clonidine

[Sjoggie]

How long do you normally take clonidine for withdrawal symptoms from Oxycontin and Percocet?  

Thanks
Lizzy

[Sjoggie]

Hi,
My doc is out of town and I am having issues with the neurontin, such as blurry vision with  my pupils not matching as well as other nasty side effects.

I called the on call doc and got one method.  He seemed to lose interest once he discovered this was from a detox.

The pharmacist came up with another method.

My doc isn't really up on how to do this and since she will not be back until after the 1st I don't have anyway to talk with her.

I'm going to try again today and hopefully get someone from my docs office who at least knows me and then maybe I can get a better idea of what to do.  Otherwise, I will try tomorrow and see of the PA is in that I have worked with along with my doc.

Thanks for your imput.  I just picked the wrong time to do this detox!

[HealthySquid]

Your doctor said to taper the neurontin.  I would trust my doctor over the people here.  The people here are not doctors nor do they know your personal history.  You pay your doctor to take care of your health.  As some other smarter people here said, talk to your doctor about when to quit, how to quit, or if you should be taking other medication.  

I wish you the best!

[Sjoggie]

Thank you all so much for your replies!

One of my pharmacists seems to have a grasp on withdrawal but the other does not.  If I can catch the right one I may be able to get decent info.  She will research if she does not know.

The other pharmacist is nice but not quite with it.  I had called after being discharged from the hospital and was in a different state when I had hallucinations from a med.  The pharmacist from home said that couldn't happen.  (So, that was great, I figured I would end up in the psych ward!)  Well, as a matter of fact, it can happen on it's own and no doubt interacted with the meds of what ever they looped me out with in the hospital before I left!  I was to take the med.  Of course, this is when I could not reach my detox doctor, though I don't think he knew anything anyway.

I know you are not docs but you have been through this so you know how meds can act on some people.

Considering I'm dealing with professionals who are not really up on detox I need the real info from real people.

It gives me an idea of what I can try and what I should not possibly be taking.

I would be on the nuerontin much longer had you all not said it was possible to not have to taper.  I may just go for it at night for a bit but the day time is causing me too many problems.  The nerve problems I was having seems to have gone away.  I will just have to see if that holds.

I actually feel much better this morning since stopping that patch!!

I still have a way to go.

I just need off of the neurontin so I can think clearly.  I have never had seizures.  It was prescribed for nerve pain that I seemed to acquire after the detox.  I also had the creepy legs.

Thank you for the heads up on the lyrica.  I seriously do not react well to meds and that had been mentioned to me but I would rather do the neurontin  as it is a shorter acting pill, or capsule in my case but I know I can space it out for a long time or not take a couple of pills.  It gives me lots of options.  I so do not trust the new drugs out there.

This has been one experience I wish on no one.

Again, I thank you ever so much for your input especially on Christmas!

Lizzy

[worried878]

110/58 is not a terribly low BP...but it is on the low side of normal...taking clonidine is gonna lower it even more...it is powerful BP med and should be used under a drs supervision..low BP is even more dangerous at times than high Blood pressure

Neurontin is an old drug..it interrpts pain signals to the brain...safe and not a drug of abuse...the new nerve blocker/lyrica/has much more side effects and is often abused....but neither r physically abit forming...neurontin being much safer than lyrica...I have chronic pain and have been on neurontin for 15 yrs...if i do not take it..i have no proiblems...where as lyrica sent me spinning

neurontin helps wd cos when u first start taking it it helps sleep...for a month or so...i never took it during the day but just took my nightly 300 mg dose...i work and do not like taking any drug that causes sleepiness during the day...lyrica made my tongue thick and i would have a "fog hangover" in the morning so did not stay on it...neurontine would help wds in many ways///and it is a safe drug...clonidine is not truly addictive in the sense we speak of...but a drug that can cause emergency situations.....
Ur total oxy dose was 110 mgs daily...again..low BP is a concern with the clonidine and patches can not be controlled as they continually release/pill form can be more easily controlled as u can skip a dose if ur BP is low.....this is sumpin u need to refer to ur dr...write down ur BP 3-4 times a day and get with her/him on it ...be sure u are always safe and read up on the drugs/patch form or pills that u put into ur body....it is our responsibility to know what we r doing///a pharmacist or the prescribing doctor are both available...use these resources and be safe

As avisg said..there r no dotors here on this site..just addicts///may be a dr here but his/her capacity is not to give medcal advice on this site even if he/she is a doctor..they r here like we r///looking for support

be safe

[avisg]

