hooked on hydromorphone

I have been on prescribed hydromorphone 4 mg -5 times a day for chronic back pain due to a serious accident 10 years ago. Have been on this drug for approx. 7 years now and have had some terrible side effects from this drug. I have asked my doctor how to come off because I feel they are no longer working . He suggested missing a dose here and there, I have tried that and become quite sick. Have  also tried cutting them in half, trying to wait longer between doses but I keep getting ill. As I work 6 days a week at my own cleaning business I am finding this very hard to deal with the withdrawl (withdrawal) symptoms especially when I have to drive, my vision is blurred as my eyes begin to water, bowels go and start to ache all over and extreme headaches. I would rather live with the chronic back pain than go on like this and would appreciate if someone could give me some sound advice. Please help   Thank you

[salsinator]

Hey Girl,  Welcome to the forum.  This is a great place for support and there are many here who can help you.  Hydromorphone is a very strong opiate and must be tapered slowly.  Don't try to cut back by cutting your dose completely in half, start in small increments.  Try cutting back to 3 mg instead of 4 - not sure if that will be easy to measure, but cut back just a little.  Try going an hour longer inbetween your doses, then stretch it to two hours.  Do this for several days and see how you feel.  Then drop down by another mg and try stretching time again, before you know it, you will only be taking the dose 4 times per day instead of 5 - and so on.  Take it slow and go with what your body tells you.  See how this works - see what others here tell you.  We know that you can do it. Take Care.

[Jules1866]

Hello, I dont know anything about hypdromophone but I am weaning off kadian, I went to my pain management  dr. to put me on a weaning schedule. Can you go to your dr. and aske for a weaning schedule. dont just say  you want to come off them or you want to cut back because they dont listen , they are in this business to make money.  You have to be forward and say, you need to write me a weaning schedule and if that doesnt work then ask your primary family dr.

Hang in there, and use this forum all the time.