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does clonidine work for oxycontin withdrawls?

I am a oxycontin addict. I have been taking over 3 80 mil oxys for over a year now and am finally addmitting to myself and my family i have a problem. I went to the doc yesterday and she gave me clonidine to help with the withdrawls, which everyone knows are hell. I was wondering if anyone has taken this medication and if it works. I have a heart condition called atrial fibulation and do not want the medication to fire that up. Thanks.
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Avatar universal
I am not a doctor and you should consult a doctor before taking my or anyones advice of medication and WD processes because everyone is different.

I am at day 7 of WD's and my method worked great with MINIMAL WD symptoms. I Still feeling a few but its very tolerable and can be dealt with easily. I have experienced very very horrible WD's in the past and came up with my own method of stopping.  After 5 surgeries on my ankle I decided to quit pain medication forever ( 3 years on them) because it was ruling my life and my body was addicted to it.

I was on 40-90mg's of oxycontin per day (taking 10mg pills-Use to be on 40mg pills taking 5 a day- Chewing them included!) I was also prescribed Tramadol (another class of narcotic which can give you the same WD's if stopped abruptly) which i only took if i ran out of oxycontin. I noticed in the past that if i took tramadol after stopping oxycontin I would only experience very very light WD's.

Here the process:

After stopping the oxycontin i took (4) 50mgs tabs of tramadol for 2 days, then down to 3 for 2 days, 2 for 2 and so on until a week went by and stopped the tramadol and experience only sweating and very very light Wd's while taking the tramadol. Before I stopped the tramadol I went to the Doctor and got Clonidine for Skin bumps hot/cold and blood pressure (.1mg'sx4daily- Dont want a high dose cause it can cause hypertension after stopping), Ambien ( 1 at bed) and Trazadone (1 after waking from ambien) for sleep ( NO Valium/Klonipin/Xanax cause it Can delay the WD's process), Loperamide HCL for diarrhea and stomach cramps, Diphenhydramine (Benadryle for sneezing, nasal congestion cause from Wd's), and Prochlorperazine (10 mg's for Nausea and vomiting- although I never had to take it cause never felt that bad). I purchased on my own Vitamin B-12 ( sublingual- put under tongue), Centrum Vitamin (chewable), and Vitamin C (Chewable) - Having these helps with Wd's and promotes faster correction of the Nervous system. After stopping the tramadol I only experienced 2 days of rather annoying Wd's but still tolerable with the medication regimen i am on. After day 2 I felt like i had a light cold during the day ( which is the Wd's) up to today. Each day has been progressively better. I can operate fine throughout the day and dont feel bad at all really - very tolerable WD's. During the evening at bed time is a different. My nose gets congested and my legs move quite a bit (Restless Leg Syndrome from WD's) but each night it gets better. So all in all, the first 2 days are the only ones that sucked. The reason being is because of switching over to tramadol for the first week. Doing so tricked my body in thinking it was getting oxycontin for the first week but still able to get over the worst of the WD's without actually experiencing them. So i basically went through very very light WD's for the first week (almost unnoticeable) and then only had 2 days that really sucked. Like I said I am not doctor and you should consult your doctor before taking anyones advice. Also, tramadol can have many side effects so check with other medications that you may be taking so read and educate yourself about all medications you are on before doing this process. Hope this helps all of you during the WD process, I know it did for me!

If you really want to quit you can! Have heart and do it! Fear Nothing!

Remember, It's not where your from or what you've done. It's where your going!

Good Luck!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Suboxone is definitely the way to go, especially if you are addicted to Oxycontin.  All symptoms of withdrawal cease, as well as the mental craving for the drug.  I can't say enough good about Suboxone.
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Avatar universal
I was in medical detox a few years back ... I'd never heard of clonidine, but it was on the menu. They checked my blood pressure three or more times a day -- narcotics keep your BP artificially low -- and it brought back to something near 120/80 (ideal, for most) and I think it was helpful for the aches as well.

If you're doing a home detox, perhaps a friend could get you over to a pharmacy with a free BP machine regularly? The machines aren't as accurate as your doctor's rig, but try for three tests when you go, just to see if the readings are relatively consistent. If you're taking BP meds already, don't miss your dose. I hope you're seeing your dr. often during this. Just don't obsess about how bad it's gonna be -- some people have a fairly easy go of it.

If you don't have a script for a sedative, ask for one -- either Valium or Klonopin. Really helps, as does walking around the block (which can be quite a chore) and trying to keep regular hours. I found melatonin (no script necessary -- 5mg before you hit the pillow and turn out the lights) really helpful, too.

Good choice -- good luck.
Helpful - 0
882970 tn?1549208689
i got a script for clonidine when i was going through the withdrawals too- to be honest I didnt really feel like it did much aside from making me pass out- so if you have no sleeping meds then this will be good- it lowered my blood pressure significantly. good luck (sometimes it is mind over matter ya know?)
Helpful - 0
228003 tn?1263225266
Clonidine is a must for opiate WD's.  At least it was for me.  I'm 18 days sober today becauase of it.
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Avatar universal
  Clonidine helped me out sooooooo very much.  It helped keep me stable and didn't mess with my blood pressure which is pretty much normal....  I think the zanax will really help too,  I took a few tranzene and quartered them and they helped alot.  She will need Immodium, otc pain meds, heating pad, hot baths or showers help with the muscle aches.   she should feel much better in 5 or 6 days.


Hugs

Ella
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just stay strong.  You know the deal, but its at that breaking point where you have to dig deep and find the strength.  You can do it!  In about 5 days you will start to feel better and then a little each day... not that long to wait if you really think about it.  Unfortunately there is no easy way to do it..  Hang in there and keep us posted!
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Avatar universal
thanks for the reply, yea i told her about it and she told me to contact her if I felt my heart palpitating. I defiantly want to try to use it thought, just because I have been through withdrawals before, but not the entire cycle. I ended up using again, just to relieve the pain, before the withdrawals ended. but hopefully the clonidine can help me through the entire duration of the withdrawals.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
From what I have heard, clonidine can be very effective in relieving some of the symptoms of withdrawal (hot/cold skin bumps, may even help with sleep).  It is a blood pressure medicine so I would definitely talk to a doctor if you have a heart condition.  Did the prescribing doctor know of your heart condition?  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
TRY SABOXONE IF YOU REALLY WONA QUIT I DID 4 80S 4ROXYS TO YOU CAN DO ANY THING YOU SET YOURE MIND TO  IWILL PRAY FOR YOU MY FRIEND        
Helpful - 0
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