg" of something, so rounding up to the nearest milligram won't hurt you.
The key in this method is to gradually reduce your intake every 3 days by one-third. So bascally take your dose for 3 days, then on the 4th, 5th, and 6th, you'll be taking the one-third less dose. Days 7,8,and 9 are a further reduction, and so on. It is important, folks that you keep it every three days (not two, and not four) for the method to work. And also, the "one-third" aspect is very important: cutting dosage by 33 percent is crucial. 25 percent, 40 percent, etc. is not acceptable, and you may be uncomfortable.
You have a guarantee that if you follow this method strictly (to the nearest milligram--> round up if u have to if you end up with a decimal number) you will be free of the physical dependence, effectively and most importantly *painlessly* with NO WITHDRAWAL ;-)
This should be of great help to any of you who have been sick (all of us at one point or another, LOL) because of a "not so good" self-detox, or what have you...or even those who are interested in quitting (or drastically reducing their opiate intake and tolerance).
Okay here it is. And please take comfort in the fact that this is *the* method trusted and used within the medical community to help patients taper off their medicine *regardless* of the dosage. One could be using 20 milligrams of methadone (just one example) or 200 milligrams, and the method is the same for both. Also, this works for ALL opiates...and for ALL routes of administration.
Basically what we are going to do is reduce the intake, in milligrams, by a factor of "one-third" every fourth day.
Here's an example. John Doe uses OxyContin daily. He has a habit and is up to 240 milligrams per day, but he wants to quit for hatever reason. One problem, he is scared to death of getting "sick."
Here's what he would do:
Days 1 through 3: Take the 240 mg as you would normally
On Day 4, reduce this amount by one-third, so 240 divided by 3 is 80 (meaning starting on Day 4, John takes 160 milligrams)
Days 4 through 6: take 160 milligrams.
On Day 7, reduce this amount (160mg) by one-third, so that's 53 milligrams less. So starting Day 7 take 107 milligrams.
Days 7 through 9: take 107 milligrams.
On Day 10, reduce this (107mg) by one-third, so that gives you 36mg less which is 71 milligrams
Days 10 through 12: take 71 milligrams.
On Day 13, reduce this (71mg) once again, by a factor of one-third, so that's 24mg less, which is 47 milligrams.
Days 13 through 15: take the 47 milligrams, then on Day 16, reduce again by a factor of one-third.
And so on and so forth until you reach zero, or darn close to it. i realize that a couple of calculations above involved decimals, but it's impractical to take "37.66 mg" of something, so rounding up to the nearest milligram won't hurt you.
The key in this method is to gradually reduce your intake every 3 days by one-third. So bascally take your dose for 3 days, then on the 4th, 5th, and 6th, you'll be taking the one-third less dose. Days 7,8,and 9 are a further reduction, and so on. It is important, folks that you keep it every three days (not two, and not four) for the method to work. And also, the "one-third" aspect is very important: cutting dosage by 33 percent is crucial. 25 percent, 40 percent, etc. is not acceptable, and you may be uncomfortable.
You have a guarantee that if you follow this method strictly (to the nearest milligram--> round up if u have to if you end up with a decimal number) you will be free of the physical dependence, effectively and most importantly *painlessly* with NO WITHDRAWAL ;-)
Thanks for replies. I would go cold turkey, but a dose before a work shift gets me through. Granted I don't feel good, but I fell better than if I don't take a dose at all. I am hoping a slow taper will alleviate the anxiety and depression that seems to accompany withdrawal. Anyway, I will never forget the agony of this drawn out, quick taper withdrawal. I hope to carry it as a reminder of what the pills do. I wonder if I am even able to produce dopamine anymore. I tried some 5-HTP over the last few days and it may be helping with serotonin. I'm not sure. I appreciate the replies and will start my journey In a little over 1 week. I find the support here to be a great thing and quite helpful. I know I am not alone and that this can be done! Thank you all!!!! I will keep a tracker going when I start.