These are really questions you need to ask a doctor but since your is out next week. I would try the pharmacist and ask them as worried said clonidine is normally only for a short about of time after two months you would have to taper it down not to mention if you have low BP as your WD lessens it could lower your blood pressure to much . The nerotion some dr's do have patients taper but normally I think that if you are taking it for seizure disorders but being that I am not in the medical field I cant tell you what would be the safest .I would strongly suggest if you cant get ahold of you doctor you try your pharmacist

[bmdad]

I was prescribed neurontin for nerve pain but read it can be helpful during withdrawals. I took it for a few weeks and it seemed to help big time! I was prescribed 600mg 3 times a day. I didn't taper off because I was on it for such a short amount of time. I didn't notice any negative symptoms once I stopped taking it. It did make me feel fuzzy headed during the day while on it but at night it helped with the sleep and with the rls. I'm guessing your groggy feeling is associated with the neurontin. I also think you will be fine without tapering off of it since you were on it for such a short amount of time although it may not hurt to taper a bit just to be safe. I have read that if you are in it for a extended period of time there are some withdrawals associated with it. I was never on it for long enough to know.
Keep hanging in there. You are doing a great job!!

Brian

[Sjoggie]

Oh, I meant to tell you thank you for letting me know I do not need to wean off of the neurontin.  That is a relief!

Lizzy

[Sjoggie]

The Clonidine patch was .1 mg.

I did a rapid detox on the 8th of Dec. and didn't get home until the 13th.  That night I was put on nuerontin and a clonidine pill and saw my doc the next day.

She called in a clonidine patch which I couldn't get until Tuesday and told me to take the neurontin.  I was in major pain with the leg problems and so on so she upped the dose of neurontin but darned if I can remember when.  I am pretty loopy.

Of course she is off this next week.

I have been dizzy and so tired but don't know if it is the clonidine or neurontin or both!

How long would you need to stay on the neurontin for detox purposes?

Thank you,

Lizzy

[Sjoggie]

Thank you so much for writing.

I was taking 40 mg of of oxy and 7 10 mg percocet a day.

I took the patch off and am not going to use it anymore. I have used it less than two weeks.  My blood pressure was 110 over 58.  We bought a blood pressure cuff and my husbands doc calibrated it for us.

Now, to get rid of the neurontin without causing some sort of problem.

You have no idea how thankful I am for this board!!!

Lizzy

[worried878]

Just read ur second post...neurontin is a bit safer than clonidine by far..check back with ur dr...as a rule there is no need to wean off neurontin...clonidine patches r a bit less controlled than the pills...if ur blood pressure runs low, i would call and be sure u do not have this info backwards some how???   a patch continuously releases...as a rule tablets r given for shoort term use/ so if u feel ur pressure is low//ie dizzy etc...u can skip the next dose or only take 1/2 if it is not time released...what was ur doc and dose per day?

Clonidine is usually reserved for very high intake///strong drugs like heroin or very large doses of oxy....low blood pressure is a concern..if u have a bp cuff at home i would use it to see how u r responding to the patches so u can let ur dr know

keep posting

[worried878]

Clonidine is a powerful drug///not addicting but can affect ur blood pressure drastically//should be used under a dr's care

It slows the body down and helps sleep, anxiety and the runs....and should be stopped when physical wds has passed...if a person takes it longer than a couple of weeks it needs to be stopped a bit slowly//not for the same reasons other drugs do...but cos of body adjustment

a person with a low BP during wd should beware of clonidine...most of the time wd/severe from strong narcotics or high doses///the bp goes up due to the stress of wd...a 60 mg hydro user would possibly see a big drop in bp due to clonidine which can cause emergency situations....a 200-300 mg oxy user who goes ct would possibly benefit from clonidine use to curb wd..it is better than methadone or sub...as it is non-narcotic...but still messing with a drug of this potency should only be done by those who know what they r doing///a dr is the best bet

be safe and keep posting

[Sjoggie]

Thanks for answering!

My doc gave me 2 months worth of patches!  I tend to have low blood pressure when I am normal so I was a bit surprised by the length of time she had given me the clonidine.

She also gave me Neurontin which I have taken less than two weeks and said I would have to ween off of it.  I was taking 4 300 mg a day and then jumped to 6 a day but now I don't think I need it any more.  My doc said I would have to ween off if it one pill a week!

I'm so confused!!

I am pushing the fluids but I think the clonidine and neurontin are knocking me out!

Lizzy

[bmdad]

When I was prescribed clonidine last year I only took it for about a week or so until the worst of the physical symptoms had subsided some. What did your doctor recommend? It seems like most of the time doctors only give about a weeks worth. Mine gave me a 30 day supply but I didn't want to get in the habit of taking another pill.
Be sure to be exercising, eating healthy, and pushing the fluids. These few things will make a world of difference!!!
Best of luck!

Brian