i did a quick taper...10 days til i had a planned long weekend off work..but i wasnot forced into quitting..i was just plain over it and flushed what i didnt need for my quick taper..and i didnt feel very good at all for 10 days..so i cheated..a friend was holding my pills and doling them out to me each day..but i knew where to get more..so i did...but i quit on QUIT day and that was that....i personally suk at tapering and will cheat everytime..if ur wife has ur pills and will not cave when u ask for one//and u dont have another source to get them from..then perhaps u will do a better job than i..fact is i had to stay on them till my time off work..and my attempt at tapering really did get me ready for quitting..also made me feel very frustrated, weak and loss of control...it really made me realize i had no control over pills and never will
for some tapering is good..so it is worth a try...to me it drags out wds..as u do not feel good the whole time u r tapering then most will still have wd at the end..as far as stretching ur pills out..there is noseret to that..u have what u have left and u gotta space them out...and u r not gonna feel good til u get ur rx...if u take 10 mgs and u r used to taking 90..u will not feel to hot...if it were me i would just ct and flush the rest,,take monday off or call in sick..play it by ear....wds from ur dose r often over physically in 3-4 days..mine were....but the way u r doing it u r gonna feel bad for a whole week...not much diff i guess..and this is not sumpin u r ready to do..quit i mean...and good luck to u and hope u work without any problems...i know its tough to work and deal with all this bs....when u r ready to quit let us know..tapering 5 mgs a week is usually slow enuf to not experience too much wd..good luck
for some tapering is good..so it is worth a try...to me it drags out wds..as u do not feel good the whole time u r tapering then most will still have wd at the end..as far as stretching ur pills out..there is noseret to that..u have what u have left and u gotta space them out...and u r not gonna feel good til u get ur rx...if u take 10 mgs and u r used to taking 90..u will not feel to hot...if it were me i would just ct and flush the rest,,take monday off or call in sick..play it by ear....wds from ur dose r often over physically in 3-4 days..mine were....but the way u r doing it u r gonna feel bad for a whole week...not much diff i guess..and this is not sumpin u r ready to do..quit i mean...and good luck to u and hope u work without any problems...i know its tough to work and deal with all this bs....when u r ready to quit let us know..tapering 5 mgs a week is usually slow enuf to not experience too much wd..good luck
Well, it's too bad you don't have access to a few more -- tapering should be well-planned, not forced on you. If I was in your position, I'd try to get at least a liveable amount till your script is ready -- then you have to make some really tough decisions.
Perhaps not a popular bit of advice here, but if I was in the same situation, which I'll soon intenetionally be, I'd want more control over the taper ...
Perhaps not a popular bit of advice here, but if I was in the same situation, which I'll soon intenetionally be, I'd want more control over the taper ...
The more I read all of the posts, the more I can see the denial I have been in regarding pain management and meds. As far as making it to my next script, I will not find any comfort with the amount of medicine I have left. I have taken only 15 mg today and will be ok for work. I added .25 mg xanax to the 5 mg dose I took about an hour ago. It may have helped. I still feel jitters but not as bad as yesterday. I will go the rest of the day and night without any more oxy. I am hoping to make it thru Sat. without anything, but I have gone from 90mg 5 days ago to the 15 I took today. Kinda weird the amount of anxiety and underlying depression that I have never experienced before. I know in my heart that I should stop this roller coaster ride, but I have to admit that with this current experience happening, I am very intimidated and quite frankly, scared. As long as I have gotten to this point I believe the time is now. I would love if anyone with previous taper down experience has a schedule they could recommend. I have to go down to 10 mg on Monday with what I have left before next refill (next Sat). No sense going back to 90mg/day, but the amount I'm on now is not comfortable at all. This really *****, and I know my wife doesn't understand how bad this is. She's giving me a guilt trip (or I am giving it to myself) over running out a week early. I just know the weekend won't be fun, but I have to go thru the worst of it on days I don't work. Thanks to all for the posts on this site. Lots of insight and very helpful. God Bless!
Am I an addict? Yes, definitely. I have my pills dispensed for me by my wife as I do have substantial pain but would often take an extra pill here or there without her help and find I prefer not to run short due to consequences. . I did have a bad pain month, but this last month I held my oxycontin for a couple of days before giving to my wife. Do I find myself feeling "normal" with use-Yes again. I find I feel better due to the dopamine effect. I've trashed a few nuero systems over the years. I don't search for drugs as I get them prescribed. I do find myself looking forward to my morning dose as I feel normal after taking. I chew my oxycodone and put it under my tongue. So after reading on this forum, I believe it is time to address things differently. Even thru the denial, I know I am a true addict. I do not feel normal without my opiates.
I know your not going to like this response, but really theres nothing you can do to avoid feeling bad besides picking up some pills off the street. You will for sure feel bad those 2 days. I currently am on day 8 of my ~100mg oxy/day habit and my withdrawals are almost over, I mainly just have trouble sleeping and my legs ache like I just ran a mile. But on days 1-3 I was in absolute hell. Could not sleep at ALL, or eat.
You know how much oxy you need for relief better than any of us. I personally would recommend stretching the taper out a little bit thinner to where you will have atleast some oxy on those 2 days. It might help if you got some opiate potentiators too (grapefruit juice, tums, xanax, soma etc.) to make the best use of what you have left.
You know how much oxy you need for relief better than any of us. I personally would recommend stretching the taper out a little bit thinner to where you will have atleast some oxy on those 2 days. It might help if you got some opiate potentiators too (grapefruit juice, tums, xanax, soma etc.) to make the best use of what you have left.
Well drn...I wote that whole long post and then now u tell me! LOL..no biggie..if u have no control u may need to get a trusted friend to hold the pills and dole them out for u...write out ur taper...pick a QUIT day..write out ur plan on paper..if u cheat//and u probably will/i did/then let it go and just be sure u stick the the QUIT day u have chosenif u get sick of taperieng/can be humiliating/then just get it over with cos ur dose is do-able CT...after quit day holding onto pills or keeping a source near by is a really bad idea cos those puppies will sing to u at night...and it is not a pretty song
U made a huge, huge, huge step there by adding that post bout where u rat..many go thru their whole life without saying the words u just said "I have no control" u r on ur way and congrats..please let me know if i can help
U made a huge, huge, huge step there by adding that post bout where u rat..many go thru their whole life without saying the words u just said "I have no control" u r on ur way and congrats..please let me know if i can help
u r rx-ed 90 mgs a day? but in reality u r taking more as u ran out early/? just getting this straight...and n 7 yrs this has only happened twice/running out early/but useems as tho u did a number this month..not being sarcastic but u r right to take a long look at where u r heading is all i wanted to point out
i am also in the healthcare profession..and i did the same thing u r doing..but i had a source to get them from so i was going broke on top of it...and this doesnt get any better..only worse
R U an addict? important question in order to appropriately answer ur question.....do u crave pills for the normality u feel or for nrg/good feeling u get or it is just for pain..only u know these things...or did u have a really bad pain month? i know i have in the past..if this is the case talking to ur dr may help..and if u r addicted talking to ur dr will help as well
I u r merely physically dependent..u will be able to contol ur taper..some drop 5 mgs a week..others go faster..others go slower..a true addict as a rule can not control a taper cos the definition of addiction involves the fact that u have no control over the pills..so how on earth can a true addict have pills in their possession and taper succesfully? i couldnt...i would end up taking more to help with the stress i was experiencing over taking less each day! it sukked! have seen a fe do it tho..and most of them were only physically dependent//not an addict...either way u need to pick a quit day...write out ur taper and stick to it...read thru the health pages and learn..the thomas recipe rox...keep us posted cos if u need any further help we r here..u r welcome to pm me if u would like
be safe and keep posting
i am also in the healthcare profession..and i did the same thing u r doing..but i had a source to get them from so i was going broke on top of it...and this doesnt get any better..only worse
R U an addict? important question in order to appropriately answer ur question.....do u crave pills for the normality u feel or for nrg/good feeling u get or it is just for pain..only u know these things...or did u have a really bad pain month? i know i have in the past..if this is the case talking to ur dr may help..and if u r addicted talking to ur dr will help as well
I u r merely physically dependent..u will be able to contol ur taper..some drop 5 mgs a week..others go faster..others go slower..a true addict as a rule can not control a taper cos the definition of addiction involves the fact that u have no control over the pills..so how on earth can a true addict have pills in their possession and taper succesfully? i couldnt...i would end up taking more to help with the stress i was experiencing over taking less each day! it sukked! have seen a fe do it tho..and most of them were only physically dependent//not an addict...either way u need to pick a quit day...write out ur taper and stick to it...read thru the health pages and learn..the thomas recipe rox...keep us posted cos if u need any further help we r here..u r welcome to pm me if u would like
be safe and keep posting
I should have mentioned that due to this experience and coming to the realization that I no longer control the meds, they control me, I really need to stop completely. I plan on discussing lowering my dose 5 mg/month with MD until smaller tapers are less drastic. After getting through the next week and 2 days, I really want to do something as I know I am in the throws of addiction. Thanks again.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Addiction: Substance Abuse Community
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Julia Aharonov, DO, reveals the quickest way to beat drug withdrawal.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
